Latest news with #Baikal
Time of India
04-08-2025
- Lifestyle
- Time of India
From 'Earless' Hearing to Deep-Sea Naps: 6 Wild Seal Facts
These days, our social media is full of eye-catching wildlife– from snow leopards climbing cliffs to dolphins flipping in the air. But seals often don't get the spotlight they deserve. With their big, gentle eyes and calm looks, they may not seem like the most exciting animals. But seals have an amazing story– one that's all about survival, smart adaptations, and living in some of the world's toughest places. Over millions of years, seals have learned how to move, hunt, sleep, and talk in ways that help them survive in freezing polar waters and warm tropical seas. Here are six simple but fascinating facts that might help you see seals in a whole new light. They're distant cousins of bears and skunks Seals weren't always ocean animals. Long ago, their ancestors lived on land and ate meat. They were related to animals like bears, otters, and even skunks. Over time, some of them started spending more time near water, and slowly, they changed. They became what we now call pinnipeds– a group that includes seals, sea lions, and walruses. Some are tiny, some are huge Seals come in many sizes. The smallest is the Galápagos fur seal, which is just over a metre long and weighs around 45 kg. On the other hand, the southern elephant seal is huge– some males grow over 5 metres long and weigh nearly 4,000 kg! While most seals live in the ocean, the Baikal seal is different. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Tan Tuc: Unsold Furniture Liquidation 2024 (Prices May Surprise You) Unsold Furniture | Search Ads Learn More Undo It lives in freshwater, deep inside Russia's Lake Baikal. And when it comes to numbers, the crabeater seal of Antarctica might be the most common large mammal in the world– with population estimates in the tens of millions. 'Earless' seals can still hear really well Some seals are called 'earless,' but that just means they don't have visible ear flaps like sea lions do. These seals (called phocids) have tiny ear openings hidden under their skin. They're great at hearing underwater– especially high-pitched sounds. Sea lions hear better on land, but in the water, these 'earless' seals are excellent listeners. Seals can talk– and their sounds are more advanced than you think Seals may seem quiet, but they're actually quite vocal. They make all kinds of sounds: grunts, barks, chirps, growls, and even super high-pitched noises that humans can't hear. These sounds help them do things like keep away enemies, attract mates, and talk to their pups. Some seals, like the Weddell seal, even seem to have their own local "accents" depending on where they live. Seals also use body language– like flipper slaps or nose movements– to send messages. They're great at swimming and travel huge distances Seals are built for the ocean. They only come to land for things like resting, mating, or shedding their fur. Some, like the northern fur seal, travel over 10,000 km across the sea! Others, like the northern elephant seal, can dive almost a kilometre deep and stay underwater for more than an hour. They can do this because their bodies are made for it– they can slow down their heartbeat and use oxygen very carefully while diving. Seals have smart ways of sleeping– but not all sleep the same Sleeping in the ocean isn't easy, especially with predators around. Some seals, like fur seals and sea lions, can 'half-sleep' – one side of their brain stays awake while the other rests. This helps them stay alert in the water. But not all seals sleep like this. Elephant seals, for example, dive deep and take short naps while drifting underwater. They only sleep for a few hours a day at sea. On land, seals can fully relax and sleep deeply. Different seals have different sleep styles– and each one helps them stay safe in their own way. Images: Canva (for representative purposes only)
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Russian aviation hit by fifth emergency landing in past week
An Airbus A330-300 operated by Russian airline iFLY made an emergency landing in the city of Khabarovsk, located in Russia's Far East, on 19 May due to a technical malfunction. Source: The Moscow Times, an independent Amsterdam-based news outlet Details: The Eastern Interregional Transport Investigation Department initiated an inquiry under Article 263 of Russia's Criminal Code concerning violations of air transport safety and operation rules. This marks the fifth emergency landing by Russian airlines in the past week, with prior incidents involving Azur Air, S7 Airlines and Aeroflot aircraft, caused by engine failures or landing gear issues. The condition of Russia's aircraft fleet has deteriorated due to sanctions limiting access to maintenance and spare parts. In the first 11 months of 2024, 208 aviation incidents were recorded, a 25% increase from 2023, with half involving engine or landing gear problems. In March, Sergei Chemezov, head of the Russian state-owned defence conglomerate Rostec, warned that at least 200 foreign aircraft would need decommissioning in the coming years. Background: The development of the Russian aircraft Baikal, intended to replace the Soviet-era An-2 (Kukuruznik), was ground to a halt, with mass production no longer planned. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Russia halts ambitious Baikal aircraft project
Development of the Russian aircraft Baikal, intended to replace the Soviet-era An-2 (Kukuruznik), has ground to a halt, with mass production no longer planned. Source: Yuri Trutnev, Russian Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, cited by The Moscow Times Quote: "We were working on the development of a small Baikal aircraft. It has come to a standstill. The Baikal plane is not expected here," Trutnev said at an expanded meeting of the State Duma Committee on the Far East and the Arctic. [State Duma is the lower chamber of the Russian parliament – ed.] Details: Trutnev highlighted the near absence of small aviation in Russia, noting that remotorising An-2 aircraft is now the fallback solution. Since 2019, Baikal has been developed by Baikal Engineering, a subsidiary of the Ural Civil Aviation Plant. Officials had anticipated mass production would begin in 2024, but this was deferred to 2025. A source close to the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade told Kommersant that Baikal's designers made "dramatic mistakes", requiring the aircraft to be "almost entirely redesigned". According to Russia's Comprehensive Programme for the Development of the Aviation Industry, 139 Baikal aircraft were planned for production by 2030, designed to carry up to nine passengers or two tonnes of cargo. The An-2, known as the Kukuruznik, was developed in the late 1940s by Ukraine's Antonov Design Bureau, with production ceasing in the 1980s. Background: Since the onset of the war in Ukraine, the Russian aviation industry has been able to produce only seven SuperJet100 aircraft suitable for civil aviation, despite plans to manufacture 108 airliners. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
The Independent
26-02-2025
- General
- The Independent
What is a bird strike? How concerned you need to be when flying
As climate change shifts migratory patterns and bird populations grow, the problem posed by birds for airlines, pilots and passengers is becoming more visible. On 30 December 2024, 179 passengers lost their lives when a Jeju Air flight crashed in South Korea following a suspected 'bird strike'. A preliminary investigation released last month confirmed that bird strikes played a role in the fatal crash, with feathers and blood stains from Baikal teals, a migratory duck species, found in both engines of the Boeing 737-800. The deadly incident was not the first time an aircraft has crashed following a collision with a bird. In 2009, US Airways flight 1549 famously landed on the Hudson River following a collision with a flock of geese migrating through the airspace at a low altitude. The flock took out both engines during the"Miracle on the Hudson" incident that was, fortunately, survived by all 155 passengers and crew onboard. With efforts to prevent collisions between birds and aircraft including a frozen chicken cannon, long grass and a Tina Turner playlist, here is everything prospective flyers need to know about bird strikes. What is a bird strike? A bird strike is a collision between a bird or airborne animal and an aircraft. Bird strikes can cause significant damage to aircraft, with a risk of jet engines losing power should they suck in a bird. Struck aircraft will often need to abort their take-off or landing attempts, which can be costly for airlines and their passengers. How often do bird strikes happen? Bird strikes are common in the aviation industry and are most likely to occur during takeoff, landing or near airports. Globally, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) estimates that there were just shy of 300,000 'wildlife strikes' between 1990 and 2022. According to the latest Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) figures, there were 1,432 recorded bird strikes in the UK in 2022. The CAA recorded an average rate of 256 bird strikes per 10,000 aircraft movements in July of the same year. In 2021, a paper in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences estimated that there are at least 50 billion wild birds worldwide. The more aircraft movements in an area, the higher the risk of a bird strike. Bird strike remains, known as 'snarge' are sent to the Smithsonian Institution's Feather Identification Laboratory and a lab in York to be correctly identified following collisions in the US and UK. Of the species hit, the CAA found that the most common collisions were between aircraft and gulls, wood pigeons, pigeons and skylarks. Are bird strikes dangerous? It is very rare for a bird strike to be linked with fatalities, and in the majority of collisions, aircraft land safely with very little damage. Of over 1,400 strikes recorded in 2022, only 45 caused aircraft damage, with just 28 resulting in a flight return or diversion. Generally, a bird strike will be far worse for the birds involved than for passengers and the aircraft. However, bird strikes have caused several human casualties during aviation accidents when aircraft structures, including the cockpit windscreen, have been severely damaged or an engine has lost power. According to the FAA, between 1988 and 2023, 76 people died in the US after planes collided with wildlife. Birds that weigh over four pounds or an encounter with a flock are far more likely to cause damage to an aircraft than a singular bird. How do airlines prepare for bird strikes? Bird strikes can have a huge impact on an airline's operations – at great cost. Commercial jet engines undergo intense testing before they are allowed to operate, with planes designed to be able to operate with just one engine. Most are also required to be able to withstand an impact with a bird that weighs four pounds. This was originally tested by having frozen chickens fired at all aircraft engines from a gas cannon. Now, simulators and dummy carcasses tend to test the capacity of engines and the resistance of aircraft windshields. Pilots are also instructed to avoid migratory flight paths and reach a higher altitude quickly when operating in areas where bird strikes are common. How do airports prevent bird strikes? Many airports are surrounded by wide open areas, forests and wetlands – but the environment around aviation hubs is tightly controlled. Bird preventative measures often include the management of local waste disposal sites and keeping the grass long, while flare guns, dogs and lasers are deployed as bird-scaring tactics. As investigations continue into the cause of the Jeju Air crash in December, all airports in South Korea have been ordered to install bird detection cameras and thermal imaging radars. At some airports, including Bristol, designated staff members blast the sound of bird species in distress in an auditory repellent to nearby birds. In 2012, airport chiefs at Staverton, near Gloucester, played Tina Turner hits at high volume from a van that drives around the ground when the bird distress noises 'weren't working properly'. More severely, after the Hudson incident, around 70,000 birds were controversially culled in New York, with all the geese rounded up from Prospect Park, taken to a hanger and gassed.
The Independent
07-02-2025
- The Independent
Bird detection radars to be installed at all South Korea airports after Jeju Air crash
All airports in South Korea have been ordered to install bird detection cameras and thermal imaging radars following the Jeju Air crash in December. On 29 December, 179 people were killed in the deadliest aviation incident on South Korean soil when an aircraft skidded off a runway at Muan International Airport and hit a concrete perimeter fence. A preliminary investigation released last month confirmed that bird strikes played a role in the fatal crash, with feathers and blood stains from Baikal teals, a migratory duck species, found in both engines of the Boeing 737-800. Now, the country's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) has said: 'All airports will be equipped with at least one thermal imaging camera.' In a statement on Thursday it added: "Bird detection radars will be installed at all airports to enhance early detection of distant birds and improve response capabilities for aircraft', reports BBC News. These radars will detect and relay the size and direction of birds to air traffic controllers and pilots. The pilot of the Jeju Air flight had been advised by the control tower to be cautious of "bird activity" shortly before reporting that the plane had struck a bird and declaring a mayday signal at 8.59am. Currently, only four South Korean airports – Incheon, Gimpo, Gimhae and Jeju Island – have thermal imaging cameras. From March, cameras will start to be installed at all 15 domestic airports. The cameras and radars are expected to be rolled out at airports in 2026, with mobile sonic devices also introduced at aviation hubs to help deal with "medium and large sized birds". MOLIT announced measures to improve airport safety in South Korea on 5 February. These included 'establishing improvement measures for bird strike prevention' following an investigation into facilities that attract birds around airports, such as food waste facilities, between 20 and 23 January. The exact cause of the crash of the Bangkok to South Korea flight is still under investigation.
