At some point, you've likely heard unbelievable stories about dolphins acting in complex and unusual ways. While they can jump through hoops and sing dolphin songs, does this mean they are actually smart?

&nbsp;
<h2>A Brief Background on Bottlenose Dolphins</h2>
&nbsp;

Bottlenose dolphins are beautiful and complex creatures. Let's first take a deep dive into their habitat, taxonomy, life history, and body characteristics.

&nbsp;
<h3>Bottlenose Dolphin Habitats</h3>
&nbsp;

The common bottlenose dolphin is an incredibly versatile creature. It lives just about everywhere with <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/common-bottlenose-dolphin#:~:text=Bottlenose%20dolphins%20are%20found%20in,offshore%20in%20the%20open%20ocean." target="_blank" rel="noopener">warm ocean water</a>, from coastal California to the Mediterranean, from Peru to Australia. They live in places with drastically different ecology, such as the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Indian Ocean, and even off the coast of New York. This dolphin's range does not extend into cold, arctic waters.

Coastal bottlenose dolphin populations are easier to see, and therefore better researched than open ocean populations. Bottlenose dolphins will live out on the continental shelf and also in the deep sea marine environment. These deep ocean-dwelling dolphins are much larger than their coastal water counterparts. As far as we know (our data of marine animals is always very limited), the <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/es/species/22563/156932432" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IUCN Redlist</a> lists bottlenose dolphins as a species of least concern. However, numerous threats endanger certain coastal populations of bottlenose dolphins, including noise pollution, climate change, entanglement with fishing nets, bycatch hunting, and chemical pollutants. In the U.S., bottlenose dolphins are protected by the <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/marine-mammal-protection" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marine Mammal Protection Act</a>.

&nbsp;
<h3>Bottlenose Dolphin Taxonomy</h3>
&nbsp;

The scientific name for the bottlenose dolphin is Tursiops truncatus. Bottlenose dolphins are marine mammals in the class Mammalia. They are in the cetacean order of mammals, which includes whales, porpoises, and dolphins. The taxonomic family that bottlenose dolphins fall under is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/delphinidae" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delphinidae</a>. This family contains about 35 ocean-dwelling dolphin species. Fun fact: did you know that 'killer whales' are actually the <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/dolphin_porpoise.html#:~:text=The%20orca%2C%20or%20killer%20whale,far%20more%20prevalent%20than%20porpoises.&amp;text=Generally%20speaking%2C%20dolphin%20bodies%20are,also%20more%20talkative%20than%20porpoises." target="_blank" rel="noopener">largest member</a> of the dolphin family?

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1891372" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/shutterstock_1686429787.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="1000" />

&nbsp;
<h3>Bottlenose Dolphin Life History and Body Characteristics</h3>
&nbsp;

Female bottlenose dolphins <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/95/2/357/866085" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reach sexual maturity</a> earlier than male bottlenose dolphins. The females usually reach this maturity between 5-14 years and males between 7-15 years. The oldest recorded bottlenose dolphin was an impressive <a href="https://sarasotadolphin.org/fb15/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">67 years old!</a> A more typical dolphin's lifespan is about 40 years. The gestation period for a female bottlenose dolphin is about <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4650159/#:~:text=The%20gestation%20period%20for%20dolphins,of%20ultrasound%20examination%20%5B8%5D." target="_blank" rel="noopener">12.5 months.</a>

Bottlenose dolphins have a dorsal fin on top of their backs, one flipper on each side, and a blowhole. As a top predator in ocean ecosystems, bottlenose dolphins use echolocation (like bats) to find their prey. These generalist dolphins <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5595343/#:~:text=Bottlenose%20dolphins%20consumed%20mainly%20fish,N%2C%2023.08%25O)." target="_blank" rel="noopener">prefer to eat protein-rich fish</a> but will eat crustaceans, octopuses, and other marine animals if needed. Their ability to adapt to a wide variety of foods is one aspect of their intelligence we will explore.

&nbsp;
<h2>How Can We Measure Smartness in Other Animals?</h2>
&nbsp;

If I had a superpower, I would want to talk to animals. I think some of them could provide thoughtful conversation. I'm sure that dolphins would be one of those creatures. Sadly, no one can really talk to dolphins, so it is difficult to figure out whether they have complex thoughts.

This is the real crux of the issue. Humans have a hard time measuring how 'smart' one person is compared to another. We have IQ tests that supposedly determine this human intelligence. However, that test is coming under <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6927908/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increasing scrutiny</a> for only measuring one kind of intelligence. Someone who gets top scores on an IQ test may not have the mental skills for building a table, catching a fish, or raising a child. If we have such a hard time predicting human smartness, how can we ever measure animal smartness?

This is all to say that our assumptions of what is 'smart' beyond our human selves in the animal kingdom may be totally wrong. But when you see an elephant painting or a gorilla using sign language, it's easy to understand that some animals have particularly strong mental abilities. Bottlenose dolphins are one of those animals.

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1891373" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/shutterstock_1929565964-1024x539.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="539" />

&nbsp;
<h2>Bottlenose Dolphins Have Big Brains</h2>
&nbsp;

A bigger brain seems it should imply a smarter animal, right? Well, it's not that simple.

An initial measure of an animal's intelligence was the weight of its brain compared to its body. A high brain weight to body ratio was presumed to reveal a 'smarter' animal. In many cases, this is true. But in some, it's not. The <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-anatomical-property-of-the-brain-in-tree-shrew-a-A-photo-of-tree-shrew-in-daily_fig1_318581892" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tree shrew</a> has the highest brain-to-body ratio, but probably because it is a very small mammal.

Researchers eventually started using the brain encephalization quotient (EQ) instead of a simple brain-to-body ratio. Researchers plotted the brain-to-body ratios for many species of mammals and then drew a straight line that was the 'average'. This line demonstrates the predicted brain size for an animal of any mass. If the animal's brain is bigger than expected, their dot on the graph would be above this EQ line. Bottlenose dolphins are <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/are-dolphins-smart-how-are-dolphins-intelligent/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second only to humans</a> on the EQ test. This means that their brains are far bigger than we would expect based on their body size.

Size is important, but so is the substance within the brain. The actual structure of the brain matters a lot in intelligence. Dolphins also have <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1868071/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">highly developed brains</a> that commit energy to 'thinking' rather than just 'doing'. These dolphins also have a large number of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cne.22055" target="_blank" rel="noopener">special types of neurons</a> that are thought to make humans smart.

&nbsp;
<h3>Are Dolphins Conscious?</h3>
&nbsp;

<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00359-013-0816-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">With current research</a>, it is difficult to prove consciousness in dolphins. But that doesn't mean they aren't conscious of themselves. Perhaps we just haven't figured out how to measure dolphin consciousness yet.

An animal's ability to recognize itself in the mirror is a widely accepted test for intelligence. Recognizing oneself on the other side of a mirror shows a sense of self. Humans take about two years to reach the milestone of self-recognition. Dolphin babies are far quicker and can recognize themselves in the mirror <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0189813" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at seven months old</a>.

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1891374" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/shutterstock_1514465597.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="879" />

&nbsp;
<h2>Bottlenose Dolphin Social Structures and Language</h2>
&nbsp;

Bottlenosed dolphins' social structures are profoundly intricate. These dolphins gather in mixed-sex groups to hunt. These <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/96/3/481/905030" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dolphin pods are fluid</a>, with members moving between pods. Some dolphins move around a lot, but others seem to prefer more long-term relationships. The pods also don't seem to be hierarchical. Maybe dolphins share knowledge by moving between these pods? Dolphins seem to be unique individuals as well as social beings. Dolphins also have <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dolphins-have-human-personality-traits/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unique personality traits</a> that map neatly onto the 'big five' human personality traits.

In addition to complex social structures, bottlenose dolphins use language to communicate with one another. They apparently use <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/289/5483/1355" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unique whistling sounds</a> as humans use names. A unique whistle corresponds to one individual dolphin within the group. Secondly, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405722316301177" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russian researchers</a> found that bottlenose dolphins in the Black Sea communicate in sentences up to five words long.

You can communicate a lot in five words. Cozy mountain tent with coffee. Riding bike with scary cars. See that? What could the dolphins be saying...

&nbsp;
<h2>Top Examples of Bottlenose Dolphins Being Smart</h2>
&nbsp;

Sometimes science can be a little dry for the subject matter. While scientists are trying to determine bottlenose dolphin smartness, there are plenty of fun anecdotes from around the world that confirm dolphins have a very high baseline for intelligence.

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1891375" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/shutterstock_127531127.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="664" />

&nbsp;
<h3>Bottlenose Dolphins Use Pufferfish to Get High</h3>
&nbsp;

Some bottlenose dolphins like to adventure into the world of altered reality. Some people have seen groups of bottlenose dolphins delicately <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/where-do-pufferfish-live/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passing around a pufferfish</a>. Pufferfish have deadly toxins that can kill humans. However, the dolphins seem to have figured out how to get a small enough dose that they get some sort of intoxicating effect from the pufferfish. The fact that many bottlenose dolphins can partake in puffer-puffer-pass without any of them chomping down and killing themselves with toxin demonstrates some sort of sophisticated communication and understanding of reality, right?

&nbsp;
<h3>Bottlenose Dolphins in Florida Use Mud as a Net</h3>
&nbsp;

Bottlenose dolphins in the Florida keys team up to chase schools of fish into very shallow water. One member of the group then flips up mud in a circle around the fish. The fish then freak out and try to jump over the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260338052_MUD_PLUME_FEEDING_A_UNIQUE_FOR-_AGING_BEHAVIOR_OF_THE_BOTTLENOSE_DOLPHIN_IN_THE_FLORIDA_KEYS" target="_blank" rel="noopener">'net' of mud</a>. Unfortunately for the fish, plenty of dolphin beaks wait to catch them on the other side. This teamwork shows thoughtful, group-facilitated hunting techniques. I would call that 'smart', wouldn't you?

<a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsbl.2012.0174" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dolphins in Brazil</a> cooperate with small-scale fishermen to catch fish from those fisheries.

&nbsp;
<h3><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1891376" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/shutterstock_87597865.jpg" alt="Bottlenose Dolphin" width="1000" height="652" /></h3>
&nbsp;
<h3>Dolphins Groups Can Change Their Behavior</h3>
&nbsp;

Bottlenose dolphins can <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dolphins-change-their-behavior-to-adapt-to-coastal-development/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drastically change their lifestyle</a> when confronted with adversity. When coastal development impacted a group of dolphins off the coast of Florida, they changed their feeding to times with little construction activity and found different foraging grounds. This example of highly adaptive behavior is one of the factors for why bottlenose dolphins live all over the world.

It should be interesting to follow the topic of dolphin smartness (and animal intelligence in general) into the middle of the 21st century. As science delves deeper into the mystery of dolphin brains and lifestyles, we may learn that we humans aren't as intellectually exceptional as we would like to think.

Are Bottlenose Dolphins Really That Smart?

At some point, you've likely heard unbelievable stories about dolphins...

They have beady red eyes, they make an ominous buzzing sound, and they will emerge in the billions! That might sound like the start to a horror movie, but let’s instead have it be an introduction to the sweet insect celebrity of 2021...the cicada! Though the sentiment “the cicadas are coming” might sound like a warning and the name “Brood X” like something from a dystopian novel, we meet this phenologic event with more of mystic awe than a nervous foreboding. In short, Brood X includes the geographically largest group of periodic cicadas that have been living underground since 2004 and are expected to emerge during the spring of 2021. Here, we’ll share a bit about cicada ecology and answer some common questions about Brood X, so you can be just as excited for them as we are!

&nbsp;
<h2><img class="alignnone wp-image-1891159 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/shutterstock_1332995879.jpg" alt="cicada" width="1000" height="665" /></h2>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h2>Cicada Ecology</h2>
&nbsp;

There are over 3,000 species of cicadas, mostly comprised by the family Cicadidae (with two outlier species are in the family Tettigarctidae). All cicadas, however, are members of the Hemiptera order and are generally known as “true bugs” because of the rostrum mouthparts that allow them to suck sap from plants. Cicadas can be grouped as either annual or periodical. Annual cicadas reproduce and emerge every one to three years, and include the vast majority of Cicadidae members. Periodic cicadas display an amazing behavior of breeding in much longer cycles - after hatching from the eggs the baby cicadas will spend 13 or 17 years underground before emerging as adults. 

 While cicadas are found worldwide, the phenomenon of periodic cicadas only exists within seven species in the genus Magicicada all found in the eastern United States. With a large (<a href="https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/E-47/E-47.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1.5-2 inches</a>) black body, orange veined wings, and red eyes, these cicadas also look distinct from their other relatives. So while this summer’s community of cicadas will include both annual and periodical species, you’ll be able to tell Brood X apart just by their appearance.

&nbsp;
<h3>What Is a Cicada Brood?</h3>
&nbsp;

With some species emerging every 13 years and some every 17, entomologists needed a way to track the individuals’ life cycles that emerge in a given year. Each of these groups is called a brood and given a unique roman numeral (e.g. Brood I, Brood IV, Brood X). Remember though that there are seven species of cicadas that display this behavior. So these broods of periodical cicadas often include more than one species of cicada. Likewise, each species of cicada can be found in many distinct broods. For example, Brood X <a href="https://extension.psu.edu/periodical-cicada" target="_blank" rel="noopener">includes the species</a> Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada cassini, and Magicicada septendecula.

When one brood emerges, their offspring return for the same cycle of either 13 or 17 years. Brood X cicadas have been laying in wait underground since 2004. That puts our last 13 months quarantining during the pandemic to shame!

&nbsp;
<h3>Why Do Cicadas Go Underground for so Long?</h3>
&nbsp;

This question poses quite a mystery! With insects normally have such rapid turnover in their lifecycles, it seems quite strange that these few species would evolve to play such a waiting game. To answer it, we just have to consider the evolutionary pressures on an insect similar to this. They aren’t poisonous (in fact, they’re quite nutritious), and they exist in large numbers. The perfect food source!

Their underground trickery seems to be a way to give the slip to their more voracious predators. Without year-to-year consistency, animals that enjoy cicada snacks can’t rely on the periodic insects for prey. And when they do emerge, they do so at such a grandiose scale, that their predators can’t keep up. This is commonly called the <a href="https://cicadas.uconn.edu/stragglers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">predator-satiation hypothesis</a>.

&nbsp;
<h3>Cicada Life Cycles</h3>
&nbsp;

Periodic cicadas have the longest life cycle of any known insect. But though it differs in duration, it’s not a unique process. These bugs go through incomplete metamorphosis with the life stages of egg, nymph, and adult. To give you a better picture of a cicada’s life, let’s take a look at the parents of Brood X, and go back in time to the last time Brood X was around in 2004. 

&nbsp;
<h3>Egg</h3>
&nbsp;

Seventeen years ago, newly emerged cicada adults from Brood X focused on their paramount task for this life stage: breeding. The males struck up their evening chorus to attract a silent female. After mating, the female will carefully split the bark of tender twigs and lay hundreds of eggs, in batches of <a href="https://ag.tennessee.edu/epp/pages/cicadas.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">24-48</a>. 

&nbsp;
<h3>Nymph</h3>
&nbsp;

One to two months later the eggs hatch and rice-like nymphs drop to the ground. Though tiny, they have strong forelegs that they use to bury themselves between <a href="https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ENT-58" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one to eight feet</a> in the soil. Just like nymphs of other insect species, this life stage is important for feeding and growing. But periodic cicadas just spend a bit longer as nymphs than the usual six-legged friend. Safely underground, that feed on plant and tree roots for the next 17 years.

&nbsp;
<h3>Adult</h3>
&nbsp;

Now let’s return to 2021. After years of snacking and growing, the last instar of the cicada nymph digs its way out of the soil where it molts one final time to reveal the fully winged adult! Brood X emerges en masse to breed again! 

&nbsp;
<h2><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1891160" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/shutterstock_1129165577.jpg" alt="cicadas" width="1000" height="667" /></h2>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h2>Brood X: The Class of 2021</h2>
&nbsp;

This might feel similar to a graduation announcement, and, in a way, it’s exactly that. The Brood X cicadas (also called the Great Eastern Brood) have been growing up for the past 17 years and have finally reached adulthood! And now they can throw their caps (aka shed their exoskeletons) and have the rager of their lives (aka their cacophony of noise the males make). We’re excited to celebrate them, and, to help spread the cheer, we’ve answered some of the most common questions about cicada entomology below.

&nbsp;
<h2>When Will The Brood X Cicadas Come &amp; How Long Will They Stay?</h2>
&nbsp;

The Brood X cicadas will use soil temperature as a cue to help them know when to dig their way to the surface. When the soil reaches about 64 degrees Fahrenheit, the nymphs will begin to crawl towards the sun. But this level of thermo-tracking is not new to them. They have actually been using freeze and thaw cycles to track each of the past 17 years. Without calendars and push notifications, they need some way to count the days! For their range across the eastern U.S., you can expect them between <a href="https://extension.psu.edu/periodical-cicada" target="_blank" rel="noopener">April and June</a>, depending on latitude. 

With the singular goal of reproduction in mind, adult cicadas only live for two to four weeks, just enough for the female to lay eggs. So just as quickly as the cicadas appeared, they will vanish. 

&nbsp;
<h3>Where Will The Brood X Cicadas Be?</h3>
&nbsp;

Geography sets Brood X apart from other groups of 17-year cicadas. In fact, the group has the largest range of any cicada brood! They will appear in parts of 15 states including Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, as well as Washington D.C.

&nbsp;
<h3>What’s All the Racket?</h3>
&nbsp;

Even if you haven’t seen a cicada before, you’ve probably heard their mating calls. The drone of the male cicada can get close to <a href="http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/walker/ufbir/chapters/chapter_24.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">100 decibels</a> - similar to a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/what_noises_cause_hearing_loss.html#:~:text=Sound%20is%20measured%20in%20decibels,immediate%20harm%20to%20your%20ears." target="_blank" rel="noopener">motorcycle</a>! So there’s no shame if you feel the need to cover your ears. In contrast to other noisy insects that use wings or legs to create sound, cicadas have specific organs totally dedicated to their serenade. Called tymbals, these structures are rib-like features that the cicada buckles together to create vibrations. 

&nbsp;
<h3>Are Cicadas Dangerous?</h3>
&nbsp;

When anything comes out in the billions, it’s natural to feel wary. But there’s nothing about cicadas to be worried about! You might start noticing a few more around, but apart from the ear-splitting evening song they pose no threat to humans. They won’t bite or sting and aren’t poisonous. In fact, full of protein and low in fat, cicadas could make a delicious and nutritious <a href="https://web.extension.illinois.edu/cicadas/edible.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">treat</a>! 

&nbsp;
<h3>Plants</h3>
&nbsp;

Though many often confuse cicadas with locusts because of their sheer numbers, they <a href="https://growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/2013/04/should-farmers-gardeners-worry-about-17-year-cicadas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">don’t pose nearly as severe a threat</a> to crops. Since they rely on the sap from woody plants, they won’t even touch your herbaceous tomatoes and strawberries. If you have an orchard, you might take a little more caution. Especially if you have younger saplings, consider tossing some netting over them more the couple weeks the cicadas are out in force.  

&nbsp;
<h3>Pets</h3>
&nbsp;

Another common concern surrounds pets. Oftentimes, dogs might find a fun game of chasing and catching cicadas, while some more adventurous canines even decide that a cicada is the dog biscuit of the century and chomp them up. The short answer is this is all fine. Cicadas are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/edible-insects-food-source/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">edible</a> to dogs, just as they are to humans. Though they might get a tummy ache if they eat too many. So try to keep your pup from overindulging, and you should be ok!

&nbsp;
<h2><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1891170" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/shutterstock_1352237897-1.jpg" alt="cicadas mating brood x" width="1000" height="544" /></h2>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h2>Good Luck, Brood X!</h2>
&nbsp;

With that, we wish Brood X an amazing year of cicada mania! We hope that their breeding season succeeds, that their songs echo through neighborhoods everywhere, and that their cicada babies hunker down for another nourishing and relaxing 17 years underground. ‘Til 2038, Brood X!

The Cicadas Are Coming: Brood X

They have beady red eyes, they make an ominous buzzing...

Cnidarians

Cnidaria is a phylum of the animal kingdom. It is...

Annelids

Annelids are segmented worms. They have neither arms, nor legs,...

Arthropods

Arthropods are prolific and ubiquitous animals that nearly cover the...

Mollusks

Mollusks, or Mollusca, are one of the earth's largest and...

Nematodes - not exactly a word many of us hear often unless we work in a lab or in the garden. But as it turns out, unless you are perusing the internet from the international space station, you’re surrounded by them even as you read these words.

Perhaps you heard a rumor at the flower shop. Maybe you’re in the midst of a biology class in school. It’s possible you’ve seen small cysts in the roots of your soybean bed. Whatever it is that inspired your internet query today, you’ve come to the right place to learn about nematodes. We'll discuss what they are, how they move and interact in the world, and the ways in which nematodes are part of your life - whether you like it or not. Let’s dig in.

&nbsp;
<h2>Get To Know Nematodes</h2>
&nbsp;

Nematodes, also known as roundworms, or eelworms make up the phylum Nematoda. This phylum is a world-wide phenomenon, found almost everywhere in the world and ranging from mountaintops to freshwater streams and deep valleys, the tropics all the way up to the arctic, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microscopic-organisms-driest-places/">across the deserts</a>, and slurping around in bogs - anywhere where there is a sufficient amount of water to support their various life cycles and preferred habitats. There are an estimated <a href="http://www.nhc.ed.ac.uk/index.php?page=24.25.333.369">12,000 species</a> on our planet and they are categorized with insects and other molting creatures in the clade Ecdysozoa. They are “<a href="https://www.sasa.gov.uk/seed-ware-potatoes/nematology/what-are-nematodes#:~:text=Being%20slender%20and%20transparent%2C%20they,may%20be%20confused%20with%20nematodes.&amp;text=With%20a%20few%20exceptions%2C%20if,not%20a%20plant%2Dparasitic%20nematode.">elongate, thread-like, and active animals”</a> that are also commonly found in the stomachs and intestines of birds, fish, and mammals. Most are cylindrical, though some species have females are that are spherical. Nematodes are one of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2754014/">the most abundant </a>invertebrates on Earth.

But for how abundant they are, they can sure are hard to spot. While it is possible to see certain species of nematodes, most are slender and transparent. This makes them incredibly difficult to see with the naked eye.

Derived from the Greek word for thread, these tube-like organisms move like eels where they live. Most species of nematodes are free-living and feed off of fungi, bacterial, and algae microorganisms. They are highly successful parasites. This is because of their <a href="http://www.nhc.ed.ac.uk/index.php?page=24.25.333.369">physiological elasticity: o</a>ne species is only found in vinegar. Another specializes in the niche-habitat of <a href="http://www.nhc.ed.ac.uk/index.php?page=24.25.333.369">beer mats</a> at the local dive bar.

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1890588" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/shutterstock_1905527209.jpg" alt="pink nematode" width="1000" height="571" />

&nbsp;
<h2>Nematode Life Cycle</h2>
&nbsp;

Often, the life cycle of a nematode is determined by six distinct stages: <a href="https://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/lso/SCOUT/Nematodes.htm">egg, four juvenile stages, and adult</a>. The smallest free-living adult nematode is about 250 mm, but parasitic nematodes can be as smaller than 2 mm. In most species, females and males occur, though reproduction often happens without males and these animals are frequently hermaphroditic. Once an individual produces eggs, their life cycle is complete. Species can produce anywhere from 50 - 500 eggs per female - though some can produce <a href="https://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/lso/SCOUT/Nematodes.htm">up to 1,000</a>.

More specifically, in the example of the soybean cyst nematode, eggs develop within a cyst. According to <a href="https://www.plantpath.iastate.edu/scn/life_cycle">Iowa State University</a>, inside each egg is an unhatched juvenile. A nematode’s body wall is composed of an underlying cell layer <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/3282284?seq=1">called a cuticle</a>, and once the juvenile eggs hatch, they can penetrate the cell walls of the soybean root (similar to other soil nematodes). Once in the root, the juvenile develops into an adult male or adult female. The females eventually break back through the root’s surface but remain connected while the adult males leave the root system. The male and female will mate and the female will lay eggs, eventually dying and hardening around the egg sack as a tough cyst.

&nbsp;
<h3>Other Life Cycles</h3>
&nbsp;

Understanding the life cycles of different invertebrates is interesting. They might help you pass a biology exam, but it’s so much more than that too. Take Caenorhabditis elegans - it is one particularly famous species in the study of nematology in the last 25 years. Nematologists around the world are working to sequence the entire genome of this species. Oddly, it has no obvious economic benefit or parasitic threat to us. Why is that?

It shares <a href="https://cbs.umn.edu/cgc/what-c-elegans">many of the same biological characteristics</a> that are central problems in our own biology. The worm begins as a single cell, undergoes complex development, maintains a nervous system, and exhibits behavior capable of learning. While it has yet to demonstrate consciousness, the parallels of this species with our own life cycle are eerily similar and “provides researchers with an ideal compromise <a href="https://cbs.umn.edu/cgc/what-c-elegans">between complexity and tractability</a>”. In studying and understanding animals as small as nematodes, we can better understand ourselves.

&nbsp;
<h2>Parasites in Humans</h2>
&nbsp;

People shudder at the thought of small critters living inside the body. Nematodes abound as parasites in mammals, and that includes Homo sapiens as well. These nematode parasites are documented In texts dated as early as 1550 BC for their plaguing presence in the human body. Another name for these pests is "lesion nematodes."

Some historians have inferred that the “fiery serpent” of the Bible that bedeviled the children of Israel after they crossed the swampy terrain of the Red Sea may have been the <a href="https://www.sasa.gov.uk/seed-ware-potatoes/nematology/what-are-nematodes#:~:text=Being%20slender%20and%20transparent%2C%20they,may%20be%20confused%20with%20nematodes.&amp;text=With%20a%20few%20exceptions%2C%20if,not%20a%20plant%2Dparasitic%20nematode.">Guinea Worm</a> Dracunculus medinensis, which can grow over 12 inches in length in your intestines - a terrifying legend from antiquity that is very much real in that part of the world today. You’ve probably heard of hookworm before as it <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8261/">is a nematode parasite that commonly causes diarrhea</a>, malnutrition, and other infective, escalating medical conditions in marginalized communities, especially in areas that don’t have access to a clean water supply.

The largest parasitic nematode we know of is Placentonema gigantissima. It is a marine species documented to be over 8 meters long and living in the placenta of a sperm whale - a terrifying image to behold.

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1890589" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/shutterstock_1820971748.jpg" alt="nematode drawing" width="1000" height="563" />

&nbsp;
<h2>Parasites in Plants</h2>
&nbsp;

Parasitic nematodes (such as Ditylenchus spp.) aren’t only after animals, however. Some species wreak havoc on your garden as well and are major agricultural pathogens or plant parasites. These destructive creatures are much, much smaller - often invisible to our eyes. Generally, if you can see a worm-like crawler in your garden or compost, <a href="https://www.sasa.gov.uk/seed-ware-potatoes/nematology/what-are-nematodes#:~:text=Being%20slender%20and%20transparent%2C%20they,may%20be%20confused%20with%20nematodes.&amp;text=With%20a%20few%20exceptions%2C%20if,not%20a%20plant%2Dparasitic%20nematode.">it isn’t actually a nematode</a>. But plant parasitic nematodes (PPN) are <a href="https://extension.psu.edu/plant-parasitic-nematodes-explained">ubiquitous in agricultural soils</a> and can cause significant crop damage.

Most species of plant-parasitic nematodes attack by <a href="https://extension.psu.edu/plant-parasitic-nematodes-explained">using their needle-like stylets</a> to pierce and kill root cells. Species that use this type of feeding method include lesion (Pratylenchus) nematodes, lance, stunt, and sting nematodes. The species that inspire the fiercest loathing in farmers and the harshest economic impacts include the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) and the soybean cyst nematode because their feeding style allows them to establish permanent feeding sites and <a href="https://extension.psu.edu/plant-parasitic-nematodes-explained">complete their life cycle</a> without killing nearby cells.

A nematode infection, by <a href="http://nemaplex.ucdavis.edu/Taxamnus/G060mnu.htm">Heterodera species</a> and others, in plants will look a lot like inhibited root growth and root function and may resemble environmental stressors such as drought and nutrient-deficient soil. Yields will decline and plant appearance can be yellowing, wilting, and stunted.

Oftentimes, though the nematodes are invisible to our eyes, we can inspect root systems of evidence of cysts and <a href="https://extension.psu.edu/plant-parasitic-nematodes-explained">pale female bulbs</a> that are big enough for us to observe right out of the ground (or pot).

By the time you notice the effects of these parasites upon your plants, it’s probably too late to take action. Nature is as beautiful as it is cruel. Crop rotation techniques can be <a href="https://www.uaex.edu/publications/pdf/FSA-7550.pdf">an effective</a> means of nematode control (without using nematicides) and a way to mitigate similar sorts of crises that result in crop losses.

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1890590" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/shutterstock_499829854.jpg" alt="root parasite" width="1000" height="667" />

&nbsp;
<h2>The Benefits of Nematodes</h2>
&nbsp;

But, not all nematodes are scary snake-like parasites slithering in your intestines or invisibly depleting your garden or fields. As one of the most variable groups of animals, there are incredibly helpful species as well. Beneficial nematodes are used intentionally by organic gardeners and farmers to great effect.

So, what’s so good about nematodes and why do organic growers use these small creatures? First of all, it’s important to understand that these tiny creatures play a critical role in the decomposition and recycling of nutrients in various ecosystems. For example, nematode populations are richly abundant in arable soil. There can be over 3 billion nematodes in one acre of land, calculated to a depth of <a href="https://www.sasa.gov.uk/seed-ware-potatoes/nematology/what-are-nematodes#:~:text=Being%20slender%20and%20transparent%2C%20they,may%20be%20confused%20with%20nematodes.&amp;text=With%20a%20few%20exceptions%2C%20if,not%20a%20plant%2Dparasitic%20nematode.">20 centimeters</a>, and they are usually most abundant in the upper layers of soil where organic matter, plant roots, and other resources are most abundant.

And those same parasitic tendencies that make certain species of nematodes dangerous to us or to plants? There are other nematodes that go after the insect pests that we want to control organically with the same vigorous energy. Beneficial feeding nematodes will devour up to <a href="https://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/nemat.html">200 different species of insects</a>, regulating adult bugs and also larvae, juvenile insects in grub stages that can ruin your neat rows of veggies and annual flowers.

Collaborating with beneficial nematodes might save your lawn. And more importantly, when you <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/how-to-plant-an-excellent-pollinator-garden/">finally tear up your lawn</a> of Kentucky bluegrass (the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/monocrops-theyre-a-problem-but-farmers-arent-the-ones-who-can-solve-it/2014/05/09/8bfc186e-d6f8-11e3-8a78-8fe50322a72c_story.html">largest mono-crop</a> in North America and a huge detriment to our ecological health) and replace it with native perennials and water-saving landscaping techniques, beneficial nematodes will be a sustainable link in the bio-niche of your home.

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1890591" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/shutterstock_420833719.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="667" />

&nbsp;
<h2>How To Use Nematodes in Your Garden</h2>
&nbsp;

To use beneficial nematodes in your garden is <a href="https://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/nemat.html">really a pretty simple process</a>. Start by contacting a nearby organic gardening shop. Beneficial nematodes are popular and chances are, a good garden store will have them in stock during the growing season. Additionally, they are likely to have a whole plethora of other beneficial predators such as ladybugs and praying mantis sacks. If you aren’t able to find them in a store, you can order beneficial nematodes online as well. Most products will have specific directions on the bottle. Usually, you simply add the contents of the package or bottle into a spray bottle or a watering can mixed with water.

Different species of nematodes will prey upon harmful pests with an efficiency that is reminiscent of a good horror film. <a href="https://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/nemat.html">Some ambush their prey</a>. Others lure them in. Heterorhabdtis uses a cruising strategy.

&nbsp;
<h2>A Pollinator-Friendly Option</h2>
&nbsp;

Using beneficial nematodes won’t harm you, children, or pets. Chemical pesticides have a variety of horrible side effects on our bodies and the ecosystems we inhabit. These beneficial roundworms are an excellent alternative. Using beneficial nematodes won’t harm you, children, or pets. Plus, <a href="https://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/nemat.html">they won’t harm the friendly pollinators</a> you want to attract to your garden.

These are the sort of techniques we want to continue to cultivate and spread into popular gardening culture. This is especially urgent when you look at the concerning trends around endemic bee species and butterfly migration patterns across continents. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know things aren’t looking good for these hard-working and necessary insects that make our world so beautiful and actually account for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/diverse-insect-pollinator-communities-boost-crop-production/">billions of dollars</a> in our economy each year. And if things aren’t looking good for them, they aren’t looking good for us.

Nematodes might feel out of the box to gardeners from older generations with a proclivity for Round-Up. But, these techniques will be part of how we save the birds, the bees, the butterflies - and ourselves - from catastrophe. Digging into regenerative, organic methods of gardening can be an empowering way to connect to where you live, take accountability for your impact on the planet, and combat the climate malaise that seeps into our culture. Try beneficial nematodes in your garden and then tell your friends!

&nbsp;
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
&nbsp;

Like most of life on earth, nematodes are fascinating and nuanced. We’re so quick to categorize our fellow ecosystem inhabitants as “good” or “bad". We conceptualize the natural world into polarized extremes, elements of an ecosystem to be protected or eradicated.

Hopefully, it is obvious that this is simply not the case. In understanding the different phyla and the wild world of creatures that interact in cahoots and also in adversity, we know that the web of life is an intricate dance that we must respect and study. In a deeper understanding of animals like nematodes, we gain insight into our own existence and utilize the benefits of these small thread-like creatures in innovative ways to enrich beauty and deepen our connection to the landscape and sustainable ecology.

Nematodes

Nematodes - not exactly a word many of us hear...

The African penguin, Latin name Spheniscus demersus, is a species of penguin endemic to the waters of South Africa. They are flightless birds that have evolved to thrive in their marine habitat. Highly <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4116197/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">social and vocal</a>, these penguins have a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/penguin-foraging-behavior-habitat-health/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tough battle</a> ahead to survive the human impact and the unfolding climate crisis of the Anthropocene.  

&nbsp;
<h2>How Is It Different From Other Penguins?</h2>
&nbsp;

There are <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/penguin#:~:text=Penguins%20are%20a%20family%20of,primarily%20in%20the%20Southern%20Hemisphere." target="_blank" rel="noopener">17-19 different species of penguins</a> in the world, all of which live in the southern hemisphere.  African penguins are distinguishable from other species in their appearance: these birds have a pale pink coloring around their eyes and <a href="http://www.penguins.cl/african-penguins.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a black facial mask</a>. 

&nbsp;

The pink colorings around their eyes are actually sweat glands that are part of the birds’ <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/thermoregulation#:~:text=Thermoregulation%20is%20a%20process%20that,falls%20within%20a%20narrow%20window.">thermoregulatory system</a>. When temperatures rise, blood flow increases to these glands, causing the pink color to deepen. 

&nbsp;

Less than two feet tall, their white underparts are spotted and also marked with a black band. These spotted patterns upon their breasts are unique to each bird, sort of like a human’s fingerprints. The African penguin’s color is an example of “countershading”, which is a protective adaption to certain environments. Their spotted-white underparts make it hard for predators to see them from under the water, and their black backs blend into the water from the sky, protecting them from predators in the air. 

&nbsp;

Other common names for the African penguin include cape penguin, jackass penguin, black-footed penguin, and South African penguin. 

&nbsp;

The African penguin’s feeding style is classified as a “pursuit diver”. This means that the birds’ underwater propulsion is possible due to their wings or feet. In the case of the African penguins, their wings operate like flippers, allowing the birds to move quickly and gracefully in the water. This swimming speed allows for a greater area in which to feed in comparison to species of birds that are only able to feed on the water’s surface. However, this evolutionary adaption for hunting in the water is why these birds are unable to fly. Because they are unable to fly, guilds of pursuit divers are not able to migrate as easily to other locations. 

&nbsp;

African penguins' diet consists of squid and fish. 

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1888405" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/shutterstock_252302530-1.jpg" alt="African Penguins" width="1000" height="728" />

&nbsp;
<h2>Where To Find Them</h2>
&nbsp;

Locals and tourists alike consider African penguins to be a charismatic species. The penguin's loud bray call, in particular, charms onlookers. Apparently, it sounds quite like a donkey. 

&nbsp;

Populations of these birds can be found in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20091026082526/http://www.dict.org.za/penguin.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Africa, Namibia</a>, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Mozambique, and Gabon. 

&nbsp;

This species of penguin is also a popular member of zoos around the world - it’s possible an African penguin could be close by, even if you live far away from South African waters! 

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1888406" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/shutterstock_494918926.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="591" />

&nbsp;
<h2>African Penguins Are a Threatened Species</h2>
&nbsp;

In the wild, African penguins <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4116197/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">live in colonies</a>, and these populations <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131203072203/http://www.seaturtles.org/article.php?id=1800" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have declined by 95%</a> since the pre-industrial era.

&nbsp;

Why is this the case? The answer is simple: us. As is so often the case, human impact, convenience, and cultural delicacies often <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7417240/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">come at the expense of the creatures around us</a>, to heartbreaking effect. 

&nbsp;

Local communities have long considered African penguin eggs to be a delicacy. People legally collected these eggs and sold them well into the 1970s. The people who collected these eggs would smash older eggs before larger collecting efforts to ensure that the eggs they were harvesting were fresh. It’s a brutal approach, but it wasn’t only to meet the demand of nearby townspeople - beginning in the 1950s, <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50557919/french-gourmet-finds-penguin-egg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">French chefs</a> sought after the African penguin eggs, too, fueling cruel and unsustainable harvesting practices. 

&nbsp;

The story gets bleaker, though. People began to harvest the penguin guano from islands where the colonies lived. Farmers then used the guano as fertilizer for their soil. These practices eliminate the necessary burrowing material available to the penguins. 

&nbsp;

And then there are the oil spills. The African penguin’s habitat has been criminally polluted by petrochemicals via shipwrecks, oil spills, and tankards at sea where there are few regulations and even less accountability for companies and governments trafficking these resources. Arctic penguins’ exposure is both chronic and acute and is <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50559428/south-africas-penguins-die-from-oil/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a crisis that spans decades</a>. Today, the penguins are an endangered species and included on the IUCN “Red List”. 

&nbsp;

That’s not all. Fisheries near the colonies have had <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54568076/penguins-elude-oil-spill-but-fishermen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a drastic impact</a> on the availability of sardines and anchovy in the area - two of the main staples of the African penguin’s diet. This means the birds have to search farther offshore for food and otherwise settle for less nutritious food. Officials have experimented with restricting commercial fishing near the colonies <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/multi-drone-system-uses-a-unique-algorithm-to-survey-penguin-colonies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to positive effect. </a>

<a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/african-penguin-on-sandy-beach-spheniscus-536915842">Image</a>

&nbsp;
<h2>The Future Is in Restoration</h2>
&nbsp;

Conservation efforts are ongoing and applaudable, but they will not be enough to save the African Penguin or any of the other species threatened by the climate crisis. We must require that governments invest in sustainable energy resources, that oil companies are held accountable for their <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/plastic-pollution-crisis-antarctic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unjust business practices</a>, and that individuals and communities around the world are incentivized to drastically <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-temperature-has-been-steadily-rising-since-the-1850s/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reduce their carbon footprint</a>. The future of the African penguin depends on this. And so do we. 

&nbsp;

What Is the African Penguin? Why Is it Endangered?

The African penguin, Latin name Spheniscus demersus, is a species...

Beneath the surface of the ocean is a vast and mysterious world of deep-sea wonders. Over the course of human history, we’ve learned a lot about these bodies of water and these discoveries have shaped tradition, migration, and science in tidal ways. 

However, many people do not realize how little we know of the ocean - especially the deepest parts of our globe’s seabed. 

&nbsp;
<h2>Diving Into The Deep Sea</h2>
&nbsp;

Over 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by the sea - <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/how-much-water-there-earth?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">312,000,000 cubic miles of water</a>. Numbers like this can be difficult to wrap your mind around. Regardless, less than 5% of Earth’s oceans have been explored. That’s a lot of room for surprising secrets - many of which we clearly have <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rare-species-discovered-in-the-deep-sea-near-japan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">yet to discover</a>. 

Under the water’s surface, the light fades quickly, and at 650 feet, it is completely black. The <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/how-deep-is-the-ocean/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deeper down you go</a>, the harsher the conditions become for survival, though plenty of creatures (many yet to be discovered!) have figured out how to do just that. It is a mysterious part of our planet, with secrets to be discovered with each dive. Here are seven facts you might be surprised to learn about these deepsea creatures and the habitat where they survive. 

&nbsp;
<h2>Secret 1: The Majority Of Life On Our Planet Is Aquatic</h2>
&nbsp;

Creatures of the deep sea might seem like distant anomalies to us humans, but as it turns out, we land-dwellers are the actual weirdos. The majority of life on earth is aquatic - and it’s these salty waters from which we all evolved. Scientists estimate that there are over <a href="https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/nature/habitats/ocean/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one million animal species</a> in the ocean - 95% of which are invertebrates, such as shrimp and squid. The deepest sea creatures are part of a vast ecological network of these expansive and mysterious oceanic ecozones. 

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1887977" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/shutterstock_306095060.jpg" alt="deep sea jellyfish" width="1000" height="662" />

&nbsp;
<h2>Secret 2: Aqua Incognito</h2>
&nbsp;

Even though we’ve sent a man to the moon and found a coronavirus vaccine in record time, science and discovery work still has plenty of mysteries to unearth and understand. This is especially true of Earth’s oceans since over 80% of the ocean remains <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/exploration.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored</a>. This is because most parts of the ocean are difficult to get to, and it can be really expensive to do so. Scientists have relied on sonar mapping to explore many parts of the seafloor but this still leaves many questions unanswered. 

&nbsp;
<h2>Secret 3: Creatures Of Mysterious Currents</h2>
&nbsp;

The deepest sea creatures live in what scientists sometimes call the “inner space” of the Ocean. Within this space, we know that there are hefty currents at work like “<a href="https://ocean.si.edu/ecosystems/deep-sea/what-we-dont-know-about-deep-sea" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an engine that controls our climate</a>” though we still don’t understand the nuances of how this engine functions. As glaciers and polar ice melt accelerate due to climate change, we know that an excess of cold water is funneling into this inner space of the ocean. But how will that impact these currents? And eventually our entire planet? The impacts could be massive in scale. Because there is still so much to learn, we aren’t sure what to expect. But, at the current rate of carbon emissions, we will definitely find out, one way or another. 

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1887979 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/shutterstock_361651271.jpg" alt="ocean above the Deepest Sea Creatures" width="1000" height="667" />

&nbsp;
<h2>Secret 4: Slow Growers</h2>
&nbsp;

Deep-sea creatures are often <a href="http://www.savethehighseas.org/amazing-facts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slow growers</a>. This is an adaptive trait in response to the limited food resources in such extreme conditions. This is also why so many of these swimmers have a very slow metabolism. 

However, with human impact, these adaptive traits make many species vulnerable. In fact, some scientists compare deep-sea fishing to the harvest of old-growth forests for timber. We may be harvesting and disrupting delicate systems that we don’t yet have the science to understand. Only, deep-sea fishing might be worse - we can’t <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-02/osu-ldf021307.php#:~:text=Deep%2Dsea%20fishes%20grow%20slowly,to%2040%20years%2C%20Heppell%20said." target="_blank" rel="noopener">“replant” the fish</a> like we would trees. 

&nbsp;
<h2>Secret 5: Longevity In The Deep</h2>
&nbsp;

Due to many creatures’ slow growth, their life cycles are often longer too. Many deep-water fish species can live to 30 years of age or longer. The orange roughy, for instance, can live up to <a href="http://www.savethehighseas.org/amazing-facts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">150 years old</a>. These slow, long growers often have later maturity development which can result in low reproductive capabilities. This, paired with the fact that so many of the deep-sea species are endemic to their area, means that they are very vulnerable to environmental changes and <a href="http://www.savethehighseas.org/amazing-facts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extinction</a> even without human impact. 

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1887980 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/shutterstock_378002446.jpg" alt="orange Deepest Sea Creatures" width="1000" height="722" />

&nbsp;
<h2>Secret 6: Deep-Sea Coral Archive</h2>
&nbsp;

If you’re unfamiliar with the ecology of coral reefs, you may be surprised to learn that coral is a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/half-worlds-coral-dead/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">living, growing organism</a> in its own right. 

As corals succumb to mass bleaching and die-off events due to human-caused climate change, it is especially concerning to discover that these very same organisms might hold clues to climate change solutions. Like a library or an archive, deep-sea corals <a href="http://www.savethehighseas.org/amazing-facts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contain a record</a> of climate conditions that might provide valuable answers to how we might restore ecosystems to a healthy and sustainable balance of life. 

&nbsp;
<h2>Secret 7:  Deep-Sea Hermaphrodites</h2>
&nbsp;

Many fish in the deeper parts of the sea begin their lives <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-can-change-sex/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as females</a>, but if a male is needed, are able to biologically transition in order to procreate. These hermaphrodite fish are born with both female and male reproductive organs - and it’s an ingenious adaption. While there might be "more fish in the sea”, the pickings can be incredibly slim when you’re swimming so deep. Mating behaviors have evolved to solve that problem with sex-change strategies. 

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1887999" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/shutterstock_1705865143.jpg" alt="deep sea coral" width="1000" height="613" />

&nbsp;
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
&nbsp;

The surprising secrets of the deepest sea creatures are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/life-in-deep-ocean-sediments-can-survive-boiling-hot-temperatures/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">yet to be discovered</a>. And that’s the most exciting part about this area of study. It's also why it is so important for us to protect our planet and the oceans.

With unchecked human greed and consumption, we are destroying the secrets of these wondrous places. Unfortunately, we're going this before we have a chance to discover them. It is a dim prospect for the future, especially when some of the answers and lessons we must learn are lurking in these very ecosystems. 

&nbsp;

Seven Surprising Secrets of the Deepest Sea Creatures

Beneath the surface of the ocean is a vast and...

Kiwi birds are a national treasure of New Zealand - enough to give the New Zealanders the nickname of “Kiwis.” These fluffy chicks are endemic, meaning they can only be found on the New Zealand island chain. Though they’ve become an emblem of conservation around the world, their roots are buried deep in the indigenous culture of New Zealand. In fact, the name ‘kiwi’ derives from the Maori people who named them after the distinct sound they make (kee wee wee).  While these birds are a charismatic symbol of the country, they nearly became extinct. But the kiwi people have rallied behind their namesake critter and brought the baby kiwi birds back from the brink of extinction.  

&nbsp;
<h2>All About Kiwi Birds</h2>
&nbsp;

At first glance, they look a bit more like Dr. Seuss’s truffula trees or a hairy pear than a bird. But upon closer inspection, you can make out fuzzy feathers and a long beak that prove they’re part of class Aves. Just like its closest cousins ostriches, emus, and cassowaries, the kiwi is flightless. Its chunky body, small wings, and fur-like feathers confine the kiwi to the ground. In fact, biologists believe that because very few mammals naturally live on New Zealand, birds like the kiwi evolved to fill the mammalian niche. To put it simply, kiwis are essentially “honorary mammals.” 

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1887830" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/shutterstock_190649666.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="665" />

&nbsp;
<h3>Kiwi Bird Ecology</h3>
&nbsp;

Given their fascinating evolution, kiwi birds have an equally interesting life history. Without the ability to fly, kiwi birds have developed powerful legs and feet, allowing them to run fast and dig their nest burrows. While they don’t have very good eyesight, their other senses are essentially superpowers. Their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nocturnal-birds-night/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sense of smell</a> is especially distinct - they are the only bird with nostrils at the tip of their beak. 

&nbsp;
<ul>
 	<li>Size: Depending on the species, kiwis are between one and two feet long and between two and ten pounds. Despite being the size of a chicken, their wings are only about an <a href="https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/kiwi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inch long</a>!</li>
 	<li>Diet: Kiwi birds are omnivores, eating a mix of seasonal fruit, bugs, and seeds. Notably, they play an important ecological role as seed-dispersers.</li>
 	<li>Reproduction: Male and female kiwi birds mate for life and are monogamous. The female lays a giant (20% of her body weight) egg, which the male incubates for over two months. Unlike most chicks that use their beaks to break out of the egg, baby kiwi birds use their feet to kick their way out. The young kickboxers then follow their dad around the forest, finding food.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<h2>The Five Types of Kiwi Birds</h2>
&nbsp;

There are five species of kiwi bird - each cuter and more bizarre than the last! Based on genetic research, there are two species of spotted kiwi and three species of brown kiwi. 

&nbsp;
<h3>Great Spotted Kiwi</h3>
&nbsp;

Also called the roroa, the great spotted kiwi (A. haasti) are the mountaineers of the group! There are three established populations in New Zealand in the northwestern South Island and near Arthur’s Pass. They generally live in forested areas and subalpine habitats, where they burrow in downed logs, underneath tree roots, and nestled in dense vegetation. 

&nbsp;
<h3>Little Spotted Kiwi</h3>
&nbsp;

The tiniest of the baby kiwi birds, the little spotted kiwi (Apteryx owenii) can only be found in the wild on a <a href="https://www.kiwisforkiwi.org/about-kiwi/kiwi-species/little-spotted-kiwi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">few offshore islands </a>where there are fewer predators. Their preferred habitat is generally shrubby, scrubby grassland.

&nbsp;
<h3>North Island Brown Kiwi</h3>
&nbsp;

Both the most common and the <a href="https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?avibaseid=DB55CB8CC8C20EA5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">largest</a> of the kiwi birds, Apteryx mantelli can be found in four distinct regions of the North Island.

&nbsp;
<h3>Rowi</h3>
&nbsp;

The rowi (Apteryx rowi) can <a href="http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/okarito-brown-kiwi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only be found at Okarito</a>, on the west side of the South Island. Its other common name is the Okarito Brown kiwi.

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1887831" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/shutterstock_1668051652.jpg" alt="brown kiwi" width="666" height="1000" />

&nbsp;
<h3>Tokoeka</h3>
&nbsp;

Another member of the brown kiwi group, the tokoeka kiwi (Apteryx australis) lives in forested areas and grasslands. In disturbed habitats, they have even been known to make their burrows in farmland or ditches.

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1887833" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/shutterstock_1287792994.jpg" alt="TOKOWKA KIWI" width="1000" height="667" />

&nbsp;
<h2>Save the Kiwi Birds!</h2>
&nbsp;

Unfortunately, kiwi birds have faced more than their fair share of challenges. Though humans have played a huge role in their population decline, New Zealanders are putting in the work to save them. 

&nbsp;
<h3>Threats to Kiwi Birds</h3>
&nbsp;

Kiwi birds didn’t start out as an especially resilient species. For starters, they evolved with few natural predators, meaning they aren’t particularly adept at avoiding danger. Secondly, they are a K-selected species and only lay one egg at a time, so they have a naturally slow population growth rate. 

But the kiwi bird’s biology isn’t what caused them to nearly become extinct. Until the early 1900s, humans hunted the kiwi for their decorative feathers and bones. In addition to hunting, human development destroyed <a href="https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/kiwi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">80%</a> of the kiwi habitat. Regulations at the turn of the 20th century protected the kiwi. However, humans had already introduced predatory mammals that were the nail in the kiwi’s coffin. They were easy pickings for the dogs, cats, weasels, and ferrets that now run rampant across the islands.

As a result, kiwis populations <a href="https://www.kiwisforkiwi.org/about-kiwi/threats/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declined by 90%</a> in the last 100 years.

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1887834" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/shutterstock_517688740.jpg" alt="LITTLE SPOTTED KIWI" width="1000" height="792" />

&nbsp;
<h3>Kiwis Fight for the Kiwis</h3>
&nbsp;

New Zealanders are resolute that kiwis will not go extinct. Coalitions between the indigenous Maori, the Department of Conservation, and environmental nonprofits have rallied together to save the baby kiwi birds. The largest efforts focus on the following areas:

&nbsp;
<ul>
 	<li>Predator control &amp; dog training: Trapping and removing the introduced predators is the first step to making the kiwi habitat safer. In parallel, many domestic dogs go through kiwi aversion training.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
 	<li>Habitat protection: The New Zealand Department of Conservation, along with indigenous groups and private landowners, is working to preserve and restore kiwi habitat.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
 	<li>Operation Nest Egg: Since baby kiwi birds have the highest mortality rate in their first few months of life, conservation biologists identified this demographic as a high priority. “<a href="https://www.kiwisforkiwi.org/what-we-do/how-were-saving-kiwi/learn-more-about-operation-nest-egg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Operation Nest Egg</a>” is a program to raise chicks in captivity, and return them to a safe wild habitat when they are old enough.</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;
Though these organized conservation efforts are only a few years old, the New Zealanders have hit the ground running. Already, they are seeing <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/the-12-endangered-birds-most-at-risk-of-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">success</a> in the breeding and captivity programs. With continued dedication and support, all five species of the kiwi bird will have increasing populations in no time!

Saving the baby kiwi birds benefits more than just the feathery fuzzballs. Kiwi birds are indicator species for other critters that share their habitats. If the kiwi populations are doing well, then the ecosystem as a whole must be pretty healthy. As the people of New Zealand restore ecological balance to their forests, they also regain their national symbol.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Save the Baby Kiwi Birds! New Zealand Fights to Bring an Icon Back from Extinction

Kiwi birds are a national treasure of New Zealand -...

Hummingbirds are welcome visitors to the garden, but in some places, they seem to disappear for part of the year. In the Northern United States, they zip from <a href="https://www.thespruce.com/top-hummingbird-flowers-386271" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">flower to flower</a> in the warm, summer months and then vanish come winter. Birds usually don’t stick around when it’s cold, unlike hibernating mammals such as bears and some squirrels. Hummingbirds, who rely on sugary nectar for energy, wouldn’t have many food options when plants are dormant and flowers are scarce. Instead of waiting out the winter, hummingbirds simply pack up and move. But where do they go? How far can they travel? This article will answer those questions and more, so keep reading to learn all about how hummingbirds migrate!

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1887379" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/shutterstock_626938280.jpg" alt="hummingbird" width="1000" height="657" />

&nbsp;
<h2>What Is Migration?</h2>
&nbsp;

Before we dive into the specifics of hummingbird migration, let’s define the behavior, to begin with. Migration is the seasonal movement of animals from one place to another. Many animals migrate, not just birds. One of the most famous of the world’s animal migrations is the seasonal movement of <a href="https://www.naturalworldsafaris.com/experiences/natures-great-events/caribou-migration-in-arctic-canada" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">caribou across the arctic tundra</a>. Even some insects migrate, like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/monarch-butterflies-vast-distances/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">monarch butterflies</a>, whose multi-generational migration across continents is a wonder in its own right.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/migratory-birds-rely-on-spring-greening-which-is-now-changing-with-the-climate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Birds</a> have some of the most spectacular migration patterns and travel some of the largest distances. The seasonal movement of birds is a familiar concept, especially in the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-migration-reproduction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">arrival of songbirds</a> in the spring is a welcome sign that warmer days are ahead, and hummingbirds are no exception.

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1887380" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/shutterstock_1563126430.jpg" alt="green hummingbird" width="1000" height="750" />

&nbsp;
<h2>Preparing For Migration</h2>
&nbsp;

Hummingbirds are famous for their extremely high metabolism. Their hearts can beat up to <a href="https://www.nps.gov/cham/learn/nature/upload/Hummingbirds-of-Chamizal_english.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">20 times a second</a>, and their wings can flap 60 times per second! This incredibly rapid movement requires a ton of energy, so hummingbirds need to feed almost constantly. Before migrating, hummingbirds take eating to the next level. They gorge themselves as much as possible and can gain up to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hummingbirds-pack-pounds-flying-south/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">40% of their body weight</a>. They do this in order to put on some much-needed weight and have some energy reserves for the long trip south.

How does a hummingbird know when to leave? There must be some environmental cue that tells a hummingbird it’s time to leave their summer residence. However, it’s unclear what that trigger is. Many believe it’s a declining number of flowers and food, some believe it’s colder temperature, and others believe it’s the changes in daylight duration. Whatever the case, hummingbirds seem to know exactly when to leave.

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1887381" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/shutterstock_1714231309.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="667" />

&nbsp;
<h2>The Migration South</h2>
&nbsp;

A hummingbird may have spent the summer raising chicks with a mate or in a closely guarded territory with familiar neighbors. When it comes time to migrate, however, a hummingbird must go it alone. The bird often follows the exact same route it did in the past. Young hummingbirds undertaking their first migration also fly alone. They point their beaks south, guided by an innate sense of where to go and without any parental guidance.

Unlike other migratory birds that can ride thermal updrafts and fly high in the sky, hummingbirds stay close to the ground. They do so because they eat often, and so they need to visit flowers and catch small insects as opportunities arise. Hummingbirds like to use the wind to their advantage, catching tailwinds to make their trip less arduous.

In a single day, a hummingbird easily flies 20 miles. The most impressive day’s journey is that of the <a href="https://abcbirds.org/bird/ruby-throated-hummingbird/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ruby-throated Hummingbird</a>, which can fly 500 miles over the Gulf of Mexico in a single day! For being such small birds, they can cover a great amount of distance. Flying such extreme distances is necessary in order to reach their wintering sites, as the days shorten more and more. After several weeks, hummingbirds finally reach their winter residence. At this point, the small bird has used up all of its fat reserves and is back to its normal weight, or less.

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1887382" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/shutterstock_1173566911.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="713" />

&nbsp;
<h2>A Hummingbird’s Destination</h2>
&nbsp;

Where do the hummingbirds go, exactly? It depends both on the species of hummingbird and the individual. Many species end up in the Southern US or Northern Mexico, while others make it all the way to Central American countries like Costa Rica.

&nbsp;
<h3>Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)</h3>
&nbsp;

As stated before, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have the most remarkable single-day journey. Their trip from the United States across the Gulf of Mexico leads to their over-wintering sites in Mexico or Central America. Certain individuals stay in the Southern United States, but these are probably the ones that travel all the way from Canada.

&nbsp;
<h3>Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus)</h3>
&nbsp;

This species of hummingbird has one of the longest migrations. They leave their wintering grounds in Mexico and make their way up the Pacific coast towards Washington state. Then, come Fall, they move Eastward and travel down the Rocky Mountains back towards Mexico.

&nbsp;
<h3>Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri)</h3>
&nbsp;

The Black-chinned Hummingbird is a common summer visitor in the Western United States. After breeding in the spring, they move towards higher elevations to feed on alpine flowers. In the Fall, they travel towards Mexico or the Gulf Coast of the United States.

Of course, there are many more species of hummingbirds with their own migration patterns. Regardless of species, if you notice the same type of hummingbird in your garden year after year, there is a good chance it’s the same exact individual. Many birds can remember their favorite sites with incredible accuracy, down to an individual garden.

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1887383" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/shutterstock_783914362.jpg" alt="hummingbird" width="1000" height="714" />

&nbsp;
<h2>Do All Hummingbirds Migrate?</h2>
&nbsp;

The short answer is no, not all hummingbirds migrate! The main exception is <a href="https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/annas-hummingbird" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Anna’s Hummingbird</a>, which lives on the West Coast of North America from Mexico to Southern Canada. While most other species do migrate, Anna’s Hummingbird doesn’t need to. There is usually enough food year-round for this species, especially now that invasive plants that flower during winter and hummingbird feeders are becoming more common.

&nbsp;
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
&nbsp;

For being such tiny birds, hummingbirds take huge journeys. Their migrations are one of the most remarkable of all bird migrations, considering their minuscule size and near-constant need for food. Next time you see a hummingbird in the garden, you can appreciate it a little bit more knowing the incredible journey it takes year after year.

Do Hummingbirds Migrate? Yes, Individually

Hummingbirds are welcome visitors to the garden, but in some...

We estimate that there are over <a href="https://www.si.edu/spotlight/buginfo/bugnos#:~:text=In%20the%20world%2C%20some%20900,percent%20of%20the%20world's%20species." target="_blank" rel="noopener">900 thousand different insect species</a> on our diverse planet. Today, we're going to focus on one of those: the rusty patched bumblebee. These are fascinating creatures with life cycles full of bee-wildering intricacies and buzzing high drama. And the rusty patches are in trouble - declining rapidly and in need of sweeping intervention and support in order to stave off extinction. The more we learn, the better allies we can be to the bees. 

&nbsp;
<h2>Bumblebee Basics</h2>
&nbsp;

Also known by the scientific name Bombus affinis, the rusty patch bumblebee is endemic to North America. It is a member of the subfamily Apidae and is one of 250 other members of the Bombus genus. They are relatively large in size and can be easy to distinguish for beginners due to their coloring. 

&nbsp;
<h3>Appearance</h3>
&nbsp;

These pollinator bees live in colonies of one queen and many female workers. The rusty patches have black hair heads and yellow hair on their bodies. They have a yellow thorax with a black spot. The workers and any males (which are produced in the late summer) have a rusty patch coloring on their backs, which is where they get their name. The patch is located on their <a href="https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/insects/rpbb/factsheetrpbb.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second abdominal segment</a>. 

&nbsp;
<h3>Habitat</h3>
&nbsp;

The historical range of this bee is a wide swath of the North American continent - through the east and central upper midwest, west across Dakota territory, north through Ontario, Canada, and even all the way south to Georgia. The landscapes we now call Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa are all areas once dominated by tallgrass prairies and grasslands. This is the habitat where rusty patches lived and thrived through the millennia - evolving with plants and the broader ecosystem at large. 

&nbsp;
<h3>Other Buzz-Worthy Facts</h3>
&nbsp;

These bees are also known for a handful of other distinct features. Unlike some other species of bees that specialize in air-borne hives, rusty patches build nests. These underground colonies exist in ditches, wetlands, fields, and even rodent burrows and abandoned furniture. 

The bees collect pollen and nectar from flowering plants. They are one of the first bees to emerge in the spring and the last to go into hibernation. 

And some good news for those who get a little nervous around bees? The rusty patches rarely sting, <a href="https://www.fws.gov/midwest/news/RPBB.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">even when threatened</a>. They are often quite uninterested and unbothered by our proximity - docile in going about their pollinating business in cities, fields, and prairie lands. 

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1893995" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/shutterstock_1199351959.jpg" alt="bumblebee" width="500" height="334" />

&nbsp;
<h2>Bumbling Big Impacts</h2>
&nbsp;

Rusty patch bees are largely to thank for a lot of our favorite foods: blueberries, cranberries, and tomatoes, to name a few. They pollinate somewhere around <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000902/http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/xerces_2008_bombus_status_review.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">65 plant genera</a>, many of which are crops we eat regularly. It is important to note that the rusty patch bees are much more efficient pollinators than honey bees, even though their numbers are fewer. They are known as "buzz pollinators". Essentially, this means that rusty patches <a href="https://www.fws.gov/midwest/news/RPBB.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">produce vibrations</a> that loosen hard-to-get-to pollen. This process feeds the bees and also increases the pollination of plants. 

Efficient pollinators are critical components of a healthy ecosystem. The rusty patches depend on flowering plants all through the warmer months, and the flowering plants depend on insects like the rusty patches to <a href="https://www.fws.gov/midwest/news/RPBB.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complete and sustain </a>their life cycles as well. It is a beautiful example of a reciprocal relationship. 

Unlike other species of bees, the rusty patch colony dies in the winter months, except for the new queens. They hibernate in the soil and then produce new bees and new colonies in the next season. Later on, we will touch on how you can support this process and the ongoing generations of this species. 

&nbsp;
<h2>The Buzz Around This Bee</h2>
&nbsp;

Nature, and natural pollination, are a delicate balance between species - and we humans are certainly throwing off the scales. The fate of the rusty patches lies delicately in the balance. And their numbers are declining - fast.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (<a href="https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/insects/rpbb/factsheetrpbb.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fws.gov</a>) listed the rusty patch bumblebee as an endangered species under the endangered species act in 2017. While there was a time in living memory where these bees were a regular site in 31 states and large swaths of Canada, that is no longer the case. These bobbing buzz ball critters are critically endangered. 

This is due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and other compounding factors relating to human-related development and climate change. 

The rusty patches are also vulnerable to particular pathogens -  Apicystis bombi - which wreaks havoc on a colony. 

Additionally, the rusty patches are parasitized by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wasps-are-undervalued-as-predators-and-pollinators/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">another species of bee</a> - Bombus bohemicus. These parasite bees search out the rusty patch nests and actually <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/25009392" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sneak into them as imposters</a>. They live among the queen and the workers while also infesting the nest with their own brood. Sometimes, the rusty patch workers <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/25009392" target="_blank" rel="noopener">help to raise this brood</a> unknowingly. It's hard not to anthropomorphize this sort of drama. It's a strange bee-themed horror soap opera of sorts, chock-full of intrigue, betrayal, and death. 

Except, unlike an addicting drama streaming on Netflix, these high-stake bee dramas contribute to the already baffling decline of an important species. It is all too real, in the end. 

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1893996" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/shutterstock_796966033.jpg" alt="bumblebee" width="500" height="334" />

&nbsp;
<h2>Efforts To Save The Rusty Patch</h2>
&nbsp;

Efforts to save the rusty patch bees are underway and ongoing. The future is a truly grim place to contemplate without these pollinator power-houses buzzing between our food crops and brightly bobbing wildflower blooms. 

Preserving natural areas, engaging with conservation and <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/how-to-plant-an-excellent-pollinator-garden/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restoration efforts in your area</a>, reflecting and enacting responsible choices within the ecosystem where you live - this is how we will reshape our societies to live in balance with our surroundings. Part of that balancing effort is protecting and support the species that interact in wondrous and nuanced ways. We save the rusty patches by saving the whole ecosystem. The ecosystem might be saved by protecting the rusty patches. It is all so intricately linked. 

&nbsp;
<h3>First Steps</h3>
&nbsp;

Acknowledging that the rusty patch bees are critically endangered is an important first step - especially on the federal level. 

But another important part of successful conservation efforts is infusing entomology passion into the public discourse. For example, University of Minnesota professor Elaine Evans worked hard to designate the rusty patches as the <a href="https://extension.umn.edu/news/rusty-patched-bumble-bee-becomes-household-name" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Minnesota state bee</a> two years ago. Even though it is uncommon to find them, this work led to broader education around the species in the state. 

There are now instances where people, who learned about the species through this initiative, recognized the distinct rusty patches in their own homes. Because they were aware of the efforts around the bees, they called the university and conservation agencies instead of pest control. This has led to protected colonies, more in-depth study of the bees, and hopefully a greater understanding of how to save them.

Another great place to keep track of sightings, and breaking information regarding bumblebees is through <a href="https://www.bumblebeewatch.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bumblebee Watch</a>. This is a community science project and partnership between the Xerces Society, the University of Ottowa, and other contributors. It is an excellent resource for those who want to have an ongoing understanding of the situation and what is going on in the field with each passing year. 

&nbsp;
<h2>Native Plants And Native Bees - Do Your Part!</h2>
&nbsp;

It's easy to give in to the malaise of the climate crisis. This lethargy masks the grief of a changing world. Often, we convince ourselves that our efforts have no real impact. 

This is not a narrative that helps the rusty patches - or any other pollinator for that matter. 

Native bees need the help of native plants. And you can absolutely do something to facilitate a return to right relationship, no matter where you live. 

&nbsp;
<h3>If You Have A Lawn</h3>
&nbsp;

First of all, get rid of your lawn. Plant native plants instead of Kentucky Blue grass. Head to your local garden store, double-check that their starters are neonicotinoid-free, and then explore the various and fascinating plant species that are local to where you live. The largest cultivated crop in the US is lawn grass. What if, in the midwest alone, those lawns were transformed into pollinator sanctuaries of beautiful prairie plants? Perhaps if you close your eyes and picture it, you might feel a twinge of hopefulness. Hang onto it! And talk to your neighbors about how you might transform your block. 

We can also rethink what weed is. For example, the dandelion - the bane of so many gardeners - is both a medicinal food plant for humans and a pollen provider for rusty patch bees. And while dandelions are not native to North America, they can provide critical food and pollen when other food sources have yet to materialize. We need to focus less on aesthetics and more on relationship and reciprocity. Aside from dandelions, you can plant early-blooming perennials, and leave the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/midwest/news/RPBB.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">early blooming weeds</a> in the ground. 

&nbsp;
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1893997" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/shutterstock_710409760.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="334" />

&nbsp;
<h3>Even If You Don't Have A Lawn</h3>
&nbsp;

Many of us are not landowners in this time of harrowing wealth gaps. If this is the case, there are a lot of fun and empowering ways to distribute pollinator plants around where you live. Guerilla garden techniques such as seed balls and food forests are taking urban areas by storm. Find like-minded people in your area and get into some good trouble while also voting for leaders who share your concern for the environment. 

If you discover a nest? Celebrate in a rare find and <a href="https://www.fws.gov/midwest/news/RPBB.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">then leave it alone</a>. 

And consider going the extra mile - or should I say pile? Leave piles of weeds, brush, and sticks in areas of your yard undisturbed. These can be critical areas for queens to overwinter. 

And finally, skip the pesticides and insecticides completely. Instead, engage with organic options and natural tactics to minimize threats to your garden.

What Is The Rusty Patch Bumble Bee? 

We estimate that there are over 900 thousand different insect...

Chordates

The phylum Chordata belongs to the animal (or deuterostome) kingdom....

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2021-03/05/60418e3bfb2e1e33630595c7/60418eda9747e100015b378c_1920x1080_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&amp;h=900&amp;q=60"><script src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" type="text/javascript"></script></div>

Human impact on Earth's freshwater resources revealed Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/video">NASA Goddard</a> reveals the surprising influence that humans have on Earth's freshwater resources.

In the first study to assess seasonal variability in water bodies worldwide, researchers have discovered that water levels in human-managed reservoirs fluctuate about four times more compared to natural lakes and ponds. 

"We tend to think of the water cycle as a purely natural system: Rain and snowmelt run into rivers, which run to the ocean where evaporation starts the whole cycle again," said study lead author Sarah Cooley of Brown University. "But humans are actually intervening substantially in that cycle. Our work demonstrates that humans are responsible for a majority of the seasonal surface water storage variability on Earth."

The study was focused on data from NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat-2). The primary goal of the ICESat-2 mission is to track changes in the thickness and elevation of ice sheets around the world. The measurements are obtained using a laser altimeter, and elevation is calculated to an accuracy of 25 millimeters. 

The satellite measured seasonal water levels in more than 227,000 lakes, ponds, and reservoirs worldwide from October 2018 to July 2020. The water bodies ranged in size from the American Great Lakes to ponds with areas less than one tenth of a square mile. 

The study revealed that while natural lakes and ponds varied seasonally by an average of .22 meters, human-managed reservoirs varied by .86 meters. This means that, when compared to natural lakes, reservoirs account for 57 percent of the total variation. 

Human influence on freshwater resources was found to beP even stronger in arid regions like the Middle East, American West, India and Southern Africa, where seasonal variability attributed to human activity exceeds 90 percent.

"Of all the volume changes in freshwater bodies around the planet - all the floods, droughts and snowmelt that push lake levels up and down - humans have commandeered almost 60% of that variability," said study co-author Professor Laurence Smith. 

"That's a tremendous influence on the water cycle. In terms of human impact on the planet, this is right up there with impacts on land cover and atmospheric chemistry."

Video Credit: NASA Goddard

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Human impact on Earth's freshwater resources revealed

Human impact on Earth's freshwater resources revealed Today's Video of...

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2020-09/18/5f64a5ee550d252b740a8277/5f64a60b3a3d410001502d41_768x432_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&amp;h=900&amp;q=60"><script src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" type="text/javascript"></script></div>


The Vatnajökull ice cap in southeast Iceland Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features a Copernicus Sentinel-2 view of the Vatnajökull ice cap in southeast Iceland.

Vatnajökull is the biggest glacier in Europe, covering an area of more than 3,200 square miles. 

The ice cap has about 30 outlet glaciers, many of which are shrinking as a result of rising temperatures. One of these glaciers, Vatnajökull, is positioned over some of the most active volcanoes in Iceland such as Bárðarbunga and Grímsvötn.

On the southern side of Vatnajökull, the Jökulsárlón glacial lake has grown to become Iceland's deepest lake. Because it connects with the ocean, the lake contains both seawater and freshwater. 

The island was governed as an independent commonwealth under the Althing, therefore being  of the world's oldest functioning legislative assemblies. Also there is  a period of civil strife, Iceland acceded to Norwegian rule in the 13th century. The establishment of the Kalmar Union in 1397 united the kingdoms of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. Iceland also followed Norway's integration into that union, coming under Danish rule after Sweden's secession from the union in 1523.  The capital and largest city is Reykjavík

Video Credit: ESA  

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The Vatnajökull ice cap in southeast Iceland

The Vatnajökull ice cap in southeast Iceland Today's Video of...

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2021-03/06/60439400303d50146548634f/604394189747e100015b6b80_768x432_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&amp;h=900&amp;q=60"><script src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" type="text/javascript"></script></div>

The Galápagos Islands in the eastern Pacific Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Galápagos Islands, a volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. This region is one of the most famous places on the planet for viewing wildlife.

The Galápagos Islands are home to many native plants and animals that cannot be found anywhere else in the world, including giant tortoises and sea lions. 

When Charles Darwin visited the islands in 1835, his wildlife observations inspired the theory of evolution by natural selection. In 1959, the Ecuadorian government made the entire archipelago a national park to protect its unique diversity. 

The archipelago is made up of 13 major islands and several smaller islands and islets across 60,000 square kilometers of ocean. According to ESA, repeated volcanic eruptions and ongoing seismic activity have helped form the rugged mountain landscape of the islands. The older names remained in use in English-language publications, including Herman Melville's The Encantadas of 1854.  Therefore Galapagos owns one of the provinces of Ecuador, made up of three cantons that consist  the names of its most populated islands, which are San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz and Isabela. 

The largest of the Galapagos Islands, Isabela, was formed when multiple Volcanism has been continuous on the Galápagos Islands for at least 20 million years, and possibly  even longer. The mantle plume beneath the east side of volcanoes merged into one single land mass. The Galápagos Archipelago is characterized by large contemporaneous volcanoes, some with plume magma sources, others from the <a title="Asthenosphere" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asthenosphere">asthenosphere</a>, 

Video Credit: European Space Agency 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The Galápagos Islands in the eastern Pacific

The Galápagos Islands in the eastern Pacific Today's Video of...

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2021-03/30/606319f849e413767dc34169/60631a549747e100015f83ab_1920x1080_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&amp;h=900&amp;q=60"><script src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" type="text/javascript"></script></div>

Satellites help keep people safe from algae blooms Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how satellites are helping scientists monitor recreational sites for potentially harmful algae blooms.

Kate Fickas of Utah State University uses satellite images to make sure the water is safe for people and pets.

“I grew up swimming in the Willamette River in Oregon, and diving in lakes over the summer,” said Fickas. “So it means a lot to me that I’m able to not only help develop algorithms for monitoring cyanobacteria blooms, which is interesting in itself, but to be able to take that next step and keep the public safe, and allow them to safely recreate and enjoy the water the way that I do.”

Blooms occur when the populations of algae, phytoplankton, and cyanobacteria explode in numbers as a result of warm temperatures and excessive nutrients.

Fickas noted that many water bodies in Utah meet those conditions, especially with warming temperatures due to climate change, as well as nutrient runoff from agricultural fields and other sources.

Satellites such as Landsat 8 can detect when a lake changes color due to outbreaks of algae. 

Video Credit: NASA Goddard 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Satellites help keep people safe from algae blooms

Satellites help keep people safe from algae blooms Today's Video...

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" vdb_params="m.embeded=cms_video_plugin_www.earth.com" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2020-09/12/5f5cd0ffae62e42c37657c44/5f5cd1163a3d4100014f0b0b_768x432_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&h=900&q=60">
 <script type="text/javascript" src="https://delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1/vid=5f5cd0ffae62e42c37657c44/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js?m.embeded=cms_video_plugin_www.earth.com"></script>
</div>

Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features a satellite view of the Amazon River in the rainforest of South America.

The Amazon River flows more than 4,000 miles from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean on the northeast coast of Brazil, passing through six countries along the way.

The Amazon is considered the widest river in the world, as well as the largest drainage system, with more than 1,100 tributaries.

These rivers provide a range of habitats for various types of wildlife, including swamps, marshes. and streams.

According to WWF, it is estimated that approximately one-sixth of all the freshwater that drains into the world's oceans goes through the Amazon delta, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Video Credit: ESA

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The Amazon River in South America

Today's Video of the Day from the European Space Agency...

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2021-02/12/60268d766c527231b9c1e9a7/60268d93481d0100014a1398_768x432_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&amp;h=900&amp;q=60"><script src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" type="text/javascript"></script></div>

Valentine Island in western Australia Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Valentine Island off the coast of western Australia.

The tiny island is located in the King Sound, a large gulf and inlet of the Indian Ocean.

According to the<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=nasa&amp;cvid=43697a2372814c2aaef744253b1c12a9&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59l2j0l4j69i60l3.598j0j4&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS"> ESA</a>, the King Sound has one of the highest tides in Australia, reaching a maximum tidal round of around 11 to 12 meters. 

The port town of Derby can be found on the eastern shore of the King Sound near the mouth of the Fitzoy River. This area of Australia's Kimberley Region is known for having a coast lined with mangroves that support an abundance of wildlife including birds and fish. 

The first <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/europeans-are-widely-supportive-of-space-exploration/">Europeans</a> to visit Western Australia consisted of the Dutch Dirk Hartog expedition, who also  visited the Western Australian coast in 1616. Therefore the  first European settlement of Western Australia occurred following the landing by Major Edmund Lockyer on 26 December 1826. Also the Valentine Island in western Australia  defines the border with South Australia and the Northern Territory surrounded by the Indian Ocean. The total length of the state's eastern border is 1,862 km

Video Credit: ESA

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Valentine Island in western Australia

Valentine Island in western Australia Today's Video of the Day...

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" vdb_params="m.embeded=cms_video_plugin_www.earth.com" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2021-05/01/608d6e0e3ff39662f6a006fd/608d6e732ac1fe00019f8fe8_1920x1080_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&h=900&q=60">
 <script type="text/javascript" src="https://delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1/vid=608d6e0e3ff39662f6a006fd/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js?m.embeded=cms_video_plugin_www.earth.com"></script>
</div>

Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.qut.edu.au/">Queensland University of Technology</a> describes how pumice helped solve the mystery of what killed millions of shearwater birds in 2013. 

The team found evidence that migrating seabirds are eating materials that are not even food, including pumice stones, because they are starving.

Study lead author Dr. Lauren Roman is a researcher at Australia's national science agency CSIRO. She said there was much discussion in the scientific community about the causes of mass mortality of seabirds which are often found with plastic and other non-food items in their stomach.

"We found that in the instance of the shearwater bird deaths in 2013, these birds were starving, and in their starved state had reduced prey discrimination," said Dr. Roman.

"Our study investigates the chicken-and-egg dilemma - do animals starve from eating non-food or do animals eat non-food because they are starving?""

Seabirds are indicator species that can be used to monitor the health of marine ecosystems. Mass mortalities are often indicative of changing food webs and ecological conditions.

The study was focused on short-tailed shearwaters, which migrate from Australia to the North Pacific in April and return late in the year. Among 172 deceased seabirds that were recovered from the New South Wales and Queensland, 96.7 percent had ingested pumice or plastic.

The researchers used satellite systems to track the 2013 shearwater migration and compared the data to locations of a large pumice raft produced by a large volcanic eruption north of New Zealand in 2012.

"We proposed that a short time period between non-food ingestion and death would indicate that birds were already starving at the time of non-food ingestion, and a starving state would be reflected by poor body condition and reduced muscle mass," explained study co-author Professor Scott Bryan, who has been studying pumice rafts for over 20 years.

"Death after a longer period would indicate that birds starved following ingestion of non-food."

Professor Bryan said detailed information about the route of the pumice raft was an integral part to determining the answer of where the birds had consumed the pumice.

"We combined the tracking information data of the short-tailed shearwaters, using location tags on migrating birds, and the geological signature of the ingested pumice."

"By October 2013 when the shearwaters were returning to Australia on their annual migration from the North Pacific, the floating pumice was now located along their flight path as they approached Australia."

Once the experts had established when the birds ate the pumice, and their physical condition at the time, they were able to conclude that the birds were already starving when they ate the pumice. Furthermore, the study revealed that the seabirds had ingested the pumice about 12 to 41 hours before death.

"With a projected increase in challenging times for wildlife because of threats such as climate change, marine pollution and over exploitation of resources, this study has implications for mass mortalities and exacerbation of existing threats to marine species," said Dr. Roman.

Video Credit: Queensland University of Technology 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Pumice solved the mysterious deaths of seabirds

Today's Video of the Day from Queensland University of Technology...

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2021-04/28/60895d2d91172e67c92483e2/60895daebc43a90001bb32d6_1920x1080_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&amp;h=900&amp;q=60"><script src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" type="text/javascript"></script></div>

Pelicans use wind from ocean waves to save energy Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">UC San Diego</a> describes how pelicans seem to effortlessly glide along the crests of ocean waves close to shore.

The experts found that pelicans use wind updrafts generated by the waves to conserve energy as they fly. This technique is known as wave-slope soaring.

"There's a community of biologists and ornithologists that studies the metabolic cost of flight in birds that can use this and see how their research connects to our estimates from theory," said study lead author Ian Stokes.

"Likewise, our model generates a basic prediction for the winds generated by passing swell, which is important to physicists that study how the ocean and atmosphere interact in order to improve weather forecasting."

"This is an interesting project because it shows how the waves are actually moving the air around, making wind," said Professor Professor Drew Lucas. 

"If you're a savvy bird, you can optimize how you move to track waves and to take advantage of these updrafts. Since seabirds travel long distances to find food, the benefits may be significant." Therefore Pelicans use wind from ocean waves to save energy.

Video Credit: UC San Diego 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Pelicans use wind from ocean waves to save energy

Pelicans use wind from ocean waves to save energy Today's...

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" vdb_params="m.embeded=cms_video_plugin_www.earth.com" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2020-12/18/5fdcc56f48d0522cb2e619e5/5fdcc588f7a4f600012d0dcf_768x432_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&h=900&q=60">
 <script type="text/javascript" src="https://delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1/vid=5fdcc56f48d0522cb2e619e5/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js?m.embeded=cms_video_plugin_www.earth.com"></script>
</div>

Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Arctic region of Lapland, which is known for its vast wilderness, ski resorts, and natural wonders such as the Northern Lights.

Lapland is Finland’s northernmost region, and borders Sweden, Norway, Russia, and the Baltic Sea. It is also bound by the Norwegian Sea on the west, the Barents Sea on the north, and the White Sea to the east.

In the winter months, Lapland has temperatures of below zero and the Northern Lights, or the Aurora Borealis, can he viewed in the night sky. 

The capital of Lapland, Rovaniemi, is considered the official hometown of Santa Claus. Here, the Arctic Circle runs through Santa Claus Village, which is located eight kilometers north of the city center. 

Finland is one of the places in the Arctic Circle where you can experience the Midnight Sun, or 24 hours of sunshine in the summer, and the Polar Night, when the sun does not appear in the winter.

Video Credit: ESA

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The northern European region of Lapland

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2021-02/21/60326f7a9837ae1b5b831912/60326fb871e1bf0001c36a7a_3840x2160_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&amp;h=900&amp;q=60"><script src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" type="text/javascript"></script></div>

Rice roots use a spiraling strategy to become established Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://duke.edu/">Duke University</a> describes a strategy used by rice plants that grow their roots in a spiraling pattern for a greater chance of becoming established.

The researchers set up a camera on rice seeds sprouting in clear gel to examine how the roots burrow into the soil. A new picture was captured every 15 minutes for several days after germination.

The team discovered that rice roots use a trick to gain a foothold in the soil by making corkscrew-like motions with the tips of their roots. 

Sprouting seeds face the challenge of anchoring the plant and moving downwards to suck up the water and nutrients the plant needs to grow. The genes governing root meristem activity also constitute promising targets for adapting root growth to different soil stress conditions.

According to the researchers, the spiral growth of root tips is a strategy that rice plants use to grow in hard, compacted soil. Rice is distinct from other crops as it is cultivated in flooded paddy soils over most growth stages. In flooded paddy soils, O 2 is secreted through the aerenchyma of rice roots leading to oxic zones around the roots. 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Rice roots use a spiraling strategy to become established

Rice roots use a spiraling strategy to become established Today's...

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2021-02/27/603a578b303d505bbcb19aa7/603a57962db9c10001a8bd8c_1622x1080_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&amp;h=900&amp;q=60"><script src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" type="text/javascript"></script></div>

Astronauts share stunning views of the northern lights Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features the northern lights over Canada captured by astronauts on September 28, 2017. The video is a time-lapse of nearly 1,000 still frames shot over a span of 15 minutes.

At the time the photographs were taken, the International Space Station was passing from the northwestern region of the United States toward the southeast.

“The time-lapse imagery that we’ve been able to get of auroras is just fascinating to watch,” said Will Stefanov, ISS program scientist for Earth observations at Johnson Space Center. “And just strikingly beautiful to be able to see that process, how the aurora shifts and moves like a live thing. And knowing that for that particular stretch of time, you are pretty much seeing what the crew saw in orbit.”

Just about a week prior to the time-lapse footage, astronaut Randy “Komrade” Bresnik had captured a spectacular photograph of the aurora borealis as the space station passed over Ontario, Canada. Auroras are the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by solar wind. Therefore these disturbances chanhe the trajectoriy of charged particles in the magnetospheric plasma. These particles, such as electrons and protons, precipitate into the upper atmosphere (thermosphere/exosphere). The resulting ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents emit light of different color and complexity. The form of the aurora, occurring within bands around both polar regions, is also dependent on the amount of acceleration imparted to the precipitating particles.

Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Astronauts share stunning views of the northern lights

Astronauts share stunning views of the northern lights Today's Video...

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2021-02/07/601f811ffe070f323f38c532/601f8148f7a4f6000134c0ad_1920x1080_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&amp;h=900&amp;q=60"><script src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" type="text/javascript"></script></div>

How land subsidence contributes to sea level rise Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how land subsidence alters the shape of ocean basins and contributes to sea level rise. 

During the last ice age about 20,000 years ago, the northeastern region of the United States, <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/mistastin-lake-in-labrador-canada/">Canada,</a> and other regions were weighed down by ice sheets. When the ice melted and its weight was lifted, the land surface slowly rebounded. 

The resulting land movement, as well as subsidence related to human activities, play a significant role in sea level rise. For example, the Mississippi River Delta is essentially drowning as sinking ground is combined with higher sea levels, according to NASA. Also in substances can occur in various ways during an earthquake. Broad areas of land can subside drastically during an earthquake because of offset along fault lines. Land subsidence can also occur as a result of settling and compacting of unconsiderate sediment from the shaking of an earthquake. The blunder occur, absolute subsidence may occur in the hanging wall of normal faults. As the cumulative moisture deficit is reversed, which can last up to 25 years, the surface level around the tree will rise and expand laterally.

Video Credit: NASA Goddard 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How land subsidence contributes to sea level rise

How land subsidence contributes to sea level rise Today's Video...

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2020-05/29/5ed076cfabddfb5f91f42e6a/5ed077039e0eda00017a53d0_1920x1080_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&amp;h=900&amp;q=60"><script src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" type="text/javascript"></script></div>

Forests are becoming younger and smaller Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.energy.gov/">U.S. Department of Energy</a> describes how climate change is transforming the world's forests. 

The researchers analyzed satellite data and found that the global average tree size has declined over the last century. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/image/landslides-erupt-after-haitis-deadly-earthquake/">Earth's</a> trees are also becoming increasingly younger, which is due to a higher rate of tree mortality that is linked to global warming and other factors.

"Unfortunately, mortality drivers like rising temperature and disturbances such as wildfire and insect outbreaks are on the rise and are expected to continue increasing in frequency and severity over the next century," explained study lead author Dr. Nate McDowell.

"So, reductions in average forest age and height are already happening and they're likely to continue to happen." Forests are the predominant terrestrial <a title="Ecosystem" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem">ecosystem</a> of Earth, and are distributed around the globe. Therefore there is more than half of the world’s forests that can be  found in only five countries (Brazil, Canada, China, Russian Federation and United States of America). The largest part of the forest (45 percent) is found in the tropical domain (Tropical forests), followed by the boreal, temperate and subtropical domains.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Video Credit: DOE Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

&nbsp;

Forests are becoming younger and smaller

Forests are becoming younger and smaller Today's Video of the...

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2018-07/29/5b5e15710822e81055b6e518/5b5e157eeac4101b7cac5a2a_o_A_v2.jpg?w=1600&amp;h=900&amp;q=60">
<script src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" type="text/javascript"></script></div>

The Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> (ESA) provides a glimpse of the famous coastal resort town of Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.

Located on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in between the desert and the Red Sea, this region was a vacation destination for ancient Romans and Greeks all the way back to the 4th century B.C.

Divers are attracted to Sharm El Sheikh to explore the diverse marine life found in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/corals-in-the-northern-red-sea-can-resist-global-warming/">Red Sea,</a> including hundreds of coral reefs. Ras Muhammad National Park one of the most popular diving destinations in the region, with its clear warm water and breathtaking desert landscape.

The Authorities in Egypt announced earlier this week that the completion of the wall is encircling the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El Sheikh in South Sinai, according to a statement made by Tamer Makram, the head of the South Sinai Investors, to Youm7. The attack took place on Egypt's Revolution Day, a public holiday in Egypt, and was part of a strategy of hurting Egypt's economy by disrupting tourism, a major industry.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Video Credit: European Space Agency

The Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh

The Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh Today's Video...

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2020-12/15/5fd8de4b16927a7d440b6297/5fd8de90eea7b60001dc55b0_1920x1080_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&amp;h=900&amp;q=60">
<script src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" type="text/javascript"></script></div>

Jaguars will soon be severely threatened Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensland_University_of_Technology">Queensland University of Technology</a> describes how climate change may impact the jaguar, the dominant predator of Central and South America.

According to the research, jaguars in the Peruvian Amazon will be able to handle climate change in the short-term, but could become severely threatened as extreme weather events increasingly interfere with food resources.

“Estimates of jaguar numbers are difficult to achieve because the big cats are cryptic by nature, are not always uniquely identifiable, and their habitat can be hostile to humans,” explained study co-author Professor Kerrie Mengersen.

The investigation was focused on data from a 2016 expedition to the Pacaya Samiria Reserve, which covers 20,800 square kilometers in the Loreto region of the Peruvian Amazon. 

Professor Kevin Burrage explained that the predicted outcomes for the jaguars were concerning in the long-term. 

“Our results imply that jaguars can cope with extreme drought and flood, but there is a very high probability that the population will crash if the conditions are repeated over short time periods. These scenarios are becoming more likely due to climate change,” said Professor Burrage.

“The declines may be further exacerbated by hunting of both jaguars and their prey, as well as loss of habitat through deforestation.”

Video Credit: QUT Media

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Jaguars will soon be severely threatened

Jaguars will soon be severely threatened Today's Video of the...

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" vdb_params="m.embeded=cms_video_plugin_www.earth.com" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2021-03/04/6040e5e3fb2e1e336302ec6f/6040e628025df600012cf684_1280x720_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&h=900&q=60">
 <script type="text/javascript" src="https://delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1/vid=6040e5e3fb2e1e336302ec6f/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js?m.embeded=cms_video_plugin_www.earth.com"></script>
</div>

Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> describes what stargazers can see in the sky this month. 

In early March, two reddish objects will line up with Mars: the stars Aldebaran, which forms the angry eye of Taurus the bull, and Betelgeuse, the shoulder of Orion. 

This Friday morning, look for the bright star Antares about 8 degrees below the waning gibbous Moon. In addition, Mercury and Jupiter and Mercury will appear at their closest to each other as morning twilight begins.

On Tuesday, March 9, the waning crescent Moon and the planets Saturn, Jupiter, and Mercury will appear near the horizon as morning twilight begins.

The first day of Daylight Savings Time falls on Sunday, March 14, 2021. Also beginning on this day, a "Wet Moon" or a "Cheshire Moon" will be visible for a few nights. This is when the thin, waxing crescent Moon appears to look like a smile in the evening sky.

On Friday night, March 19, the waxing crescent Moon will form a triangle with Mars and the bright star Aldebaran. This event will be followed by the astronomical end of winter on Saturday, March 20 at 5:37 a.m. EDT.

Also, be sure to look for Venus on March 26 and the full Moon on March 28.

Video Credit: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

NASA skywatching tips for March 2021

Today's Video of the Day from the NASA Jet Propulsion...

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2021-02/26/603918a70ab30f57648ce612/603918c99747e100015a56e6_768x432_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&amp;h=900&amp;q=60">
<script src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" type="text/javascript"></script>
</div>


Vancouver, British Columbia Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Vancouver, a busy seaport on the west coast of British Columbia.
Vancouver is one of Canada's most densely populated and ethnically diverse cities, and is also known for being eco-friendly. 
Officials have developed a plan to make Vancouver "the greenest city in the world." The project involves improving air quality, constructing greener buildings, reducing CO2 emissions, and reducing traffic by promoting cycling, walking, and public transportation use.
The city takes its name from George Vancouver, who explored the inner harbour of Burrard Inlet in 1792 and gave various places British names. The family name "Vancouver" itself originates from the Dutch "van Coevorden", denoting somebody from the city of Coevorden, Netherlands. The explorer's ancestors came to England "from Coevorden", which is the origin of the name that eventually became "Vancouver".
The indigenous Squamish people who reside in a region that encompasses southwestern British Columbia including this city gave the name K'emk'emeláy̓ which means "place of many maple trees"; this was originally the name of a village inhabited by said people where a sawmill was established by one Captain Edward Stamp as part of the foundations to the British settlement later becoming part of Vancouver
Vancouver is already one of the most sustainable cities on the planet, with 95 percent of its electricity coming from renewable energy sources. 
Video Credit: ESA 
---
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver, British Columbia Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" vdb_params="m.embeded=cms_video_plugin_www.earth.com" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2021-02/25/6037bc230ab30f5764885c38/6037bc80025df600012c0250_1920x1080_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&h=900&q=60">
 <script type="text/javascript" src="https://delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1/vid=6037bc230ab30f5764885c38/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js?m.embeded=cms_video_plugin_www.earth.com"></script>
</div>

Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.aalto.fi/en">Aalto University</a> describes how screen time improves the lives of saki monkeys in captivity. 

In collaboration with Korkeasaari Zoo, the researchers built an on-demand video device for white-faced saki monkeys to activate whenever they want. 

"We were very much interested in how we can give animals control over their environment and especially how they can control technology," said study lead author Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas.

"Typically, when we use technology with animals, we use it on them, so we play them sounds or video, rather than giving them the option of controlling the technology themselves."

The device played five different kinds of scenes: marine life such as jellyfish, wiggly worms, zoo animals like zebras, makis and dear, abstract art, or lush forests.

"We got interesting results. First of all, we learned that the monkeys do pay attention to the screen; they watch it and touch it. We also suspect they recognize objects on the screen. One of the videos we had featured meal worms - an everyday meal for them. They actually tried to lick the screen and even went around the tunnel to see if the worms were behind it," said study co-author Vilma Kankaanpää.

The saki monkeys scratched themselves significantly less often when they were offered on-demand videos. For monkeys in captivity, scratching can be a sign of stress.

Video Credit: Aalto University 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Saki monkeys benefit from screen time

Today's Video of the Day from Aalto University describes how...

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" vdb_params="m.embeded=cms_video_plugin_www.earth.com" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2020-10/24/5f93968a8e4d532ba4563e8e/5f939768429770000167722b_768x432_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&h=900&q=60">
 <script type="text/javascript" src="https://delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1/vid=5f93968a8e4d532ba4563e8e/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js?m.embeded=cms_video_plugin_www.earth.com"></script>
</div>

Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the world’s largest river delta, the Ganges Delta, which covers an area of around 100,000 square kilometers.

The delta is primarily formed by the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, both of which are visible in the image. The snow-covered Himalayas mountains can also be seen in the top of the photograph.

The Ganges river flows for over 2,400 kilometers from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. The river carries fertile soil and nutrients and deposits them across its vast delta floodplain. 

Video Credit: European Space Agency 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The world's largest river delta

<div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" vdb_params="m.embeded=cms_video_plugin_www.earth.com" data-placeholder="//img.vidible.tv/prod/2021-01/23/600bbd3a77e564304ee8169e/600bbd4feea7b60001e232f3_1920x1080_FES_v1.jpg?w=1600&h=900&q=60">
 <script type="text/javascript" src="https://delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1/vid=600bbd3a77e564304ee8169e/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js?m.embeded=cms_video_plugin_www.earth.com"></script>
</div>

Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/image-of-the-week">USGS</a> shows how one of the worst natural disasters in history reshaped the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. 

In December of 2004, an earthquake off the coast of northern Sumatra was so intense that it lifted the seafloor several meters and sent tsunami waves in every direction. The 9.1-magnitude Indian Ocean Earthquake ranks as the third must powerful on record. 

Waves that reached the coast of Sumatra were as high as 30 meters. Landsat images show where the vegetation was completely stripped away along the coast, as well as the recovery in the years that followed. 

Video Credit: USGS

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Indian Ocean tsunami reshaped the coast of Sumatra

Today's Video of the Day from the USGS shows how...