Score one for our friends the manta ray and whale shark. Plankton’s getting fucked, though.
I really can’t wait to go to the Brooklyn Aquarium tomorrow.
Sometimes nature show people piss me off.
I’m sure this guy means well, but really. The lady’s preggers and you drag her ass out of the river just so you can put her on a crane and weigh her?
For shame, dude.
From the rest of the human race, apologies to our friend the stingray.
All giant aquatic beasts are friends of this space. The Mekong giant cat fish may not be as majestic as the whale shark—and it certainly doesn’t have the ravishing looks of the bottlenose dolphin (or the manatee for that matter)—but we love it all the same.
The Mekong giant catfish is endangered, much in the same way all critters of Earth seem to be nowadays.
A word to nature show hosts, though, just because a beastie is toothless, that shouldn’t give you license to stick your hand in its mouth. That just doesn’t seem like the gentlemanly thing to do.
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) — Allison, a green sea turtle with only one flipper, has been going around and around and around for most of her life.
But swimming in tight circles is tough for a 5-year-old turtle whose life expectancy is about 150 years.
Allison was set straight Wednesday, when researchers outfitted her in a black neoprene suit with a carbon-fiber dorsal fin on the back that allows her to glide gracefully with other turtles.
The fin on the suit, which resembles a wetsuit covering about three-quarters of her body, acts like a rudder and gives her stability. Allison can change direction by varying the strokes of her front right flipper, the lone survivor in what rescuers believe was a shark attack.
Sea Turtle Inc. curator Jeff George said turtles with only one flipper are usually euthanized because they would struggle to reach the surface for air. Two-flipper turtles can be adopted by zoos and three-flipper turtles can be returned to the wild.
Allison, who arrived at the rescue center in 2005, was given a slim chance of survival, but she recovered from her injuries and wormed her way into the hearts of her rescuers, who tried to find a way to help the circling turtle.
“The whole reason we’re doing this is to improve her quality of life,” said Tom Wilson, a 21-year-old intern who thought up the suit.
Even though Allison will never return to the sea, the groundbreaking work will make her an “ambassador” for an endangered species, George said. (via)
Our friend the sea turtle gets a new lease on life.
Our friend the whale shark dates back to the time of dinosaurs. But they may not be around much longer. I know the people in the video mean well, but I wonder if there’s a better way to track animals other than tagging. They don’t seem to mind getting an electronic sensor stapled to them, but the practice seems undignified. Either way, they’re doing their part to preserve the biggest fish in the sea.
I get obsessed. I don’t know how it started, but my mom said she hadn’t heard of a whale shark, so I had to show her. I love sea beasties. Especially those as noble as our friend, the whale shark. It’s the largest fish in the sea. It’s listed on the World Conservation Union’s Red List as “threatened.” However, not much is known about this gentle giant. You can even see them off the coast of New York, but I can’t swim, so I don’t get in boats. Other than the ferry. Be strong, brave beast.
