Pregnant whale washed up in Italian tourist spot had 22 kilograms of plastic in its stomach
The carcass of a pregnant sperm whale that washed up in Sardinia, Italy, last week had 22 kilograms (49 pounds) of plastic in its stomach, and was carrying a dead fetus, the country’s environment minister and a marine life non-profit organization said.
Giant sunfish washes up on Australian beach
A rare giant sunfish has washed ashore at the mouth of the Murray River in South Australia.
Dead whale found with 40 kilograms of plastic bags in its stomach
A young whale whose carcass washed up in the Philippines died of “dehydration and starvation” after consuming 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of plastic bags, scientists have found.
Violent battle playing out to save the last 22 vaquitas, the world’s most endangered porpoise
Experts said that at most only 22 vaquitas remain in the Gulf of California, where a grim, increasingly violent battle is playing out between emboldened fishermen and the last line of defense for the smallest and most endangered porpoise in the world.
Scientists Find Mystery Killer Whales off Cape Horn, Chile
In January 2019, an international team of scientists working off the tip of southern Chile got their first live look at what might be a new species of killer whale. Called Type D, the whales were previously known only from a beach stranding more than 60 years ago, fishermen’s stories, and tourist photographs.
Ecosystem changes following loss of great white sharks
A new study has documented unexpected consequences following the decline of great white sharks from an area off South Africa. The study found that the disappearance of great whites has led to the emergence of sevengill sharks, a top predator from a different habitat.
Study reveals island formation a key driver of penguin speciation
Ever since Darwin first set foot on the Galapagos, evolutionary biologists have long known that the geographic isolation of archipelagos has helped spur the formation of new species. Now, an international research team has found the first compelling evidence that modern penguin diversity is driven by islands, despite spending the majority of their lives at sea.
Elephant seals take over beach left vacant by US shutdown
An understaffed stretch of California coastline has new residents: nearly 100 elephant seals and their pups.
‘It’s warm water now’: climate change strands sea turtles on Cape Cod shores
At the New England Aquarium’s sea turtle hospital in a repurposed shipyard building south of Boston, the casualties of climate change swim in tanks as they recover after being pulled stunned from the beach.