When a hurricane or tropical storm rolls through, most birds fly around it, or find refuge in the calm “eye” at its center. But not the Desertas petrel. It can ride out the storm, then follow the system for days—all to catch an easy meal.
The petrel nests on a tiny, craggy island off the northwestern coast of Africa. There are only a few hundred of the birds, which are about the size of a pigeon. They’re strong fliers: every year they make a 7500-mile round-trip to the eastern North Atlantic Ocean.
It’s harder to imagine a more hostile environment on Earth than the ocean’s hadal zone. Named after Hades, the Greek god of the Underworld, the hadal zone is the deepest part of the ocean, located about 3.7 to 6.8 miles below sea level in marine trenches. Not only is it pitch black, but the organisms living there must withstand intense pressure, which also makes it challenging for researchers to explore. It’s no wonder that scientists know so little about the creatures that manage to survive in these conditions.
