Monster fish found
In today’s newsletter, accidentally finding a 13-foot, nearly 400-pound freshwater stingray; the surprising secret inside a Viking burial ship; test your knowledge of the constellations … and what makes a giant lily’s leaves so strong?
The 260-foot depths of the upper Mekong River are home to some of the rarest fish in the world. Last week fishers were stunned when they brought out a 13-foot-long giant freshwater stingray, weighing nearly 400 pounds, from the murky depths. (It quickly was measured and released.)
This 100-mile stretch of the river in Cambodia is a wonder, says fish biologist and Nat Geo Explorer Zeb Hogan. “This is the last place on Earth where we find these creatures together,” he says.
Hogan and fellow scientists are rushing to catalog the deepest parts of the Mekong and its rare or undetected species. The river faces pressure from overfishing, pollution, climate-caused drought and now, Cambodia’s plans for a hydroelectric dam.
Read the full story here.
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STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING
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• Women fleeing violence in Venezuela face callous indifference
• DNA recovery attempt begins on last American slave ship
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The new normal: This was the first time in 130 years that a fire had come so close to Hannah Nordhaus’s ancestral home in New Mexico. At this point, she was no stranger to wildfire, having seen four in as many months near her house in Colorado, she writes. In the drying West, blazes have become a common sight. Pictured above, Max Nordhaus, left, the author’s great-grandfather, built the first house on the family property in 1890. The Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire burned through the canyon on May 1, but the houses survived. “Keep your head on a swivel,” the sheriff told her.
THE NIGHT SKIES
Exploring Virgo: This week is a great time to look at the stars across the maiden constellation, home to many distant galaxies. Its lead star Spica, which shines brilliant blue-white, is 14 times the mass of our own sun and 2,000 times more luminous. While Virgo may look barren to the naked eye, it is a galactic treasure trove for binocular and telescope users. The Virgo Cluster, nestled within the constellation’s borders, represents a monster collection of thousands of spiral and elliptical galaxies. The bright, fuzzy core of elliptical M49 is one of the easiest to observe. — Andrew Fazekas
QUIZ: DO YOU KNOW YOUR CONSTELLATIONS?
IN A FEW WORDS
When Europeans first came to this country, they saw the rivers were pure silver, because there were so many fish in the stream and light reflected off their silvery backs. Now we are getting volunteers to give us historical accounts as well as their own personal memories of nature and what is no longer there.Maya Lin, Artist, Nat Geo Explorer at Large, The multimedia installation “What is Missing?”—the last in her series of memorials—raises awareness about the loss of species
LAST GLIMPSE
How strong are they? The leaves of a giant water lily are so sturdy that some can support the weight of a small child. Scientists have discovered what makes the Victoria cruziana’s leaves (pictured above) so strong. That’s one of several discoveries in this story in June’s issue of National Geographic. Take a look!
