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How did the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale get its name?

Reddit Animals

People in North America began using the term “right whale” in the early 1700s, and originally “right” may have meant “typical,” as these whales were considered common and ordinary. However, over time, the term evolved to refer to how they were hunted—they were considered “the right whales to hunt.”

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Nest Cam Welcomes Arctic Tern Babies to the World

10,000 Birds

Perhaps because of threats to the ecosystems of the many places the Arctic Tern visits (Europe, Africa, South America, and North America), it may be on the decline. And that’s just the birds–you can spy on everything from panda bear cubs to beluga whales. Birding Birds terns video'

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Offshore Sea Life ID Guide: West Coast–A Book Review

10,000 Birds

Offshore Sea Life ID Guide: West Coast is designed to be a quick, handy resource for use on whale watching and one-day pelagic trips. Tail, fin, blow, and back for whales; fin, back, leaping whole body, and tail splashes for dolphins and porpoises. We saw two Blue Whales on our trip, quickly identified by the boat’s crew.

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Birding the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve in Newfoundland

10,000 Birds

I knew that the east coast of Newfoundland would charm me with its hundreds of thousands of Atlantic Puffins – since it is, after all, home to the largest Puffin colony in North America – but I had no idea that the gulls would be the ones to leave a lasting mark on me. Happy puffins. Murres and Kittiwakes.

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Tropicbirds in my Backyard

10,000 Birds

This isn’t, in and of itself, particularly special – if you go far enough, every coastline drops into the great abyss – but out of Hatteras, North Carolina, that drop is only about 25 miles from land, closer than any other spot on the east coast of North America. But wait, he says, there’s more!

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A Field Guide to the Wildlife of South Georgia: A Book Review by a Penguin Groupie

10,000 Birds

The descriptions of the territory’s birds, seals, whales, introduced mammals, invertebrates, and plants are written within the framework of the conversationist, so it is more than a field guide, it is a record of endangered wildlife and the efforts being made to protect it. Who can resist penguins and whales?

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Best Bird of the Weekend (Third of August 2017)

10,000 Birds

North America is aflame with eclipse fever right now, which provides yet another opportunity to wonder what life would be like if the average citizen felt a fraction as much passion for birding as is devoted to countless sports, media, celebrities, fashion, or even the rare astronomical phenomenon.

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