As It Happens6:05What killed and ate a really big shark? An even bigger shark, scientists say When marine biologist James A. Sulikowski started monitoring the migration and mating habits of porbeagle sharks, he didn’t expect he would end up investigating a murder mystery. But when Penelope, a 2.4-metre-long porbeagle, dropped off his research team’s radar, … Read more
A beluga whale that was suspected of spying for Russia after being discovered in Norwegian waters five years ago has been found dead, according to the non-profit organization that had been monitoring the whale. The body of Hvaldimir — a combination of the Norwegian word for whale and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin — was spotted floating in the … Read more
An invasive sea creature with a disappearing anus and a penchant for cannabalizing its own young may have yet another trick up its sleeve. When life is going badly for the sea walnut, it will shrink and take on the shape of its larval form, and stay that way until things are looking up again, according … Read more
They lurk in the murky depths of some of Alberta’s biggest rivers, living fossils from when giant lizards strode the earth. But a prominent fisheries biologist fears the province’s lake sturgeon may finally share the fate of the dinosaurs because of growing pressure on water resources. “The more you shrink the area in which a … Read more
A new generation of birders is embracing the hobby and making it their own. Birding, bird watching, is the observation of birds in nature. Many participants also capture photographs or sound recordings of their sightings, and keep track of the species they’ve seen throughout their lives. In Sudbury, Ont., a Facebook group is providing a … Read more
A family of polar and grizzly bear hybrids, or grolars, in Canada’s western Arctic — which all started with a “pretty strange” female polar bear — is “quite rare,” according to a new study. The research paper, published last week in the journal Conservation Genetics Resources, used a new tool to look at samples from … Read more
As It Happens6:38Elephants may have names for each other that humans can’t understand Elephants appear to know their own names, according to a new study. Not the nicknames we humans sometimes give them, but their own, unique elephant names, which they use to call to each other. The findings, published this week in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, … Read more
The federal government has announced salmon fishery closures and mandatory speed limits in areas where southern resident killer whales forage and travel in the ongoing effort to protect the endangered species. A statement from Transport Canada says the measures off Vancouver Island are aimed at protecting the whales from noise, contaminants and improving their access to prey. … Read more
Plant biologist Marcus Samuel has been working for more than a decade to improve the climate resilience of crops. At his research greenhouse at the University of Calgary, he uses cutting-edge gene editing techniques to produce hardier varieties of plants able to withstand temperature fluctuations, floods and frosts. But while he has worked on canola, … Read more
Quirks and Quarks11:40Killer whales are likely ramming boats because they’re bored and having fun When Renaud de Stephanis sees killer whales surround his boat off the coast of Spain, he isn’t afraid — he’s excited because it’s a chance to get some research done. When asked how often his boats have been hit by the … Read more
