It's Earth Day!

The first ever Earth Day was on April 22, 1970. The 70's was a time for hippies, and with hippies came a love of nature and all things organic. Earth Day began as an environmental movement that started a tradition of planting a tree on this day each year ("Why is Earth Day on April 22?"). Overtime, industries and factories have polluted our planet so much that global climate change has been the cause of coral bleaching, the melting of ice glaciers, and has even caused some animals to become endangered species. Earth Day is a crucial 'holiday' because people need to open their eyes to what is happening to our environment.  Our Earth is a beautiful planet, and should be protected at any means necessary. We are part of the generation who has the power to save the earth from destruction, and create a healthy environment for our kids and grand kids to grow up in.

 

Beluga Whales!

Above is a picture of the time I got to touch, and play with a beluga whale. 

Beluga Whales are wonderful, sweet creatures who are found in both the Arctic and Subarctic waters. They a carnivorous, which means they eat the flesh of fish. They are part of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species   

  

This animal seems to be looking deep into my soul..

This little guy is called Morelet’s tree frog (or the Black-eyed tree frog). These frogs are part of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species  (and have been since 2004) as a critically endangered species. According to the IUCN they live in Belize, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras around the lowland and moist areas of mountain slopes. Their population is rapidly decreasing due to a disease known as Chytridiomycosis. What is that, you may ask. Well, its an infectious disease caused by nonhyphal zoosporic fungus. These cute little critters are dying very rapidly and many conservationists are taking action by making many of their habitats a protected area, however a lot more research is needed to find out if Chytridiomycosis is an actual reason that the population is declining so fast.

This is the best video I could find about these adorable creatures! (Also it has a Michael Jackson song..BONUS!)

Blubber? Isn't that the green thing from that 90's movie?

What is that magical blue creature above? Well folks, that is a Blue Blubber Jellyfish. No, not Flubber from the Robin Williams movie of 1997. The blue blubber jellyfish is a jelly that is found off the coast of eastern and northern Australia. According to an article about this jellyfish (found on the National Aquarium  website), the blue blubber jellyfish eats Zooplankton, which are small animals who wander through the ocean. These jellies can grow up to almost 16 inches wide! In many Asian countries you can find a salad they have appropriately named "rubber band salad" that is made from these specific jellyfish and is considered a delicacy to some.

Just in case you were wondering, this is Flubber! 

Wolves and Whales: Two different species, but similar motives.

Above is a video talking about how wolves have changed the environment overtime. They contribute a lot to the environment because even though they can take away many animals lives, they can also give life to various other species (plants or animals). This is one of the most interesting videos (along with the video of the Spirit Bear in my last post) that i have ever watched before. It's amazing what animals can do without even trying. 

This video is similar to the video of the wolves, but explains how whales change the ocean. People in Japan said that, before scientists discovered that whales help the ocean's ecosystem, it was good for people to to kill whales because it may increase the number of fish available for human consumption. However, finding out that whales are a vital part of the survival of the ocean's ecosystems, whale poaching has decreased rapidly. 

The Spirit Bear; legend or reality?

Have you ever read the book Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen? If not here's a brief overview. It's about a young boy, Cole Matthews, who severely beats another boy, and is faced with a decision. Cole can either spend a long time in jail, or he can spend a year in a remote area in Alaska. He chooses to go to Alaska, and while he is there he gets mauled by a bear known as the Spirit Bear. He learns many new things about life, honesty, trust, and love, all with this one bears help. Now, why am I telling you this? Because the Spirit Bear is an actual, living bear. It's actual name is the Kermode Bear, and lives in the rain forest on the coast of British Columbia. It's called the Spirit Bear due to its rare gene that changes a black bear into a pure white bear. These bears are extremely rare, so much so that in the article What is a spirit bear? says that possibly only 100 are known to exist. In a video from National Geographic (above) Paul Nicklen, a photographer for National Geographic, talks about his experience with the Spirit (Kermode) Bear, and how amazing it was to interact with these very rare, but wonderful creatures. These animals are beautiful and should be protected at all costs. That's what Nicklen is trying to show every body. Something so rare, and so magical, should be protected from harm. I have also included a video from Spirit Bear Lodge . It talks about a Native American culture that has protected this species for many, many years. It also talks about the Kitasoo/Xai'xais peoples legend of the Spirit Bear. 

And the Hawksbill Sea Turtle Wins the Race!

The video above is about the Hawksbill Sea Turtle(Eretmochelys imbricate) in Nicaragua. The narrator, Caleb McClennen, talks about how the WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society)  started a project known as the Hawksbill Conservation Project in 2000. In the article With Local Help, hawksbill sea turtles make comeback in Nicaragua (Shayna Wilson), it explains how the WCS has helped reduce the number of nest poachers by almost 80%. This means that the sea turtles, and their nests, are increasing each year. This is an amazing advancement because not to long ago the Hawksbill sea turtle was on IUCN Red List of Endangered Species as a reptile with one of the highest level threats. The WCS has helped these animals in so many ways, and their efforts will be what helps these animals in the long run.

 Little baby Hawksbill Sea Turtle

Adult Hawksbill Sea Turtle