National Geographic Society

The ocean is full of extraordinary collaborations — like the remarkable hunting relationship between octopuses and reef fish! 🐠 🐙 A team of #NatGeoExplorers and scientists, including Dr Alex Schnell, Pietro Amodio, and Eduardo Sampaio are studying this behavior in an inventive way: using a human-controlled robotic fish as an artificial hunting partner to observe how these species cooperate in the wild. Their research aims to better understand the cognitive and communication mechanisms that make this sophisticated partnership possible. ✨ Projects like Ocean ROBOCTO reflect the National Geographic Society commitment to advancing knowledge through bold exploration, innovative ideas and a collaborative spirit. Each new approach holds the potential to reveal important insights and deepen our appreciation of the natural world. Each new discovery strengthens our efforts to protect the ecosystems and species that sustain life on our planet. Our Explorers know that sometimes a new perspective is needed to uncover the mysteries of our living world. Maybe the key to unlocking marine species cognition can be found in the point of view of a robot fish. 🐟 📸: Shireen Rahimi

The mangroves at the mouth of the Gambia River are currently understudied, leaving knowledge gaps about what needs to be done to safeguard them from sea level rise and increasing salinity that is jeopardizing local food security. Mangrove forests provide natural solutions to these challenges by acting as breakers against flooding and reducing saltwater influx into freshwater systems. #NatGeoExplorer Maiyai Taal Hocheimy, along with a group of fellow Explorers and scientists, is working to address this gap. Through a series of expeditions, the team is gathering environmental and biodiversity data across this mangrove ecosystem to support long-term conservation, sustainable development and climate resilience strategies. They are also mapping coastal evolution using satellite imagery with the goal of tracking shoreline change, surface elevation and mangrove canopy health. This effort is part of the National Geographic and ROLEX #PerpetualPlanet Ocean Expeditions.

Just released! In a new study published this week scientists have identified a previously unknown species of African monkey — one of the rarest discoveries in modern primatology. The elusive Likweli is found in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, distinguished by its small size, unique vocalizations and a striking orange-cream patch around its mouth. An international team, including #NatGeoExplorer and Congolese researcher Junior Amboko, published findings detailing the genetic, anatomical and acoustic analyses that confirms the monkey represents a distinct evolutionary lineage that diverged from its closest known relative 4 to 5 million years ago. "This discovery is both exciting and deeply personal, highlighting the extraordinary biodiversity of my homeland and how much remains undocumented,” shares Amboko. Photo by Daniel Rosengren/Frankfurt Zoological Society

While exploring the ocean floor in Gabon, the National Geographic Pristine Seas team brought up what looked like a dead, empty shell. "We could have never expected what was going to happen," shared founder and #NatGeoExplorer in Residence Enric Sala. Inside the shell was a female that laid her eggs! "We put the shell and octopus in a tank with seawater, and after one minute, thousands of octopus larvae started to stream out of the shell. The octopus eggs were hatching! That was the first time we had observed such a magnificent show." The team safely released the mother and her babies back to their home immediately after taking this photo. Photo by Enric Sala

The iconic National Geographic Society flag was designed in 1903 by Elsie May Bell Grosvenor. Since then, it has been carried by #NatGeoExplorers on their journeys to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. ✨ We passed this emblematic flag around the globe for the past two years in anticipation of the opening of the National Geographic Museum of Exploration in Washington, D.C. Now, we're passing it on to you. Come explore with us! Get tickets at natgeo.org/museum. #PassTheFlag 🟦🟫🟩 Media courtesy of National Geographic Society's Special Collections

🗺️ Maps can provide much more information than just how to get from one place to another. They are visual tools that can help us communicate spatial concepts and patterns, tell stories and analyze data. The National Geographic Society has a long legacy of championing geo-literacy, developing maps, creating resources and elevating #NatGeoExplorers who are illuminating and protecting the wonder of our world. Explore more about maps and mapping: https://lnkd.in/ea-bQGYz. Video featuring Staff Geographer Alex Tait, Staff Cartographer Debbie Gibbons and Explorers Jim Enote and Ved Chirayath.

Do museums come to life at night? Ours certainly does! Every evening, the National Geographic Museum of Exploration immerses visitors in the beauty of the natural world. “Wonders of Our World: Ocean” uses spectacular storytelling and the best of today’s technology — including the world’s largest installation of smart glass — to take you on a multisensory underwater journey. Surrounded by the sights and sounds of our ocean, you explore life beneath the waves and meet the quirky and charismatic creatures who call these waters home. Like everything we do at the National Geographic Society, it’s inspired by the work of our #NatGeoExplorers — scientists, conservationists, educators and storytellers who have dedicated their lives to protecting nature. We hope it becomes part of the heartbeat of D.C., a daily reminder about our world’s awe-inspiring beauty and the role we all play in protecting it. Explore more: https://lnkd.in/eX2yEnHr  📸 Photo by Elman Studio #TheMOE

For nearly a century, not a single wolf was documented in California. In the last 15 years, they’ve made an epic return. "Their return is a conservation success, but it also brings new challenges and opportunities for the livestock producers and communities living alongside them," shares #NatGeoExplorer Kaggie Orrick. As a conservation scientist, Orrick is helping California ranchers and a returning predator share the same land. Her work is part of the American Keystones Initiative — a yearlong conservation effort by the National Geographic Society to protect America’s iconic species and landscape. "They have such a large impact on their ecosystem; they regulate prey populations, they influence other species." In other areas in the West, this endangered animal helps keep prey herds healthy, which has ripple effects across the food web. Photo by Natalie Hutchison

During the Exclusive Unveiling of the National Geographic Museum of Exploration last month, over 300 Explorers from around the world joined us in Washington, D.C. We had the opportunity to ask the Explorer community: "What does exploration mean to you?" Watch what they had to say as they share moments of inspiration and wild tales of their time in the field. #PassTheFlag 🟦🟫🟩

"The first thing I noticed when I put my head in the water at Ailuk Atoll (Marshall Islands) was the sharks," shares National Geographic Pristine Seas lead scientist Juan Mayorga. "I saw more than half a dozen grey reef sharks before I even placed the baited cameras in the water. That moment told me everything I needed to know about this place." For their 50th expedition, the Pristine Seas team returned to the Marshall Islands to work alongside local leaders and scientists to survey seven atolls across the Ralik and Ratak chains: Erikub, Ailuk, Taka, Ujelang, Ailinginae, Jemo and Enewetak. The insights gathered will directly inform Reimaanlok — RMI’s national framework for community-based conservation. Photo by Iñigo San Félix