The Americas have a rich and varied avifauna. The United States is home to 1107 different species of birds, while Canada and Alaska host 686 and 521 species respectively. Despite being a smaller country, Mexico has almost as many birds as the US, with 1118 species recorded here. However this pales in comparison to South…
By Paul Greenberg, Safina Center Fellow The money shot of climate change is without doubt that of a polar bear stranded on a tiny island of ice, seemingly hopelessly adrift while the world around melts into oblivion. But as we pulled into an anchorage off Spitsbergen Island in the territory known as Svalbard this weekend,…
I have a theory. Taiwan’s waste management system is dependent on a subtle, strong, yet almost invisible force–women. Walk into a bathroom in any Taipei City subway stop and you’ll see an older woman in a bright green or orange vest moving seamlessly in and out of the stalls, a pair of tongs in hand….
By Drew T. Cronin, Joshua Linder, Nelson Ting and Ekwoge Abwe – Coordinators of the Red Colobus Conservation Action Plan Red colobus monkeys (Piliocolobus spp.) are a group of leaf-eating monkeys unique to the forests of sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from Senegal on the Atlantic coast to the island of Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean. Despite…
The oceans were once perceived as an endless abyss, so large that humans could not possibly have any measurable impact on the life within them. However as the human population has boomed, we have begun to impact our oceans more and more. In fact plastics have even been found in some of the deepest ocean…
Did you detect a rumble coming from the direction of Baja California Sur last week? Well, that was the sound of five minds getting blown during an 8-day, 2500 km expedition around the peninsula with three leaders from Barra de Potosi. Six years ago, I visited Baja with an inkling of an idea for how…
You don’t have to live on the coast to be drawn to the breathtaking sights and sounds of the ocean. As essential to life on earth as it has been for millennia, the ocean covers about 70 percent of the planet, dictates the weather, feeds billions of people, stores 50 times more carbon dioxide than…
The week geography trivia enthusiasts look forward to the whole year is finally here. The 2018 National Championship of the National Geographic Bee will be held at the Grosvenor Auditorium at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington, D.C. this coming Wednesday, May 23. From the 54 state and territory champions, 10 finalists will be competing…
By Carl Safina and Sylvia Earle When the first World Oceans Day was held in 1992, the oceans were very different than today. The oceans were less acidic because less carbon dioxide had dissolved into them. They were a little cooler because the atmosphere was cooler. More large predatory fish like tunas and sharks existed,…
I drove through Punakaiki recently. Once a year this west coast town holds a festival to welcome the Westland petrel back home to New Zealand after its annual sojourn to South American waters. Amid a weekend of music and revelry, festival-goers gather on the beach at sunset to watch thousands of large black seabirds assemble…
This Endangered Species Day, the National Geographic Society is shining a light on species at risk around the globe. In collaboration with out-of-home advertising associations in 22 countries, we are showcasing 10 animals from the National Geographic Photo Ark on digital billboards, mall kiosks, tram cars, rail station displays and other digital out-of-home formats. All…
By: Erin Myers Madeira and Tyronne Garstone Aboriginal people have been managing the land in Australia for more than 50,000 years, and traditional practices like fire management have shaped the landscape. The decline of these practices over the last two centuries due to displacement of Indigenous people has caused the Kimberley region to suffer. Learn…
This week we continue our flash back on some of the best Top 25 photographs of the last year. Of the thousands of pictures submitted and the hundreds selected for the Top 25 blogs, these are considered the best of the best! Thank you to all the photographers who have submitted pictures over the last…
By Lynn Scarlett, Co-Chief External Affairs Officer, The Nature Conservancy Before the term “reality TV” emerged in the 1990’s, there were “game shows.” The premise was simple—the promise of FABULOUS PRIZES would drive ordinary human beings to do unusual things. They would reveal the most intimate secrets of their marital life (“The Newlywed Game”), guess…
If you thought you knew the story of how – and more importantly, why – the R.M.S. Titanic was found in the North Atlantic ocean in 1985, well, better think again. The story we have heard about the discovery of the Titanic by Navy Reserve Commanding Officer, oceanographer, and National Geographic Explorer-at-Large Dr. Bob Ballard,…
