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☆ Merle Liivand: Meet the eco-friendly ‘mermaid’ cleaning oceans one record-breaking swim at a time
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Charlie Webster | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Courtesy Michael A. SamwayThe Tallinn-born competitor moved to the US in 2011 and, as she tired of only competing in breaststroke, started doing triathlons and then tried open water swimming. After seeing first-hand the scale of water pollution, Liivand was determined to take on a fight tougher than any competitor. The Jamaican sprint icon recognized Liivand for her open-water swimming exploits and mermaid school but confused the two. “It was like, here we are, testing waters, but we still don’t address that open water sport is in real danger because of pollution,” she said. Marco Bello/ReutersIn a grueling 14-hour swim, at times, Liivand will have to swim against the current.

Persons: Merle Liivand, ” Liivand, Liivand, ‘ Merle, “, ”, Michael, “ It’s, ’ ”, Mario Tama, microplastics, Usain Bolt, Marco Bello, ’ Liivand, “ I’m, I’m, Richard Branson, Liivand’s Organizations: CNN, Guinness, CNN Sport, Federal University of Rio, Rio, UNESCO, Environmental International, Records, Reuters Locations: Estonian, Biscayne Bay , Miami, California, Florida, Tallinn, Guanabara Bay, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Leblon, Jamaica, Biscayne, Los Angeles, Miami, Paris ’

☆ The Quest for a Crocodile Dictionary
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Anthony Ham | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A male saltwater crocodile approached a female saltie — as they’re known in Australia — in the same enclosure at Australia Zoo. But then in a change of heart that wasn’t what you’d expect from one of Australia’s most fearsome predators, he appeared to think better of it. “He went down under the water and started blowing bubbles at her,” said Sonnie Flores, a crocodile researcher at the University of the Sunshine Coast who observed the interaction. It was almost like he was blowing her a kiss.”Trying to decipher what crocodiles like that one are saying is at the center of ongoing research by Ms. Flores and her colleagues to create the world’s first crocodile dictionary. If successful, it could even help prevent conflict between humans and crocodiles.

Persons: “, ”, Sonnie Flores, Flores Organizations: Australia —, Zoo, University of the Sunshine Coast Locations: Australia

☆ A team of engineers turned a Toyota Land Cruiser into an EV and drove it underwater for 4 miles
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A group of Australian engineers drove a Toyota Land Cruiser underwater for 4 miles last month. A team of engineers and divers in Australia converted a Toyota Land Cruiser into an EV and drove it underwater for more than four miles. The 1978 model was driven for 4.3 miles across Darwin Harbor at a depth of about 100 feet last month. A team of 30 divers was needed to get the Land Cruiser across the bottom of Darwin harbor. Bridgitt PhillipsThe volunteers bought the orange Land Cruiser for just over $3,000 in Brisbane.

Persons: Glen Summers, Maddy Stenmark Summers, Summers, Bridgitt Phillips, Maddy Stenmark Organizations: Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota, Cruiser Locations: Australia, Darwin, Northern, Brisbane

☆ Crocodiles were played the sound of human babies crying. The higher the infant's distress level, the more the carnivores would respond.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nile crocodiles react to the cries of infants from species like bonobos, chimpanzees, and humans. Researchers played audio recordings of infants crying to the carnivorous crocodiles and discovered they were drawn to those in the most distress. While humans primarily responded to the pitch of the cries, crocodiles responded based on levels of "deterministic chaos, harmonicity, and spectral prominences." Nile crocodiles can grow to about 20 feet long and can weigh up to 1,650 pounds, per National Geographic. According to the publication, Nile crocodiles generally live close to humans, meaning encounters happen relatively often.

Persons: – Organizations: Service, Royal Society B, Royal, Geographic Locations: Wall, Silicon, CrocoParc, Agadir, Morocco, Saharan Africa, Madagascar

☆ Ancient reptile was riddled with parasites, fossilized poop reveals
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Researchers didn’t find the parasites in phytosaur bones or teeth; rather, they retrieved them from a nugget of fossilized feces, known as a coprolite. For example, certain fish with spiraling intestines poop out what eventually become spiral-shaped coprolites, according to Nonsrirach. “Studying the remains of parasites in coprolites is important since it provides us with rare insights into ancient parasite-host relationships,” Qvarnström said. “This event raises interesting questions about how prey animals and parasites interact with each other. It suggests that parasites may have been inside the bodies of prey before they were eaten,” Nonsrirach said.

Persons: didn’t, ”, Thanit Nonsrirach, “, Nonsrirach, Coprolites, Martin Qvarnström, Qvarnström, ” Qvarnström, ” Nonsrirach, ” Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, Mahasarakham, Uppsala University, University of California Museum of Paleontology, Scientific Locations: Thailand, Asia, Kham Riang, Sweden, Berkeley, coprolites

CNN —Crowds of people accompanied the coffin of soccer player Jesus Lopez Ortiz in Guanacaste, northeastern Costa Rica, last week after his death following a crocodile attack. Lopez Ortiz was killed shortly after jumping into the crocodile-filled Cañas River in Guanacaste on July 29. The National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) said that the crocodile was later shot so that authorities could recover the body of the young man. According to Mendez, there are already communities promoting boat tours to watch crocodiles in several rivers in the area. Last year, a child in another province was fatally attacked by a wild crocodile.

Persons: Jesus Lopez Ortiz, Lopez Ortiz, “, ” Marcos Chavarria, Chavarria, Lopez Ortiz’s, ” Giselle Ortiz Cubillo, Ortiz Cubillo, ”, Mauricio Mendez, Mendez, ” Mendez, SINAC Organizations: CNN, Deportivo Rio Cañas, Facebook, System of Conservation, Rio Locations: Guanacaste, Costa Rica, “

☆ Scientists induce virgin birth in fruit flies in monumental first
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —In a historic first, scientists have used gene editing to induce virgin birth in fruit flies, a major step in unlocking the mysteries of the intriguing phenomenon known as parthenogenesis. The researchers used fruit flies because they’re considered “model organisms,” meaning the flies are among a list of organisms that scientists have long studied in depth to gain a better fundamental understanding of biology. Fruit flies’ short life spans of about 80 days have made it easy to observe changes throughout generations relatively quickly. And prior research into fruit flies is so extensive it’s possible to order genetic mutations for some flies online. “There’s just so many tools,” Sperling said, “and the tools are easily, cheaply available to all researchers” when it comes to fruit flies.

Persons: Alexis Sperling, Sperling, ” Sperling, “, we’d, they’re, “ There’s, ”, aren’t, Dr, Warren Booth, Booth, ” Booth, parthenogenesis Organizations: CNN, UK’s University of Cambridge, Pesticides, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, State University Locations: United Kingdom

☆ The future of cruises: Bigger, longer and electric
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Editor’s Note: Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. The new cruise eraConstruction is complete on the world’s biggest cruise ship, which is expected to set sail in Caribbean waters in January 2024. Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas is nearly 1,200 feet long and will be home to the world’s largest waterpark at sea. China’s first homegrown large cruise ship, the Adora Magic City, recently undocked in Shanghai after four years of construction. And finally, an electric cruise ship with enormous solar sails is set to launch in 2030.

Persons: Habib Battah, didn’t, Umoja Organizations: CNN, Magic City, Haiwaiian Airlines, US State Department Locations: Italy, Magic, Shanghai, China, Taiwan, Australia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Kenya, Antarctica, United States, Spanish, Malaga, It’s, South Carolina

☆ Golf, Aussie-style: How to play alongside crocodiles, snakes and kangaroos
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Steve Storm / Anglesea Golf ClubWater hazardsThere is no need for a no-petting rule for other animals that commonly inhabit Australian golf course – chief among them, crocodiles. “Everyone asks about crocodiles – some out of fear, others excitement,” Half Moon Bay’s general manager Tim Mackrill told CNN. Half Moon Bay Golf ClubOperating in the course’s favor is a “crocwise” nature built into the majority of the club’s players. The last big crocodile to be removed by rangers from Half Moon Bay was in 2019. Half Moon Bay Golf ClubHissing holeSometimes though, it’s inquisitive wildlife that brings potential danger to patrons.

Persons: ‘ Roos, ‘ roos, It’s, Marg Lacey, …, ” Anglesea, ” Lacey, roos, you’ve, ”, Steve Storm, Tim Mackrill, ” Mackrill, Amanda Jayne, Jayne, Jayne’s, Luke Goodier, ” Jayne, it’s Organizations: CNN, Golf, “, birdlife, The Locations: Australia, Melbourne, –, England, Australian, Northern Territory, Queensland, Cairns, Eastern Australia

☆ Fossils show ancient long-necked sea beast's 'gruesome' decapitation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The researchers studied neck and head remains of two species of Tanystropheus, detecting bite marks and other signs of trauma indicating decapitation. The larger species, the one that ate fish and squid, reached 20 feet (6 meters) long, though this individual was about 13 feet (4 meters). The smaller species was about 5 feet (1.5 meters) long, with teeth indicating a diet of soft-shelled invertebrates like shrimp. Useful in hunting, extreme neck elongation was common among marine reptiles spanning about 175 million years during the age of dinosaurs. Sure, there are other animals with a very long neck, but not a neck that is this long, this stiff and this lightweight, with very long, string-like neck ribs.

Persons: Tanystropheus, Stephan Spiekman, Spiekman, Eudald Mujal, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: State Museum of, Museum of, Thomson Locations: Switzerland, San Giorgio, Stuttgart, Germany

☆ Scientists discover the first virgin birth in a crocodile
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Scientists say they have documented the first virgin birth in a crocodile. Many of the offspring produced this way are very ill or weak, according to Booth. Any offspring produced in this manner shares most of its DNA with the mother. And Coquita’s parthenogenically produced offspring — which was female — likely formed that way solely because of the temperature at which the egg was incubated. “They are all using the exact same cellular mechanism for parthenogenesis,” Booth said.

Persons: Coquita, Warren Booth, Booth —, Booth, Parthenogenesis, it’s, ”, “, ” Booth, parthenogenesis, parthenogenically Organizations: CNN —, Reptilandia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, State University, Research Locations: Costa Rican, Costa Rica, parthenogenesis

☆ A crocodile makes history with the first-ever virgin birth of its species, researchers say. But none of the 14 eggs hatched much to scientists' disappointment.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Kelly Mclaughlin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Researchers said the 18-year-old crocodile who lived alone laid 14 eggs. DNA from the fetus and the 18-year-old crocodile matched, researchers said, adding that the fetus lacked paternal genes. In other words, this solidifies the researcher's virgin birth hypothesis. Warren Booth, an entomologist at Virginia Tech University, told The BBC that virgin births are common in animals that descend from dinosaurs. He told The BBC that there likely hadn't been a recorded virgin birth among crocodiles before this because most people weren't specifically looking for it.

Persons: —, Warren Booth, Warren Organizations: Service, Parque Reptilandia, Virginia Tech University, BBC Locations: Costa Rica

☆ Scientists Discover a Virgin Birth in a Crocodile
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Veronique Greenwood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In January 2018, a female crocodile in a Costa Rican zoo laid a clutch of eggs. While crocodiles can lay sterile eggs that don’t develop, some of this clutch looked quite normal. In this case, life did not, uh, find a way, as the egg eventually yielded a perfectly formed but stillborn baby crocodile. In a paper out Wednesday in the journal Biology Letters, a team of researchers report that the baby crocodile was a parthenogen — the product of a virgin birth, containing only genetic material from its mother. Here’s how a virgin birth happens: As an egg cell matures in its mother’s body, it divides repeatedly to generate a final product with exactly half the genes needed for an individual.

Persons: ” —, parthenogenesis Organizations: cobras, California condors Locations: Costa Rican, sawfish

[1/5] A lion is seen inside an enclosure at NAMA Zoo in Gaza June 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed SalemGAZA, June 6 (Reuters) - Large paintings of a bear, an elephant and a giraffe decorate the outer walls of NAMA Zoo in Gaza City, but none of these wild creatures is represented live among those caged inside. There were once six zoos in Gaza, a narrow coastal enclave which has been closed off behind security walls since 2007. The original animals at the zoo were smuggled through tunnels from Egypt over a decade ago. Gaza lacks the medical facilities to treat animals like lions and tigers.

Persons: Mohammed Salem, Mahmoud Al, Sultan, Fouad Saleh, Nidal Almughrabi, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Mohammed Salem GAZA, NAMA Zoo, Gaza City, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, South Africa

☆ Snorkeler survives crocodile attack by pulling his head from its jaws
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An Australian man bitten on the head by a crocodile while snorkeling in the sea off far north Queensland escaped the unusual attack by prizing open the reptile’s jaws. McGowan was rushed to Haggerston, a resort island some 45 minutes away, before being helicoptered to a regional hospital. I’m just grateful it was me and not one of the kids or ladies in the group,” he said in the statement. Saltwater crocodiles can grow up to six meters long and weigh up to 1,000 kilograms, according to Australia Zoo. Crocodiles were sighted on nine occasions in Cook Shire on Cape York since the start of this year, according to the Queensland government.

☆ Video shows 2 crocodiles take on 3 cheetahs in a battle for dinner
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A video shows three cheetahs killing and beginning to feast on a waterbuck in Kruger National Park. Then a pair of crocodiles shimmy up to the cheetahs, who hiss and eventually back away. The cheetahs face off against the crocs as they drag their prey further away from the approaching crocodiles several times. Latest Sightings/YouTube/Bob and Rosa SwartThough cheetahs are much faster than crocodiles, the crocs' persistent intimidation eventually wins them the prey. Latest Sightings/YouTube/Bob and Rosa SwartAfter the crocodiles successfully commandeer the prey, the video shows more crocodiles rolling up to the feast.

☆ New dinosaur found in Spain illuminates history of meat-eating group
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Living about 126 to 127 million years ago, the bipedal dinosaur, named Protathlitis cinctorrensis, was about 33 to 36 feet (10 to 11 meters) long and weighed about 2 tons. It was part of a group called spinosaurs whose biggest member, Spinosaurus, was among the largest meat-eating dinosaurs on record. Spinosaurs lived in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America during the Cretaceous - the last of the three chapters of the age of dinosaurs. Spinosaurus, about 50 feet (15 meters) long and weighing seven tons, lived 95 million years ago in Africa. Unlike Protathlitis, Spinosaurus possessed unserrated teeth - better to capture slippery aquatic prey.

☆ Malawi: Six more bodies found after hippo capsized boat
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Rescuers have recovered six more bodies from a river in southern Malawi days after a boat carrying about 37 people was capsized by a hippo on Monday. Police spokesperson Agnes Zalakoma said the bodies were recovered Wednesday from the Shire River in Malawi’s Nsanje district, bringing the death toll to seven. A lawmaker for the Nsanje district, Gladys Ganda, said the villagers were crossing the Shire River to get to their farms at the Malawian border with Mozambique when the boat they were traveling in was struck by the hippo. Police spokeswoman Zalakoma earlier told CNN that accidents are common on the river. In January, a canoe carrying 15 people capsized in the Shire River after hitting a tree trunk, leaving one person dead and six others missing and feared dead, Zalakoma told CNN.

☆ Malawi: Toddler dead, 23 others missing as hippo capsizes boat in Nsanje district
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A toddler has died after a boat ferrying more than 30 villagers across the Shire River in Malawi’s Nsanje district was attacked by a hippo, causing it to overturn, authorities said. A police spokesperson, Agnes Zalakoma, said the incident happened early Monday and 23 of the boat’s 37 passengers were missing and feared dead in the water, which is infested with crocodiles and hippos. “Well-wishers managed to rescue 13 people while 23 others went missing and the dead body of the toddler has been found,” Zalakoma said in a statement Monday, adding that the deceased child was only one-year-old. According to a lawmaker for the Nsanje district, Gladys Ganda, the villagers were crossing the Shire River to get to their farms at the Malawian border with Mozambique when their boat was hit by a hippo. In December, a two-year-old Ugandan boy was attacked by a hippo which swallowed half of his body before spitting him out, Uganda’s police said.

☆ Size of Jurassic sea giant found, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The findings from the Late Jurassic period, though fragmentary, suggest the pliosaur was about twice the size of a killer whale — and move lead study author David Martill closer to redemption. However, he cautioned that an increase in length corresponds with an “exponential increase in volume … placing a biological limit on the upper size pliosaurs could reach.” Smith wasn’t involved in the study. Pliosaurs were “a group of large carnivorous marine reptiles characterized by massive heads, short necks and streamlined tear-shaped bodies,” according to Britannica. Benton wasn’t involved in the study. “Here is a marine reptile as large as a sperm whale, and there’s nothing like it around today.”

☆ Human remains found inside crocodile in Australia believed to belong to missing fisherman
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Remains found inside a crocodile in Australia are believed to belong to a 65-year old fisherman who went missing over the weekend, according to local police. The two crocodiles were 4.1 meters (13.5 feet) and 2.8 meters (9.2 feet), police said in a statement. According to DES, the “vast majority” of attacks are carried out by crocodiles larger than two meters (over six feet). Human remains were found within one of the crocodiles, though police officers believe both were involved in the incident with Darmody, the statement added. “There was a noise, a loud yell, and then the sound of the water splashing.”“It’s a national park and there are wild animals up there, wild crocodiles,” he added.

☆ Hippo attacks: How to avoid one of Africa's most dangerous animals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

“Hippos attack not to eat people, but to get them the hell away from them,” Lewison said. Larger vessels can offer more protection from a sudden hippo attack. photocech/Adobe StockGet to know the signs of disturbed hippos, Muruthi advised, in case you wander too closely. … If you slap the water, the percussion 99.9 times out of 100 will turn the hippo,” Templer said. Remember to suck in air if on the surface.”Another hippo attack survivor in this National Geographic video also was able to conserve her breath.

☆ For T. rex and kin, it was a stiff upper lip, not a toothy grin
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] The skeleton of "SUE", the Tyrannosaurus rex is displayed at the Field Museum of Natural History in this undated handout picture. Sealed lips would help saliva secretions in the mouth keep teeth, particularly the enamel, hydrated, Cullen said. An examination of the relationship between tooth size and skull size undercut the idea that large theropods simply had teeth too big to be covered by lips. The study identified large lizard species with lips alive today that possess teeth proportionally bigger than T. rex, relative to skull size. In crocs, teeth show asymmetrical wear, with the side of the exposed teeth facing outward more beat up than the inner side.

[1/5] A white tiger cub that was abandoned outside the Attica Zoological Park and is believed to be a victim of illegal wildlife trade, drinks water at the zoo's infirmary, in Athens, Greece, March 17, 2023. REUTERS/Stelios MisinasATHENS, March 17 (Reuters) - Greek veterinarians are fighting to save a white tiger cub abandoned in a rubbish bin at an Athens zoo, believed to be a victim of the illegal wildlife trade. The three-month old white tiger was found on Feb. 28 under a garbage bin in the parking lot of the Attica Zoological Park by a cleaner, who notified the zoo owner. "It is the first time ever we had such an animal dumped outside our zoo," said zoo founder Jean-Jacques Lesueur. Lesueur said if the tiger survives it will have to be relocated to a sanctuary, as the zoo has no other animals of its kind.

☆ The man in charge of deporting Pablo Escobar's 'cocaine hippos' explains how he plans to fly 70 of them across the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Crystal Raypole | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Authorities plan to relocate 70 of the hippos living wild in Colombia, but it's not an easy task. Very carefully, according to David Echeverri López, head of Biodiversity Management, Protected Areas, and Ecosystem Services at Cornare in Colombia. So, authorities will continue pursuing other options, from sterilization to searching for other zoos and sanctuaries willing to take hippos. The thickness of a hippo's skin, and the density of their subcutaneous tissue, also makes it challenging to deliver enough anesthesia to keep them asleep for the right amount of time. Cornare has sterilized 13 hippos, López said, and relocated seven to zoos in Colombia.

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