marine mammal
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Unexpected Animals That Use Tools
Scientists once thought that only humans and our closest relatives, chimps, were clever enough to use tools. But as our documenting of the natural world has gotten more detailed—and as we’ve become less haughty about our supposed superior intellect—we’ve found that many species are actually deft with sticks, stones, and other implements. Here are a…
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Dolphin Rams and Bites Japanese Beachgoers, Opening New Front in Ocean Rebellion
Like the orcas before them, the bottlenose dolphins have had enough. This past weekend, local reports from Japan noted several incidents of dolphins attacking and injuring swimmers, even in shallow waters. Japanese outlet The Asahi Shimbun reported this weekend that one swimmer in his 60s was rammed by a dolphin swimming in the shallows on…
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After Polluting Their Water For Years, Florida Says It Will Start Feeding Starving Manatees
Florida environmental officials have resorted to feeding West Indian manatees in a last-ditch effort to prevent potentially hundreds of them from starving to death. The reason the gentle ocean mammals are starving in the first place, though, is partly humans’ doing, a result of polluted waterways and climate change-fuelled algae blooms.
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Grey Whales Off Baja California Are Dying En Masse, and Scientists Don’t Know Why
An unusual mortality event of grey whales off the coast of Mexico is disturbingly persistent, according to a study published this week in the Marine Ecology Progress Series. The die-off began in 2019, and the grey whale death count is currently at 384, though the actual number may be higher.