Tag: whale

World’s largest whale graveyard discovered by sub at bottom of ocean: “Completely unexpected”

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Underwater Jurassic marine reptiles swimming among ammonites and ancient fish

The world’s largest whale graveyard has been discovered at the bottom of the Indian Ocean by Chinese scientists, who found that the vast expanse of both new and ancient carcasses supports huge communities of deep-sea life. It is the deepest and oldest known whale graveyard on Earth, according to research published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, with some fossils dating back 5.3 million years. From inside a small submersible, the Chinese researchers saw many strange animals — many believed to be new to science — living off the whale carcasses.

A new, though extinct, species of whale was also identified among the nearly 500 skeletons that were found up to 7,000 meters deep along a 1,200-kilometer corridor of bones in the Indian Ocean west of Australia. Lead study author Xiaotong Peng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences told AFP that the researchers were “astonished” when the scale of their discovery became clear. It was known that when whales die and drop to the seafloor, their sunken bodies — called “whale falls” — provide a source of food to deep-sea creatures. “But discovering a necropolis of this scale was completely unexpected: the size of distribution, the depth and the age range were far beyond anything we had imagined,” Xiaotong Peng said.

Source: World’s largest whale graveyard discovered by sub at bottom of ocean: “Completely unexpected” – CBS News

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9

Finding Truth and Life in Jesus

In a world filled with competing voices, confusing paths, and endless distractions, Jesus doesn’t simply show us the way He declares, ‘I am the way.’ When everything around…

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Dead gray whale found in water off San Leandro

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rocks on ocean shore

Officials in San Leandro are urging residents to avoid a portion of the Bay Trail after a dead gray whale washed ashore. On Thursday, the city said the whale was found along the shoreline south of Marina Park. Experts said the whale is an adult male, measuring about 12 meters (39.3 feet) in length. In a video posted on the city’s social media, the city said it is coordinating with regional and federal marine wildlife agencies on the response. The California Academy of Sciences and the National Marine Fisheries Service will conduct a necropsy to determine the whale’s cause of death and support ongoing research into the West Coast’s declining gray whale populations.

Source: Dead gray whale found in water off San Leandro – CBS San Francisco

Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established.
Proverbs 15:22

Hope in the dark

Pip: A mountain village, a wandering stranger, a mother weaving a basket by the river — Drink of Jesus has been building a world where ancient scripture lands like it’s happening…

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Georgia Aquarium gives wounded veterans chance to swim with whale sharks and manta rays

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a man swimming next to a whale

Swimming with manta rays, giant groupers, and even a whale shark brought joy and excitement to a group of injured U.S. military veterans who got to experience the healing power of water and wildlife at the Georgia Aquarium. The swim Wednesday at the aquarium in Atlanta also gave the U.S. service people who are part of the Wounded Warrior Project a much needed respite from their recovery and the stresses of life. The organization works with injured and wounded veterans and their families, “It gives them, you know, 30 or 40 minutes to just relax,” said Jason Bush, manager of the aquarium’s Military Salute program, which once a week brings members of the armed forces to swim or dive with marine animals.

“Whether it’s swimming in the water or scuba diving in particular, you’re weightless,” he added. “So physically, it takes away even for a moment physical pain that you feel when you’re on land.” The military veterans snorkeled or swam with the giant whale shark, Yushan, stingrays, and a variety of other marine animals. After being rescued from a Taiwanese fish market several years ago, Yushan is the only whale shark in captivity in the Western Hemisphere, according to aquarium officials.

Source: Georgia Aquarium gives wounded veterans chance to swim with whale sharks and manta rays – CBS Atlanta

O my soul, you have said to the LORD, “You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.”
Psalm 16:2

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Of gray whales that enter San Francisco Bay, nearly 18% die there, scientists find

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humpback whale tail in morro bay california

Gray whales migrate from Arctic waters full of food to the lagoons of Baja Mexico—but as the climate crisis gathers pace, they have been sighted foraging in unexpected places. Recently, some have begun to explore the dangerously busy waters of San Francisco Bay. Scientists at the Marine Mammal Center and the California Academy of Sciences investigating an unexpectedly high death toll among gray whales have found that almost 20% of individuals seen entering the Bay died there, in large part due to boat strikes. The team’s study appears in Frontiers in Marine Science.

Source: Of gray whales that enter San Francisco Bay, nearly 18% die there, scientists find

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
Isaiah 55:8