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Showing posts with the label reef

Love— An Emotion, An Inspiration

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Aerial view of Galešnjak Island on the Adriatic coast of Croatia Spreading love is an inspiration! Galešnjak is a small, uninhabited island that reveals itself as a heart-shaped paradise when viewed from above, earning it a romantic reputation and the nickname Love Island. We’ll take it as proof that sometimes all you need is a shift in perspective to find the bright side of things.

A Passageway For Migratory Whales

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Aerial shot of grey whale (Eschrichtius robustus) at the surface among bull kelp in Vancouver Migration in progress In late winter and early spring, thousands of grey whales, many with calves in tow, swim by coastal waters of B.C. as they migrate from the warm waters of Baja California to their summer feeding grounds in the north. Come winter, they pass by again on the swim south. The entire roundtrip route clocks in at about 19,000 kilometres, making grey whales among the longest migrators of animal kingdom. Because they travel close to Vancouver’s coastline, it's also one of the few whale migrations that can be seen from shore.

The Summer And The Adventurous Ocean Baths

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Bird's-eye view of Bronte Baths ocean pool outside Sydney, Australia Summer in the southern hemisphere! While we're looking forward to spring in the northern hemisphere, many in Australia are probably preparing for the end of a bright summer.  The comparatively moderate autumn weather must be a relief for the people down under.  Some will likely greet the change of seasons with a trip to the pool, like the swimmers in this picture of the Bronte Baths, a suburban Sydney pool. While oceanfront swimming pools are not only found in Australia but—  this country is known for its many oceanfront pools that provide sheltered places to swim in places where rocky shorelines and occasional shark attacks can make swimming in the ocean difficult or dangerous.

Thousands Of Heavens Under Earth

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Divers at El Pit Cenote, located in Dos Ojos Natural Park, Quintana Roo, Mexico A different kind of dive The divers are descending the clear, turquoise waters of a cenote on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. A cenote is a sinkhole that’s created when the limestone bedrock collapses and exposes groundwater underneath, creating pools of fresh water that delight swimmers, and even cave divers. They’re diving in ‘El Pit’ Cenote, part of a flooded cave system near Tulum. It’s one of thousands of cenotes, documented on the Yucatán, and a popular spot for divers who come to swim through the brilliant sunbeams. (© Christia Vizl/Tandem Stills + Motio)

Lets Sustain Life On Earth

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Spectral tarsiers in a ficus tree in Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve, Indonesia All eyes on sustainability We don't need an excuse to highlight and celebrate wildlife, but as it turns out, today is the UN's World Wildlife Day. This year's theme is 'Sustaining all life on Earth', focusing on biodiversity. The UN and its partners are producing a series of programs and social media activities, including an event at UN Headquarters in New York, a film festival, and an international youth art competition. Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve in Indonesia is a great symbol of biodiversity, protecting hundreds of species of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Among the threatened mammals there are these spectral tarsiers. These small nocturnal primates have eyes that are larger than their brains, giving them an alien-like appearance. They're not in imminent danger of going extinct but are classified as vulnerable, and their population has de...

Leafy Seadragon— The Unique Universe

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A leafy seadragon in the waters off Wool Bay, Australia Australia’s southern coast is leafy seadragon territory, so it’s the place to go if you want to see the camouflaged critter in its native habitat. This amazing specimen was photographed near Wool Bay. The leafy seadragon has evolved to resemble seaweed as a way to fool predators. It’s a relative of the seahorse, but isn’t quite the swimmer that its cousin is, so the camouflage gives it a big advantage. (© Alex Mustard/Minden Pictures)

Celebrating Women—Dr Sylvia Earle

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Dr. Sylvia Earle explores the Great Barrier Reef in a scene from 'Mission Blue'.

Cormorant Mackerel

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A Brandt's cormorant hunts for a meal in a school of Pacific mackerel beneath an oil rig off the coast of Los Angeles, California.