July 10, 2014
Ocean News: Loggerheads Receive Miles of Protected Shoreline, Philippine Airline Bans Shark Fin Shipments, and More
– This week, scientists officially named the largest flying creature ever discovered. Pelagornis sandersi, a type of early bird, relied on the oceans to keep it airborne when it lived 25 million years ago. To be able to fly with its massive 20- to 24-foot wingspan, scientists say this bird relied on air currents from the oceans to boost it into the area, where it scooped up prey from waves with a toothed beak. The Washington Post
– A historical move was made yesterday after the federal government designated 685 miles of beaches from Mississippi to North Carolina and more than 300,000 square miles of ocean as critical habitat loggerhead sea turtles. In critical habitat, projects must be evaluated for harm to endangered species before moving forward. Miami Herald
– The Philippine’s second-largest airline, Cebu Pacific, banned shark fins from being shipped on their flights. Cebu Pacific is the 23rd airline to ban shark fins. The Dodo
– New research shows that fatter corals may be able to withstand climate change better than narrower corals. After repeating bleaching events in a laboratory setting for two years, researchers found that fatter corals, who had more sugar and fat stored up, could acclimate better to bleaching. Smithsonian
Video:
– When oceanographers spotted a dark mass off the coast of San Diego County on Tuesday, it wasn’t red tide or an oil spill as expected. Instead, a dense pack of anchovies dazzled onlookers off the pier for the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. The Christian Science Monitor