ScienceDaily (Jan. 19, 2011) — Sharks are unable to distinguish colors, even though their close relatives rays and chimaeras have some color vision, according to new research by Dr. Nathan Scott Hart and colleagues from the University of Western Australia and the University of Queensland in Australia. Read more
Widespread, persistent oxygen-poor conditions in Earth’s ancient oceans impacted early evolution of animals, say UC Riverside scientists (January 5, 2011) RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The conventional view of the history of the Earth is that the oceans became oxygen-rich to approximately the degree they are today in the Late Ediacaran Period (about 600 million years ago) […]
Reef Fact: Scorpaenidae, scorpionfish, are a family of mostly marine fish (including the Red Lionfish) that includes many of the world’s most venomous species . Worldwide, scorpionfish rank second only to stingrays in total number of envenomations, with an estimated occurrence of approximately 40,000 – 50,000 cases annually. Support Reef Relief’s work to protect coral […]
Friday, January 14, 2011; 9:18 PM The Jan. 6 news story “As Arctic melts, U.S. ill-positioned to tap resources” highlighted the potential for U.S. exploitation of mineral resources at the top of the world. What it failed to point out is that sites proposed for drilling in Alaska’s Arctic Ocean are some of the most […]
PLEASE SIGN THE NEAR-SHORE OIL DRILLING BAN PETITION TODAY (PRINT AND MAIL TO THE ADDRESS INCLUDED) Petition Form IMPORTANT INFORMATION: FLORIDA’S STATE WATERS EXTEND APPROXIMATELY THREE MILES INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN AND 10 MILES INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO. IF THE PETITION EFFORT SUCCEEDS, FLORIDIANS WILL BE ALLOWED THE CHANCE TO BAN OIL DRILLING IN […]
Coral Reef Fact: If a male lionfish (Pterois volitans) meets another male while hunting, the more aggressive male will turn darker in color and point its poisonous, spiny dorsal fins at the other individual who usually folds down its pectoral fins and swims away. Learn more Please support Reef Relief’s work to protect coral reefs.
Coral Reef Fact: Some sea slugs (nudibranchs) that feed on corals & sea anemones ingest the stinging cells of their prey without discharging them; these pass from the digestive tract to the ceratia (feathery structures) where they are used by the slug for its own defense. (watch video) Please support Reef Relief’s work to protect […]
Coral Reef Fact: Fluorescent coral absorbs light at one wavelength and emits it at another. Scientists have found that corals with fluorescent properties can handle the effects of coral bleaching caused by warmer waters better than other corals. Find out how this may, also, benefit us: Fluorescent Coral Could Aid Cancer Research (video) Join Reef […]
Coral Reef Fact: Hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus) are protogynous hermaphrodites. Females, upon reaching larger size and through social dominance, can transform into fully functional males. Learn more at http://reefguide.org/carib/index7.html Join Reef Relief today to support coral reef conservation. www.reefrelief.org/donate
ScienceDaily (Jan. 12, 2011) — Geologists at Brown University and the University of Washington have a cautionary tale: Lose enough species in the oceans, and the entire ecosystem could collapse. Looking at two of the greatest mass extinctions in Earth’s history, the scientists attribute the ecosystems’ collapse to a loss in the variety of species […]