Earth Changes
So rare are these sharks that each of them is designated with a number.
Fishermen based in Donsol were trawling for mackerel along the eastern coast of Burias Isle on the morning of 30 March when they caught a strange-looking shark from a depth of approximately 200 meters. World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) satellite tagging initiatives have already shown that pelagic filter feeders such as whale sharks and manta rays regularly prowl through the region. It was only a matter of time before something else was discovered.
The shark was brought to Barangay Dancalan in Donsol, Sorsogon for assessment. WWF Donsol Project Manager Elson Aca immediately arrived to assess the haul - and promptly identified it as a megamouth shark.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 at 11:13:01 PM at epicenter
Location 38.776°S, 178.241°E
Depth 35 km (21.7 miles) set by location program
Region OFF EAST COAST OF THE NORTH ISLAND, N.Z.
Distances 25 km (15 miles) ESE of Gisborne, New Zealand
135 km (85 miles) NE of Napier, New Zealand
370 km (230 miles) SE of Auckland, New Zealand
405 km (250 miles) NE of WELLINGTON, New Zealand
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 at 10:06:22 PM at epicenter
Location 7.937°S, 74.311°W
Depth 150.9 km (93.8 miles) set by location program
Distances 55 km (35 miles) NNE of Pucallpa, Peru
190 km (120 miles) W of Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil
300 km (185 miles) NE of Huanuco, Peru
550 km (340 miles) NNE of LIMA, Peru

Colored sheets are seen hanging on a clothesline in this aerial view of the village of Onna, a day after a powerful earthquake struck the Abruzzo region in central Italy, on Tuesday, April 7, 2009
The department said Wednesday that 11 of the victims remained to be identified.
The magnitude-6.3 quake hit L'Aquila and several towns in central Italy early Monday, leveling buildings and reducing entire blocks to a pile of rubble and dust.
Strong aftershocks have caused further fear for residents, as rescue efforts continue.
Numerous beachings of whales, dolphins and porpoises have occurred over the past decade, prompting a finger of blame to be pointed at warship exercises.
A theory is that the mammals' hearing becomes damaged by the powerful mid-frequency sonar used by submarines and surface vessels, prompting the creatures, which themselves use sound for navigation, to become disoriented.
A paper published in the British journal Biology Letters on Wednesday provides the first lab-scale investigation into this idea, although its authors stress it does not provide proof that warship sonar is to blame.
Experts say the layer of dust has created a very unstable situation in the snowpack and it might even have a long-lasting effect.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 at 04:49:33 PM at epicenter
Location 16.450°N, 96.398°W
Depth 35 km (21.7 miles) set by location program
Distances 75 km (45 miles) SSE of Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico
90 km (55 miles) N of Puerto Angel, Oaxaca, Mexico
130 km (80 miles) WNW of Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, Mexico
440 km (275 miles) SE of MEXICO CITY, D.F., Mexico
Chunks of masonry fell from other damaged buildings, and the tremor - measured by the US Geological Survey at magnitude 5.6 - was felt as far away as Rome. Within minutes the city resounded again to the scream of sirens as police and rescue workers rushed to the scene.
Meanwhile rescue workers were preparing to carry out what one called a "surgical operation" on a collapsed building in the centre of L'Aquila in the hope of saving the lives of four missing students.