Living World / Ocean

                      Nicole, a female great white shark, swam from South Africa to Australia and back in nine months, setting records for the first known roundtrip swim of an individual shark across an ocean as well as for the fastest back-and-forth swim across an ocean for any sea creature.  Moreover, Nicole's transoceanic journey is the first documented link between two large populations of sharks traditionally considered homebodies. Marine biologists led by Ramón Bonfil of the Wildlife Conservation Society named the animal in honor of actress Nicole Kidman, an advocate for the animals. The shark's globe trotting tendencies suggest conservation efforts are going to be more difficult because they'll require coordinating the activities of multiple countries. More from sciencemag.org

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