manatees like warm water.  that's why, in winter, they will leave the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic and go into the balmy waters of spring-fed lakes and rivers in Florida, where water temperatures hover around 70 degrees all winter.

well... a manatee has been spotted swimming in the Hudson River (yes, that Hudson River, as in, off Manhattan).

said a long-time resident:  "I'm 70 years old, and I've been on the river my entire life.  I've seen dolphins and everything else, but never a manatee."

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 so what does this mean?  without a doubt, a manatee would not be that far north if the water wasn't hot enough to keep it comfortable.

 this is further proof, if any was needed, that ocean temperatures are much higher than usual.  recently, it was confirmed that the water temperatures in the Caribbean were reaching their normal highs two months ahead of schedule, meaning the temperature would continue to climb unabbated for weeks to come.

    ... or soon will be.  Crusty, like roughly 7,000 other Florida gators per year, will be killed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation commission.

    what did Crusty do?  nothing.

    well, he ate food that people threw at him.  this may lead him to associate people with food, which might ultimately end in an attack on a human.  rather than risk that scenario, gators that are fed by humans are euthanized.

   this, in so many words, sucks.  See full story.

       the water temperatures in the Caribbean (from Key West to the US Virgin Islands) have reached their seasonal high two months ahead of time.  Normally, the waters do not get this hot until September.  this

means that for the next two months, water temperatures will likely climb above their normal highs. see full story.

bleached coral may not recover if high water temperatures persist

   this is bad news for coral.  when water gets too hot, corals will lose their resident algae and "bleach" (turn a ghostly white).  if the algae do not return, or if repeated exposure to warm water kills the algae off, the coral will die.

   already early in the year Caribbean coral was in trouble and dying at alarming rates.  this follows the pattern seen in Australia's Great Barrier Reef earlier in the year, and is not good news for coral.  as sea temperatures continue to rise, watch for more and more stress to pile on coral, with possibly devastating results.

    sadly, as sea temperatures continue to rise, i am not sure there's much we can do about it at this point.  we may be the last generation of divers to see corals in their full bloom.

      you know, i understand that it's in the name of science (or at least tv ratings), but this idea of building a replica of a great white shark with which to study sharks in the wild is a bit ... well ... weird.

    but here it is:  a replica of a great white shark built by Fabien Cousteau to shoot film for his CBS special Sharks: Mind of a Demon (not that that's an inflamatory title or anything):

fabien cousteau (inside the fake shark) is lowered from deck

    Fabien gets into the shark geared up as for a regular scuba dive (using a rebreather).  the shark is then flooded, and he drives it along.  i can't figure out from the story if the shark is electrically powered.  anyway, here's a picture of Fabien inside the shark, before they close it up:

   maybe Fabien will next build a replica of a scientist so he can investigate first hand what goes on in that milleu.

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     when Herman Melville wrote the classic American novel "Moby Dick" back in 1851, he probably based the title character (a white sperm whale) on rumours of sightings of such an animal.

   well.... art imitates life, and then life imitates art.  there is a white whale, and his name is Migaloo:

   Migaloo is a male humpback whale, and has been described as "glowing in the water," due to his whiteness.  He is reputedly a pure shade of white, not an ivory white or another off-shade.  Migaloo has been sighted near the Solitary Islands off Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales mid-north coast. He is on his northerly migration from Antarctica to breeding grounds in Queensland.

   Migaloo is Aboriginal for "white fella," and he was first spotted a decade ago in these same waters.  He is believed to be about 16 years old.  telling the sex of a whale is apparently rather difficult, as there is little difference between them.  Migaloo's DNA was tested last year, and it confirmed he was male.

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