fish
grrlscientist | December 6, 2007tags: trick goldfish, trained goldfish, performing goldfish, streaming video
Amazing trained goldfish -- or were they really trained to swim in formation like this? My guess is the guys fed metal filings to the fish and they have magnets under the table that drag the helpless fish around .. what do you think? [0:56]
On the other hand, perhaps training goldfish should be my new career since science hasn't worked for me thus far?
bleimanb | November 16, 2007The results of a seven year survey of Europe's rivers and lakes has finally arrived, and to the delight of Ben Stein, CPAs and colorblind people around the world, 57 new species of new nonthreatening, completely unexciting, brownish-gray fish have been identified. Europe now boasts 522 drab freshwater species as opposed to the laughable 485 of the olden days. Take that Azerbaijan!
Reportedly, the photographer fell asleep while taking this picture.
"The new species come from all over," said Jörg Freyhof of the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin, Germany…
zooillogix | November 12, 2007Reported last month in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a fascinating fossil was discovered in the Saar-Nahe Basin of Southwestern Germany (sounds more like somewhere in Middle-earth than Bavaria to us, but go figure). The fossil(s?) comprises a fish that was eaten by an amphibian which was eaten by a shark. It is being described as the oldest snapshot of the vertebrate food chain and represents, if nothing else, some good eatin'.
In case you couldn't visualize it, this last graphic is an EXACT snapshot of what this prehistoric brunch orgy looked like...
The shark lived in…
grrlscientist | October 24, 2007tags: oceans, shrimp farming, fish, streaming video
Gorgeous imagery of the planet's many oceans, interspersed with footage of humans overexpoiting them. Narrated by British actor Anthony May. Brought to you by GreenPeace [15:51]
grrlscientist | October 22, 2007tags: boxfish, fish, Image of the Day
This young boxfish was one of the specimens collected by a team of Filipino and US scientists during a survey of the Celebes Sea, Philippines, organised by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the National Geographic Society-led Inner Space Speciation Project (ISSP).
Image: WHOI/ISSP [larger view].
bleimanb | October 22, 2007Scientists were startled last month when they discovered that mangrove killifish, a fish native to Florida, Central America and the Caribbean, spend weeks of the year living in the rotten branches of trees, fully out of the water. The fish typically live in pools of water made by the roots of mangrove trees. When those pools dry up, however, the fish "flop their way" into rotten branches, using tunnels dug out by insects. There they...
If you listen carefully, you can hear them singing...
line up end to end with one another and wait out waterier pastures.
Three details make the killifish…
zooillogix | October 16, 2007The AP just reported that project leader Dr. Larry Madin of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Phillipine scientists returned from two weeks in the Celebes Sea, located off the Phillippines southernmost archipelago, this Tuesday with some potential new deep sea discoveries. Among the more interesting finds were a strange black jellyfish, a transparent sea cucumber and a spiny orange worm that had 10 squid-like tentacles. "I'll have to try a bite of each one with Old Bay before we determine whether they are truly new species or not" Dr. Madin joked. Adding, "you think I'm kidding,…
grrlscientist | October 13, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, conservation, captive breeding, endangered species, reproductive success
I bred parrots and other birds for zoos and for the pet trade for years before I moved to NYC. I often thought about applying my avicultural and ornithological skills and talents to propagate birds for release into the wild, to supplement wild populations that are decreasing. But in addition to the practical challenges of captive breeding birds, I often wondered about the evolutionary implications of doing this: because every individual is precious in a captive breeding program, they are…
grrlscientist | September 17, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, salmon, trout, spawning, molecular biology, cloning, conservation, endangered species
A trout germ cell is transplanted into the body cavity of a newly hatched salmon embryo. This is part of the process that allowed adult salmon to successfully spawn trout offspring.
Image: Science magazine
Have you ever heard of a trout with salmon for parents? Since when has one species given birth to another species? Well, ever since scientists began experimenting with salmon in the hope that they could genetically alter these fish by injecting sex cells from trout so the…
grrlscientist | August 27, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, fishing, fishery, overfishing, sushi
Bluefin Tuna, Thunnus thynnus.
Orphaned image [larger image].
The western Atlantic Bluefin Tuna fishery in the Gulf of Maine is in danger of collapse, according to University of New Hampshire (UNH) researchers. Further, the team found that the number and quality of the captured fish has declined markedly in recent years.
Using notes collected by veteran tuna grader Robert Campbell from the Yankee Fisherman's Co-op in Seakbrook, New Hampshire, Walter Golet led a team of marine biologists that…
bleimanb | August 22, 2007Peter's elephantnose fish has long been a laughing stock of scientists. But now, due to a new study by researchers at the University of Bonn, Germany, the hilarious looking creature's reputation might improve due to an astonishing attribute.
He's got the whole world....in his nose!
According to the researchers' study, released in the Journal of Experimental Biology, Peters' elephantnose fish (Gnathonemus petersii) use weak electrical fields emitted out of their chins to scan the floor of the water and do so with amazing accuracy. The study shows how in total darkness the fish can sense the…
grrlscientist | July 17, 2007tags: coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, fish, living fossil, Indonesia
Indonesian coelacanth, Latimeria menadoensis, and Arnaz Mehta Erdmann, at about a 50 foot depth -- this is to give you an idea of the fish's size.
Image: Mark V. Erdmann, July 1998 (Smithsonian Institute [larger]).
This past Saturday, a rare living fossil, the coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, was captured by fishhermen off the shores of Zanzibar. Zanzibar is an island archipelago comprised of numerous small islands and two large ones located 25-50 km off the coast of East Africa in the Indian Ocean. The coelacanth (…
grrlscientist | July 10, 2007tags: electric fish, Brienomyrus brachyistius, mormyrids, fish, behavior, evolution
Image: JEB Biologists
As they swim through their muddy riverine homes in east Africa, the African elephantfishes use a special organ at the base of their tail to produce weak electrical pulses that enable them to sense their surroundings, detect prey, communicate with each other and, as it was recently discovered, to find a mate. Surprisingly, after listening to their electrical "buzzes", scientists discovered that these fishes engage in behavior that is remarkably similar to the courtship duets that…
jlynch | July 4, 2007Back in October, Afarensis introduced us to the Douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus), and noted that the species was comprised of three subspecies, one of which was the grey-shanked douc langur (P. n. cinerea). That subspecies is one of the 25 rarest primates in the world and fewer that 1000 individuals were believed to exist in Vietnam. Encouragingly, AFP is reporting that a new population of at least 116 individuals (and perhaps 180) has been discovered in Quang Nam province. Scientists believe that any more individuals may live in the surrounding un-surveyed forest.
jlynch | July 4, 2007
My post-doctoral research was in hybridization among endangered desert fishes here in the American Southwest, so it has made me happy to read that a new population of the endangered Desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius, above) has mysteriously appeared in man-made research ponds in Salton Sea, California. Many of the over 1000 specimens are juveniles, which has lead scientists to infer that substantial breeding is going on in the ponds.
zooillogix | June 28, 2007Mandarin Goby, Synchiropus splendidus
Researchers from James Cook University in North Queensland, Australia have made a startling discovery: gobies intentionally deprive themselves of food to avoid conflict with their rulers. Goby society is lorded over by the largest males and females and these are the only individuals allowed to breed. If a smaller goby tries to jump the queue and mate, it will be expelled from the group by the bigger fish. However, all is not peaches and cream at the top, as competition between the larger fish to establish dominance is fierce. Therefore, smaller gobies…
zooillogix | June 21, 2007Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Barbara-Anne......
According to a new study from Cornell University, African electric fish engage in a dueling performance of electric pulses when in courtship. Scientists had known that the fish emitted electric signals to explore their surroundings and communicate sex and social standing. This, however, was the first research comparing the electric emissions of breeding and non-breeding fish and sorting the fish's emissions based on their sex.
The fish use a battery-like organ in their tails to generate the weak charge. The researchers used custom software to separate and…
zooillogix | June 15, 2007Ever wonder where sea creatures have been or where they're headed? Thanks to marvelous modern technology and an ambitious team of prestigious scientific organizations, now you can watch in almost real-time! Since 2002, Tagging of Pacific Pelagic (TOPPS) research project has tagged over 2,000 animals with tiny microprocessors and sophisticated remote sensing systems to track exactly where, when and how deep they're traveling through the ocean.
Movements of twelve tagged salmon sharks over the last 60 days.
The results are fantastic maps showing up-to-the-minute movements of mako sharks…
jlynch | June 6, 2007
The old story goes that JBS Haldane felt that God had an inordinate fondness for beetles. It also seems he likes catfish. CJ Ferraris has produced a checklist of fossil and living catfishes and estimated that there are 3093 valid species in 478 genera (and 36 families). Of these 72 species are known solely from fossils. No one who knows catfishes will be surprised that the largest family is the Loricariidae (716 species in 96 genera), but interestingly, three genera of living catfishes could not be assigned to existing families: Conorhynchos and Phreatobius from South America, and Horabagrus…
grrlscientist | June 6, 2007tags: purple frog, Suriname, amphibians, Atelopus
A purple fluorescent frog of the genus Atelopus was discovered during a follow-up survey of the Nassau plateau in mid 2006 by Surinamese scientists Paul Ouboter and Jan Mol. The frog is one of 24 new species found in the South American highlands of Suriname, conservationists reported on June 4, 2007, warning that these creatures are threatened by illegal gold mining.
Image: Paul Ouboter
When scientists investigate new areas of the wilderness, they often discover insect species that are new to science, but last year, a group of researchers…