Coral Reef Fact: The Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) will spend days and nights “on the wing”. They never land on the water and take all their food items as they fly. The only other bird that does this is the Common Swift (Apus apus). Learn more Donate to Reef Relief today & help protect our […]
WASHINGTON, March 17, 2011 – The U.S. government failed to meet its legal deadline Wednesday for issuing a final rule providing additional protections for loggerhead sea turtles, whose populations have faced severe declines over the last decade. The rule is required as a result of 2007 legal petitions by Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN), the […]
ScienceDaily (Mar. 17, 2011) — University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science scientist Chris Langdon and colleagues developed a new tool to monitor coral reef vital signs. By accurately measuring their biological pulse, scientists can better assess how climate change and other ecological threats impact coral reef health worldwide. Read the […]
Coral Reef Fact: The female Blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) can retain sperm for a year or more before releasing 2-8 million eggs. Of these on 1 in a million will survive to become an adult. Learn more Donate to Reef Relief today & help protect our marine environment go to reefrelief.org/act/donate
Coral Reef Fact: May – Oct is nesting season for sea turtles in FL. Artificial light near beaches threatens hatchlings because they use the light from the night sky reflected in the ocean to guide their way to the sea. Check out this cute video that demonstrates the problem from the Sea Turtle Conservancy Donate […]
Coral Reef Fact: Chitons (primitive marine mollusks ) have teeth made of the magnetic mineral magnetite. This gives them an abrasive tongue to assist in feeding and may be used in navigation. Learn more Reef Relief today & help protect our astounding marine environment go to reefrelief.org/act/donate
Coral Reef Fact: Ordinary life cycle of a Sea biscuit (video) Sand dollar/Sea biscuit (Clypeaster subdepressus) larvae can clone themselves as a mechanism of self defense. “Larvae exposed to mucus from predatory fish can clone themselves, effectively halving their size. The smaller larvae are believed to better escape detection from fish predators, but may increase […]
Southern California researchers say about 35% of fish they collected in the northern Pacific Ocean in 2008 had plastic in their stomachs. The study shows the troubling effect floating litter is having on marine life, the researchers say. Read the article March 11, 2011|By Tony Barboza, Los Angeles Times
The tsunami that struck Japan on Friday brought back memories of the tsunami of 2004 that devastated many parts of Sri Lanka. At the time, the steady destruction of coral reefs around the country was believed to have aggravated the impact of the disaster. The theory was confirmed by Sri Lankan scientist, Harindra Fernando, who […]
Coral Reef Fact: The Orange ball corallimorph (Pseudocorynactis carribbeorum) resembles sea anemones but is not. You can see the difference from sea anemones in the tentacles which radiate out from the middle, forming concentric circles. Read more Donate to Reef Relief today & help protect our astounding marine environment go to reefrelief.org/act/donate