Covid-19 Passport from the Danish Health Authorities and police

Travel or not?

After almost a year of restrictions and lockdowns, stir-crazy holidaymakers are eager to getaway. With vaccines now being administered and more on the way, travel is finally on the horizon. According to a recent report of the European Travel Commission (ETC), the number of European citizens planning to travel abroad during the spring of this year has marked a 20 per cent increase compared to November 2020 figures.

Armand Zigahn has died aged 89

Beneath the Sea writes:

It is with profound sadness that we note today the passing of Armand Zigahn. Zig, the name the thousands of men and women his life touched knew him by, passed quietly. Zig leaves behind his wife JoAnn, his sons Michael and Scott, his daughters Kimberly, Kristen, Linda, Cheryl, and grandchildren Christian, Abigail, Alexandra, Mathew, Rachel, Joshua, Jonathan, and beloved niece and nephew Ash-ley and Christopher.

The Port Jackson (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) shark is a benthic, buccal pumping species that remain motionless for extended periods of time.

Do Sharks Sleep?

Sleep is ubiquitous across the animal kingdom but despite anecdotal reports of sleep-like behaviour in nurse sharks and other seafloor-dwelling species, the question of whether sharks actually sleep has been intensely debated but remains unknown. A key criterion for separating sleep from other quiescent states is an increased arousal threshold. True sleep is characterised by a lack of movement that can be rapidly reversed and a decreased awareness of surroundings.

Rice’s whales already considered endangered by the US with a population estimated at fewer than 100

Rice's whale confirmed as a new species

Rice's whale (Balaenoptera ricei), previously believed to be a population of Bryde’s whales, is an intermediate-sized species of baleen whale.

“I was surprised that there could be an unrecognized species of whale out there, especially in our backyard,”

—Lynsey Wilcox, geneticist with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration