A rare and endangered olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) washed up on Stinson Beach last week at the Seadrift gated community, far from its preferred habitat in warmer Pacific waters. Due to El Niño, the female turtle (who for unknown reasons has been nicknamed Donatello) likely traveled further north than usual with the warmer ocean currents and became stranded and sickly in the cold water here, and floated on the surface of the water for an extended period before washing ashore -- experts refer to her as a "floater." more ›

Get. Out. Of. The. Water. Why? Well, it seems that someone spotted a shark swimming along the coastline just off of Stinson Beach, prompting authorities to shut down the beach to the public. CBS5 reports, "Golden Gate National Recreation officials told CBS 5 that they received two 'reliable' shark sighting reports on Monday. As a result, officials said they made the determination to close the beach for 5 days." Although Great White Shark attacks are relatively common in the area, insofar as shark-to-human attacks go, it wasn't know what shark, exactly, was spotted. more ›