Today marks the fifth anniversary of World Wildlife Day, the United Nations-backed celebration of all the animals that share our planet. And this is the first year that World Wildlife Day is focusing on marine life. Fin whales, like the one in our photo today, are listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the conservation status rankings. So, they’re threatened by climate change, pollution, shipping, and other concerns, but they’ve bounced back from the brink since the early 1900s, by which time centuries of whaling crews had hunted fin whales to near extinction.
Fin whales: A success story
Today in History
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The smoke before the bonfire
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Mid-Autumn Festival
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Summer solstice
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Where is this gorgeous peak?
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Tracking ships on the Day of the Seafarer
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A day to celebrate teachers
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Grab onto the handlebars, kid
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Pont Rouge
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Frog Month
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Mossy Grotto Falls, Oregon
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Welcome to Scotland s garden
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It s aboat time for the Barcolana
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A timeless view of the night sky
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Castle Day in Japan
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A city of bridges
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Mada in Saleh, Saudi Arabia
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World Whale Day
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Summer winds down in the Southern Hemisphere
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Fresh water on the Silk Road
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Lighting it up for Vivid Sydney
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Shark Fin Cove, California
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Till the cows come home
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Lavender fields on the Valensole Plateau in Provence, France
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Giving Tuesday
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Coming home to roost
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Yellow-eyed penguins, Moeraki, New Zealand
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Celebrating women in science
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Tasiilaq, Greenland
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Arrr, it be Talk Like a Pirate Day
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Let’s talk fossils