Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so I wanna hear it from you: do you think this bulbous-headed snub fin dolphin is properly called the "world's ugliest dolphin?"
Although you might think this species spends a good amount of time at the surface, these fish actually live mostly at depths of 700 to 2,000 feet underwater. Do you know what kind of fish this is?
To see the answer, just read more
Yeesh, when I see this image, I get chills up and down my spine! Everybody knows (or should know) what a cobra looks like, but do you know what to do if you were to meet one? See what you know about this slithering reptile when you take my quiz!
Each year the International Institute For Species Exploration announces a list of the Top 10 New Species for the preceding calendar year. Even though there are virtually thousands of new plant and animals found each year, an international committee of experts choose these 10 to help draw attention to biodiversity, the field of taxonomy, and the importance of natural history museums and botanical gardens in a fun-filled way. Eight of the 10 named this year are animals, check them all out in this slideshow!
The big guys of the ocean – whales, sharks, and dolphins – get all the attention! One animal that's missing the boat in the PR department is the manatee. I don't hear many facts or stories about the so called "sea cow," and this one seems like such a friendly guy! Doesn't it look like he's smiling? Let's test our knowledge and see what we can dig up, or figure out, about the manatee!
Usually when I think of animal conservation, I think of protecting the animals' natural habitat, educating the masses on the need for conservation, and maybe even helping nature along with breeding, but I've never heard of putting them on ice!
In Moscow, a research team is trying to save the rarest of toad and frog species from extinction by freezing their sperm and eggs at minus 200 degrees for later use. With over 3,000 species on the endangered list, Natalia Sheshova from the Institute of Biophysics in Moscow says they are learning other ways to use science to their advantage as well:
“We’re learning to freeze embryo cells too, to give us a complete genetic picture. We hope that if a certain species does become extinct, we can retrieve the frozen cells and reproduce it.”
I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures!
When I think of antelopes, the first thing that comes to mind are their extravagant horns, often curving into beautiful shapes like arcs and helices. Can you recognize any of these unique-looking hoofed, horned creatures? Originally I was gonna ask you to match the name to the antelope pictured but, because even I am not an absolute antelope expert, I decided to make it easier on both of us. For each, you'll see a picture, a description of a trademark feature, and part of the species name (think Wheel of Fortune) – it's up to you to complete the word! Good luck.
I had many fishies growing up, mostly little goldfish, some beta fish, but my fave was my one puffer fish that lasted six years! I was always intrigued by water creatures and one of my earliest memories of being blown away by an animal was when I learned about the flying fish. I didn't know too much about these guys, but I thought they were so awesome because they could do two things that I wished I could do - breathe underwater and fly! So, when I learned about a flying fish setting a new record of gliding for 45 seconds in the air, I was not surprised! I knew they could glide for good distances (up to 50 yards) and previously the longest time in air was 42 seconds set back in the 1920s, but I had no idea that they could even flap their winged fins to catch an updraft sending them soaring even higher!
Although the video is a little shaky, you can see a flying fish enjoying his time in the air as he glides alongside a ferry off the southern tip of Japan. Check it out below!
I remember going to ponds and lakes near my hometown with a bag of bread in one hand and my mom gripping the other. We were going to feed the ducks our leftover stale bread, a common practice back in the day. But a new study suggests that feeding the birds your bread may not be helping them stay as healthy as we once thought.
While white bread does its job of filling up the tummies of the ducks, geese, swans, and other birds seen around lakes, it doesn't do a good job of giving them any nutritional assistance. Birds quickly get full from the bread, so they can't eat anything else that may contain the nutritional value they need to breed and raise their young. Val Osborne, head of wildlife inquiries at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the UK, said: “There are many other household foods that would be much better for them."
To see what kind of foods, just read more
I always wanted to work with animals and, when I was little, I may have even declared I would become a marine biologist. So when I got to spend a few days in Orlando hopping from Aquatica to SeaWorld, and Discovery Cove checking out the fish, swimming with the manta rays, and learning about all the cool exhibits, I was as happy as a clam. If you're anything like me and ever daydreamed of living with the fishes, you can now get a little closer at the Poseidon Resort in Fiji.
This ultra cool (and ultra expensive) one-of-a-kind resort has you staying 40 feet under the surface in one of 24 suites appointed with top side luxuries like marble and leather, plus nearly all of the walls in each suite are made of acrylic glass so you can get up close and personal views of the sea life. And with an underwater library, restaurants and bars, you'll never have to head topside! The price for this underwater experience starts at $15,000, and seems to be worth every penny, especially since they teach you how to navigate your own sub to go even deeper underwater and check out the view from 1,000 feet down! Sign me up!
