Coral Reef Fact:
Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) photo: NOAA
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) are warm-blooded (homeothermic) and can thermoregulate, which means they can keep their body temperature higher than that of the surrounding water temperature. Because of this, they are capable of great speeds up to 50 miles per hour. Learn more
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Feb. 20, 2011 By Jason Palmer Science and technology reporter, BBC News, Washington DC
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill “devastated” life on and near the seafloor, a marine scientist has said.
Studies using a submersible found a layer, as much as 10cm thick in places, of dead animals and oil, said Samantha Joye of the University of Georgia.
Knocking these animals out of the food chain will, in time, affect species relevant to fisheries.
She disputed an assessment by BP’s compensation fund that the Gulf of Mexico will recover by the end of 2012.
WASHINGTON – Oil from the BP spill remains stuck on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, according to a top scientist’s video and slides that she says demonstrate the oil isn’t degrading as hoped and has decimated life on parts of the sea floor.
That report is at odds with a recent report by the BP spill compensation czar that said nearly all will be well by 2012.
Coral Reef Fact:
Dolphins have to be conscious to breathe. This means that they cannot go into a full deep sleep, because then they would suffocate. Dolphins have “solved” that by letting one half of their brain sleep at a time. Learn more
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Coral Reef Fact:
Candy Basslet (Liopropoma carmabi) Picture by Gasparini, J.L.
The male and female Candy Basslet (Liopropoma carmabi) have the same coloring, but on close examination the sexes can be distinguished on the basis of the pupils, which are larger in males. Learn more
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ANI, Feb 3, 2011, 02.47pm IST
By some estimates, more than half of today’s medications are in Largazole’s family, the ‘natural products.’ They come from trees, snails, scorpion venom, soil bacteria, other plants and animals; however, so far only a few come from the ocean.
In the report, Jiyong Hong, Seong Hwan Kim, Hendrik Luesch and colleagues indicate that Largazole was derived from and named for marine cyanobacteria that grow in Key Largo, Florida.
Largazole has already attracted scientific attention for its ability to kill cancer cells in laboratory experiments, they said. Read the full article
Coral Reef Fact:
Caribbean sharpnose puffer (Canthigaster rostrata) photo Barry Peters
The Caribbean sharpnose puffer Canthigaster rostrata), and other puffers, often feed on hard-shelled prey, which can wear down their beak-like teeth. If hard-shelled prey were to become scarce, their teeth would overgrow in much the same way a rabbit’s teeth. Learn more
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2011 Endangered Species Day Youth Art Contest -
Endangered Species Coalition
The national Endangered Species Day Youth Art contest provides young people with an opportunity to learn about endangered species and express their knowledge and support through artwork. Started in 2006 by the United States Congress, Endangered Species Day recognizes the importance of endangered species and is an occasion to educate the public on how to protect them. The art contest is an integral part of the sixth annual national Endangered Species Day, celebrated on May 20, 2011.
The Endangered Species Day Youth Art Contest is organized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Endangered Species Coalition, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art/ University of New Orleans.
Teachers can include the Endangered Species Day Youth Art Contest as a featured activity for Youth Art Month in March 2011.
http://www.stopextinction.org/esd.html
Learning about endangered species
Schools, scout troops and other educational institutions are encouraged to learn about our nation’s wildlife, birds, fish and plants on the brink of extinction. Lesson plans and other educational materials can be found at http://www.stopextinction.org/esd/195-esd-education.html
Sunrise is still a good hour away when the first batch of limp, lifeless sharks are winched ashore and dumped on to the portside at Kesennuma.
As daylight throws its first shadows on to the loading bay, fishery workers begin gutting the sharks before removing their fins with razor-sharp knives. It is a messy, blood-spattered business, and a study in industrial efficiency. Read the full article
Justin McCurry in Kesennuma
guardian.co.uk, Friday 11 February 2011 15.14 GMT
