In recognition of the manta ray and the crucial role it plays in the world's oceans, Indonesia has declared the world's biggest manta ray sanctuary. For the first time, manta ray hunting and export is banned within the entire 3 million square kilometre area of Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone.

Herons also have surprising intellectual abilities; they can use bread to catch fish! It is thought that the birds learn the technique from watching fisherman throw baited hooks and tourists tossing bread to attract fish.

Watch your step! In India around 500 AD you would have to use step-wells to retrieve water.

Lost Lake, located in central Oregon, is known for rapidly draining every year through a six-foot (two-meter) wide hole in the lake's bottom (as shown in the video). Early in the following spring, however, the lake fills up again, as snowmelt from the surrounding mountains accumulates faster than water can drain out through the hole. That hole is really a lava tube - a geologic feature made when lava cools around the edges of a river of molten rock. After the hot lava drains away, it can leave an empty space. ...

The Banded Piglet squid is proof that not all deep sea creatures are nightmare-inducing. They swim "upside down" compared to other squid, leaving him resembling a Muppet with his tentacles as the hair, the syphon as the nose, and his patterning appearing to be a smile.

These guys live at least 100 m below the surface. Because of those incredible depths, it has to create its own light from the photophores underneath its eyes. Unfortunately, because it lives so far down, not much is known about its life cycle or eating habits. ...

Blue whales are not only the largest animal alive right now, but they are believed to be the largest animal that has ever lived.

They are listed as endangered by the IUCN, but a group of researchers hopes to designate 10% of the ocean as protected by 2020. Despite their slow reproduction times, researchers believe this will be enough to help rebound their number

Since sea otters sleep at sea, floating around like in the video, holding hands like that keeps the group together, so they don't drift apart in the night. Because of this, the otters feel more comfortable holding hands while asleep than drifting alone. Therefore, it serves both social and practical purpose.

It looks spooky, but this is actually an image of a salt lake in Western Australia's Gibson Desert taken by astronauts on board the International Space Station. It's an example of how our brains often take random patterns and see them as faces or other familiar figures (like a ghost in this case), a psychological phenomenon called pareidolia. ...