Hi everyone!
Now, before we get started, I’ve been thinking about creating another newsletter, on the same website as this one. It would be called “On My Mind,” and be about everything from politics to entertainment and culture. It would be less globally focused, and I would post with no particular schedule. If I were to create this new newsletter, would you read it?
Please fill out the poll - if enough people say yes, there’s a good chance I’ll follow through.
On to the story! My apologies if it’s a bit short - it was unfortunately hard to find a both interesting and positive topic.
The Birds & the Whales
Have you ever heard the saying that we know more about mars than the deepest parts of our oceans? Well, we can see just how true that maxim is when it comes to beaked whales. Beaked whales are some of the most under-appreciated and under-researched animals in the world - in fact, of the over twenty species that we believe exist, only three have been “reasonably well-researched.” This can be attributed to the fact that beaked whales take long dives, prefer lower regions of the ocean, don’t have as noticeable blowhole blasts, and are generally more secretive. Few are more secretive that the Sato’s beaked whale.
The Sato’s beaked whale has evaded researchers for years - the Japanese whaling industry has long been aware of a smaller relative of the Baird’s beaked whale, their traditional target. Despite this, scientists were only able to even determine its existence in 2019, by DNA testing of a dead specimen. It would be two more years until Russian researchers verified a sighting of an entire pod of the whales. This is a huge advancement, a key to unlocking the secrets of one of the most mysterious mammals.
Also, in animal news, the population of New Zealand Kākāpōs - which I argue to be one of the most awesome birds in the world - has experienced a massive resurgence, reaching population levels not seen in 50 years.
The Kākāpō is a very unusual bird - they’re the heaviest & only flightless parrots, are as big as mailboxes, are nocturnal, and have unusual mating habits. They only live on four tiny islands off the coast of New Zealand. In the world of birds, they’re among the few black sheep. All this only makes them all the more important to protect, preserve, and revive. And the efforts being made to do so have been met with massive success; there are now 216 birds, after 55 chicks survived to become juveniles. While 216 may not seem like much, it’s pretty good for a flightless, heavy, giant black sheep.
- Sorry if my writing isn’t so great this time; I had to write this in the middle of the family gathering, so my brain had to be in two places at once.
Also, other thing I forgot to mention: I have updated the "about" section, giving it some actual content regarding me (the author) and the newsletter. If you're new, that section should clear up any questions you have.
Interesting!