Tan Shung Sin / Reuters
Snorkelers swim with a 19-foot whale shark just outside Hanifaru Bay of Maldives' remote Baa Atoll, on Thursday, August 11.
I love the ocean, but I don't think I could snorkel with sharks. Would you?
According to Reuters, every year hundreds of whale sharks and giant manta rays gather for their annual feeding frenzy of plankton in July and August, in the geologically unique Hanifaru Bay of Maldives' remote Baa Atoll. For reasons of conservation, Maldives is likely to shut down Hanifaru Bay to divers, making this the last season divers can see this one-of-a-kind phenomenon.
Jonathan Saruk / Getty Images file
A boy bathing and fishing along the Mekong river in the evening in Nakham Noi, Laos on May 26, 2010.
Miranda Leitsinger of msnbc.com reports: Millions of people living along the Mekong River face a crisis that could destroy their lifeline and kill off whole species of fish: construction of a dam — the first of 11 proposed in the waterway's lower basin — in Laos.
Conservationists warn that the dam could significantly reduce the critical fish stock in the Mekong, the world's most productive inland fishery.
Laos deferred a decision on the hydropower dam Tuesday in the face of strong opposition from neighboring countries including its closest ally, Vietnam. But any decision could be a moot point, as a Thai newspaper reported Sunday that work on the project apparently began months ago despite questions and opposition from conservationists and Laos's downriver neighbors, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Read the full story and view our slideshow: The teeming Mekong.
Piotr Naskrecki
Scientists, as well as mammal and bird predators, think twice before messing with this fish-hook ant in the forests of Cambodia. The curved spines can easily slice through skin, and they tend to hold on for a while. The ants were observed during a RAP expedition to Cambodia's Virachey National Park in 2007.
The Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) gathers relevant scientific information quickly so that political leaders can have accurate information when they are formulating policy that might impact biologically delicate areas. RAP was created in 1990 to provide information necessary to catalyze conservation action and improve biodiversity conservation.
Discovery News’ Jennifer Viegas reports:
To mark 20 years of field study, Conservation International's Rapid Assessment Program has just named the Top 20 "RAP" Stars of the program's history. According to Conservation International, these species are "some of the most biologically surprising, unique, or threatened discoveries" from their teams’ surveys.
Click here to read the full story.
Click here to see a slideshow of all 20 creatures.
Jason Straziuso / AP
Elephants exit Africa's first dedicated elephant underpass near the slopes of Mt. Kenya on Jan. 24. Conservationists say the tunnel connects two elephant habitats that had been cut off from each other for years by human development.
Jason Straziuso / AP
Elephants exit Africa's first dedicated elephant underpass near the slopes of Mt. Kenya on Jan. 24. Conservationists say the tunnel connects two elephant habitats that had been cut off from each other for years by human development.
The 15-foot-high (4.5-meter-high) tunnel opened for elephant business around Christmas, and on Jan. 1 a bull elephant named Tony made the first crossing. Accompanied by two other young males, Tony moved through the underpass again on Monday as seen in these photos. Full story.
Partners in the underpass project included the Mount Kenya Trust, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and Save The Elephants.
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