An international scientific expedition in Mexico's Gulf of California has spotted up to 25 critically endangered vaquita marina, the world's smallest porpoise. The sightings occurred during the first 20 days of the Vaquita Expedition 2015, which commenced on September 26th. However, scientists caution that some individuals may have been counted more than once.
Every summer, hundreds of whale sharks gather off the Yucatan Coast near the Mexican tourist hubs of Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Isla Holbox. The sharks congregate 32 km offshore to gorge on the eggs of a fish called the little tunny, skimming them from the ocean’s surface with enormous, gaping mouths. In recent years, the spectacle has attracted legions of tourists to snorkel alongside the graceful, slow-moving giants.
A study of bottlenose dolphin deaths in the Gulf of Mexico conducted between 2010 and early 2013 has concluded the highest number of strandings and deaths occurred in areas most impacted by the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In comparison, Gulf Coast areas of Texas and Florida, which experienced little to no oiling, saw few statewide increases in stranded dolphins during the same period.
As of February 1st, Cancun tourists will enjoy an extra hour in the sun as the state of Quintana Roo changes from Central Standard Time (CST) to Eastern Standard Time (EST).After more than two years of efforts by the state government and several hotel owners in Cancun, the Mexican government granted approval for the change.
Whale shark, whale shark, whale shark! After several unsuccessful hours of searching the bay by small boat, these long-awaited words came as a welcome relief. Only a handful of us had heard the radio call after opting to stay behind and skip the last dive of the trip.
The rather dark reputation of Humboldt squid has been readily reinforced by various wildlife television programs and other media which present these creatures as giant animals hungry for blood or ruthless monsters, uncompromisingly attacking their prey.
For centuries, the Zoque people of southern Mexico would venture each year during the Easter season deep into the sulfuric cave Cueva del Azufre to implore their deities for a bountiful rain season.
As part of the annual ritual, they release into the cave's waters a distinctive, leaf-bound paste made of lime and the ground-up root of the barbasco plant, a natural fish toxin. Believing the cave's fish to be gifts from their gods, they scoop up their poisoned prey to feed upon until their crops are ready to harvest.
Discovery of prehistoric remains in the Yucatan.
Weighing in at up to 3,000 pounds and attaining lengths of 18 feet, Great White sharks are among the ocean’s most feared yet revered inhabitants. Having a face-to-face encounter with the ocean’s apex predator is a bona-fide adrenaline rush, with divers worldwide shelling out mega bucks and travelling great distances for the privilege.
Boasting pristine blue water with 100-foot visibility, Guadalupe Island situated west of Baja California, Mexico, is one of the world’s premier Great White destinations.
If that age is accurate, the skeleton, Dubbed Eva de Naharon, or Eve of Naharon, —along with three others found in underwater caves along the Caribbean coast of the Yucatán Peninsula —would be the oldest human skeleton ever found in the Americas
The three other skeletons excavated in the caves have been given a date range of 11,000 to 14,000 years ago, based on radiocarbon dating. The finds could provide new clues to how the Americas were first populated.
