Headlines

Donations

If 5% of our 1.7million web visitors gave just £2 we could start Roots to Green Living projects in 100 UK schools!

Click here:

Or Text 'YPTE05 £2' to 70070 to donate

Search the site

30th April 2012
Basking shark alert!

The Shark Trust are asking people in the UK to report sightings of basking sharks in an effort to gather more information about their habits.

Not a lot of people know that the UK is surrounded by shark infested waters, yet every summer many UK coasts are visited by hundreds of basking sharks - the second biggest fish in the world! Basking sharks can grow up to 10 metres long, weigh over 4.5 tonnes and live for up to 50 years!

But, do not fear, these aren't the sharks of horror movies - these sharks eat tiny micrscopic animals by filtering them out of the water as they swim! You are unlikely to come across one on a trip to the beach but if swimming out very far or in a boat or kayak you may just get lucky - the best advice for those who come across them is to keep 'a respectful distance and enjoy the spectacle'.

Sadly, these gentle giants are under threat due to overfishing which is why the Shark Trust are keen to learn more about them. For centuries these fish have been caught for their liver oil, skin and meat and its fins are among the most valuable in the international trade for 'shark fin soup' - a delicacy which accounts for the killing of 26-73 million sharks a year ₁.

With the help of boaters, kayakers and swimmers, the Shark Trust will be able to get a better picture of their movements, numbers and habits. One of trust's biggest questions is whether the sharks detect the blooms of zooplankton from miles away or whether they simply remember the best feeding spots.

For more information about basking sharks, the Shark Trusts' conservation campaign and guidelines on what to do if you come across one visit their website.

1. Report: Predators as Prey by Oceana (PDF)

Other News Headlines

03-05-13
Winners Have their Say on Sustainability!

The winners of Have Your Say on Sustainability have now been announced. The competition, jointly organised by Eurostar and YPTE, asked young people...

08-04-13
Search is on for young Wildlife Warriors!

CBBC are on the hunt for some fantastic Wildlife Warriors aged 9-14 to feature in 'Wild' an upcoming TV show presented by YPTE President...

25-02-13
Give your views on litter fines

We all know that we shouldn't drop litter. But despite this, lots of people still do. In fact according to Keep Britain...

04-02-13
Now young people can have their say on sustainability

Are you aged between 11 and 18? Are you passionate about the environment? If you are, then why not take part in our competition and you...

01-02-13
Where have all the moths gone?

In the UK there are an amazing 337 species of large common moths. A new report produced by Butterfly Conservation and Rothamsted Research suggest...

30-01-13
Secret lives of giants

Black rhinoceroses (or rhinos for short) are some of the largest land mammals on earth. You would think that because of their size you simply...

25-01-13
Starry-eyed dung beetles

Using the Sun, Moon and the stars as a compass to know where you are and where you're headed was once common practice for humans, especially for...

16-01-13
Free school talks are back!

We have received some funding to enable the delivery of a limited number of free school talks within a 30 mile radius of our office in Yeovil. Teachers...

30-11-12
Poo history

Poo from ancient humans is helping scientists understand the history of humans and our environment! Scientists have discovered traces of...

23-11-12
The birth of new species

Scientists are beginning to discover new species being born around us. Traditionally we looked to the past for evolutionary secrets, clues as...

16-11-12
Grasshoppers change their tune

Grasshoppers change their tune Have you heard grasshoppers and crickets in the summer? It's that fast clicking, ticking noise that you...

09-11-12
Toad taxis

People in Cape Town, South Africa have started a new taxi service for endangered amphibians! The western leopard toad is only found in...

01-11-12
YPTE has moved!

Maybe not big news for the rest of the world, but big news for us. YPTE has moved to a new office. Our new contact details are set out...

18-10-12
Studying eight-eyed spiders!

That jumping spiders have eight eyes is nothing new to some people but what is new is how they use them. Researchers in America have been sitting...

12-10-12
Getting to know 9,000 elephants

Elephants are one of the most well-loved animal species on Earth but they are increasingly becoming something of a pest in certain parts of the world. ...

10-10-12
Whisky takes to the road!

A whisky distillery in Scotland has signed a deal with a renewable energy firm to use whisky leftovers to fuel cars! Scotland is famous for its...

03-10-12
Trees help us predict the future

Trees in the Amazon rainforest are showing scientists the past in order to help them predict the future. Have you heard about tree-rings? ...

24-09-12
Sausage struggle

What do droughts in America and bangers and mash have in common? A lot according to the people in charge of making pork predictions! Some...

14-09-12
Extinction for the mysterious Scottish wildcat?

Scottish wildcats are expected to be extinct within months, a new report finds. The Scottish Wildcat Association's surveys and camera traps...

12-09-12
Arctic alarms worry scientists

This summer has seen the most unprecedented and unexpected changes in Arctic sea ice levels ever recorded. The Arctic is unlike any other...

08-09-12
Total Green School Awards 2013 begin!

How green is your school? The Young People's Trust for the Environment is asking schools to show us just how green they can be. The...

07-09-12
YPTE President Terry Nutkins dies

It is with great sadness that we learned today of the death of Terry Nutkins, a naturalist and TV presenter, who has been a President of YPTE for many...

05-09-12
Have you seen desman?

Dubbed the weirdest animal in Europe, this creature looks like a cross between an elephant, a hamster and a rat! What is it? It's a...

31-08-12
Emergency exits for fish

One university graduate has bagged a prize in the James Dyson awards for his design that will enable small fish to escape the entrapment of fisherman's...

29-08-12
Underwater robots to the rescue!

When there's trouble in Scotland's coral reefs who are you going to call? Underwater robots of course! Scientists, biologists and...

24-08-12
How to track a fascinating ant

Researchers are planning to track an endangered species of ant in the UK to learn more about how it lives and where it lives. These ants are...

22-08-12
A bad summer for insects

This year's summer has been notorious for its wet weather. While we humans can carry on as normal, the effects such changes have on wildlife...

16-08-12
The Yippittee! Nature Olympics - a free magazine for children

Elephants are trumpeting and cows are mooing! Put your hooves, claws, flippers and paws together... It’s the opening of the Nature...

15-08-12
Abnormal butterflies

Abnormal butterflies have been found at the site of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant Although people are still unable to return to their...

08-08-12
Texting sheep!

A new invention may allow sheep to send text messages to their farmers in Switzerland! But it's not a case of lonely or bored sheep, they're...

03-08-12
Deadly snail invasion

South and Central America are suffering under an invasion of giant African land snails. Entering houses, populating fields, intruding into cities...

02-08-12
Britain's rare flowers

Wildlife conservation charity Plantlife today warned that the UK is losing its beautiful meadow flowers. The cornflower, the snakes-head-like...

27-07-12
Record melting for Greenland's ice sheet

Nasa scientists thought their equipment had gone wrong when satellite imagery showed that over half of Greenland's ice sheet had melted in...

23-07-12
Zoë Wanamaker CBE joins YPTE Presidents

We are delighted to announce that Zoë Wanamaker CBE has agreed to join the Young People's Trust for the Environment as one of our...

20-07-12
Spraying the skies to slow down climate change

This might like sound like the stuff of science fiction movies but two engineers from America are looking at the possibilities of cooling the planet...

18-07-12
A pet problem

Cats, dogs and rabbits are common pets in the UK but in some countries, including the UK, people like to have more exotic animals for company. ...

09-07-12
Whisking through the trees

One of the cutest rodents of the British countryside is the dormouse - but you might not have seen or heard of them because they are hard to find and...