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The Australian gannet, aka Australasian gannet or tākapu, is a sizable seabird from the booby and gannet family. They hail from Australia and New Zealand. These seabirds face the ongoing threat of overfishing, which can not only potentially out compete with these birds for food, but can also result in […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The common diving petrel, aka smaller diving petrel or the diving petrel, is an auk-like small petrel that dwells among the southern oceans. These birds face the threat of invasive species in the form of black rats, that are known to kill and eat their chicks. However, these seabird’s numbers […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The flatback sea turtle, aka Australian flatback sea turtle, is the only sea turtle listed as Data Deficient by the IUCN. These turtles hail from northern Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. They face the threats of habitat loss and destruction at the hands of residential and commercial developments; over-collection […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The brown crab, aka edible crab, is found in the North Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and possibly the Mediterranean Sea. These crabs face the threats of overfishing; diseases, including: pink crab disease, shell disease syndrome, and various viruses; cadmium poisoning, which renders them unsellable due to the poisonous meat; predation, […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Cuvier’s beaked whale, aka goose-beaked whale or ziphius, the most widely distributed of the beaked whales, is smaller than most baleen whales, and the larger toothed cetaceans; like sperm whales or orcas. Even though they have an incredible dive depth, they are the most frequently-spotted beaked whales when they […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The short-finned pilot whale belongs to the genus Globicephala, which it shares with the long-finned pilot whale. They aren’t actually whales at all. These cetaceans are actually dolphins. Sadly, they have been exploited for centuries in the western North Pacific. They currently face the threats of overfishing and over harvesting; […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The phantom jellyfish, aka giant phantom jelly, is the only known species in the genus of deep sea jellyfish, Stygiomedusa. They belong to the Ulmaridae family. While not currently evaluated by the IUCN, these jellies likely face the threats of deep-sea fishing, mining, and oil exploration. Their population trend is […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The largehead hairtail, aka beltfish, Atlantic cutlassfish, Pacific cutlassfish, or Japanese cutlassfish, is a predatory elongated fish that can be found off the shores of every continent, sans Antarctica. They face the threats of overfishing; land pollution; water pollution, in the form of mercury poisoning; and microplastics pollution. However, they […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Blainville’s beaked whale, aka dense-beaked whale, is thought to be the widest ranging of the mesoplodont whales (toothed whales). They dwell in tropical and warm waters in all the world’s oceans. These whales face the threats of overfishing; over harvesting; water pollution; microplastics pollution; noise pollution, that causes disorientation […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The ostracod, aka ostracode or seed shrimps, are small crustaceans that are usually only 0.0079 inch, but can be up to 1.3 inches. They have a bivalve-like valve, aka “shell”, made of chitin, and many times calcium carbonate. They can be found among zooplankton in ocean waters and fresh water […]

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