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The second site of the day was a surprise. 10 years ago, Smith’s Cove was a mixed mussel bed and urchin barren. Previous, it has been a Codium meadow. Now… It’s just a giant red algal carpet. Wall to wall. … Continue reading →
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Day 2 of dives with Sarah out at SML. Today we hit two sites that were quite different – both from each other and from Norwegian Cove the other day. The Ledges are in the channel between Appledore and Smuttynose, … Continue reading →
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More than 35% of the world’s mangroves are already gone, and studies show that the figure is as high as 50% in countries such as India, the Philippines, and Vietnam, while in the Americas they are being cleared at a rate faster than that of the tropical rainforests.
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griseus:
….A minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) off the Antarctic Peninsula dispersing nutrients (poop) in the surface layer after feeding on krill, look the whale’s body is covered in a thick diatom layer
Photograph provided by J Brokowski
Source: Smetacek and Nicol (2005) Polar ocean ecosystem in a changing world. Nature. Vol 435. 15 september 2005
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rhamphotheca:
How Remoras Get Their Bizarre Suckers
by Megan Gannon
Scientists say they’ve confirmed how remora fish grow a weird sucking disc on their heads.
Remoras, which can be up to 3 feet (1 meter) long, have a slatted disc above their eyes, which sort of looks like the bottom of a sneaker. It acts like a sucker and allows them to attach to manta rays, sharks, and boat hulls in tropical waters. But the fish aren’t parasites; rather, they harmlessly hitch rides and feed off of scraps
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astronomy-to-zoology:
Zebra Crab (Zebrida adamsii)
…a small species of crab found throughout the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean, ranging from Japan to Australia. Like other zebra crabs Z.adamsii is often found on sea urchins (Typically fire and flower urchins) where they will groom the echinoderm feeding on any food items that may have fallen onto it. In turn the crab is defended by the urchin’s
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