During the Irish potato famines of the 19th century, many people survived by eating limpets -- small animals that cling to rocks at the ocean’s edge. And when German troops occupied the island of Jersey during World War II, its people survived on a stew of limpets and curry powder. So limpets became known as “famine food” -- something to eat when there wasn’t much else.
Yet a recent study notes that limpets have been an important food source for thousands of years. In fact, the earliest record of humans eating limpets is a 164,000-year-old cave painting in Africa.
Many people have heard the cry “Save the whales,” but these massive creatures aren’t the only marine mammals at risk of disappearing. In fact, the smallest of the whales, the vaquita porpoise, is on the verge of extinction: just 10 individuals are estimated to remain in the world. Fortunately, those 10 appear healthy—as long as they can continue avoiding a specific fishing practice that continues illegally.
