Photo Credit: Terrie Williams

The flight of the narwhal: Melting sea ice is stressing out narwhals

Narwhal hearts beat slowly in panic, and that’s probably not a good thing.

Photo Credit: Peter Rejcek

Magnetic personality? Scientists investigate how Weddell seals navigate under sea ice.

Weddell seals spend much of their lives swimming and hunting for prey underneath Antarctic sea ice. These marine mammals – capable of diving down hundreds of meters in the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean for nearly an hour at a time – must still return to the surface to take a breath now and then.

Photo by Frank Quirarte, www.mavsurfer.com

Dogs, cats, and big-wave surfers: Healthy heart lessons from animals and athletes

Heart rates of big-wave surfers are among the surprises from 30 years of studying exercise physiology in people and wild animals.