An amazing and wonderful video that I came across a few years ago: Michael Fishbach, co-founder of The Great Whale Conservancy, his family and friends rescued a Humpback Whale from fishnets, and after being freed, the whale shows amazing appreciation to the rescuers.
The Great Whale Conservancy was launched in 2010 to advocate for the great whales, they need our help and protection to survive, to learn more about our current efforts, and find out how we can work together.
The prehistoric world was home to an array of magnificent and fearsome creatures, and among them, the large cats ruled supreme. These ancient feline predators prowled the Earth with power and grace, displaying unmatched dominance. In this article, we will explore the top 5 largest prehistoric cats that once roamed the planet. From the mighty Smilodon with its deadly saber teeth to the massive American Lion, these awe-inspiring creatures left an indelible mark on the history of big cats.
The Sahara desert, with its endless stretches of sand and searing heat, may not be the first place you’d expect to find a prehistoric sea monster. But that’s exactly where National Geographic grantee Federico Fanti and his team of paleontologists made an astonishing discovery: the remains of a massive marine crocodile named Machimosaurus rex.
With estimated lengths of up to 30 feet (9.14 meters) and razor-sharp teeth, M. rex was a true apex predator of the Late Jurassic seas. Fanti and his colleagues pieced together the crocodile’s fossilized bones, unlocking clues about its anatomy, behavior, and evolutionary history. This groundbreaking research sheds new light on the ancient ecosystems of North Africa and the fascinating creatures that roamed them millions of years ago.
Our planet is experiencing a new geological era, according to a growing number of scientists. The Anthropocene, as it is being called, marks the first time in Earth’s history that human activities have had a significant and lasting impact on the planet’s ecosystems, geology, and climate. The term “Anthropocene” is derived from the Greek words “anthropos,” meaning human, and “kainos,” meaning new, to reflect the idea that humans are the driving force behind this new epoch. While the idea of the Anthropocene is still a subject of debate among some scientists, the concept has gained widespread acceptance and is viewed as a call to action to address the environmental challenges that our planet faces today.
Our old planet, the Earth is 4.54 billion years old. In fact, the human mind can no longer make any sense of large numbers like that. Numbers like 1, 2, 14, 20, 50 are all quantities that we encounter quite frequently in our daily lives. And our brain evolved to conceptualize numbers like that: our ancestors saw two lions; they hunted five deer in one hunting party, the population of their tribe was 20, etc…
But when the numbers are getting big, i.e. 1,000; 10,000… the problem begins: these numbers become increasingly difficult to conceptualize. Now, what happens when we try to conceptualize quantities like billions, like the Earth’s age? We can’t actually rationalize the immensity of such a big number. Because we haven’t a model of 4.54 billion that’s been compressed into something recognizable to the human mind.
Four of the five species of the big cats (the Panthera genus – lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, and snow leopard), the exception being the snow leopard can hybridize with each other to produce numerous hybrids. In fact, most of these animals’ habitats do not overlap, for example, lions live in Africa and tigers in Asia. However, hybrid big cats can be born by accident in captivity.
A recent study led by Peter Behroozi of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland suggests that the vast majority of Earth-like planets in the universe have yet to be born. Using computer simulations to model planet formation around stars in the Milky Way galaxy, Behroozi and his team found that only 8% of potentially habitable planets have already formed. This means that the remaining 92% are yet to be born. The study’s findings have significant implications for our understanding of the prevalence of life in the universe and the prospects for finding it beyond our solar system.
“Your life on Earth” is a nice interactive webpage presented by the BBC – The British Broadcasting Corporation: how you and the world have changed since you were born? You’re simply entering your birth date, gender
In two different locations on the coast of Hawaii, scientists have observed unusual interactions between bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales as dolphins rode the heads of whales. Rather than just swimming alongside the whales, the dolphins take things a step further and leap onto their heads, using them as a kind of surfboard. The whales lifted the dolphins up and out of the water, and then the dolphins slid back down.
Chimpanzees are our closest cousins, they share 98 percent of their genes with us. Despite this genetic similarity, chimpanzees possess physical attributes that far exceed the capabilities of the average human. Notably, chimpanzees are significantly stronger than humans, possessing a muscle mass that allows them to lift and carry objects that would be impossible for us. The reasons for this superior strength are multifaceted and have been the subject of much research and debate. In this article, we will explore the various factors that contribute to the physical prowess of chimpanzees and compare them to the abilities of humans.