Beneath the Truth:where the real story begins

 Like other right whales, the North Atlantic right whale is sometimes called the black right whale, due to its dark gray to black skin. Some individuals also have patches of white on their stomachs or throats. Their blowhole is V-shaped, which creates a heart-shaped blow when they surface. North Atlantic right whales average 43 to 59 feet in length and can weigh between 44 and 99 tons. At one time, this magnificent species had a population estimated between 9,000 and 21,000 individuals. However, by the early 1900s, they were nearly hunted to extinction, with fewer than 100 whales remaining. This dramatic decline led to the species being classified as critically endangered. In 2003, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) took an important conservation step by shifting shipping traffic separation schemes (TSS) to reduce deadly ship strikes. This marked the first time the IMO changed shipping lanes specifically to protect marine mammals. Today, the population of the North Atlan...

The monarch butterfly, also called the milkweed butterfly, is one of the most recognizable and beloved insects in North America. Originally native to Mexico and the United States, monarchs have also been seen in other regions such as Hawaii, the Caribbean, and parts of Europe.  Monarchs are named for their close connection to milkweed plants. Milkweed is essential to their life cycle—monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on it, and the adults rely on it for breeding. Because of this dependency, monarch populations are deeply affected by changes in milkweed availability. One of the most remarkable aspects of the monarch is its migration. Each year, monarchs travel thousands of miles between breeding grounds in the United States and overwintering sites in Mexico or California. They cannot survive freezing temperatures because their wing muscles become too cold to fly. If temperatures drop too low, they may fall and die. Because of this, monarchs rely on migration to reach climates w...