in the wild

Sing it with me: Baaaa-by Be-luuuuga. Am the only one getting flashbacks to childhood whenever I see pictures of Beluga Whales? Anyway, the endangered mammals are best recognized by their distinctive white color and large foreheads (forget "fivehead" . . . more like twenty-fivehead). Prominent noggins or not, they are pretty cute . . . especially when blowing bubbles. Check it out in the video below!

Source

I think this guy looks like he belongs on a Christmas tree, but this sea crab is just one of the hundreds of new sea creatures discovered off the coast of Tasmania. From crabs to starfish to octopus, these new species were recorded in two separate mile-deep voyages in 2006 and 2007.

Not only did voyagers find new species of animals under the sea, they also discovered miles of coral that is thought to be about 2,000 years old, providing life and food to many creatures. Lead scientist Nic Bax, a marine biologist with Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization talks about the discovery in a recent interview saying,"We know very little about the deep sea. Finding out how much live coral is down there, and how large those communities are, is very exciting."

Source

If you've ever wondered how some jellyfish glow green, you're not alone. Three researchers from across the country – Osamu Shimomura, Martin Chalfie, and Roger Tsien – teamed up to discover ways to produce the protein unique to Crystal Jellyfish – called GFP – to help aid in medical research. The discovery was so important that it earned them the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.

How would this glowing protein aid the medical community? Formally, certain things have been invisible to the eye – like how cancer cells form and spread – but with this fluorescent protein, we can now see those cells and watch how they develop. What's more, researchers can also see how nerve cells deteriorate as they do in patients with Alzheimer's, which means that a deeper understanding of the disease is possible! Hopefully, this will help form a cure for both cases, and open up a whole new understanding for other medical related issues. Way to go jellyfish!

Source

I keep looking at my finger, then back at this picture, then back at my finger . . . wow! Once found all over the continent, the European Tree Frog is endangered in Western Europe because of the negative influences of human activity on their natural habitats. This babe's just chillin' with his keeper at a German Zoo – the facility continues to breed the species in order to reintroduce them to the wild in Nuremberg and the city's surrounding areas.
To see another picture of five little tree frogs just sittin' in a tree, read more

See? I'm not the only one that feels like getting a massage after a long day at work. Killer Whales get creative in the ocean, using sea kelp and stones for a nice, exfoliating, and moisturizing self rubdown. Thankfully, they don't have to pay the $160 that I would pay for the equivalent here on land! Lucky.

Source

You know that feeling of anticipation you get during a full moon that makes you want to go out and party? Well, maybe that's just me, but studies show that the "Full Moon Effect" touches other species, too. Not only are those werewolves on the hunt during full moons, but so are sharks, seals, and sea birds.

Since sea birds — like the streaked shearwater — rest on the water's surface, they are especially noticeable on a night with a full moon, where the light penetrating the water is brighter, and the birds cast a shadow below. So the sharks and seals that prey on the birds have a better chance of catching a midnight snack on those evenings. How did researchers first discover this activity? To find out, just read more