May 20, 2020 By Haley Cohen Gilliland National Geographic
North Atlantic right whale researchers have many reasons to worry: Only 409 of the majestic marine mammals remain, and the threats facing them are formidable. For one, the endangered whales inhabit the busy waters off the Atlantic coast, where they must navigate crowded shipping channels and water columns clogged with fishing gear.
May 20, 2020 By Brad Badelt Hakai Magazine
Stories about declining species have become all too common. But what about when an animal comes back from the brink? It’s welcome news for conservationists, of course. But the return of a species can also have unexpected consequences. Take the sea otter. By around a century ago, the maritime fur trade had nearly wiped the species out along North America’s west coast. However, with an international treaty and federal statutes banning hunting, and reintroduction programs launched in the 1960s and 1970s, sea otters have since rebounded. They’ve even re-established in some areas where they were once extirpated.
May 19, 2020 By Maddie Stone National Geographic
Seismic data show that earthquakes more than 600 miles away can trigger submarine mudslides that threaten offshore oil rigs and could lead to catastrophic spills.
May 19, 2020 By David Waldstein The New York Times
They found that the turtles are actually creating decoy nests designed to fool predators like mongooses, dogs and wild pigs, and prevent them from sniffing out the real nests and devouring their eggs. Their findings challenge earlier theories that the turtles were disguising their nests and, in some cases, easing hatchlings’ trips to the water.
May 18, 2020 By Elizabeth Claire Alberts Mongabay
Each winter, southern right whales and humpback whales migrate to the waters off Brazil to feed on krill and phytoplankton, and to give birth to their young among the country’s rich coral reefs. These whales attract thousands of tourists, and their money, to Brazil. A whale’s capacity to bring tourist dollars into Brazil, in addition to its ability to regulate the environment and enhance fisheries, is worth a lot, according to a group of economists. Now, they’ve put a figure on it: $82 billion.