Our Spectacular Planet

The Great Blue Hole is a large underwater sinkhole off the coast of Belize. It lies near the center of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 100 kilometres (62 mi) from the mainland and Belize City. The hole is circular in shape, over 300 metres (984 ft) across and 125 metres (410 ft) deep. What is a sinkhole? The sinkhole was formed as a limestone cave system during the last glacial period when sea ...

Scientists have discovered seven new glow-in-the-dark mushroom species, increasing the number of known luminescent fungi species from 64 to 71. The discoveries also shed light on the evolution of luminescence, adding to the number of known lineages in the fungi 'family tree' where luminescence has been reported. San Francisco State University Biology Professor Dennis Desjardin and colleagues discovered the fungi in Belize, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia and Puerto Rico. The ...

The Leafy Sea Dragon, Phycodurus eques, is a marine fish related to the seahorse. The name is derived from it's appearance, with long leaf-like protrusions coming from all over the body.  These protrusions are not used for propulsion; they serve only as camouflage. The leafy sea dragon is found only in the waters of Australia. They are mostly found around clumps of sand in waters up to 50 metres (164 feet) deep, ...

The word "nudibranch" comes from the Latin nudus, naked, and the Greek brankhia, gills. Among this group can be found the most colorful creatures on earth. Nudibranchs are often casually called "sea slugs", a non-scientific term. This has led some people to assume that every sea slug must be a nudibranch. They live at virtually all depths of salt water, but reach their greatest size and variation in warm, shallow waters. The body ...

Albino birds are rare but they do exist. This condition is the result of genetic mutation, whereby the pigment melanin is absent. And the absence of melanin means that the feathers are always white. In cases where some of the feathers are colored by a pigment other than melanin, areas of yellow or red are apparent. Where all the normal feathers are replaced by white feathers, we have a totally albino ...

The largest bat species is the Giant golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus), a rare fruit bat and endangered species that is part of the megabat family. Despite its name and superficial appearance, it is not closely related to the fox. It is active at night and can fly long distances up to 40 kilometers while hunting for food, eating a variety of fruits. Its favorite food is the ripe fig. Called the ...

Pangolins or scaly anteaters are mammals in the order Pholidota. There is only one extant family (Manidae) and one genus (Manis) of pangolins, comprising eight species. There are also a number of extinct taxa. Pangolins have large scales on their skin and are found in tropical regions of Africa and Asia. The name "pangolin" derives from the Malay word pengguling ("something that rolls up"). Pangolins are nocturnal animals, using their ...

The Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata) is a small North American mole found in eastern Canada and the north-eastern United States. It is the only member of the tribe Condylurini and the genus Condylura.The Star-nosed Mole lives in wet lowland areas and eats small invertebrates, aquatic insects, worms and mollusks. It is a good swimmer and can forage along the bottoms of streams and ponds. Like other moles, this animal digs ...

The Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is a whale that lives year-round in the Arctic. Male narwhals weigh up to 1,600 kilograms (3,500 lb), and the females weigh around 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb). Narwhals have a relatively restricted and specialized diet. Their prey is predominantly composed of Greenland halibut, polar and Arctic cod, shrimp and squid. The tusk The most conspicuous characteristic of the male narwhal is its single 2–3 meter (7–10 ft) long ...

Buried a thousand feet (300 meters) below Naica mountain in the Chihuahuan Desert, the cave was discovered by two miners excavating a new tunnel for the Industrias Peñoles company in 2000. The cave contains some of the largest natural crystals ever found: translucent gypsum beams measuring up to 36 feet (11 meters) long and weighing up to 55 tons. "It's a natural marvel," said García-Ruiz, of the University of Granada in Spain. To ...