Fishermen in Bangladesh spotted a Ganges River dolphin, a cetacean rarely sighted because it only surfaces on occasion to breathe, and what did they do? They beat the mammal to death hoping they could sell it as a "rare fish."
The article I read today didn't specify who the fishermen were attempting to sell the dead dolphin to. It was reportedly taken to a museum visitor's center where it will be prepared for an exhibit.
I'm not too sure why the fishermen's first instinct was to kill the rare find. The animals are endangered. The fishermen gained nothing from it. I'm interested to find out if anyone bothers to punish them. CNN didn't say.
Most shark "attacks" on humans are a mistake, which is why there are so many more bites than fatalities. There are around 350 species of sharks but white, tiger and bull sharks (not nurse sharks like the one in this pic) are the species responsible for the majority of all attacks.
The octopus is considered among the most intelligent inver
Some scientists believe killer whales have calls with unique dialects that vary by pod.
Who needs a homing pigeon when a sticky flatfish can deliver a message just the same?
It does take a little longer, though, to hand over fanmail from some flounder, as one Japanese girl can attest. But some things are worth the wait.
For all you gamers-slash-ocean-aficionados out there comes a cool new game for the Wii consul that allows players to explore sea life and search for lost treasure.
Hailed by critics as "the world's most relaxing and beautiful game," Endless Ocean is fun for the whole family (rated E for everyone).
And what's more it brings the beauty of the oceans home. Hopefully more folks will become inspired to help preserve the oceans.
Scientists in Malaysia are calling the Continue reading...
I've been loosely following developments in the debate about whether or not the Navy should be allowed to use sonar during anti-submarine warfare training exercises and was a bit surprised to learn that President Bush moved to exempt the Navy from the ban.
The news comes only a couple days after an Los Angeles District judge ruled in favor of environmental groups and cetaceans to keep the Navy from using mid-frequency sonar in waters off the coast of Southern California unless operating more than 12 miles from the shore.
For a fairly thorough recount of the dispute, check out Dot Earth by New York Times blogger Andrew Revkin. His posts on the matter have a lot of good background and insight.
The Pacific Marine Mammal Center is surely celebrating after three rehabilitated seal pups were released back into the ocean after being rescued last spring.
The fight over whether whaling should be banned or not heated recently when two anti-whaling activists were detained on a Japanese fishing vessel after boarding the ship without permission to reportedly dispense information.