Car-Sized Prehistoric Sea Turtle Found To Be Largest In Europe

Leatherback sea turtle swimming

The fossilized remains of a car-sized, prehistoric sea turtle have recently been found in the Spanish Pyrenees.

The huge reptile is the largest-known sea turtle to have been found in Europe, its size rivaling that of giant sea turtles that swam in the shallow seas covering much of what is now North America during the Late Cretaceous Period.

(Photo above is of a leatherback sea turtle, the largest living sea turtle, which has a leathery shell similar to that of the newly-discovered species.)

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Tipping Point U.S. Birds Identified in “State of the Birds” 2022 Report

Tricolored Blackbird

A recently-published report has revealed widespread declines in U.S. birds in all habitats except one.

On this page, we examine the key findings of the report, and take a closer look at 10 US bird species identified as “tipping-point” birds – species that have suffered significant decline in their population in the last 50 years.

How many of these ten birds have you seen recently? Have you noticed a decline in their numbers – or in the numbers of any other species? Let us know in the comments section.

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Greater Protection Needed For Rice’s Whale – The World’s Most Endangered Whale

Rice's Whale

Rice’s whale, also known as the Gulf of Mexico whale, was only discovered a year ago, yet is already on the brink of extinction. Found in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, the cetacean is the only species of baleen whale to reside in the region all year round.

With a population of just 50 individuals, Rice’s whale is thought to be the world’s most endangered whale species.

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Megamouth Shark Sightings – Why This Large Shark Is Seldom Seen

With fewer than 300 sightings of the megamouth shark having been reported since the species’ discovery in the mid-seventies, the recent appearance of a pair of megamouth sharks just 30 miles off the coast of San Diego came as a surprise to the fishermen who spotted the rare fish.

Megamouth Shark
Photo: OpenCage, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped / resized by ActiveWild.com)

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