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This is similar to a text in the book where it says, “I can lower them to reach you. I can reflect before I speak out.” It's one of those skills that might help you succeed in life.

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The Importance of Thinking Before you Speak

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Thinking is regarded as one of the three mega skills: thinking, writing and speaking These are the fundamental social skills required for living successfully. But while intellect is an asset with a strong genetic basis, thinking well is also a skill that can be learned. And part of thinking well is…

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Like humans, mothers are dedicated for their child.

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Blue Planet II

By Ella Davies

From octopus to orca, our oceans are home to some of the hardest working mothers around.

At some point, all new mothers wish they had an extra pair of hands to help juggle feeding, nappies, toys and tears. Out in the ocean eight-limbed animals are among nature's most dedicated mums - but it's less about multi-tasking and more a case of single-mindedness.

The longest known brooding period of any animal was reported in 2014 when scientists revealed details about a deep sea octopus ( . According to researchers, such a long-term investment was due to the low temperatures the octopus inhabits. In species that live in shallower, warmer waters, octo-moms look after their fertilised eggs until they hatch between 1-3 months later. But in the colder depths, metabolic processes are dramatically slowed prompting G. boreopacifica to care for her eggs for much longer.

The brooding period is brutal for an octopus mother. While caring for her eggs, protecting them from predators and making sure they get enough oxygen, she does not feed. She will eventually die of starvation. The researchers studying the deep sea octopus saw her condition deteriorate over the course of their submarine visits: her colour faded and eyes became cloudy. There's no doubt she was one tough mother, her 4.5 year brooding period is an unmatched endurance feat. The reason she underwent this is to give her hatchlings the best start in life. They are the largest and most developed of any octopus, which gives them a significant advantage in the survival stakes.

The spiny dogfish's long gestation period has put the species at risk. © Boris Pamikov | Shutterstock)

Octopods aren't the only ocean species to invest a lot of time in their embryonic young. Among the longest pregnancies on Earth is that of the spiny dogfish ( Squalus acanthias) - a common species of shark found in temperate waters around the world. Gestation can last up to 2 years as the young develop from eggs to pups, with half a dozen in the average litter.

Sadly, this unhurried approach to reproduction puts the spiny dogfish in danger. Conservationists list the species as Vulnerable because it is under tremendous pressure from fisheries. The sharks come together in large aggregations and are often victims of by-catch. The low reproductive rate means populations are slow to bounce back. The IUCN estimates a decline of more than 30% of the global population of S. acanthias in the last 75 years.

Commonly living 500-1000 metres below the surface, it's no surprise we're only just getting to know the frilled shark. © Rohit kushwaha | Getty

Another shark could be the overall record-breaker for the longest vertebrate gestation. To find it we need to plumb the depths again. With the primitive looks of a sea serpent and commonly living 500-1000 metres below the surface, it's no surprise we're only just getting to know the frilled shark ( Chlamydoselachus anguineus). In 1990, Japanese scientists published research on frilled sharks captured in Suruga Bay, including gravid females. Based on the development rates of the embryos they collected and data from other species, they estimated the frilled shark's gestation period at up to 3.5 years.

While for some species motherly duties end once eggs are hatched or young are born, there are a few oceanic examples of more long-lasting bonds. It may surprise you to see killer whales on the shortlist for mum of the year. Orcas are best known for their predatory behaviour, but they are not simply black and white killers.

Male orcas stay with their mothers for life. © Tory Kallman | Shutterstock)

Around the world's oceans there are several different ecotypes, each living in a particular habitat with distinctive behaviours and social structures. Among these the southern resident killer whales are an extended family that feed exclusively on salmon and live in the Salish Sea off south-western Canada / north-western US.

The southern resident pods are matrilineal - led by females and made up of their relatives. Within these pods, males stay with their mothers for life with only brief departures to breed with other females. Males live into their thirties so they remain mummy's boys for decades.

Scientists have found that these male orcas are heavily reliant on their mothers for food - showing them where to find salmon, and even feeding them directly well into adulthood. Males are around 25% bigger than females so need more food but it is the females that have the knowledge of feeding grounds and salmon movement.

"In the resident killer whales that we work with, the sons and daughters never disperse from their mothers. So, they really are dedicated across the entire lifespan of the offspring, particularly to their sons," explains Professor Darren Croft, an animal behaviour expert at the University of Exeter, UK.

"Sons mate with females from different groups, but return to their mother to live. From evolutionary theory, if you have a daughter that reproduces it's another mouth to feed but if you have a son that reproduces while another group carries that cost, genetically you get the same benefit."

"That's why we think these mothers are dedicated carers of their sons, that's where they can drive higher lifetime fitness and transfer more of their genes to the next generation."

Ensuring the health of future generations is imperative for these orca. The southern resident population is considered Critically Endangered, numbering only 77 individuals. Food is in short supply due to fishing pressures and the whales are yet to recover after many were captured for the entertainment industry in the 1960s and 70s.

In the resident killer whales that we work with, the sons and daughters never disperse from their mothers."

Professor Darren Croft Animal Behaviour Expert

The lifetime of devotion demonstrated by these orca is matched by a much smaller species that nonetheless takes the mother-child bond to its literal extreme. Scientists at the University of Kansas, US , identified how a species of hydrozoan keeps its children as close as possible. Sometimes known as the ringed tubularia, Ectopleura larynx is a small, predatory species widespread in the North Atlantic that resembles a miniature bouquet (albeit one topped with pink tentacles). While many hydrozoans reproduce asexually to build colonies of clones, E. larynx has a different approach. After the female has intercepted sperm she reproduces sexually and broods her young inside organs called gonophores.

When the juvenile polyps are released they settle on suitable substrate, which can include their mother. If this happens, she physically fuses her offspring to herself. In the competitive environment of the seabed the mother can feed her offspring via a shared digestive system, ensuring access to scarce resources.

The uniting theme for all of these ocean-dwelling mothers is dedication. Whether they're ensuring a solid foundation or caring for their offspring for life, each species invests time and energy - sometimes at great personal cost. If you're looking for the toughest sea creatures, mum's the word.

Featured image © Tory Kallman | Shutterstock

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The ocean's most dedicated mothers | BBC Earth

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Blue Planet II By Ella Davies From octopus to orca, our oceans are home to some of the hardest working mothers around. At some point, all new mothers wish they had an extra pair of hands to help juggle feeding, nappies, toys and tears.

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Amazon has been sued for race and gender discrimination against black women.

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This story is part of a group of stories called

Uncovering and explaining how our digital world is changing - and changing us.

Five women who have worked at Amazon in corporate roles or in warehouse management filed separate discrimination and retaliation lawsuits against the tech giant on Wednesday afternoon, according to complaints filed in various US district courts.

The women range in age from early 20s to mid-60s, and all allege that they were retaliated against by white managers for complaining internally about race, gender, or sexual harassment or discrimination that they experienced. Two of the women are Black, one is Latina, one is Asian American, and one is white. Three of the women still work at Amazon and two are former employees. All five cases were brought by the same New York City law firm that is representing an Amazon Web Services senior manager who sued Amazon and several executives in a discrimination and sexual harassment and assault case in March.

"Women and employees of color at all levels of Amazon have had their complaints of harassment and discrimination brushed under the rug," Wigdor LLP partners Lawrence M. Pearson and Jeanne M. Christensen said in a statement. "Amazon can no longer dismiss abusive behavior and retaliation by white managers as mere anecdotes. These are systemic problems, entrenched deep within the company and perpetuated by a human resources organization that treats employees who raise concerns as a problem."

In a statement shared shortly after this story's publication, Amazon spokesperson Jaci Anderson told Recode, "We are conducting thorough investigations for each of these unrelated cases, as we do with any reported incidents, and we have found no evidence to support the allegations. Amazon works hard to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment in any form, and employees are encouraged to raise concerns to any member of management or through an anonymous ethics hotline with no risk of retaliation."

In one of the five suits filed on Wednesday, a 40-year-old Latina warehouse manager named Diana Cuervo alleges that a white male boss named Christopher Stoia repeatedly made racist remarks directly to her face.

Some of the alleged comments from Stoia included, "Latins suck," "How is a Latin like you working here?" and, "You are a Latina woman, I need to be careful every time I talk to you."

Cuervo says she was fired weeks after reporting her boss's behavior to human resources, and only a few days after she reported a gas leak at her Amazon facility despite her boss's alleged attempt to downplay the situation and demand that she keep quiet.

Stoia did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

In another suit, a 64-year-old Black human resources partner named Pearl Thomas alleges that her boss in Amazon Web Services HR, Keith DurJava, referred to her by using the "n-word" after apparently believing she had disconnected from a video call. She claims in the lawsuit that another manager told her and another Black woman employee at a different time, "You don't want to be an angry Black woman." Shortly after formally complaining about her boss's alleged racist comments, she was placed on a performance review plan, the complaint alleges.

DurJava did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

The lawsuits come three months after Recode published an investigation that highlighted current and former corporate employees' allegations that Amazon has a racial bias problem that particularly disadvantages Black workers. Recode's story also revealed alleged racial disparities in Amazon performance reviews ratings, promotion rates, and the company's corporate leveling system.

A few days after publication of the investigation, an Amazon Web Services senior manager named Charlotte Newman filed a lawsuit against Amazon and several current and former executives over claims of race and gender discrimination, as well as sexual harassment and assault. Newman said at the time that Recode's investigation was one of the reasons she decided to speak out about her experience.

"I strongly believe that Amazon should be harnessing the light of diverse leadership rather than dimming the light of Black employees and other employees of color," Newman said at the time. "For years I had been sort of suffering in silence, [but] I'm sure there are a lot of people who now feel more empowered to add their voices to the story, and hopefully there's some real change that occurs."

In the wake of the Recode investigation and Newman's lawsuit, it appears that more employees have been emboldened to tell their stories about the obstacles they say they have faced as women and people of color at Amazon.

Next week, Amazon shareholders will vote on a proposal from a New York pension fund calling for an independent audit "to assess the company's policies and practices on civil rights, equity, diversity, and inclusion." The Amazon board of directors has urged shareholders to vote down the proposal.
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Amazon hit by 5 more lawsuits from employees who allege race and gender discrimination

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Uncovering and explaining how our digital world is changing - and changing us. Five women who have worked at Amazon in corporate roles or in warehouse management filed separate discrimination and retaliation lawsuits against the tech giant on Wednesday afternoon, according to complaints filed in various US district courts.

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They all have different dorsal fins from different generations for the conditions of the ocean.

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The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group ( IWDG) has combed through years of accumulated images to make a start on its new photo identification catalogue for fin whales in Irish waters.

And the group is calling on anyone with good-resolution images of the often elusive cetaceans to submit them to the catalogue for appraisal and potential matching.

"It only takes one strong image to reveal an animal's identity," IWDG sighting officer Pádraig Whooley says, "and in time this citizen science resource should begin to tell us more about the life histories of the wider cohort that arrive annually along the Irish South Coast most years during May."

Whooley explains that recording of fin whales in Ireland - historically the more dominant of Ireland's two large baleen whale species - had taken a backseat to that of the larger, more easily photographed humpback whales which began arriving in greater numbers a decade ago.

Another reason for this shift in emphasis, Whooley says, was the "international significance" of Ireland's rising numbers of a marine wildlife species, in humpbacks, that has been more susceptible to commercial exploitation.

In recent weeks, however, Whooley says the time was right to revisit the IWDG's trove of fin whale images which he and Andrew Malcolm have "whittled them down" to a starting set of "53 well-marked individuals, several of whom have been recorded over multiple years".

"As with the humpback catalogue, these animals have been allocated unique references with associated sightings histories and are stored on a Google drive for ease of matching new images and sharing with colleagues both at home and overseas," Whooley adds.

It's hoped to grow this collection with contributions to the public to [email protected] The IWDG asks that submissions be of at least medium to high resolution, sharp and shot within 100 metres of the focal animal. Especially desired are photos that show "a well-marked dorsal fin or linear scars, blemishes, signs of ship-strike injuries, entanglement marks etc" that will ease identification.

"Given the nature of fin whales and what appears to be declining numbers in Irish waters, this catalogue will no doubt throw up many challenges in the years ahead, but we're confident there will also be some fascinating discoveries that will help inform future management plans for the largest whale in our coastal waters," Whooley says.

"As with the humpbacks, one of the first questions we'll be hoping to answer is, where are their breeding grounds? It's remarkable that thus far this vital piece of ecological information has eluded whale researchers... perhaps the Irish fin whale catalogue will help solve this mystery?"

An abridged version of the fin whale catalogue will be made available on the IWDG website for citizen scientists to try to match any fin whales they're fortunate to encounter.

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Irish Whale and Dolphin Group Establishes Fin Whale Photo Identification Catalogue

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The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group ( IWDG) has combed through years of accumulated images to make a start on its new photo identification catalogue for fin whales in Irish waters. And the group is calling on anyone with good-resolution images of the often elusive cetaceans to submit them to the catalogue for appraisal and potential matching.

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The dolphins are grouping together and metaphorically people group together for a cause.

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Super pods, which can number more than 1,000 dolphins, form where food is plentiful, but usually gather in deep water and are far rarer in shallower seas.

A 'super pod' comprising of hundreds of dolphins have been seen springing out of the water simultaneously more than a mile wide across the water in incredible new footage.

The "super pod", comprising an estimated 500 dolphins, can be seen stretching off into the distance, leaping out of the water as they race a whale-watching boat.

The amazing scene was captured by the crew of the Catallac, the vessel travelling alongside the dolphins, while it toured the coast off Newport Beach, California, USA.

Super pods, which can number more than 1,000 dolphins, form where food is plentiful, but usually gather in deep water and are far rarer in shallower seas.

Jessica Roame, education manager at Newport Landing Whale Watching, which operates the Catallac, said the dolphins may also have been fleeing an unseen predator.

"Porpoising out of the water at a high rate of speed is the fastest mode of travel for dolphins because there is less resistance in the air than in water," she said.

"That's why these dolphins move in this way when they're in a hurry, and when hundreds of dolphins do this together, we call this a stampede."

Jessica said it was not known exactly what causes dolphins to stampede, but it was thought they could have been evading a predator or catching up to a food source.

Jessica estimated that there were some 500 individual dolphins stampeding in the video.

A typical pod contains anything from two to 30.

"Every time you see a dolphin on the surface, there are normally three or four dolphins underneath the surface," she said.

"They could be related family members in their pod, or multiple pods of common dolphins coming together, and likely this is because of food."

Patrick Webster of Monterey Bay Aquarium, approximately 300 miles to the north, said a super pod sighting was one of the ocean's "magical moments".

"It is fairly rare to see them this close to shore and so readily observable by people," he said, following a sighting in 2018.

"It's a very special sighting nearshore of one of the ocean's magical moments often hidden away from human observation.

"But to the dolphins, it was probably just another Monday."

Newport Landing Whale Watching runs daily whale and wildlife watching tours of the Southern California coast all year round.

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Hundreds of dolphins leap out of water in mile-wide 'super pod'

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Super pods, which can number more than 1,000 dolphins, form where food is plentiful, but usually gather in deep water and are far rarer in shallower seas. A 'super pod' comprising of hundreds of dolphins have been seen springing out of the water simultaneously more than a mile wide across the water in incredible new footage.

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Looking at this, scars show that that person has a bad past that doesn't want to talk about.

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Article body copy

When southern resident killer whales off the coast of British Columbia and Washington State surface for breath, they show off pointy dorsal fins and their iconic dual black-and-white coloration. But a closer inspection can reveal white scars scratched onto their otherwise sleek backs. These scars are from bite marks-"tooth rakes" inflicted during skirmishes with other killer whales.

In a new study, scientists have shown that by analyzing these scars they can better understand the aggressive behavior at play beneath the surface. And by examining how the prevalence of scarring has changed over several decades, they can see how killer whales' aggressive interactions have changed over their lifetimes-and even begin to understand why.

Charli Grimes, a whale researcher at the University of Exeter in England and lead author of the new paper, says southern resident killer whales are "quite placid and quite playful" compared to other groups of killer whales. Scientists have only ever directly seen one case of a southern resident killer whale attacking another killer whale, though as evidenced by the scars, they know that these aggressive interactions must happen readily underwater. Since sightings of aggressive behavior are so rare, Grimes and her colleagues used photographs of tooth rakes as an indirect method for studying aggression.

Tooth rakes have been looked at in other cetacean species-most notably bottlenose dolphins-for decades. The new study, however, is one of the few to apply the approach to killer whales, and the first using it to study the southern residents. Because the bite marks heal over time, scientists track when the killer whales are accruing new scars.

Since 1976, scientists with the Center for Whale Research in Washington have been photographing the region's southern resident killer whales. Using photo analysis software, Grimes and her team quantified the amount of scar tissue borne by 167 different killer whales over a 38-year study period.

They found that young male killer whales have the highest number of fresh scars, a finding that seemed predictable to the team given killer whale social structures. Southern residents have a matriarchal social structure, says Grimes, and young whales duke it out to establish their spot in the hierarchy and to get first dibs on prey. Young males also spar for females' attention, she adds.

But because they had such a long photographic record to analyze, the scientists could take the study a step further. By correlating their scar data with records of salmon abundance through time, they found that changes in salmon availability affect the amount of aggression and scarring.

Though Grimes and her colleagues originally assumed that the prevalence of tooth rakes would increase when salmon are scarce as the cetaceans compete for their favorite food, they actually found the opposite: more salmon meant more scars.

Grimes has a potential explanation for this unexpected finding. "At times of high salmon availability," she says, "the social network of southern residents is more interconnected." More salmon could lead to bigger aggregations of killer whales, and to more social interactions. Plus, with energy to spare, younger whales may be engaging in rough-and-tumble play, resulting in more scars.

Todd Robeck, a conservation researcher at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, has previously studied aggressive behavior and tooth rakes in killer whales but was not involved in the current study. Robeck's previous research showed that transient (Bigg's) and northern resident killer whales in the northeast Pacific have a different pattern of scar acquisition-in those populations, older male killer whales have more fresh scars. This confirms, he says, that the different groups have very different social structures and behaviors.

"The most interesting thing was that the rake marks were increasing with food," says Robeck. Although surprising, he says the pattern isn't entirely unheard of, as many primates are also less aggressive when food is scarce.

For future studies, the method of analyzing photographs of tooth rakes could also be applied to other populations of killer whales and to tease out the factors that influence aggression. Robeck and Grimes agree that behavioral studies such as this one would be bolstered by drone or underwater footage. By following killer whale behavior beyond what can be observed from above-water photographs, scientists may soon reveal what aggressive behavior actually looks like beneath the waves.

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Killer Whales' Scars Tell a Story | Hakai Magazine

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When southern resident killer whales off the coast of British Columbia and Washington State surface for breath, they show off pointy dorsal fins and their iconic dual black-and-white coloration. But a closer inspection can reveal white scars scratched onto their otherwise sleek backs. These scars are from bite marks-"tooth rakes" inflicted during skirmishes with other killer whales.

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Looking at this, it looks this dolphin called the Indus River Dolphin indicates the health of the ocean which is to say it's not healthy.

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Indus river dolphins are believed to have originated in the ancient Tethys Sea. When the sea dried up approximately 50 million years ago, the dolphins were forced to adapt to its only remaining habitat-rivers. Today, they can only be found in the lower parts of the Indus River in Pakistan and in River Beas, a tributary of the Indus River in Punjab, India. In Pakistan, their numbers declined dramatically after the construction of an irrigation system, and most dolphins are confined to a 750 mile stretch of the river and divided into isolated populations by six barrages. They have adapted to life in the muddy river and are functionally blind. They rely on echolocation to navigate, communicate and hunt prey including prawns, catfish, and carp.

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Indus river dolphins are one of only four river dolphin species and subspecies in the world that spend all of their lives in freshwater, and are currently endangered due to bycatch, hunting and pollution. Support WWF in its conservation efforts.

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Orcas aren't afraid to express their grief like us. Meaning that mental health is becoming more common.

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An orca named J35 has finally dropped her dead calf, which she'd been pushing with her head for at least 17 days and 1,000 miles off the Pacific Northwest coast, in an unprecedented show of mourning that drew international attention.

The sad spectacle was a prime example, and confirmation, of the complex emotional lives of these sophisticated cetaceans, experts say.

Other orcas, and similar animals like dolphins, have been seen apparently mourning their dead, but this is by far the longest recorded example of such behavior.

J35, nicknamed Tahlequah, is a 20-year-old member of the long-studied J Pod of Southern Resident Killer Whales. These orcas, along with their endangered extended family-K and L pods-inhabit a huge territory that includes waters off Seattle, Vancouver, and Victoria, British Columbia.

Researchers worried that this "tour of grief" might seriously endanger the health of J35, but luckily, she appears to have made it through physically unharmed. "Telephoto digital images taken from shore show that this mother whale appears to be in good physical condition," the Center for Whale Research noted in an update, "following her record-setting ordeal.

As J35's sojourn continued, some experts wondered why she was so attached to the calf. Was it because the calf lived for about 30 minutes after it was born? Jenny Atkinson, executive director of The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, British Columbi, thinks the grief Tahlequah is feeling is deeper because after 17 months of gestation, she then had the chance to form an emotional connection with her baby before it died.

"I think that's quite possible," says John Ford, an orca researcher at the University of British Columbia. "The whales have a very strong drive to look after their offspring and this evidently extends to neonates that die at birth."

The death of another calf is a significant blow to J Pod, which hasn't seen a successful birth in three years. Combined, the three pods have 75 members, and time is running out to maintain its viability. Ken Balcomb, founder and principal investigator at the Center for Whale Research, gives it five years.

"We've got at most five more years of reproductive life in this population to make it happen"-meaning, to have viable offspring-"but if we don't do it in those five years it isn't going to happen," he writes.

Balcomb points to a lack of food as the culprit. "We have long demonstrated that these fish-eating whales are getting skinnier and skinnier, and the death rate is increasing," he writes on the center's website.

"Whales in this endangered population are dependent upon Chinook salmon for their primary food source. Unfortunately, Chinook salmon are also endangered," he adds.

Experts expressed relief that J35 survived. As a 20-year-old in her prime, the pod needs her to reproduce.

"Even without this death, this is a population in crisis," Atkinson says. "They need our stewardship and support if they are to survive."

Editor's note: This story was originally published Aug. 2 and has been updated.

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Why An Orca Mourned Her Calf for 17 Days

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An orca named J35 has finally dropped her dead calf, which she'd been pushing with her head for at least 17 days and 1,000 miles off the Pacific Northwest coast, in an unprecedented show of mourning that drew international attention. The sad spectacle was a prime example, and confirmation, of the complex emotional lives of these sophisticated cetaceans, experts say.

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All of us including people and animals are having their own conflicts with their own species.

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Just like terrestrial animals, the creatures of the sea face myriad threats to their survival, both anthropogenic and natural, and many are in trouble. Our oceans appear vast and teeming with life, and until recently, were routinely viewed as containing infinite resources. In actuality, many marine species are decreasing at an alarming rate and are considered endangered. All manner of marine species are affected, including cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), seabirds, sea turtles, sharks and other fish, and marine invertebrates. The consequences of loss of species in the marine environment are significant, both ecologically and economically.

Threats to marine species are varied and-given the nature of the marine environment, with its great expanses and depths-often difficult to see, difficult to measure, and difficult to address. Principal anthropogenic threats to the survival of marine species include fisheries interactions (entanglement in nets and lines), hunting and capture by humans, ship strikes, pollution and habitat degradation, and climate change.

Identified only 50 years ago, the critically endangered vaquita is endemic to Mexico's Upper Gulf of California. Reaching a maximum length of about four feet, the porpoise is gray, with dark stripes running from its flippers to the middle of its lower lip. As recently as 20 years ago, there were approximately 600 vaquitas swimming in the Gulf. As of late 2015, 60 vaquitas were reported, and the numbers are believed to have fallen even further since then. Read more.

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Just like terrestrial animals, the creatures of the sea face myriad threats to their survival, both anthropogenic and natural, and many are in trouble. Our oceans appear vast and teeming with life, and until recently, were routinely viewed as containing infinite resources.

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The end talks about when the ice melts, the seals will have the freedom to swim around the lake. People and animals alike want freedom.

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ussia's Lake Baikal has garnered many superlatives: the world's deepest lake, the largest freshwater lake by volume, and the world's oldest. It is also one of the clearest bodies of water on the planet and home to many species of plants and animals endemic to the region.

One such species is the Baikal seal, known locally as nerpa. It is one of the smallest pinnipeds in the world and is only found in this lake.

My goal was to photograph the Baikal seal underwater, in its natural environment, which few people have done. I wanted to show the world the pristine beauty of the lake and the creatures that live in it. I had already attempted to take the pictures two years ago, in November, without success; the lake freezes in about mid-January, and it was difficult to find the elusive nerpas in open water.

But I was determined to try again. So this year I came to Lake Baikal in April, when spring is awakening Siberia, the snow is melting and the sun dazzles the eyes. The only reminder of winter's tenacious grip is the sheet of ice still covering the lake.

Baikal seals are normally very shy, but the young ones are the exception. Nerpa females give birth in March, in snow-covered burrows on the ice. Newborn pups are covered with white fur, are unable to swim and it is impossible to get close without scaring them. But within a few weeks their fur becomes thicker and grey, and the pup is ready to explore the depths of the lake and the magical world below the ice.

Finding a burrow in the vast expanse of the Baikal ice is not easy, so we enlisted the professional help of Pulka, a local dog with years of experience in the job.

The seal's burrow has an exit to the lake from under the ice, so our strategy was to locate it, dive and then wait for the nerpa.

But looking for Baikal seals under thick ice can be incredibly precarious, and it takes many dives to get lucky. Our first dive was next to a giant crack in the middle of the lake. These cracks form because of temperature changes and can be several kilometres long. They can also change shape and size overnight - an obvious concern for people driving across the lake.

The surface of the ice is visually stunning, but underwater, the cracks look even more phenomenal - huge ice blocks are layered on top of each, others forming caverns and passages. And when you are inside these passages, you are always conscious of the kilometre-deep water below you and the ceiling of thick ice above. The only way back is a small hole in the ice 100 metres away - a precious window to our world.

Divers in Lake Baikal can also experience the "ice cloud" - a massive formation created at the beginning of winter when strong winds move huge floes along the water. Rapidly changing light and colours give the illusion of being under a fairytale sky.

After a few fruitless dives, Pulka's search efforts finally produced results and we reached the precious target. While slowly getting close to the burrow from beneath I detect some movement, and then - a curious nose.

The seal pup was obviously surprised to see a strange clumsy creature loaded with gear. That probably explains why it stayed with me for about 15 minutes - keeping its distance but circling back to get a better look.

The mother seal surfaces only once or twice a day, to suckle her pup and to ensure the ice hole has not frozen over.

But the seals know that the ice will melt very quickly in April, and soon they will have the freedom to swim all around the giant lake, which has long been known to local people as the "Glorious Sea".

This article was amended on 14 June 2022 to clarify that Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake by volume.

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Icy determination: on the trail of the Baikal seal - a photo essay

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ussia's Lake Baikal has garnered many superlatives: the world's deepest lake, the largest freshwater lake by volume, and the world's oldest. It is also one of the clearest bodies of water on the planet and home to many species of plants and animals endemic to the region.

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These Ringed Seals molt in time of breeding season

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Ringed Seal

Pusa hispida

Status: Threatened

Description

The ringed seal, which gets its name from the pattern of small, light circles on its back, is the smallest of the pinniped species. Ringed seals are gray or brown in color with small heads, short snouts, and small front flippers with strong claws. Ringed seals vary greatly in size, reaching anywhere from 3.6 to 5.7 feet (1.1 to 1.7 meters) and weighing between 70 and 270 pounds (30 and 120 kilograms).

Range

Ringed seals live in the Arctic seas and the North Pacific Ocean, as far south as Japan. They are mainly found in or around ice-covered areas. Sea ice is important to ringed seals, as it provides protection from some of its predators. However, polar bears -a predator of ringed seals-spend a lot of time on sea ice hunting these seals.

Diet

A ringed seal will eat what's available to it, including fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods. Younger seals tend to eat more crustaceans than adults. During their spring molt, ringed seals reduce their food intake.

Life History

Most ringed seals give birth in lairs on ice floes. Pups are born with a white coat, also called a lanugo, which they shed after about three weeks. Adult ringed seals molt from mid-May to mid-July, after each breeding season.

Conservation

Ringed seals are facing an increasingly dire outlook due to climate change. Arctic sea ice has contracted dramatically over the last decade, and climate models predict that continuing sea ice decline may soon lead to conditions insufficient to support seals. Ringed seals seldom come ashore, depending almost exclusively on sea ice for their reproduction and livelihood. Less ice means less seals.

Ringed seals are also threatened by reduced snowfall. Their pups are born and spend the first few weeks of life in snow dens, which protect them from predators and freezing. Diminishing snowfall, earlier snow melt, and winter rains are pushing more pups out of their shelters before they are able to survive in the open. An additional challenge is that ringed seals have only one pup per year, making them especially vulnerable to environmental changes.

In December 2012, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that the ringed seal, as well as the bearded seal, would be listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act because of the risks posed by melting sea ice and reduced snowfall.

Fewer ringed seals could have dire consequences for the polar bear as well. Polar bears hunt seal pups in their maternity dens. However, with pups spending less time in their maternity dens, polar bears are missing an easy and important springtime prey.

Fun Fact

A young ringed seal doubles its weight within two months of birth.

Sources

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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Ringed Seal | National Wildlife Federation

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Pusa hispida Status: Threatened Description The ringed seal, which gets its name from the pattern of small, light circles on its back, is the smallest of the pinniped species. Ringed seals are gray or brown in color with small heads, short snouts, and small front flippers with strong claws.

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It just shows that capitalism can slowly ruin marine animal's natural habitat.

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A team from NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center removed most of the fishing line entangling a humpback whale. It was seen entangled near Dana Point in Southern California on October 9, 2022.

Whale watching boats helped locate and track the entangled whale. "We had a lot of help from many people and organizations, and that is what made this a success," said Justin Viezbicke, California stranding coordinator in NOAA Fisheries' West Coast Region. This is the third entangled humpback whale detected off Southern California in about 2 weeks.

Dana Wharf Whale Watching first reported the whale on October 8. They documented the entanglement with photos and video from drones, giving the response team a close look at the entangling ropes and related gear. That helped the team prepare their approach and strategy.

On Sunday around noon, Captain Dave's Whale Watching located the whale again just outside of Dana Point harbor. Whale watching boats from Captain Dave's and Dana Wharf monitored the whale for the next few hours. About 3 p.m., authorized entanglement response teams reached the whale's location, by then just south of San Clemente pier.

The trained rescue team responded with one support boat and one inflatable to closely approach the entangled whale.

One line entangling the whale was wrapped around the left pectoral flipper. The team could not tell if the line was also wrapped around the whale's body and embedded in its skin, or if a scar made it look that way. The line led back along the left side of the whale's body and wrapped around the rear part of the whale in front of the tail, or fluke. The rest of the gear trailed about 50 feet behind the whale with several masses of entangled lines just behind the tail.

The response team removed all the trailing line and line from the tail. They were working on the line around the left pectoral flipper when the line snapped. About 20 feet of line continued to trail the flipper as the whale dove and picked up speed.

"Unfortunately some line remains on the whale," Viezbicke said. "We hope that with most of the drag removed, the remaining line will come loose and the whale can shake it off on its own."

"As we left, we looked back and could see the whale slapping its pectoral flipper, so hopefully it will shed the remaining gear," Viezbicke said. The team hopes to get more sightings of the whale to see if the line comes off and to better understand the impacts of the entanglement.

The team could not identify the source of the fishing gear because it was just rope, with no buoys or other identifying features.

Only trained and authorized professional responders should attempt to disentangle or closely approach an entangled large whale given how risky such a situation is for the animal and rescue personnel.

If you see an entangled whale, call the West Coast entanglement hotline at (877) SOS-WHAL or (877) 767-9425. Note the size and species of the whale (if known), the location and date,, and any identifying markings. Take photographs from a safe and legal distance and from multiple angles if possible. That can help response teams plan their approach.

Ropes entangle a humpback whale off Dana Point, California, on October 9. Photo credit: NOAA Fisheries, MMHSRP Permit #18786-06

"That really helped us in this case," Viezbicke said. "We had good documentation from the Dana Point whale watch community that came in with the reports, so we knew what we were in for."

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Team Removes Most Rope from Entangled Humpback Whale Off California

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A team from NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center removed most of the fishing line entangling a humpback whale. It was seen entangled near Dana Point in Southern California on October 9, 2022. Whale watching boats helped locate and track the entangled whale.

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The Hawaiian Monk seals are endangered because according to the book Undrowned, it's "because they “appear to be intolerant of human presence.” Intolerant of military presence at least."

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The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most endangered seal species in the world. The population overall has been declining for over six decades and current numbers are only about one-third of historic population levels. Importantly, however, the prol

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What surrender means to this striped dolphin is that to trust yourself, you must trust your parents.

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Striped Dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) | Dolphins World

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The Striped Dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) is a widely distributed species that inhabits the temperate and tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian

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Going deep to me means that you're exploring deep into what's going to be unexpected in the future.

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When one of the largest animals in the ocean takes a nap, it can look pretty weird.

Popular photos have surfaced online showing sperm whales gathered together, seemingly motionless and arranged vertically in the water. The whales, which are roughly the size of school buses, almost always appear to be "standing" and clustered in pods of five or six.

French photographer and filmmaker Stephane Granzotto captured this behavior while diving in the Mediterranean, where he was documenting sperm whales for his photo book on the creatures titled Cachalots. In the photo above, submitted to National Geographic's YourShot photography community, he noted that the whales had been napping for an hour.

A study published in 2008 in the journal Current Biology was the first to conclusively document the whale's vertical sleeping position.

Sleep had previously been observed in some captive cetaceans by monitoring eye movements, but how whales in the wild rested was significantly less understood. Using data-collecting tags suction cupped to 59 sperm whales, researchers from the University of St. Andrews and the University of Tokyo measured the animals' periods of inactivity.

The whales were found to spend seven percent of their day in these vertical sleeping positions near the surface of the water, where they napped from 10 to 15 minutes. Researchers suggested at the time that they might be one of the world's least sleep-dependent animals.

Whales in captivity have been found to use only half their brain while sleeping, a behavior scientists think could help them avoid predators, maintain social contact, control breathing, or continue swimming.

The study also noted observations from a video shot in northern Chile that showed whales did not wake from their surface naps until a ship approaching with its engines off unintentionally bumped into them. This suggests whales in the wild might enter a full sleep, unlike their captive counterparts.

( Read more about how scientists discovered unique whale cultures.)

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When one of the largest animals in the ocean takes a nap, it can look pretty weird. Popular photos have surfaced online showing sperm whales gathered together, seemingly motionless and arranged vertically in the water. The whales, which are roughly the size of school buses, almost always appear to be "standing" and clustered in pods of five or six.

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This talks about what it means to be Black in America.

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Many learn about ancestors, U.S. Black history from family

No matter where they are from, who they are, their economic circumstances or educational backgrounds, significant majorities of Black Americans say being Black is extremely or very important to how they think about themselves, with about three-quarters (76%) overall saying so.

A significant share of Black Americans also say that when something happens to Black people in their local communities, across the nation or around the globe, it affects what happens in their own lives, highlighting a sense of connectedness. Black Americans say this even as they have diverse experiences and come from an array of backgrounds.

Even so, Black adults who say being Black is important to their sense of self are more likely than other Black adults to feel connected to other groups of Black people. They are also more likely to feel that what happens to Black people inside and outside the United States affects what happens in their own lives. These findings emerge from an extensive new survey of Black U.S. adults conducted by Pew Research Center.

A majority of non-Hispanic Black Americans (78%) say being Black is very or extremely important to how they think about themselves. This racial group is the largest among Black adults, accounting for 87% of the adult population, according to 2019 Census Bureau estimates. But among other Black Americans, roughly six-in-ten multiracial (57%) and Hispanic (58%) Black adults say this.

Black Americans also differ in key ways in their views about the importance of being Black to personal identity. While majorities of all age groups of Black people say being Black shapes how they think about themselves, younger Black Americans are less likely to say this - Black adults ages 50 and older are more likely than Black adults ages 18 to 29 to say that being Black is very or extremely important to how they think of themselves. Specifically, 76% of Black adults ages 30 to 49, 80% of those 50 to 64 and 83% of those 65 and older hold this view, while only 63% of those under 30 do.

Black adults who identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party are more likely than those who identify with or lean toward the Republican Party to say being Black is important to how they see themselves - 86% vs. 58%. And Black women (80%) are more likely than Black men (72%) to say being Black is important to how they see themselves.

Still, some subgroups of Black Americans are about as likely as others to say that being Black is very or extremely important to how they think about themselves. For example, U.S.-born and immigrant Black adults are about as likely to say being Black is important to how they see their identity. However, not all Black Americans feel the same about the importance of being Black to their identity - 14% say it is only somewhat important to how they see themselves while 9% say it has little or no impact on their personal identity, reflecting the diversity of views about identity among Black Americans.

Beyond the personal importance of Blackness - that is, the importance of being Black to personal identity - many Black Americans feel connected to each other. About five-in-ten (52%) say everything or most things that happen to Black people in the United States affect what happens in their own lives, with another 30% saying some things that happen nationally to Black people have a personal impact. And 43% say all or most things that happen to Black people in their local community affect what happens in their own lives, while another 35% say only some things in their lives are affected by these events. About four-in-ten Black adults in the U.S. (41%) say they feel their fates are strongly linked to Black people around the world, with 36% indicating that some things that happen to Black people around the world affect what happens in their own lives.

The survey also asked respondents how much they have in common with different groups of Black Americans. Some 17% of Black adults say they have everything or most things in common with Black people who are immigrants. But this sense of commonality differs sharply by nativity: 14% of U.S.-born Black adults say they have everything or most things in common with Black immigrants, while 43% of Black immigrants say the same. Conversely, only about one-in-four Black immigrants (26%) say they have everything or most things in common with U.S.-born Black people, a share that rises to 56% among U.S.-born Black people themselves.

About one-third of Black Americans (34%) say they have everything or most things in common with Black people who are poor, though smaller shares say the same about Black people who are wealthy (12%). Relatively few Black Americans (14%) say they have everything or most things in common with Black people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ). However, a larger share of Black Americans (25%) say they have at least some things in common with Black people who identify as LGBTQ. All these findings highlight the diversity of the U.S. Black population and how much Black people feel connected to each other.

These are among the key findings from a recent Pew Research Center survey of 3,912 Black Americans conducted online Oct. 4-17, 2021. This report is the latest in a series of Pew Research Center studies focused on describing the rich diversity of Black people in the United States.

The nation's Black population stood at 47 million in 2020, making up 14% of the U.S. population - up from 13% in 2000. While the vast majority of Black Americans say their racial background is Black alone (88% in 2020), growing numbers are also multiracial or Hispanic. Most were born in the U.S. and trace their roots back several generations in the country, but a growing share are immigrants (12%) or the U.S.-born children of immigrant parents (9%). Geographically, while 56% of Black Americans live in the nation's South, the national Black population has also dispersed widely across the country.

It is this diversity - among U.S.-born Black people and Black immigrants; between Black people who live in different regions; and across different ethnicities, party affiliations, ages and income levels - that this report explores. The survey also provides a robust opportunity to examine the importance of race to Black Americans' sense of self and their connections to other Black people.

The importance of being Black for connections with other Black people

The importance of being Black to personal identity is a significant factor in how connected Black Americans feel toward each other. Those who say that being Black is a very or extremely important part of their personal identity are more likely than those for whom Blackness is relatively less important to express a sense of common fate with Black people in their local communities (50% vs. 17%), in the United States overall (62% vs. 21%), and even around the world (48% vs. 18%).

They are also more likely to say that they have everything or most things in common with Black people who are poor (37% vs. 23%) and Black immigrants (19% vs. 9%). Even so, fewer than half of Black Americans, no matter how important Blackness is to their personal identity, say they have everything or most things in common with Black people who are poor, immigrants or LGBTQ.

The importance of Blackness for knowing family history and U.S. Black history

The new survey also explores Black Americans' knowledge about their family histories and the history of Black people in the United States, with the importance of Blackness linked to greater knowledge.

Nearly six-in-ten Black adults (57%) say their ancestors were enslaved either in the U.S. or another country, with nearly all who say so (52% of the Black adults surveyed) saying it was in the U.S., either in whole or in part. Black adults who say that being Black is a very or extremely important part of how they see themselves (61%) are more likely than those for whom being Black is less important (45%) to say that their ancestors were enslaved. In fact, Black adults for whom Blackness is very or extremely important (31%) are less likely than their counterparts (42%) to say that they are not sure if their ancestors were enslaved at all.

When it comes to learning more about their family histories, Black adults for whom Blackness is very or extremely important (81%) are more likely than those for whom Blackness is less important (59%) to have spoken to their relatives. They are about as likely to have researched their family's history online (36% and 30%, respectively) and to have used a mail-in DNA service such as AncestryDNA or 23andMe (15% and 16%) to learn more about their ancestry.

The importance of Blackness also figures prominently into how informed Black Americans feel about U.S. Black history. Black adults who say Blackness is a significant part of their personal identity are more likely than those for whom Blackness is less important to say that they feel very or extremely informed about U.S. Black history (57% vs. 29%). Overall, about half of Black Americans say they feel very or extremely informed about the history of Black people in the United States.

Among Black adults who feel at least a little informed about U.S. Black history, the sources of their knowledge also differ by the importance of Blackness to personal identity. Nearly half of Black adults for whom Blackness is very or extremely important (48%) say they learned about Black history from their families and friends, making them more likely to say so than Black adults for whom Blackness is less important (30%). Similarly, those who say being Black is important to their identity are more likely than those who did not say this to have learned about Black history from nearly every source they were asked about, be it media (33% vs. 22%), the internet (30% vs. 18%) or college, if they attended (26% vs. 14%). The only source for which both groups were about equally likely to say they learned about Black history was their K-12 schools (24% and 21%, respectively).

Overall, among Black Americans who feel at least a little informed about U.S. Black history, 43% say they learned about it from their relatives and friends, 30% say they learned about it from the media, 27% from the internet, and 24% from college (if they attended) and 23% from K-12 school.

Younger Black people are less likely to speak to relatives about ancestors

Black adults under 30 years old differ significantly from older Black adults in their views on the importance of Blackness to their personal identity. However, Black adults also differ by age in how they pursue knowledge of family history, how informed they feel about U.S. Black history, and their sense of connectedness to other Black people.

Black adults under 30 (50%) are less likely than those 65 and older (64%) to say their ancestors were enslaved. In fact, 40% of Black adults under 30 say that they are not sure whether their ancestors were enslaved. Black adults in the youngest age group (59%) are less likely than the oldest (87%) to have spoken to their relatives about family history or to have used a mail-in DNA service to learn about their ancestors (11% vs. 21%). They are only slightly less likely to have conducted research on their families online (26% vs. 39%).

Black adults under 30 have the lowest share who say they feel very or extremely informed about the history of Black people in the United States (40%), compared with 60% of Black adults 65 and older and about half each of Black adults 50 to 64 (53%) and 30 to 49 (51%). In fact, Black adults under 30 are more likely than those 50 and older to say they feel a little or not at all informed about Black history. While Black adults are generally most likely to cite family and friends as their source for learning about Black history, the share under 30 (38%) who also cite the internet as a source of information is higher than the shares ages 50 to 64 (22%) and 65 and older (14%) who say this.

These age differences persist in the sense of connectedness that Black Americans have with other Black people. Black adults under 30 are less likely than those 65 and older to say that everything or most things that happen to Black people in the United States will affect their own lives. This youngest group is also less likely than the oldest to have this sense of common fate with Black people in their local community. One exception to this pattern occurs when Black adults were asked how much they had in common with Black people who identify as LGBTQ. Black adults under 30 (21%) were considerably more likely than those 65 and older (10%) to say they have everything or most things in common with Black people who identify as LGBTQ.

Black Americans differ by party on measures of identity and connection

Black Democrats and Republicans differ on how important Blackness is to their personal identities. However, there are also partisan gaps when it comes to their connectedness to other Black people.

Black Democrats and those who lean to the Democratic Party are more likely than Black Republicans and Republican leaners to say that everything or most things that happen to Black people in the United States (57% vs. 39%) and their local communities (46% vs. 30%) affect what happens in their own lives. However, Black Republicans (24%) are more likely than Black Democrats (14%) to say that they have everything or most things in common with Black people who are LGBTQ. They are also more likely than Black Democrats to say they have everything or most things in common with Black people who are wealthy (25% vs. 11%).

When it comes to knowledge of family and racial histories, Black Democrats and Republicans do not differ. Democrats (59%) are just as likely as Republicans (54%) to know that their ancestors were enslaved. Nearly 80% of Black adults from both partisan coalitions say they have spoken to their relatives about their family history. Similar shares have also researched their family histories online and used mail-in DNA services.

Black Democrats are also not significantly more likely than Black Republicans to say they feel very or extremely informed about U.S. Black history (53% vs. 45%). And among those who feel at least a little informed about U.S. Black history, Democrats and Republicans are about equally likely to say they learned it from family and friends (45% vs. 38%).

Place is a key part of Black Americans' personal identities

The majority of Black adults who live in the United States were born there, but an increasing portion of the population is comprised of immigrants. Of those immigrants, nearly 90% were born in the Caribbean or Africa. Regardless of their region of birth, 58% of Black adults say the country they were born in is very or extremely important to how they think about themselves. A smaller share say the same about the places where they grew up (46%).

Black adults also feel strongly about their current communities. About half of Black adults (52%) say that where they currently live is very or extremely important to how they think about themselves. And when it comes to the quality of their neighborhoods, 76% of Black adults rate them as at least good places to live, including 41% who say the quality of their community is very good or excellent.

Still, Black adults say there are concerning issues in the communities they live in. When asked in an open-ended question to list the issue that was most important in their neighborhoods, nearly one-in-five Black adults listed issues related to violence or crime (17%). Smaller shares listed other points of concern such as economic issues like poverty and homelessness (11%), housing (7%), COVID-19 and public health (6%), or infrastructure issues such as the availability of public transportation and the conditions of roads (5%).

While nearly one-in-five Black Americans (17%) say that individual people like themselves should be responsible for solving these problems, they are most likely to say that local community leaders should address these issues (48%). Smaller shares say the U.S. Congress (12%), the U.S. president (8%) or civil rights organizations (2%) bear responsibility.

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Race Is Central to Identity for Black Americans and Affects How They Connect With Each Other

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Many Black Americans say they learn about their ancestors and U.S. Black history from family.

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I added this because in the book, it says, “And so there is time to rest, like sea elephants who spend a whole month just snuggling and shedding their skin, pusa seals who dive deeper postpartum and spend more time alone, gray seals who offer a third of their bodyweight while nursing and then leave to regenerate themselves.”

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An ode to slowness: the benefits of slowing down

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Slowing down can be a faster way to achieve your goals. Fighting our urge to live fast can lead to clearer thinking, deeper connections, and better mental health.

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The seals also rest like us. Meaning that if you rest overtime, you become a changed and better person.

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Sealnap anyone? Mediterranean monk seals have been caught on video snoozing underwater. Completely motionless, either on their bellies or sides, they seem to fall fast asleep with their eyes and nostrils closed.

"We had never seen Mediterranean monk seals sleeping in the water before," says Alexandros Karamanlidis of MOm/The Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal in Athens, Greece. "Until now, we thought that they slept only on land, in remote, inaccessible marine caves."

Now it seems this endangered species, Monachus monachus, isn't obliged to find land and instead can stay at sea to sleep, where it is possibly better protected from humans, says Karamanlidis.

There were six separate observations of seals sleeping at sea from 2011 to 2016, across different Greek coastlines. In most cases, the seals were documented by speargun fishers who happened upon them at depths of approximately 7 metres or shallower.

Up for air

In one case witnessed by the MOm team, the seal slept on the water surface with its head submerged. After its nap - which lasted about three minutes - it woke up and lifted its head to breathe, still with its eyes closed.

Monk seals can normally hold their breath underwater for up to 15 minutes, but they may be able to sleep underwater for longer periods by coming up for air without waking.

Other marine mammals, such as dolphins and whales are known to sleep underwater by putting only half of their brain to sleep. But information is limited for seals.

"Sleeping has been inferred in Hawaiian monk seals and Northern elephant seals, but this is the first scientific reporting of aquatic sleeping in wild Mediterranean monk seals," Karamanlidis says.

Living on the edge

The Mediterranean monk seals is one of the most endangered seal species in the world, with fewer than 700 individuals remaining in the wild.

Their habitat has changed over the years, leading them to adapt to life in sea caves - avoiding humans - where they rest and give birth to their young. These caves are usually along remote or rugged coastlines and have underwater entries.

Seals mostly use the marine caves during the breeding season, but it is not clear where they go during the non-breeding season. The team now believes that some seals might lead a predominately aquatic life during the non-breeding season - living and sleeping in the sea.

Knowing these seals can sleep in the water means that the scope of their conservation has to increase and include large parts of the coastal marine areas, rather than just focusing on caves, the team says.

"The fact that Mediterranean monk seals can sleep at sea will automatically redefine our approach to the research and conservation of this endangered species," says Karamanlidis.

Journal reference: Aquatic Mammals, DOI: 10.1578/AM.43.1.2017.82

Read more: Sleep and dreaming: Why can't we stay awake 24/7?

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Watch some of the most endangered seals caught napping underwater

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Sealnap anyone? Mediterranean monk seals have been caught on video snoozing underwater. Completely motionless, either on their bellies or sides, they seem to fall fast asleep with their eyes and nostrils closed. "We had never seen Mediterranean monk seals sleeping in the water before," says Alexandros Karamanlidis of MOm/The Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal in Athens, Greece.

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This means taking care of our own problems when we least expected.

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fifteen ways you can help protect the ocean and marine animals

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The ocean is one of our greatest sources of life on earth. It provides us with more than half of the world's oxygen and is home to millions of species that play critical roles in marine ecosystems. Now more than ever, the ocean needs our help.