Arctic caught in worst state of undress ever recorded
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2012/09/arctic-sea-ice-hits-record-low.html
The Arctic Blog’s Animal of the Day: The Arctic Skua
These birds, also known as ‘parasitic jaegers’ nest on dry tundra laying about 4 eggs. Like other birds of it’s kind, it is incredibly protective of it’s young and will fly at the heads of foxes and even humans to defend them.
They feed on smaller birds, rodents and insects. They display ‘pirate like’ behaviour throughout the year, harassing their victims.
Arctic Blog’s Animal of the Day: The Leopard Seal
The leopard seal, known as ‘the leopards of the sea’ are the second largest species of seal in Antarctica. During the summer months, it hunts around the pack ice spending most of it’s time in the water. They are powerful and curious animals, they have been known to play with their food before eating it.
They have forearms and fiver-finger like bones similar to that of humans and birds. However these ‘fingers’ are webbed, helping them to propel through the water.
Have an interesting fact taken from my Frozen Planet course for you followers!
That age old question, why is the sea blue?
Or the more accurate question is, why does the sea APPEAR blue?
This is due to light. Natural night is made up of several different colours, like you see in a rainbow. When the light hits the sea surface, the light at the end of red part of the spectrum is absorbed more than the blue. As a result, the deeper down you go into the sea, the more absence of red light. Blue light is not absorbed so much by the sea. This is why the sea appears blue!
Simple as that! :)
