The Nature Conservancy’s Post

In this listicle, let’s take a closer look at five animals known for having the most interesting poos in nature.

Uncovering the Unique Characteristics of Coraciiformes: Exploring the World's Most Fascinating Ground-Dwelling Birds Exploring the Unique Characteristics of Coraciiformes: The Fascinating Ground-D... Read More - https://lnkd.in/dVWvjVh5

The sunfish is almost alien-looking – with a weirdly shaped body that seems to be missing another half, it could be from another planet... ☀️🌊 Our team's recent rescue of a huge ocean sunfish in the Transnet Robinson Dry Dock prompted a lot of questions: What is a sunfish? Where do they live? The answers to all your questions are right here: https://lnkd.in/dbgmsUN4

Species Spotlight! 🔦 Check out these cool facts about the Atlantic Puffin! Did you know Atlantic puffins shed their bill? The distinct colorful bill is actually only present in the summer. In the winter, puffins shed the colorful outer plates and tend to have a lighter grey face. These small seabirds spend most of their life offshore in the open ocean. They come ashore during breeding seasons where they nest in large colonies on islands where they can burrow and find shelter in crevices among rocks. Puffin pairs often even return to the same burrow together year after year. Puffins are also excellent divers and can dive to depths of around 200 feet! They swim underwater by flapping their wings for propulsion and using their feet to guide them. This ability allows them to prey on small fish species. When flying above water they tend to fly low over the ocean surface and beat their small wings rapidly, up to 400 times per minute! Have you ever seen a puffin up close?

Soaring Sensations: Exploring the World of Crane-like Birds Introduction to Crane-like Birds The crane is a magnificent bird known for its... Read More - https://lnkd.in/dAY5icFY

🌷🌷🌷💝💝Fish are fascinating creatures that: -🌷🌷😍😍 Come in over 30,000 species, from tiny guppies to massive whales💝💝 -🌷🌷 Have evolved to thrive in various aquatic environments, from coral reefs to deep oceans🥀🥀 -🌹🌹 Possess unique features like scales, fins, and gills🌷🌷 - Play a crucial role in the aquatic food chain and ecosystem - 🌷🌷Are an important food source for humans and other animals 🌷🌷- Have been a source of inspiration for art, literature, and culture throughout history Some popular types of fish include: - Goldfish - Salmon - Tuna - Angelfish - Clownfish (like Nemo!) Fish are truly amazing aquatic animals!

Baleen Whales: Magnificent Titans of the Ocean Baleen whales are the ocean’s gentle giants, with a long and fascinating history. They are part of the Mysticeti suborder, which means they have baleen plates instead of teeth. These plates help them filter out tiny prey from the water, such as krill, plankton, and small fish. Baleen whales are also known for their amazing size, length, and skills. Some of them, like the blue whale, can grow up to 100 feet or more, making them the largest animals on Earth. #BaleenBeauties #WhaleWatching #MajesticMysticetes #HumpbackHaven #BlueWhaleWonders #GentleGiants #BaleenMarvels #WhaleSong #FinWhaleFridays #WhaleMigration #KrillFeast #WhaleConservation #BaleenBreath #WhaleTales #BaleenMagic #WhaleSongs #BaleenWorld #WhaleLove #BaleenDiversity #WhaleHabitat #BaleenWonderland #WhaleProtection #BaleenResearch #WhaleWatchingAdventures #BaleenEcosystem #WhaleAwareness #BaleenPlanet #WhaleConservationEfforts #BaleenBiodiversity #WhaleMigrationRoutes https://lnkd.in/eVWdMk9n

📣 Loved this from the The Washington Post 📰 🐢 The turtle mums that 'talk' to their eggs before they hatch 🐢 🎤 A Brazilian biologist was studying the giant South American river turtle which is one of the world's largest freshwater turtles (also severely threatened due to humans hunting them, collecting their eggs and habitat loss to name a few reasons), Camilla Ferrara put her microphone near a nest of turtle eggs... “What am I doing?” she recalled asking herself. “I’m recording the eggs?” 🔊 She heard a quick, barely audible pop within the shells as if the hatchlings were talking to each other, conspiring when to hatch so they can all leave the nest together. 📢 It was thought that turtles were hard of hearing and mostly mute but recent recordings of these turtles' first 'words' - before they have even left the egg - challenge the notions of how turtles communicate. 😓 Residents of Brazil's Amazonas state alone, according to one estimate, consume about 1.7 million turtles and tortoises every year. Researchers are now investigating how many of these turtles remain in the wild. 👊 For Ferrara, the real fight is not in the field but in the cities, changing the minds of regular Brazilians to refrain from eating turtle meat. For her, changing the minds of just a few people would be a victory. 🖱 For more information here is the link to the full article: https://lnkd.in/d26vcu8z #conservation #sustainability #natureconservation #Brazil #globalconservation #biodiversity

The eyes are said to be "the windows to the soul." This means to understand emotions and sometimes thoughts by looking into the eyes. The photo below (taken in 2021, see the comments section) captures the last moments of life for a Bowmouth guitarfish (Rhina ancylostoma) - a type of ray, commonly mistaken for a shark. On the IUCN list as Critically Endangered species. As I looked into its eyes all I could feel was fear and panic. My attempts to convince the local fishermen to release it failed... Whilst it would be easy to blame these local fishermen, it's important to see both sides of the story. It is their livelihoods - they were very happy with their catch. This was not a product of the shark finning demand. In my personal opinion, the impact local fishermen have compared to the impacts of commercial fishing is negligible. Especially, if it's to feed themselves. However, this does not mean we can try to explain why it's better to release such marine animals. So what can we do? We can spread awareness, whether it be via social media or good old fashioned conversation. We can avoid buying items with ingredients from rays, sharks and other endangered species - whether it be medicine or ornaments proposes, as this drives demand. By collectively reducing demand for such animals, we also reduce their chances of extinction. Fast forward to today, I had the immense experience of diving with this species (video below). My mind was cast back to that moment in 2021, and it brought me so much enjoy to see one alive, and for it to eyeball me with such curiosity. As a marine biologist I take a lot of pride in safeguarding our marine systems - moments like this reinforce to me why I became a marine biologist in this first place. #awareness #rays #marinebiology

Happy World #Manta Day, everyone! 🎉 Today, on September 17th, we're all about celebrating these incredible creatures. Manta rays, alongside #sharks and #chimaeras (sea cats), constitute about 4% of the #fish species alive today, totaling around 1200 distinct species. Can you believe it? 😀 There are over 500 shark species, around 630 ray species, and just about 55 sea cats! While most of these cartilaginous #fish inhabit marine environments, a few, like certain sharks and freshwater stingrays, venture into freshwater habitats. What sets them apart is their cartilaginous skeletons, as opposed to traditional bone structures. However, they share a common challenge: many of them are highly endangered and require our protection. So let's give a big shoutout to the majestic manta rays today and put our thinking caps on to figure out how we can keep them safe. 💜 #WorldMantaDay #MantaRays #OceanLife #Sharkproject #SaveOurSeas #SaveTheMantas