Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Debate continues to rage over whether a strange carcass found in 1937 was a new species or a basking shark. Either way, the case reveals how little is known about what lies beneath the waves Its head resembled a dog’s, its downturned nose a camel’s, and at the end of its reptilian body was the tail of horse. Witnesses say it was covered in a thin white film. When the remains of a strange creature were pulled from the stomach of a sperm whale, most of those present agreed: it was a sea monster – or at least something unknown living in the depths off Canada’s west coast. Crews at the whaling station in the archipelago of Haida Gwaii assembled a platform of wooden boxes and laid out the 3-metre (10ft) carcass, using a white sheet to display the curiosity that had baffled veteran whalers. Continue reading...

Local beekeeper Mitch McLennan says hive thefts have become ‘quite commonplace’ due to rise of parasitic varroa mites Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Police are searching for thieves who allegedly stole $150,000 worth of beehives from a rural property in the New South Wales northern tablelands, with a local apiarist saying they may well have been taken by a fellow beekeeper. Eighty beehive boxes containing active colonies were taken from a property on Bruxner Way, 15km west of Bonshaw and 100km north-west of Glen Innes. NSW police believe the alleged theft occurred sometime between Tuesday 31 March and Wednesday 6 May. Continue reading...

Julie, once a circus elephant, and Kariba, from a Belgian zoo, are to be moved to a former ranch in Portugal Europe’s first large-scale elephant sanctuary, which is opening to offer a more natural environment for some of the 600 animals still held in captivity across the continent, is to receive its first arrivals. Julie, Portugal’s last circus elephant, will be moved next month to the animal charity Pangea’s multimillion pound sanctuary in the Alentejo, 200km (124 miles) east of Lisbon, close to the border with Spain. Continue reading...

Powerful property and farming firm Grosvenor Group says knock-on effect of Iran war could arrive next year Fertiliser shortages caused by the Iran war have driven up costs for UK farmers by up to 70% and will have a “dramatic” impact on food prices globally next year, according to one of Britain’s most powerful property and farming companies. Mark Preston, executive trustee of the 349-year-old Grosvenor Group, controlled by the Duke of Westminster, said fertiliser “was already quite expensive” before the 50% to 70% surge in prices since the start of the Iran war in late February. Continue reading...