Also known as sea cows, their rotund bodies, vacuum-cleaner snouts, stumpy flippers, leathery grey skin and wrinkles of blubber make them unlikely stand-ins for the graceful mermaid. Dugong have been hunted to near extinction for their meat, oil and skin. Photo: Shutterstock Yet these clumsy creatures are widely thought to be the inspiration for the … Read more
Our planet is changing. So is our journalism. Keep up with the latest news on our Climate and Environment page. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox every Thursday. This week: Climate change is forcing chimps to confront their fears An award-winning photo captures a devastating fire season New Brunswick moves to pay farmers for conservation … Read more
As It Happens6:13More than 100 possible new marine species discovered in a single deepsea expedition During a research expedition off the coast of Chile, Erin Easton says her colleagues were constantly showing her some amazing new sea creature they’d just discovered. “It would just be, like, ‘Erin, Erin, Erin, look!’” Easton, a marine scientist at the University … Read more
Some creatures are so quiet, they appear to make no sound at all. When a male treehopper calls out for a mate, he shakes his abdomen 100 times a second to produce a low sound that vibrates through the stem of the plant he is standing on. While that sound is audible to other treehoppers … Read more
A pod of at least 10 orca whales trapped in sea ice near northern Japan has reportedly managed to escape successfully. The pod was first spotted by a fisherman earlier this week on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. Drone footage showed the whales struggling to breathe and to break free of the drift ice. “At … Read more
In an effort to reduce the environmental impact of commercial ships, a group of U.K. researchers has scoured through the research into a unique technology that imitates the action of a whale’s tail to help propel ships and reduce fuel consumption. The findings of the review-study from Cranfield University, published in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews … Read more
