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Marine wildlife researchers have found a new species of shark in the waters off the coast of the central American state of Belize. The WWF says the revelation serves as a conservation message. The Fisheries Department of Belize and researchers with the Florida International University (FIU) registered their discovery of a previously unknown species of…

A zebra shark named Leonie surprised scientists in Australia when she gave birth to offspring without the help of a mate!   Scientists checked and her hatchlings contained DNA from Leonie only. In essence, she made the offspring all on her own, marking the first time a switch from sexual to asexual has been witnessed…

The Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic (LEX-NG) Fund aims to protect the last wild places in the ocean while facilitating conservation, research, education, and community development programs in the places we explore. This blog entry spotlights some of the exciting work our grantees are doing with support from the LEX-NG Fund. It’s a common scene. You’re at…

[:en]Do you love sharks? For many shark lovers the first time they learned about sharks was through the classic movie Jaws.  Shark movies rarely depict sharks accurately. They depict sharks as crazy killing machines that can leap from the water, fall from the sky during tornados, or chase down humans for miles and miles. In…

Hawaii is an amazing family vacation spot! Here are some of the best and safest kid-friendly beaches!   Waikiki Beach- Waikiki Beach is a great family friendly beach. The water is relatively calm and easy for young swimmers to play in. The sand is soft with only a few small pebbles to watch out for….

On international Star Wars Day (May the 4th), what better way to celebrate than a shout out to the velvet belly lanternshark: a shark with lightsabers on its back. Yes, that’s right, you read that correctly. This shark is armed with not one, but two lightsabers.     This small species of lantern shark typically…

North Shore Shark Adventures Shark Tour – Our adventure begins as we depart Haleiwa Small Boat Harbor and travel 3 miles out to sea. On the way we’ll see a breathtaking view of the north shore coastline, spinner dolphins, green sea turtles, flying fish, and in the winter months, the famous Alaskan humpback whales. Once…

Despite the capture of a Chinese freighter off the Galapagos islands last year, its hold packed tight with 150 tonnes of dead sharks, the Pacific Ocean off Central America remains a blood-soaked environmental crime scene   It was billed as the biggest poaching bust in history, a huge win for conservationists. An Ecuadorean navy patrol…

1.  Pick up garbage, litter and plastic near beaches – Much of the plastic found in our oceans began on the beaches. Pick up litter when you see it and make sure you properly dispose of your garbage after a day at the beach!     2.  Buy ocean-friendly products – Avoid products produced through…

Sharks are assumed to be carnivores, eating a high-protein diet of mammals, fish and other marine animals.  Most of the food animals eat is broken down by enzymes in their guts, often with the assistance of helpful bacteria.  Digestive enzymes are optimized for a certain type of diet, so the gut of a meat-eater may…

Shark meat consumption is bad for sharks of course, millions of sharks are killed each year for the shark meat and fin trade, but it’s also bad for people.  I’ve written before about the way heavy metals and organic pollutants like PCBs concentrate in animals high up on the food chain.  Shark meat has been…

Sharks are infamous meat-eaters. The ocean’s buffet of fish, crabs, mussels, shrimp and krill fill the legendary predators’ stomachs and give them sustenance. Now researchers have discovered that one particular species, bonnethead sharks, also dine on seagrass to meet their nutritional needs. The discovery means bonnethead sharks are not carnivores but omnivores — a distinction…