Here's what conservationists say is likely causing the mysterious whale deaths along East Coast
While three whales washing up on Hampton Roads beaches in three days is unusual, it is likely indicative of a long-term trend seen along the East Coast.
While three whales washing up on Hampton Roads beaches in three days is unusual, it is likely indicative of a long-term trend seen along the East Coast.
Plants & Animals
Mar 7, 2024
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Many birds on islands are threatened by invasive species. A prominent example is the New Zealand kiwi, whose population has been severely reduced by ferrets and other invasive predators. But other birds on other islands are ...
Ecology
Oct 11, 2023
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Iceland's government said that whaling could resume Friday with stricter conditions and monitoring, after it decided not to extend a temporary two-month ban imposed amid animal welfare concerns.
Ecology
Aug 31, 2023
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Farm animals look different from their wild counterparts in many ways, and one difference is consistent: their brains are smaller than those of their ancestors. From sheep to pigs to cows, domesticated animals have smaller ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 5, 2023
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Iceland's government said Tuesday it was suspending this year's whale hunt until the end of August due to animal welfare concerns, likely bringing the controversial practice to a historic end.
Ecology
Jun 20, 2023
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A controversial research project in Norway on whales' hearing was suspended after a whale drowned, researchers said on Wednesday, as activists slammed the "cruel and pointless" experiments.
Ecology
Jun 7, 2023
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The American mink Neogale vison is an invasive species in Europe introduced for fur farming in the 1920s and later established in the wild after escapes and illegal releases. As a feral species, it threatens native species ...
Ecology
May 3, 2023
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A new study of Antarctic minke whales reveals a minimum size limit for whales employing the highly efficient "lunge-feeding" strategy that enabled the blue whale to become the largest animal on Earth.
Evolution
Mar 13, 2023
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212
Dr. Lauren McWhinnie from Heriot-Watt's Institute of Life and Earth Sciences contributed to a new study investigating the nature and extent of whale entanglements in Scottish fishing gear.
Plants & Animals
Jan 19, 2023
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Flame retardants are added to a variety of products to prevent or slow the spread of fire. They have been added to many consumer and industrial products, including building materials, plastics, polyurethane-based foams in ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 14, 2022
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5
There are two living species referred to as "mink": the European Mink and the American Mink. The extinct Sea Mink is related to the American Mink, but was much larger. All three species are dark-colored, semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae, which also includes the weasels and the otters and ferrets. The American Mink is larger and more adaptable than the European Mink. It is sometimes possible to distinguish between the European and American mink; a European Mink always has a large white patch on its upper lip, while the American species sometimes does not. Thus, any mink without such a patch can be identified with certainty as an American Mink, but an individual with a patch cannot be certainly identified without looking at the skeleton. Taxonomically, both American and European Minks used to be placed in the same genus Mustela ("Weasels"), but most recently the American Mink has been re-classified as belonging to its own genus Neovison.
The American Mink's fur has been highly prized for its use in clothing, with hunting giving way to farming. Its treatment has also been a focus of animal rights and animal welfare activism. American Mink have found their way into the wild in Europe (including Great Britain) and South America, after being released from mink farms by animal rights activists or otherwise escaping from captivity.
American Mink are believed by some to have contributed to the decline of the less hardy European Mink through competition (though not through hybridization—native European mink are in fact closer to polecats[disambiguation needed ] than to their North American cousins). Trapping is used to control or eliminate feral American Mink populations.
Mink oil is used in some medical products and cosmetics, as well as to treat, preserve and waterproof leather.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA