Latin America
Eye to Eye with the Friendly Giants of Baja: The Great Gray Whales
Have you ever imagined being eye to eye with one of the most majestic, curious, and charismatic creatures of the sea—the Pacific gray whale?
Good Nature Travel Blog
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Nature & Wildlife
Spying on Monarchs and Catching Whales “Kelping”
If you’re a whale in a playful mood, things might be a little difficult for you. It’s hard to locate handy toys when you’re in deep ocean waters.
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Conservation
The Endangered Species Act’s 50th Birthday: Doing Even More
On December 28, 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was signed into law. We’ll soon be celebrating the 50th anniversary of this landmark conservation legislation, which has saved hundreds of animals that once wavered on the brink of extinction.
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Nature & Wildlife
A Story of Blue Whales and a “Book” of Baleen
A pod of orcas grabbed the headlines in late March 2019. Researchers performing their annual dolphin and whale surveys off the southwestern coast of Australia stumbled across an orca attack on a healthy, adult blue whale. They recorded the event, which had never been documented before.
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Nature & Wildlife
Drones: Weighing Whales and Assessing Associations
Baleen whales, which include species such as blue and gray whales, are the largest animals on Earth. Their hefty body masses, in fact, are central to their success as an animal group. Because of their large sizes and aquatic life, however, whales are hard to weigh.
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Latin America
Post-Pandemic, Learning to Trust Again from a Gray Whale
The longest recorded migration by a mammal was made by a gray whale. In 2015, a female made a journey of nearly 14,000 miles from Russia to Mexico and back. (Zebras hold the longest linear—endpoint to endpoint—land mammal migration at 300 miles round trip.)
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Conservation
The Worth of a Whale and the Price Tag of a Panda
In prepandemic times, those of us who cherish wildlife and wild places tried to quantify them in economic terms, hoping to convince those who didn’t care about protecting nature that not doing so would impact their bottom lines. Now, 10 months after the coronavirus outbreak, that strategy seems naive to me.
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Travel Tales
Five Sensory Travel Journeys for the Coronavirus Age
The world that I look out upon from the window in my home office, here in Wisconsin, is pretty quiet right now. In other times, the interstate just beyond the woods that surrounds my house would be busy with fast-moving cars and semitrucks. But presently, only occasionally does the sound of any traffic reach me.
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Conservation
Watch WWF’s Ocean Expert Answer Questions about Gray Whales
In 2020, Karen Douthwaite, WWF’s Lead Ocean Specialist, joined Nat Hab during their climate change trip series, where travelers could learn about the threats to our planet while seeing some of its most precious wildlife. WWF regularly hosts “Ask Me Anything” or AMAs on their Instagram account, where followers can submit questions directly to experts while they are in the field.
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Nature & Wildlife
See World Heritage Sites with Natural Habitat Adventures
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines world heritage as “our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.”
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Travel Tales
Traveler Story: Among the Great Whales
“Trip of a lifetime, it’s not every day you get to pet a gray whale, or two. We saw four blue whales, hundreds of dolphins and dozens of humpback whales. The Nat Geo Sea Bird staff and crew are the best.”
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Nature & Wildlife
In Mexico: A Sanctuary for Gray Whales
One of the largest mammals on earth, gray whales intrigue us not only by their size but with also their actions. They exude peace and gracefulness.