Elephants Call Out To Each Other Using Individual Names That They Invent For Their Fellow Pachyderms,

helloo!! sorry if this is a question u get a lot, do you know any good website to keep up with marine animals news?? and for research??

It's a good question to ask, especially in a world where you have to sift through a lot of misinformation surrounding science (and, to set a good example, I will now be adding references in the notes for my information, particularly if I mention specific studies).

For news, Science.org, SciTechDaily, NewScientist and Nature.com are all websites I have used for keeping up to date with global marine biology news/research although it's always possible to use any news site as long as you ensure they are reliable (e.g. do they include references to research for further reading? does the content of the referenced research match the claims they make in the article? is the site likely to be biased towards a particular viewpoint?)

For research, there are tons of databases storing centuries of marine biology research. Many people like to recommend Google Scholar and I always think it's a good starting point for beginning scientific research but you can't always trust it to be a reliable tool.

ResearchGate, Wiley Online Library, ScienceDirect are all good places for peer-reviewed scientific articles (and I'm sure the people over at @jstor will assure you of the strength of their database too) although, keep in mind, you might have to search through many other databases if you want to dodge paywalls to access full articles.

If anyone else has any other suggestions, feel free to mention them in the notes!

I met some relatives of my beloved leatherleaf slugs in the mangroves of Singapore, the onch slugs! they’re perhaps some of the slowest-moving animals I’ve ever encountered; this is one in a hurry:

the species pictured is a Platevindex, which are particularly interesting to me since their backs are studded with extra eyes! the dorsal papillae each have a little black dot that’s a photoreceptor, which helps the slug detect changes in light exposure.

onchidiids are marine animals, living on costal rocks and in mangroves, but breathe air and spend much of their time out of the water. like the leatherleafs, they’ve got a dry, tough hide that maintains water balance, but Platevindex takes that to an extreme—when I picked one up, it felt like a vulcanized rubber tire!

ScienceAlert

Ancient Genes of Zombie Viruses Revealed as Hidden Drivers of Cancer

When viruses pay us a visit, they sometimes leave parts of themselves behind.

When viruses pay us a visit, they sometimes leave parts of themselves behind. Silently tucked away in our genomes, some of these bits of foreign DNA can get passed down through the generations. They were long thought inactive, but we've since learned these stowaway sequences can be turned back on to wreak all sorts of havoc. Now researchers led by University of Colorado bioinformatician Atma Ivancevic, have found cancers can make use of some of these zombie virus parts for their own benefit.

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17th of October 2024: Creseis virgula

Today we are returning back to the ocean to look at a critter without a common name: Creseis virgula. They’re a type of mollusc who can be found in tropical waters all around the world as well as in the Upper Atlantic [1]. Their species name derives from the latin for small rod [2].

They are indeed quite small, having a maximum length of 7 mm, with their shell being entirely transparent and characterised by a small curve at the top while the front is straight. The curve is a lot more prominent when they are still young. Their bodies meanwhile can be recognised by their small wing-like appendages [3].

They are most common during the late summer and autumn when the temperatures are still rather high. During this time they reproduce a lot [4]. Creseis virgula are protandric hermaphrodites, meaning they start off life as males who may change into females later on [3].

They feed on phytoplankton and protozoa, and have been described as a “clumsy swimmer” [3]. If they ever need to be the ones to escape, they may drop a feeding web made of mucous and sink down with the tip of their shell pointed downwards [5].

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [Image] 

For the Bigfin Reef Squid, mating is a serious business. 

New research, led in part by Museum scientist Sam Cheng, shows that a male will scope out nesting sites and scare off rivals in order to improve his mating success. In this study, Cheng explains how this “probing behavior” could be a type of mate-guarding, a mating strategy in which males attempt to prevent a mate’s eggs from becoming fertilized by a rival. Ultimately, this research can help inform biodiversity and conservation efforts.

Photo: Courtesy of Rhododendrites/Wikimedia Commons

via: American Museum of Natural History

phys.org

New clam species discovered in South Africa's kelp forest

A new study sheds light on the unexplored diversity of galeommatoidean bivalves, a little-known group of marine mollusks, from the western c

A new study sheds light on the unexplored diversity of galeommatoidean bivalves, a little-known group of marine mollusks, from the western coast of South Africa. The research, led by Paul Valentich-Scott from the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, along with collaborators from the University of Cape Town, Sea Change Trust, Stellenbosch University, and the University of Colorado Boulder, offers a curious glimpse into the habitats, symbiotic relationships, and taxonomy of these interesting creatures.

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THIS OCTOPUS IS HAVING A NIGHTMARE, SCIENTISTS BELIEVE.

Sleep is a fundamental biological function present in all vertebrates and most invertebrates. Octopuses are really complex animals, displaying active and inactive sleep states similar to those of vertebrates. In particular, octopuses have active sleep states during which they display sequences of camouflage patterns, while remaining relatively quiet and unresponsive to external stimuli. Some scientists have speculated that these states could be analogous to dreaming in mammals.

Now, researchers have recorder what is believing an octopuses having nightmare. During a month, researchers recorded a male Brazilian reef octopus (Octopus insularis), and they detected four brief episodes were identified during which the octopus abruptly emerged from sleep, detached itself from its sleep position, and engaged in antipredator behaviors, despite no predator was present. The longest of these episodes resembled the species-typical response to a predatory attack, suggesting that the animal may have been responding to a negative episodic memory while sleeping.

However, these are just conjectures, as it is hard to be sure, according to scientists, who claim that more studies are needed to ensure that they really are nightmares.

Gif from video: Eric Ramos et al

Reference:  Ramos et al., 2023. Abnormal behavioral episodes associated with sleep and quiescence in Octopus insularis: Possible nightmares in a cephalopod?. bioRxiv.

video can be seen here

"which reptile is the most catholic?" obviously Komodo Dragons because they have virgin birth

many other reptile lineages also have virgin birth (parthenogenesis), there's even MULTIPLE species of whiptail lizards that reproduce entirely this way!

there are no males in these species. only females.

however! they still court each other and do some copulating.

that's right. MULTIPLE SPECIES OF LIZARD LESBIANS.

LIZBEANS.

アオミノウミウシ-神奈川、東京、埼玉、千葉から伊豆の海への玄関口 小田原ダイビングスクール