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!