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Showing posts with the label marine mammal

Narwhal— The Most Enchanted Beast Of The Sea

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Let's celebrate  ‘the sparkliest day of the year' because it's The Unicorn Day by honoring  the beast of sea: A pod of narwhals or  narwhales. A pod of narwhals near Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada by Eric Baccega. A pod of narwhals brandishing their tusks in the Arctic Ocean. Narwhals develop only two teeth, but - in males especially - the left canine can grow into a three-meter-long spiral tusk. As the tusk juts out of the top of their head, it's given the whale the nickname, 'unicorn of the sea'. For centuries narwhal tusks were sold to gullible buyers as rare unicorn horns with magical powers. These 'unicorn horns' were so prized for their medicinal and healing properties that in the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I paid around A$20,000 for one (equal to the cost of building a castle back then). By the late 17th century, scientific facts started replacing superstitious beliefs and the unicorn horn market fell out of favor. Today narwhals c...

The Hungry Bears

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"Polar Bears", Hudson Bay, Canada Today is "International Polar Bear Day".    Polar Bears International, a private protection organization, was established and spread worldwide.  A day aimed at protecting polar bears, the animals most affected by global warming… The main food of polar bears is seals.  I live by hunting seals on the frozen sea.  Therefore, when the ice on the sea is low, it becomes impossible to feed.  Polar bears living here in Hudson Bay, Canada, are facing such a crisis. (© Ralph A. Clevenger / Tandem Stills + Motio)