Pic o’ the Week: Surfing Whales

As photographer J.T. Gray stood on a Hawaiian beach snapping photos of surfers on Oahu's North Shore, a pod of humpback whales that had been lurking nearby ... unexpectedly joined in the surfing fun. In Gray's words: "The whales were kinda hanging out about 75-100 yards off the beach at Ehukai then swam outside the …

Spotlight: Monk Seals, ‘living fossils’ of the sea

They're the oldest species of seals on the planet, believed to have been swimming Earth's waters for millions of years. And today they're the most endangered marine mammals in the world. Hawai'i's monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi) are one of two mammal species endemic to the islands (the other is the Hoary Bat). Long ago, Hawaiians named these …

Pic o’ the Week: Sea Turtle Hatchlings

Photo by Scott R. Benson, NOAA Fisheries "The ancient mariner who has seen both the fall of dinosaurs andthe dawn of humankind, this master navigator now,ironically, needs us ... to chart a path to its future." -Carl Safina   These Leatherback turtle hatchlings are heading into the sea for the first time. Only a few of …