Videos
Native to the United States and Mexico, the turkey has become our traditional main course on Thanksgiving all across our nation. So, how did a strictly North American bird come to share a moniker with a Eurasian country?
Nature Photography
National Geographic Magazine annual photo contest is under way again! Photographers can submit their stunning shots up until the October 31st deadline. Here are a few of our favorite wildlife photo submissions so far with the captions written by the original photographers.
Nature & Wildlife
Meteorologists spotted two large ‘blobs’on radars last Friday that cannot be readily explained. Spanning 200 miles and traveling 6,000 feet above the ground, the blobs appeared on radars at the same intensity as a moderately heavy rainstorm does, except that it was dry and clear outside.
News & More
“Extinction tourism” is a familiar term when it comes to wildlife and natural habitats: it’s described as a desire to see the animals and landscapes that are just managing to hang on before they’re gone.
Nature & Wildlife
As I was driving home from the YMCA yesterday, I saw two sandhill cranes near a small pond that sits along the highway, only about a half-mile from my house. They were my first sandhill crane sightings of 2014.
Nature & Wildlife
Go on a safari in Africa and you’ll hear plenty about the “Big 5.” The term originally referred to the top five species that hunters sought on their bucket list but has now evolved to mean the top five big mammals in Africa—those being the lion, elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard and rhino.
News & More
Early February census numbers indicate a record number of Pacific gray whales in San Ignacio Lagoon this winter – the highest number since census keeping in the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve began in 1978. This month’s count identified 197 adults and 155 calves for a total of 312 whales.
Conservation
Article author Karen Douthwaite is WWF’s Senior Program Officer for the Mesoamerican Reef. They measure 40 feet, weigh more than 20 tons and can have a lifespan of more than 100 years.
Conservation
As 2014 gets into full swing, WWF celebrates successes of 2013 and thanks supporters who made these wins possible. We’ve noted victories that positively impact communities and species worldwide in places as unique as Nepal, the Northern Great Plains and the Arctic.
Nature & Wildlife
Whale sharks are not whales at all but rather the world’s largest fish, measuring up to 45 feet in length. Given their size, you’d think researchers would know a lot about them. But little is actually known about whale sharks compare with other species; researchers don’t even know how many exist in the world’s oceans.
Latin America
In 2008, a group of over 40 whale shark experts at the International Whale Shark Conference in Isla Holbox decided that August 30th should be dedicated to celebrating whale sharks, educating people about them and promoting their conservation. So began International Whale Shark Day.
Nature & Wildlife
The video below of a teenage boy in Florida riding a whale shark is a perfect example of what NOT to do when swimming with whale sharks. Chris Kreis, 19, seemed to have no qualms about hopping on and riding the 30-foot long, 50,000 pound whale shark for a good 20 seconds or so.
