Obamacare Mk.II: US President sanctions world's largest ever ecologically protected zone
President Obama has just celebrated the centenary of the US National Park Service (NPS) by massively expanding a national marine monument in Hawaii, where he was born. The newly super-sized Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument now sprawls across 582,578 square miles of blue ocean around the uninhabited northwestern islands of Hawaii, making it officially the planet’s … Continued
Have you ever seen a blue-green farm? They're not quite what you'd expect
The farms of the future can’t feasibly resemble those of yesteryear in size, shape, or form. In fact, they may not even be on land. It only takes a few minutes chatting with Bren Smith, Executive Director and founder of GreenWave—the 501c3 non-profit organisation behind a revolutionary new 3D ocean farming technique—to realise this man’s … Continued
Wilderness loving adventurer surfs around erupting volcano
Adventurer, environmentalist and wildlife advocate Alison Teal has just become the first person to surf and swim around the base of an erupting volcano. In extraordinary scenes captured by underwater photographer Perrin James, Teal rode her pink surfboard up to Hawaii’s Kīlauea Volcano as it spewed glowing red molten rock into the ocean, and then … Continued
The odd, the weird and the utterly unbelievable
Space travel and the search for extraterrestrial beings is all well and good, but really, we have all the amazing and awe-inspiring alien-like lifeforms that anyone could possible dream up right here on Earth. Especially in the wet bits. I challenge anyone to watch the mind-bending documentary Fish Life – The Odd, The Weird and … Continued
Neon nightmares: 6 creepy critters that glow in the dark
Pretty little stars glimmering up in the night’s sky actually turn out to be ghoulish worms dangling from strands of mucus just above your head. What appears to glowing blue sphere shining out from the blackest reaches of the ocean floor in fact a ghastly fish with razor-sharp teeth. Here are bioluminescent creatures almost alien-like … Continued
This week on Love Nature: The 'assassin of the sea' scares the heck out of us all
Imagine an animal that weighs the same as a small sachet of porridge, but can generate 1500N of force—equivalent to the resting weight of two people—in a lightning attack that’s as fast as a bullet leaving a gun. Add to this species, an arsenal of hammer-like appendages, pointed claws sharper than flick-knives, an eyesight that’s unparalleled to anything else in the animal kingdom … Continued
Friends, not food—Why we need to help save UK sharks
Thought UK waters were free from sharks? Think again. In fact, over 30 shark species can be found along the British coastline, amongst them some of the largest, fastest, rarest and oddest sharks on the planet. Sadly, over half of these magnificent species are under threat—but there are plenty of ways in which marine wildlife … Continued
Mighty monsters—Here's 5 utterly petrifying prehistoric sharks
Sharks first appeared on Earth at least 420 million years ago. That’s nearly 200 million years before the first dinosaurs. All these years of evolution have given the many shark species we see today extraordinary abilities, ones that have enabled some to become the ultimate marine predators. Yet the sharks that no longer roam the oceans … Continued
The strange world of river sharks
Worldwide there are more than 500 recognised species of sharks and that number is continuing to grow as new species are discovered lurking in the depths of the world’s oceans. Encompassing everything from the well known great white and hammerhead sharks, to little known oddities such as the deep-sea dwarf lanternshark or the enormous plankton … Continued
Diving into the depthless deep of Earth's shallowest seas
When looking at the natural world, it often seems that we human beings love nothing more than staring wide-eyed into the abyss, or gazing up at the depths of outer space, desperately straining to try and make out something mysterious and interesting in the inky gloom of a possibly endless void. But perhaps we’re overlooking … Continued
Criminally caught whale sharks released back into the ocean
Two whale sharks, recently discovered being illegally held in underwater cages off the coast of Kasumba Island in eastern Indonesia, have been released back into the sea this week. The sharks, which are protected under Indonesian and international law, were only 12-feet when they were illegaly caught by megafauna smugglers, but they can grow to … Continued
Two humans and one shark dead after a bloody week in the waters of Western Australia
A female scuba diver has been killed in shark attack in Western Australia, the second such fatality on beaches peripheral to Perth during the same week, after a surfer died as a result of having his leg bitten off on Tuesday in an attack in Mandurah, just south of the West Australian capital. The two … Continued
Sea of creepy ice monsters
Oceans cover more than two thirds of the world surface and contain a staggering 99% of the living space on our planet. It’s no surprise then that scientists are still turning up strange and unexpected creatures. We’ve all heard about the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle and the strange adaptations of the Deep Sea, but what … Continued
Everything you ever wanted to know about nature's monster of the deep: the giant squid
The giant squid has some impressive stats. Measuring up to 18 metres (59ft) in length and weighing up to 900kg, it is the second largest invertebrate known to exist, second only to the even bigger Colossus Squid. Yet despite its huge size, the giant squid has rarely been sighted, with the first images of a live specimen being taken … Continued
Satisfy your natural curiosity with these awesome new documentaries
No doubt at some point in your life you’ll have been sitting outdoors when you noticed a long line of ants, slowly marching their way across the earthy ground. Where are they going? What are they doing? How do they know where they’re going? Well to satisfy that innate curiosity about these fascinating formicidaes, we’ve got a new … Continued
6 surprising animals that can change sex
Lets face it; most things in the natural world revolve around sex. Specifically, making sure you survive long enough to find and impress a mate—then have lots of offspring. It’s a complicated game that has led to all sorts of adaptations, but the one we’re sharing with you today is amongst the most surprising—the ability … Continued
Great Barrier Reef now 93% damaged by coral bleaching, and scientists are spitting fury
‘I have cried. I have broken down in front of cameras. This is the most devastating, gut-wrenching fuck up.’ Professor Justin Marshall from the University of Queensland is talking to The Guardian in unconventionally candid terms. The scientist is deeply upset. And he has good reason to be. A marine biologist, Marshall is an expert … Continued
Alien-like ambush predator encountered on the flanks of an underwater mountain in the world's deepest ocean
Marine scientists using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to dive into and explore the deepest darkest reaches of the planet’s oceans have just had an encounter with a distinctly alien-esque species of jellyfish. The fantastic creature was spotted by researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as they combed the face of the … Continued
Japan has just slaughtered hundreds of pregnant minke whales
According to a report just released by the National Geographic’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Japanese whalers have recently slaughtered 333 minke whales, including more than 200 pregnant females, under the guise of scientific research. Four whaling ships returned to port on Wednesday, after a 115-day expedition to the Antarctic, and their bloody haul was documented … Continued
Domesticating Nemo
Saltwater aquariums are undeniably beautiful. Glass tanks filled with darting jewel-bright fish, swaying corals and scuttling invertebrates have been mesmerising humankind since the 1960s, and the aquarium hobby has only grown in popularity in the half-century since. While advances in technology have revolutionised the designs and capabilities of saltwater systems over the past few decades, … Continued
5 astonishing facts about Canada’s whale populations
[geoip-content country=”CA”] It’s WWF Water Wednesday, when Love Nature television explores the unique characteristics, natural history, environmental challenges and threats facing waters and aquatic species in Canada and around the world. Tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT watch Sperm Whales: Titans of the Deep and read on for five incredible facts about whales you’ll find in … Continued
Weird fish
There are almost 28,000 known species of fish in the Earth’s rivers and oceans. They come in various shapes and sizes with different behaviours and life cycles but the one thing many of them do have in common is that, to our mammalian eyes, they are weird. Here is just a small selection of the … Continued
And the world's greatest pack hunters are...
If you thought the world’s greatest ‘pack’ hunters are wolves, technically you’re probably right. But there’s quite a few species that cooperatively hunt like wolves whose social units aren’t called packs, rather basks, drafts, pods, prides, casts, clans, colonies, congregations and troops. While the vast majority of meat-eaters hunt alone, there are a small percentage … Continued
Reefscapers: Architects of evolution in the garden of Atlantis
Reefs right around the world are in strife—we all know this. Between warming waters, rising acidification, coral bleaching, yellow-blotch disease, over-fishing, climate-change and El Niño triggered mega-storms, oil spills, crown-of-thorn starfish invasions, sewage dumps and clumsy clod-footed tourists, life has never been harder if you happen to be part of a naturally occurring colony of … Continued
Maimed by a ghost, this turtle is getting a false flipper
Ossy the turtle might be missing a limb, but she is one of the fortunate ones—few animals that feel the clinging grasp of a ghost net live long enough for their tale to be told. Ossy got lucky, and this is her story. Just over two years ago, this olive ridley turtle was found in … Continued
Animal adaptation for an ever more acidic ocean
The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been increasing rapidly since industrialisation. One, often underreported, consequence of rising CO2 levels is that the ocean is absorbing much more of the stuff than it has for millions of years. As a result, our oceans and seas are becoming more acidic. Digging into the science reveals that we are now … Continued