#new whale species discovered in mexico facts

[dolatv]

New whale species discovered in Mexico

New whale species discovered in Mexico

Three beaked whales were spotted last month by a team of scientists working with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society near the San Benito Islands, some 300 miles from the US border, according to a press release published Tuesday. The team had set out to try to find out what kind of whales were making an unidentified acoustic signal previously recorded in the area. Beaked whale experts working…

[thegrandimago]

This time last April, on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the world was coming to grips with the isolation of quarantine and the economic and travel slowdowns that defined the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even now, with the rollout of vaccines, the virus continues to affect our daily lives. And the toll keeps growing: 3 million dead and more than 140 million cases worldwide.

If anything, the worst public health crisis in a century has brought our understanding of our planet, and our place in the fragile yet resilient web of life throughout it, into stark relief.

Amid so much grief and loss and uncertainty, the biodiversity crisis paced ahead over the past year, becoming a much bigger theme on the world stage. The climate crisis worsened, too. Wildfires blazed. Ecosystems became even more fouled up than they already were.

At the same time, the marked reduction in human activity spurred by the pandemic — what some experts have dubbed the “Anthropause” — has afforded scientists and researchers opportunities to observe the natural world like never before. Coinciding with these unique observational windows has been an increase in attention on Indigenous knowledge and land stewardship as a way forward in combating ecological catastrophe.

In true Vox tradition, here are the 10 most concerning, intriguing, and — dare we say — hopeful things we learned about our planet since the last Earth Day.

1) We saw just how quickly ocean noise pollution can drop, and how much that can help marine life

For a moment last spring, things got very quiet in the oceans.

The drop in human activity that came with the pandemic resulted in drastic and voluntary sound reductions that ran the underwater gamut: from a drop in shipping noise, the predominant source of man-made ocean noise pollution, to decreases in recreation and tourism. All of it suddenly ceased.

In Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park, the foraging grounds of humpback whales, the loudest underwater sounds last May were less than half as loud as those in May 2018, according to a Cornell University analysis. A May 2020 paper in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America found that underwater noise off the Vancouver coast was half as loud in April as the loudest sounds recorded in the months preceding the shipping traffic slowdown.

Chronic underwater ocean noise had been rising over the past few decades, to the detriment of marine life that have evolved to use sound to navigate their world. “There is clear evidence that noise compromises hearing ability and induces physiological and behavioral changes in marine animals,” reads an assessment of marine noise pollution research published in the journal Science in February.

The majority of ocean noise pollution is a byproduct of economic activity. But compared with massively complex issues like climate change, noise is relatively easy to turn down, at least a little. Silencing it at its source has an immediate positive impact: Famously, researchers studying right whales on the East Coast measured a drop in the animals’ stress hormones in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, after shipping traffic abruptly dropped. Even tiny fish larvae are better able to locate the coral reefs where they were born, which themselves emit sound, when the oceans get quiet.

Man-made ocean noise has since ramped back up and is now stabilized near pre-pandemic levels. But it fell silent for long enough last March, April, and May that a global team of scientists is actively scrubbing through audio recordings gathered by around 230 non-military hydrophones — underwater microphones — that monitor ocean noise around the world. They aim to study the “year of the quiet ocean” in the context of ocean sounds before, during, and after the pandemic.

2) A new study found that the Amazon is likely warming — not cooling — the planet

The world’s largest and most species-rich tropical forest, the Amazon, is home to billions of trees that not only provide refuge to a diverse assemblage of organisms but also store and absorb a huge amount of carbon dioxide.

That’s what makes the conclusion of a study published this spring so alarming: Due to human activity, the Amazon is likely contributing to — not offsetting, as one might expect— global warming. “The current net biogeochemical effect of the Amazon Basin is most likely to warm the atmosphere,” the researchers wrote in the paper.

While the Amazon is still absorbing loads of CO2, human activities in the basin, such as deforestation, are driving up emissions of CO2 and other more potent greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide across the basin.

Deforestation, for one, deals a double punch: It both releases gases into the atmosphere and removes CO2-absorbing trees from the equation. That equation now sees the Amazon generating more greenhouse gases than it emits, the study suggests. (It’s worth noting, though, this is all really complicated. For more, check out Craig Welch’s story in National Geographic or read the full study here.)

3) We discovered a bunch of new species

While humans have made a mark on all corners of Earth, we’ve only discovered a small fraction of the species that occupy it. In fact, that fraction could be smaller than 1 percent. And remarkably, not all of those species are tiny microbes and insects. They’re also fish, lizards, bats, and even whales. That’s right: Even giant mammals can elude scientists.

In January, researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said they discovered a new species of baleen whale in the Gulf of Mexico. (You can find the paper describing the discovery here.) Other teams of scientists are also on the trail of what could be yet another new whale species.

Last year, researchers documented scores of new plants and animals, from geckos and sea slugs to flowering plants and sand dollars, as Vox’s Brian Resnick reported. Our favorite? Brookesia nana, a thumbnail-sized chameleon native to northern Madagascar. It may be the smallest reptile on Earth; it’s certainly the cutest.

4) We got a much clearer picture of just how much wildlife we’re losing

The numbers aren’t good.

In September, the World Wildlife Fund published a report showing that the global populations of several major animal groups, including mammals and birds, have declined by almost 70 percent in the last 50 years due to human activity.

A separate report, published in Nature this year, found that populations of ocean sharks and rays have plummeted by more than 70 percent in roughly the same period. And one-third of freshwater fish have been found to be at risk of extinction.

A number of species were also declared extinct over the last year. Those include the smooth handfish, a bottom-dweller that rests atop human-like appendages on the seafloor. It was the first marine fish species to be declared extinct in modern history. (Environmental journalist John Platt has a list of recent extinctions in 2020 at Scientific American.)

5) Protecting plants and animals hinges on a thriving ecotourism industry

In the early days of the pandemic, the popular “Nature is healing” meme overshadowed a darker reality in many parts of the world: As travel ground to a halt, so did revenue from wildlife tourism, putting some wildlife conservation efforts at risk.

The fallout was most severe in Africa. According to a new collection of research from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a government and civil society group, more than half of the continent’s protected areas had to pause or limit field patrols and other operations to stop poachers in the wake of the pandemic.

“Parks have emptied out to a large extent and there’s no money coming in,” Nigel Dudley, a co-author of one of the IUCN papers, told Reuters last month.

Some communities are deeply reliant on wildlife tourism. Late last year, Vox’s Brian Resnick spoke to veterinarian Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, who is working to keep coronavirus-susceptible gorillas alive in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

When tourism dropped, “everybody was struggling,” she said. “The local economy suffered and poaching went up.” (You can read more of Resnick’s conversation with her here.)

6) Researchers uncovered more proof that a key system of ocean currents is weakening

Graphics that show changes in ocean temperature over time generally reveal one trend: The ocean is heating up. But there’s one critical exception. Just below Greenland lies a large patch of water that’s cooling off. And that patch has scientists concerned that we could be nearing a tipping point for the climate.

The cold patch, scientists say, signals that a network of currents that bring warm water to the North Atlantic — known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC — is slowing down, and the melting of ice on Greenland is likely a culprit. One paper, published in the journal Nature in March, suggests that the current AMOC slowdown is “unprecedented in over a thousand years.”

The AMOC shapes weather across multiple continents, so any major slowdown will carry major consequences that could include faster sea-level rise in some regions, stronger hurricanes, and other changes in weather, to say nothing of the impacts to marine ecosystems.

But to be clear, the science on this is new and complex. For a great run-down, check out this recent visual feature in the New York Times.

7) The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs gave rise to the Amazon rainforest

The massive asteroid that struck Earth 66 million years ago may be best known for driving non-avian dinosaurs to extinction, but it also transformed entire ecosystems.

It may have even given rise to the Amazon rainforest, according to a study published in Science earlier this month. The finding is based on an analysis of about 50,000 fossil pollen records and 6,000 fossil leaf records in Colombia from before and after the asteroid crashed into what is now Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

The data reveals two vastly different forests. Before the event, the forests were stocked with conifers and ferns, and the trees were spread out, with plenty of room for light to stream through the canopy. After the asteroid event, however, flowering plants started to dominate the landscape and the canopy became much more tightly packed, resembling the forest we know today.

“If you returned to the day before the meteorite fall, the forest would have an open canopy with a lot of ferns, many conifers, and dinosaurs,” study co-author Carlos Jaramillo of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama told New Scientist. “The forest we have today is the product of one event 66 million years ago.”

The idea here is that the asteroid impact somehow triggered a series of events that led to the modern Amazon rainforest. What were those events? One theory the researchers offer is that, before the asteroid, herbivorous dinosaurs prevented the forest from becoming dense by eating and trampling plants.

8) A review of more than 300 studies showed that the rate of deforestation is lower on Indigenous lands

The global conservation movement is pushing forward a plan to conserve 30 percent of the Earth by 2030 — an initiative known as 30 by 30 — and increasingly calling for Indigenous communities to be central to that effort.

These groups have historically been uprooted from land in the name of wildlife conservation. There is also greater evidence that forests fare better when they are governed by Indigenous and tribal territories.

A recent UN review of more than 300 studies found that forests within tribal territories in Latin America and the Caribbean have significantly lower rates of deforestation where land rights are formally recognized.

“In just about every country in the region Indigenous and tribal territories have lower deforestation rates than other forest areas,” wrote the authors of the report, which was published by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and the Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean. “Many Indigenous territories prevent deforestation as effectively as non-Indigenous protected areas, and some even more effectively.”

9) Wildfire smoke can turn the sky an apocalyptic orange

If there was one day in 2020 that defined the climate emergency, it could have been September 9, when the sky above San Francisco turned completely orange.

Strong winds had carried smoke from fires burning across California to the atmosphere above the city. Particles of soot absorbed or reflected blue light from the sun, letting only orange-ish light through. (Wired has the details.)

But what made the image go viral wasn’t so much the science but what it symbolized: a growing climate catastrophe.

Climate change is making wildfires more frequent and severe, and 2020 provided more devastating evidence. Last year was California’s worst wildfire season on record. By the end of the year, nearly 10,000 fires had burned over 4 million acres — an astonishing 4 percent of California’s total land, according to the state.

10) Scientists finally solved the mystery of why wombats poop cubes

Sure, it may not have kept you up at night, but the mystery of the bare-nosed wombat’s poop puzzled scientists for decades. Why do these adorable, chunky marsupials, native to Australia and Tasmania, leave behind feces with six sides?

Thanks to a new study — published in the journal Soft Matter — we now have the answer.

Building on research published a few years earlier, a team of scientists found that wombat intestines have regions of varying thickness and elasticity that contract at different speeds: The stiffer regions contract relatively quickly, while softer sections squeeze more slowly, together forming a cube-like shape.

But there’s still a bit of mystery left: Why is their poop shaped like this? The jury’s still out, but some researchers believe it’s because wombats climb up on rocks and logs, and the cube-like shape prevents the feces from rolling away. This is key for wombats because they use piles of feces to communicate with other wombats.

What a difference a year makes, truly.

[sciencespies]

Scientists think they've discovered a new species of beaked whale

https://sciencespies.com/nature/scientists-think-theyve-discovered-a-new-species-of-beaked-whale/

Scientists think they've discovered a new species of beaked whale

Scientists may have discovered a large-toothed mammal off the western coast of Mexico that they say looks and sounds unlike anything else on Earth.

Researchers collected environmental genetic samples of this strange creature that are still being analysed, but the photographs and acoustic recordings have researchers “highly confident” it’s a never-before-described species of beaked whale.

“We saw something new. Something that was not expected in this area, something that doesn’t match, either visually or acoustically, anything that is known to exist,” announced Jay Barlow, a marine mammal researcher who worked with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization, during the expedition.

“It just sends chills up and down my spine when I think that we might have accomplished what most people would say was truly impossible – finding a large mammal that exists on this earth that is totally unknown to science.”

A snapshot of the possibly new species. (Simon Ager/Sea Shepherd)

It all started in 2018 when a strange sound was picked up in the waters around Mexico’s San Benito Islands (and, before that, off the coast of California). Whales, dolphins, and porpoises are all known to have their own unique calls, but this sound, known as BW43, was harder to place. It didn’t really fit in anywhere.

At the time, scientists suspected it might belong to an elusive species of deep-diving beaked whale – a kind that had never before been observed alive. In fact, Perrin’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon perrini), as it is known, was only identified as its own species after five corpses washed up on California’s beaches between 1975 and 1997. Before that, it was lumped in with Hector’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon hectori), which looks similar.

This year, while searching for the source of BW42 a hundred kilometres off the coast of Mexico, an expedition from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ended up finding what they think may be a different species entirely.

Researchers say the photographs taken do not resemble Perrin’s beaked whale or any other member of the Hyperoodontidae family. Nor do its acoustics, picked up on an underwater microphone, sound like any other known cetacean.

As such, the team of beaked whale experts think it must be a newly discovered species, although verification is still needed.

“The discovery of a new species of beaked whale proves how much mystery there is left to discover in the oceans that our captains, crews, and research partners fight to defend,” says Peter Hammarstedt, the campaigns director for Sea Shepherd. 

  Beaked whales are one of the least well-known groups of mammals in the world, largely because of their preference for the deep sea, spending the vast majority of their time thousands of metres below the waves. 

For instance, just last month, Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) set a record for the longest dive ever recorded in a marine mammal, spending nearly four hours underwater without a breath.

Hundreds of years after naming the first beaked whale, scientists are still finding new species of this large, deep-diving mammal. At first, scientists thought there were only two species. Now, we’ve identified at least 23, some of which have never been seen alive. Only a handful have been studied in any detail. 

Some, like True’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus) can weigh thousands of pounds, and yet even then, only a handful of people have ever seen them swimming in the wild. 

In 2016, DNA analysis confirmed a new beaked whale species had washed up on the coast of Japan and Alaska with a rare black colouring. After several genetic lines of evidence, the creature was officially named Berardius minimus, or Sato’s beaked whale, in 2019.

Now, a year later, it looks like we’ve found yet another. But this time, they were alive and singing.

Two individuals of a possible newly discovered whale species. (Simon Ager/Sea Shepherd)

Describing a new species of animal requires several lines of evidence and an independent review. The expedition was able to take photographs, record acoustic recordings, and collect environmental genetic sampling.

“We’re literally taking water samples from where the whales dove, so right where they were,” Elizabeth Henderson, a bioacoustics scientist at the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific and another research on the Sea Shepherd expedition, tells Mongabay.

“The hope is that there’s some genetic material left in the water, whether that’s sloughed skin, whether it’s some remnants of fecal matter.”

Distinguishing between species is difficult enough, but for the beaked whale, it’s especially challenging. The sheer lack of information on each species makes it hard to compare them without proper genetic samples.

In many cases, we can’t even figure out their conservation status. Without knowing their population numbers, whether they migrate, and what their habitats are like, it’s hard to say how beaked whales are coping in a rapidly changing world.

“Sea Shepherd strongly believes in the critical role that scientific research plays in supporting strong conservation action,” says Hammarstedt. 

“To properly protect something, you have to love it; and you cannot love that which you do not know.”

Clearly, there’s a lot we don’t know.

#Nature

[cyan-biologist]

The Extreme World of Deep Sea Cephalopods

Although it is the home of approximately 98% of the ocean’s species, the deep sea is a frontier yet to be explored by natural scientists. Of the estimated 500.000 to 10 million species living on or above the seafloor, new species are discovered and described by marine biologists every year. Being one of the biggest and most extreme environments on Earth, the deep sea’s biodiversity is enormous in both species of prey and predators. From demonic red octopi to gigantic squid wrestling with sperm whales, the most interesting group of marine predators would be the deep sea’s cephalopods.

The biggest problem living as a squid at 5000 meters depth is the pitch black environment you have to hunt in. A great variety of cephalopods have adapted to their surroundings in the most extreme ways. One of the easiest feeding strategies is what we call “passive hunting”, and one of the more scary-looking squid known to science – the genus Magnapinna – uses this technique in the most bizarre way. Known commonly as Bigfin squid, or Long-armed squid, this group is known for its irregular big fin-size and extremely long arms. Although previously only known from caught juveniles, in 2007 an eerie video was made by a research facility in the Gulf of Mexico. What they saw was a 8 meters-long adult squid, floating around in the abyss.

Magnapinna sp.

Another more obvious feeding strategy is active hunting: squid are known to chase and ambush their prey using their intelligence and extremely complicated eyes. While we know that the eyes of squid are highly adapted and look similar to those of a mammal, there’s one species that takes it a step further. The so-called strawberry squid (Histioteuthis heteropsis) gets its name from the strawberry-like appearance of its skin. The light-producing speckles, or photophores, are supposed to confuse predators. What’s more interesting however, is the fact that it has one “normal” eye and one big green eye. It is believed that the smaller eye detects bioluminescence generated from potential prey, while the other eye watches the sky and filters faint light from above.

Histioteuthis heteropsis

While the strawberry squid tries to confuse its own predators, sometimes the best defense is simply being bigger than the predator. Some squid have evolved to be gigantic, take for example the Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) from the gulf of Mexico. The human sized squid are known to be hostile towards divers and even hunt in packs – sometimes referred to as “a squad of squid”. An even bigger squid can be found in the deep: the Giant and Colossal squid (genus Architeuthis and Mesonychoteuthis) are known to reach sizes over 10 meters. There is only one animal capable of fighting a gigantic squid: the 16-meter long Sperm whale. Although never observed by biologists, evidence of squid-whale battles can be found on stranded whales. Circular marks, believed to be caused by the suckers of the squid, cover the hide of several found Sperm whales.

Lastly, there’s one group of cephalopods often overlooked by the general public. Having the creepiest name from the deep sea, the Vampire squid is one of the most interesting organisms on Earth. Its Latin name Vampyroteuthis infernalis literally means “vampiric squid from hell”, but its name is scarier than the animal itself. The Vampire squid feeds on the so-called deep sea snow: flakes of waste material that slowly falls to the ocean floor. It uses a long thread-like appendage to collect the snow and brings it to its mouth.

Thought to be the common ancestor of both squid and octopi, the bright red molluscs share a lot of characters with the other cephalopods. There are however some differences. When threatened, Vampire squids cannot simply swim away. Instead, they use an unique arsenal of defensive strategies. The filaments between their tentacles can be used to protect their soft bodies, exposing spiny structures on the inside of the tentacles. In addition, Vampire squid have no ink-sacs like other lineages, but can emit fluorescent fluids to scare predators away.

Vampyroteuthis infernalis

There’s a lot we still don’t know about the deep sea and its inhabitants, but every day new species are being discovered by marine biologists. We don’t have to look for other planets to find aliens, the weirdest organisms can be found below the waves, waiting for us.

Hi I’m Werner, master student and invertebrate enthusiast. Most information was found through the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute: if you’re interested in deep sea stuff like me, check out their site.

[scienceblogtumbler]

The answer to marine pollution lies on land

Plastics, chemicals and oil spills pollute and endanger marine ecosystems. Yet cleaning up the ocean is rarely, if ever, possible. Solutions must therefore consist in reducing waste and other hazardous materials.

For decades, waste and hazardous materials have been dumped into the ocean as a result of human activity. Covering more than two thirds of the Earth’s surface, the ocean is so vast that human carelessness seemed unlikely ever to affect it. But it is now a known fact that, in addition to overfishing, warming caused by climate change, ever-increasing maritime transport, and ocean acidification, pollution is a threat to marine organisms and their habitats.

The planet’s ailing life-support system As a result, “all the essential services provided by the ocean to the planet and to humankind are likely to be seriously disrupted,” warns Françoise Gaill, CNRS research professor emeritus and vice-president of the Ocean and Climate Platform. The world’s population depends to a large extent on marine resources, not only for food but also for economic purposes, from tourism to the transport of goods. The ocean is also vital to the climate, since it absorbs 25% of the CO2 emitted by human activity into the atmosphere every year. Deep sea organisms also play a key role in the functioning of this biological carbon pump where phytoplankton, at the bottom of the marine food chain, use CO2 and transform it into organic matter, part of which sinks to the ocean floor. In the process, these microscopic algae and bacteria provide half the oxygen produced on Earth.

Faced with this situation, many scientists are sounding the alarm and calling for the ocean to be given priority in environmental policies. Urgent measures must be taken to preserve it, starting with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the establishment of marine protected areas on a large scale. But how should pollution be dealt with? By attempting to clean up the ocean, or by acting directly at the source? CNRS News takes a look at some of the possible solutions.

The plastic plague By its sheer scale, plastic contamination symbolises the human impact on the environment, above all other forms of man-made pollution. Due to poor waste management, it is estimated that every year, 10 million tonnes of plastic are dumped into the sea, 80% of which comes from inland, mainly via rivers. “From coastal regions to the poles, and from the ocean surface to the sea floor, no area of the ocean is free from this pollution. The whole food chain is impacted, from zooplankton to whales,” points out Ika Paul-Pont of the Laboratory of Environmental Marine Sciences.1 In addition to larger waste such as bags and bottles, which can cause the death of animals by entanglement or intestinal obstruction when ingested, plastic pollution turns out to be particularly insidious, as it is made up of billions of particles, sometimes less than a few millimetres in diameter, produced by the degradation of plastic caused by UV radiation and wave action. These microplastics, as they are known, are ingested by all marine fauna, even the very smallest organisms, with a wide range of effects.

Once swallowed, these pollutants can prevent animals from feeding normally, which affects their growth, reproduction and immune defences. “We exposed oysters to microplastics in the laboratory. These molluscs feed on microalgae by filtering water, ingesting plastic in the process. The presence of the polymer means the shellfish have to devote more energy to filtration – and therefore less to reproduction. As a result, we’ve observed a 40% drop in the hatching rate compared to uncontaminated oysters,” Paul-Pont explains. More recently, scientists, including CNRS researchers, have also discovered that microplastics continue to break down into even smaller, nanometre-sized particles. They are able to cross cell membranes and may pose an even greater toxicity hazard. Although this field of research is still in its infancy, its findings are eagerly awaited. Ocean ecosystems are indeed not the only ones exposed to such pollution, since marine wildlife eventually ends up in our plates!

  When seen through a scanning electron microscope, the surface of microplastics is covered in biofilm, or bacteria that grow on polymers floating in the sea.

 Alexandra TER HALLE/ IMRCP/CNRS Photothèque

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  Vectors of toxic substances and disease Microplastics also contain a number of additives to make them transparent or non-flammable, for example, which are liable to be released into the animals’ organs. Studies have shown that molecules such as phthalates and bisphenol A, which are endocrine disruptors, affect the behaviour, development, and reproduction of fish. In addition, microplastics act like sponges, as they absorb and concentrate the pollutants present in seawater, from pesticides to heavy metals and hydrocarbons, thus increasing their toxicity.

As if that weren’t enough, researchers have also found that plastic particles provide a new habitat for many species of bacteria and microalgae. On these tiny artificial rafts, microorganisms can travel long distances and modify ecosystems, either because they behave as invasive species or because they are pathogens and can spread certain diseases. So far, no cases of contagion through plastic have been recorded, but the issue remains a cause for concern.

  Microplastics ingested by these oysters from the Gabarre mangrove in the French overseas départment of Guadeloupe can hinder their growth, which is therefore closely monitored.

 Cyril FRESILLON/PEPSEA/CNRS Photothèque

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  Tackling plastic pollution at the source What can be done to fight this scourge? Would it be wise to follow the example of the Dutch NGO The Ocean Cleanup and send boats with huge nets to clean up the vast expanse of floating plastic waste – the Seventh Continent as it has been dubbed? For Jean-François Ghiglione, an ecotoxicologist at the Laboratory of Microbial Oceanography (LOMIC),2 the answer is straightforward: “it’s too late to clean up the mess. Plastic is everywhere in the ocean, and the waste on the surface accounts for only a tiny fraction of the total. We must first tackle pollution at the source by producing less of this material and recycling it more efficiently.”

  Developed by The Ocean Cleanup, the Interceptor is an autonomous system for collecting plastic waste.

 The Ocean Cleanup/Cover Images/ZUMA/REA

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  Single-use packaging and plastics, in particular, are what scientists have their sights on. These make up the bulk of the pollution, as shown by a number of marine microplastic sampling campaigns, including the schooner Tara missions in which Ghiglione is involved. Together, these results contributed to the European Union’s ban on plastic bags, disposable tableware, cotton swabs, drinking straws, microbeads in scrubs, and food containers. Looking ahead, scientists are attempting to find alternatives to these plastics by developing novel bio-sourced, biodegradable, and non-toxic materials. Ghiglione and his team are testing the toxicity of industrial additives on marine fauna, for example on mussels, as well as the breakdown rate of next-generation polymers in marine environments, with the aim of identifying the most suitable candidates.

  Most cosmetics contain plastic microbeads, which are high in persistent pollutants. Juvenile fish mistake them for food.

 Science Photo Library/CRISTINA PEDRAZZINI ; © Paulo de Oliveira/ Biosphoto

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  Bacteria as a solution Another strategy to combat plastic pollution is to resort to marine bacteria. Among the various species that proliferate on microplastics, scientists have identified organisms that can use their enzymes to break them down. This ability has been improved through genetic modification in the lab and raises the question of whether such bacteria could be used to gobble up plastic waste at sea. But here again, Ghiglione is adamant: “Compared to the rate at which plastic enters the sea, the bacterial degradation process is far too slow to provide a solution.”

However, this could help reduce the impact of oil spills, whose environmental impact is disastrous. Slicks directly kill animals and birds as they become mired in the oil or when they ingest it, since it lines the inner walls of the stomach and prevents tissue exchanges in the animals. Oil also contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are carcinogenic, and cases of necrosis have been observed in fish for instance. And yet, scientists know just how resilient marine ecosystems can be when affected by this kind of pollution. Even though it takes several decades, habitats end up being recolonised due in part to the presence of certain bacteria that feed on hydrocarbons. Experiments have shown that, by providing these organisms with nutrients in the form of phosphorus and nitrogen, it is possible to boost their appetite and thus enable them to break down the oil much more rapidly. “Unfortunately, this type of bioremediation is not yet looked on favourably by the authorities. For instance, during the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, it was preferred to act as quickly as possible and spray the oil slick with dispersants that can also be toxic to ecosystems,” Ghiglione points out.

  Marine bacteria can help fight pollution. The Oceanimonas baumannii bacteria, seen here coloured under a scanning electron microscope, are able to break down phenol, an industrial pollutant, and use it as an energy source.

 Science Photo Library/Dennis Kunkel Microscopy

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  Chemical poisoning  Besides these specific but isolated disasters, chemical contamination is a type of chronic pollution that is just as worrying as the accumulation of plastic. Medicines, endocrine disruptors, pesticides, flame retardants, cosmetics, detergents are just the tip of the iceberg and the number of molecules that can endanger marine ecosystems is endless. Released into the environment by industry, farming and the general public, these chemicals are transported by water or air into the oceans. “Persistent organic pollutants pose the greatest threat because of their long lifespan and can be absorbed by organisms at every level of the food chain,” explains Hélène Budzinski of the EPOC laboratory.3 The list includes certain pesticides and endocrine-disrupting perfluorinated compounds used, among other things, to make clothing stain- and water-resistant. Now banned in many countries but once widely used as flame retardants in electrical equipment, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are still present in the ocean. They build up all along the food chain, end up in high concentration in the tissue of marine predators such as orcas, and are thought to contribute to the decline in their populations. These compounds are a threat not only to marine fauna but also to human health through food consumption.

Other persistent pollutants, although inorganic in this case, are heavy metals such as mercury, which is produced by the combustion of coal. As well as its toxicity to marine organisms, its impact on humans has been clearly evidenced. Once in the ocean, microorganisms turn the metallic element into methylmercury. And although this compound is found in only tiny quantities in seawater, its concentration is much higher in the fish we eat, again due to its accumulation along the food chain. A recent study has shown that, in the US, exposure to methylmercury, which can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders and cardiovascular disease, comes from the consumption of marine animals.

  The oil spill that followed the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon platform in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico was sprayed with dispersants. Toxic to the environment, these products were used despite the existence of marine bacteria able to digest hydrocarbons.

 Chris Graythen/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

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  Cocktail effect Unfortunately, persistent compounds are not the only threat to marine wildlife. Other shorter-lived molecules including certain pesticides, medicines, and cosmetics, contribute to the continuous, chronic exposure of organisms, albeit at low doses. Another potential danger is the so-called “cocktail effect”, whereby even though a chemical – whether persistent or not –  has no effect by itself on an organism, it may be harmful when combined with other molecules. This is a subtle process that researchers are only just beginning to understand. “The aim is to better characterise the impact of chemicals on the oceans, both by identifying all the molecules present, even at very low concentrations, and by carrying out more regular measurements over longer time periods,” Budzinski explains.

The effect of chemical pollutants on marine wildlife is often exacerbated by other stressors affecting the oceans, which makes the scientist’s job even more difficult. An iconic example is that of coral reefs, which host a third of all known marine species and ensure the livelihood of 500 million people worldwide. Chemical and plastic pollution could soon spell doom for these ecosystems, which are already under threat from global warming and ocean acidification. “Multiple stress factors and their combined effects should be at the forefront of our concerns. In the future, we must be able to predict the response of ecosystems to all these pressures so that we can take the most appropriate measures to protect them,” Gaill believes.

What solutions should be adopted against chemical pollution then? Here again, there seems little room for doubt. “We need to act on land, before these substances reach the sea, by reducing their production, regulating them and in certain cases banning them,” she adds. Her opinion is echoed by Budzinski, at the EPOC: “we need to change our way of life and make much more rational use of chemistry. In particular, by doing away with medicines we don’t need, simplifying chemical formulations, especially of cosmetics, and focusing on the quality of materials rather than on processing them chemically.” Only then will the ocean be healthy again. And us with it.

Footnotes

1.CNRS / Université de Bretagne occidentale / IRD / IFREMER

2.CNRS / Sorbonne Université.

3.Environnements et Paléoenvironnements Océaniques et Continentaux (CNRS / Université de Bordeaux).

source https://scienceblog.com/518241/the-answer-to-marine-pollution-lies-on-land/

[maritimemanual]

17 Endangered Ocean Species and Marine Animals

Speaking of endangered ocean species, the earth is now in the midst of its sixth mass extinction of plants and animals — the sixth wave of extinctions in the past half-billion years. The situation is almost as bad as that 65 million years ago when the dinosaurs became extinct. Despite the fact that extinction is a natural phenomenon, it has a background rate of one to five species a year.

However, scientists have reported that we are losing species at an alarming rate of 1,000 to 10,000 times the background rate. At this rate, we are seeing the loss of almost a dozen species every day and it will not be long before 50% of all the species will become extinct. That is a scary future indeed.

There is no one to blame for this calamity than us humans. We have been mistreating the environment to suit our needs, totally oblivious to the repercussions. As the need for water is increasing for various industrial or agricultural purposes, we are building dams without a second thought.

We dump our toxic wastes from factories and households into the water bodies. This has made the aquatic ecosystem the most affected areas and it is no surprise that so many fish and other aquatic animals have become endangered.

All the ecosystems are interconnected and interdependent in one way or the other so when there is an imbalance in one, it impacts the other ecosystems as well. As a result, human interventions are causing ecological imbalances in epic proportions.

Animals belonging to the terrestrial ecosystem like the Black rhino, the orangutan, Arum leopard, and the giant pandas, are under great danger. Likewise, turtles, salmonids and marine mammals like the blue whale, belonging to the marine ecosystem are also in danger.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature or the IUCN has declared hundreds of species across the world to be in the list of critically endangered species. This is mostly due to overfishing and climate change which in itself is a consequence of human negligence. This article covers some of those marine lives who are critically endangered.

The following are some of the aquatic animals or species that are on the verge of extinction.

Here is the list of 18 Endangered Ocean Species and Marine Animals

1) Green sea turtle (Cheloniamydas)

Green sea turtle (Cheloniamydas). Courtesy: https://ift.tt/2rP68Tl

The Green Sea turtle is an herbivore and falls in the list of the largest turtles. They are found in tropical and subtropical seas. The name comes from the color of the fat found under its shell. Their lengths can vary from 3 ft to 4 ft. The largest green sea turtle found had a length of 5 ft and weighed 395 kg. Similar to many other varieties of turtles, they leave their hatching beaches in search of food.

Unfortunately, they themselves are popular food items and even their eggs are sold as delicacies in certain parts of the world, leading to a gradual decline in their population. Careless fishing is also an indirect cause of their endangerment.  No wonder, they are one of the most endangered ocean species.

2) Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate)

Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate)

Hawksbill Turtle is an object of heavy trafficking leading to an alarming 80% decline in their population just in the last century. Mostly found in tropical oceans and coral reefs they inhabit the oceans, gulfs, and seas of the world.

Their shells are beautifully patterned and colorful, thus making them extremely valuable in the black market. Hence, they are brutally killed for their shells. Many countries have banned the harvesting of their eggs, but it has turned out to be an effort in vain.

The degradation of coral reefs is also one of the prime reasons for the decline of their species. It is because this is their primary food. Also, they are vital for the existence of seagrass and coral beds because of interdependence. Marine conservatives believe that these turtles belong to a family of reptiles that existed on our planet for a hundred million years.

 3) Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)

Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)

Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles are mostly found in the Gulf of Mexico. They often migrate to the Atlantic Ocean but come back to lay eggs. They are also known as the Atlantic Ridley. They are small and the number of them still alive is smaller. They have unique nesting habits. The females come to the beaches in large numbers to lay eggs. This process is called Arribadas.

They can weigh up to a hundred pounds and can live for as many as 50 years.

They have become extremely rare, mostly due to the damage to and consequently loss of their habitat, marine pollution, getting caught in fishing nets, etc. The harvesting of their eggs has been made illegal and research teams have taken up the project of conserving them through incubation and controlled environment suitable for hatching eggs.

4. Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)

Blue Whale

Weighing at around 200 tonnes, the 100 feet long blue whale happens to be the largest living mammal on the planet. It belongs to the baleen whales and has at least three subspecies. Blue whales migrate from both poles in the oceans around the world and are at the top of the food chain. This gives the blue whale the most important task of maintaining a healthy marine environment.

Humans have created much disruption in this noble work of the whales as they are hunted for commercial purposes, despite the international ban in 1966, resulting in a sharp decline in their population so much so that their existence is threatened.  Based on IUCN’s 2016 report, the estimated global population of the Blue Whale is 10,000 -25,000.

 5.  Fin whale (Balaenopteraphysalus)

The Fin whale is the second-largest mammal on the planet after the Blue Whale weighing at around 114 tonnes and having a length of 25.9 m. It is also known as common rorqual and like other whales has fallen prey to human greed.  They are hunted for their fur and meat. As a result, their global population has gone down by quite a lot and now there are only 100,000 to 119,000 Fin Whales in the whole world.

Humpback Whale is another member of the rorqual species and just like the Fin Whale has been listed under the endangered marine species. Their population had gone down by 90% by the time a ban on whaling had been made official. Only 2,500 of them are still alive.

6. Vaquita (Phoeocna sinus)

The saddest thing about Vaquita is the fact that they are on the verge of extinction just within half a century of its first sighting. They are the smallest cetacean and are critically endangered. They live in the shallow murky waters of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. A Vaquita can be recognized from the dark rings around its eyes, dark patches on its lips and a thin line extending from the mouth to dorsal fins.

The Gulf of California has witnessed a major use of gill-netting for fishing. Despite the fact that gill-netting operations are no longer carried out and have been so since the 1970s, their population keeps decreasing every year at an alarming rate of 15% per year. Reports say that there are only around 12 of these mammals left in the world ever since their population declined by a shocking 90% by 2011.

7. Hector’s Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori)

Hector’s Dolphins happen to be the smallest and rarest dolphins in the world are also the most prominent dolphin in the genus Cephalorhynchus. They are found off the coast of New Zealand and are mostly sighted around the South Island. They have a broad body and black markings on their faces. Their throat and belly are creamy white in color. They move in groups of two to eight.

Trawl fisheries and bottom-set gill nets happen to be the main cause of their deaths and have led to a major decline in their population. The fishing nets are mostly responsible for their deaths. One of their most endangered of the sub-species happens to be Maui’s dolphin. Their population over the world is estimated to be just about 7000.

8. Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrnidae)

 The Hammerhead shark belongs to the family Sphyrnidae and was given the name because of its “hammer” shaped head. The Hammerhead weighs up to 580 kg and their measure in length ranges from 0.9 to 6 meters.  They are found in the tropical regions of the oceans around the world. They eat smaller fish, squid crustaceans and octopuses. They are dangerous hunters and are known to attack humans, even if they are unprovoked.

These majestic sharks are hunted for their fins and are brutally tortured as their fins are cut off from their bodies while they are alive. The remaining are thrown back into the water where they die from bleeding. The ban put on shark finning in many countries has not been of much use due to its high demand in the Asian markets which thrives on its illegal harvesting. This has drastically lowered its population and is continuing to do so.

9. Hawaiian Monk Seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi)

Hawaiian Monk Seal is one of the earless seals who live in the warm beaches of the North-western Hawaiian Islands. This characteristic separates it from other seals. The Caribbean monk seal has already become extinct. It belonged to the same family of monk seals. The only other member of the family remaining in the Mediterranean monk seal. Recent research suggests there are only around 1,400 Hawaiian Monk Seal remaining on the Islands now.

This is largely due to commercial hunting for meat, oil, and skin as well as the threat posed by predators including tiger sharks. They often get entangled in fishing nets and are heavily affected by marine debris.

10. Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus)

Inhabiting the cold coastal waters of the North Pacific, the Stellar Sea Lion is the largest member of the Otariid family and the fourth largest of all seal species. It is also known as the northern sea lion. It was discovered and named after Georg Wilhelm Steller, a naturalist who first saw them in 1741.

Native Alaskans and Canadians hunt them for meat, oil, hides and other by-products. This coupled with the high risk of predation by Killer Whales has caused them to be on the brink of extinction. Reports suggest that their population has declined by more than 60% due to both natural and human threats since the 1960s. However, the good news is that their increasing population in recent years has resulted in their omission from the U.S. Endangered Species List in 2013.

Read more: What Is A Marine Biologist?

11. Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica)

The Ganges River dolphin is found in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. They have a long thin snout, rounded belly, stocky body, and large flippers. Their eyes lack lens and they hence are also referred to as the “blind dolphin”. Still, they use their eyes to locate themselves. The species has a slit on the top of the head, similar to a blowhole, which acts as a nostril. They are greyish brown in color. The younger ones are dark in color and as they grow old their color lightens.

They live in one of the most densely populated areas of the world and are slowly becoming extinct due to the number of dams that are being built every now and then. Apart from that, deforestation, pollution, and entanglement in fisheries and nets have steadily contributed towards the decline of their population. Also because of the barrages, the course of the river is also getting affected which in turn is affecting the species. It is estimated that only 1,200 – 1,800 of these species remain.

12. Spear Tooth Shark (Glyphis glyphis)

Spear tooth sharks are found in Queensland and in the Northern Territory of Australia. They are an extremely rare member of the river shark genus, belonging to the family of Carcharhinidae. They are mainly found in fast-moving, highly turbid waters that vary widely in salinity. They are grey-colored and robustly built having a short broad snout, tiny eyes, and a large second dorsal fin. They also have a black blotch near the tip of their pectoral fin.

Of course, their most outstanding feature is their large, triangular, serrated teeth in their upper jaw and narrow spear-like teeth serrated only near the end in their lower jaw. They measure to about 2.6 meters in length.

Their population has drastically declined due to pollution from mining operations, commercial fishing and recreational fishing in its brackish coastal habitats. Only 250-2,500 of them remain today.

13. Giant Devil Ray (Mobula mobular)

Giant Devil Ray (Mobula mobular) is the largest species of the genus Mobula. They are mostly found in the Mediterranean Sea and possibly the adjoining North Atlantic waters. They are taken as bycatch in many different fisheries. Due to low reproductive capacity, restricted range and high mortality as bycatch they had been categorized as Endangered in 2006. Their population is estimated to reduce by 50% over three generations pertaining to their high mortality range.

There are several other endangered marine species like the Hooded Seal, Great White Sharks, Dugongs, etc. Though many activists are trying to make a difference, most of their work is, unfortunately, going in vain. Maybe they should focus on conserving the species that are not endangered yet as that would be a far more achievable task, but sadly that is not what is being done.

14. Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus)

The bluefin tuna, also known as the aquatic bluefin tuna, the northern bluefin tuna or the giant bluefin tuna is a species of tuna fish. It belongs to the family of Scombridae. These fish are native to the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. This species has already become extinct in the black sea and is on the verge of extinction in other parts of the world as well.

They can have a mass of more than 150 kg and yet this fish has an extraordinary ability to dive over 4000 ft. It is also a very popular dish all over the world and this is one of the reasons for its current situation. Other reasons for this are overfishing and not knowing about its lifecycle. Only about 40,000 bluefin tuna fishes are remaining today.

15. Galápago Penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus)

The Galápago Penguin is a species of penguin. It is the only species of penguin found in the north of the equator. They are named after the Galapagos Islands. They are small animals with a weight of not more than 2.5 kg and a height of 49 cm. It is one of the most critically endangered marine species on the planet with a remaining population of just about 2000. The main reasons behind this are climate change and overfishing. Recently, the introduction of domestic islands in the Galapagos Islands has been one of the prime reasons. Other threats to them include bycatch and pollution.

 16. Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus)

 The Florida Manatee is a marine species that are found off the coast of Florida, USA. It is the aquatic relative of the elephant. They are generally 10 to 12 feet in length and can weigh as much as 800 kg. They are herbivores. Today, only 3000 to 6000 Florida Manatees remain. The major threats to their existence are pollution, climate change, habitat loss boat strikes, and commercial development. There are several organizations that aim at conserving this species. One can contribute by making donations or symbolically adopting them.

17. Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)

The Sea Otter is an aquatic animal that belongs to the Weasel family. It is normally found along the coasts of the Pacific Ocean and in parts of Asia. They can grow up to a height of 4 ft and live for about 15 to 20 years on average. The main threats to sea otters are oil spills, habitat degradation, shark attacks, and hunting. Their population is about 106,000 all over the world. They are endangered species protected by law.

from WordPress https://www.maritimemanual.com/endangered-ocean-species-and-water-animals/

[kacydeneen]

Scientists Discover Glow-in-the-Dark Shark in Gulf Of Mexico

Florida beaches may have another type of visitor soon – and this one glows in the dark.

A new shark species, named the American Pocket Shark, was discovered in the Gulf of Mexico by a team of researchers from the University of Florida, Tulane University and the NOAA.

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At just 5.5 inches, the American Pocket Shark is named for its two small pockets that hold a secret superpower – they can glow in the dark.

The luminous fluid released by the shark is used to attract prey, while the ‘tiny predator’ remains undetectable below its glow.

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“In the history of fisheries science, only two pocket sharks have ever been captured or reported,” Mark Grace, one of the researchers, said in a press release. “Both are separate species, each from separate oceans. Both are exceedingly rare.”

The first of these sharks was discovered in 1979 in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, now on display at the Zoological Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

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This pocket shark was collected in 2010 during a mission to study patterns of sperm whale feeding, but it wasn’t until 2013 when Grace discovered the shark and studied its origin.

Due to its size and relative uniqueness, it is not considered a threat but more of a wonder.

Henry Bart, director of the Tulane Biodiversity Research Institute, said: “The fact that only one pocket shark has ever been reported from the Gulf of Mexico, and that it is a new species, underscores how little we know about the Gulf."

Photo Credit: Photo by Tulane researcher Mark Doosey Scientists Discover Glow-in-the-Dark Shark in Gulf Of Mexico published first on Miami News

[bharatiyamedia-blog]

Haunting Video Is The First Footage Ever Recorded of a Big Squid in US Waters

http://tinyurl.com/y6onn5v9 Within the pitch black waters 759 meters (2500 toes) beneath the floor of the Gulf of Mexico, a skinny, undulating arm emerges from the gloom. Abruptly, it splits, and what was a lone, curious appendage is a writhing bouquet of tentacles till, lastly, an honest-to-God big squid blooms from the darkness and assaults.   Then, the beast vanishes again into the deep as abruptly because it emerged. For the primary time, a dwelling big squid had been filmed in US waters. The video was captured by a team of researchers on an expedition funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who have been learning the impacts of sunshine deprivation on deep sea creatures dwelling within the “midnight zone,” 3,280 toes (1000 meters) beneath the floor. To carry the historic picture to the world, the 23-person crew had to make use of a specialised probe, get fortunate sufficient to lure the elusive squid to a digital camera and discover it amongst hours and hours of video footage. Then, the downloaded video needed to survive a sudden lightning strike to the metallic analysis vessel that threatened scientists’ computer systems. On prime of all the things else, a water spout shaped out of the blue off the port bow. Edith Widder, one of many leaders of the expedition, described the ordeal as “one of many extra wonderful days at sea I’ve ever had.” Talking on Sunday from the dock the place the Level Sur analysis vessel had simply docked after two weeks at sea, Widder, founding father of the Ocean Analysis & Conservation Affiliation, recounted the dramatic occasions surrounding the invention.   Scientists had used a specialised digital camera system developed by Widder known as the Medusa, which makes use of purple gentle undetectable to deep sea creatures and has allowed scientists to find species and observe elusive ones. The probe was outfitted with a pretend jellyfish that mimicked the invertebrates’ bioluminescent protection mechanism, which may sign to bigger predators {that a} meal could also be close by, to lure the squid and different animals to the digital camera. With days to go till the top of the two-week expedition, 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of New Orleans, an enormous squid took the bait. Final Wednesday, as a squall raged over the Gulf, Widder was within the ship’s mess ready for movies from the Medusa to course of when her colleague Nathan J. Robinson, director of the Cape Eleuthera Institute, got here barging in. “His eyes have been nearly coming out of his head,” mentioned Widder. “He did not even say something, and I knew instantly he had seen one thing wonderful on the video. “We have been all yelling, and different folks begin working into the lab and we’re attempting laborious to not get excited. In science, it’s a must to watch out to not idiot your self,” she mentioned.   However it was tough to not get enthusiastic about what they noticed within the video. It certain regarded like an enormous squid, however the storm made it tough to achieve an skilled on shore who might correctly establish the creature. Then, as a result of issues weren’t dramatic sufficient, the ship was struck by lightning. Widder heard a loud increase and ran exterior to see a plume of yellow and brown smoke. Particles was strewn in regards to the deck. She and her colleagues instantly feared for the computer systems carrying the dear footage. “We rushed into the lab to be sure that probably the most wonderful video that we have all ever seen was nonetheless okay, which it was,” Widder recalled. A few hours later, she mentioned, their captain knowledgeable them {that a} water spout, a climate formation akin to a twister, was forming close by. However in the long run, it was all wonderful. Michael Vecchione, a zoologist on the NOAA’s National Systematics Laboratory was in a position to verify remotely that they’d certainly captured pictures of the elusive big squid. The researchers estimated it was at the very least Three to three.7 meters (10 to 12 toes) lengthy.   Even with out lightning strikes and open-water tornadoes, filming an enormous squid in its pure habitat is extraordinarily tough – so tough, in actual fact, that no one had managed it till 2012, when Widder and her and her colleagues on a mission off the coast of Japan used The Medusa to capture the first-ever videos of giant squid in their deep sea home. In 2004, Japanese scientists have been in a position to take the first pictures of an enormous squid and gather a portion of tentacle from a reside animal. However traditionally, a lot of what scientists knew about big squid got here from lifeless specimens that had washed up on shore or had been recovered from the bellies of sperm whales, Smithsonian Journal reported. Their immense measurement, alien options, and elusive habits have earned the large squid a legendary standing amongst marine life. “It is bought eight writhing arms and two slashing tentacles,” Widder mentioned. “It has the biggest eye of any animal we all know of, it is bought a beak that may rip flesh. It has a jet propulsion system that may go backwards and forwards, blue blood, and three hearts. It is an incredible, wonderful life kind we all know virtually nothing about.” Squid have served as the premise for the legendary Kraken, and its repute as a monster was bolstered by appearances in Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Below The Sea, in addition to Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, which maybe contains the best description of its place within the public creativeness: “We now gazed on the most wondrous phenomenon which the key seas have hitherto revealed to mankind. An unlimited pulpy mass, furlongs in size and breadth, of a glancing cream-color, lay floating on the water, innumerable lengthy arms radiating from its centre, and curling and twisting like a nest of anacondas, as if blindly to catch at any hapless object inside attain. No perceptible face or entrance did it have; no conceivable token of both sensation or intuition; however undulated there on the billows, an unearthly, formless, chance-like apparition of life. […] No matter superstitions the sperm whalemen normally have linked with the sight of this object, sure it’s, {that a} glimpse of it being so very uncommon, that circumstance has gone far to speculate it with portentousness. So not often is it beheld, that although every body of them declare it to be the biggest animated factor within the ocean, but only a few of them have any however probably the most obscure concepts regarding its true nature and kind.” Whereas fashionable know-how has allowed scientists to get a greater glimpse of the large squid than the doomed souls of the Pequod, the dramatic circumstances of this new discovery really feel becoming, contemplating the creature’s legendary lineage. Widder and her colleagues, together with Robinson and Sönke Johnsen, a biology professor at Duke College, hope that discoveries like theirs will proceed to seize the general public creativeness and assist spur help for oceanic analysis. “What have been as soon as monsters to be feared are actually curious and luxurious creatures that delight,” Johnsen and Widder wrote on the NOAA’s expedition weblog. “We wish to really feel that science and exploration has caused this modification, making the world much less scary and extra wondrous with every new factor we be taught.” 2019 © The Washington Publish This text was initially printed by The Washington Post.   Source link

[aootle-blog]

6 Best Destinations To See Dolphins In The World [ video Available]

6 Best Destinations To See Dolphins In The World The sighting of dolphins and whales usually goes hand in hand. It's hard to see one group without seeing the other ... at least in their natural environment. There is nothing more spectacular than admiring these incredible creatures in their natural habitat, or even in a well-managed aquatic zoo. You often hear stories of dolphins and their intelligence, but now it’s a time to plan a vacation to discover the incredible abilities of dolphins on your own and admire their docile and friendly nature is ideal for the whole family. This will ensure unforgettable memories and an incredible sense of wonder at the benefits of Mother Nature. Keep on reading to know, where you can see the world’s beautiful dolphins. Virginia Beach, Virginie If you have the incredible chance to visit Virginia Beach, you should not miss the opportunity to watch the dolphins. Many companies offer dolphin watching expeditions at sea. They last about 90 minutes, and qualified personnel explains the species and behaviors you observe live. Beauty and natural wonders will blow you away. Expeditions are usually organized between April and October.

A good company that offers dolphin cruises is Dockside Seafood and Fishing Center. They offer 90-minute cruises at sunset every day between late May and early September. You can admire the dolphins in action on their way to Cape Henry. It is also an excellent place to observe many species of birds. Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver, British Columbia, is located on the west coast of Canada, on the Pacific Ocean, and is one of the best places to see dolphins and whales. You can take part in a whale and dolphin watching expedition to admire them in their natural environment or visit the Vancouver Aquarium to see dolphins well trained and happy to show off for their coaches. Vancouver's proximity to the Pacific Ocean makes it an excellent destination for viewing the Pacific white-sided dolphin. These dolphins are common in the northern Pacific Ocean, from Japan to northern America and from Alaska to Baja, Mexico.

There are approximately 900,000 white-sided dolphins in the North Pacific, and their habit of swimming in groups of up to 2000 makes them easy to spot. You can take an excursion from Vancouver to Victoria to observe marine life in its natural habitat, or learn more about the habits and behaviors of dolphins during their shows at the Vancouver Aquarium. Dolphin Center, Scotland

Located at the mouth of the Spey River, the Scottish Dolphin Center is one of the best places to watch dolphins in the UK. It offers much more than dolphin watching. In fact, there is so much to see and do on the spot that you will need several days to experiment. Seven days a week you can see huge bottlenose dolphins from the shore.

The center also presents a video called 'The Dry Dive' in the Ice House, which presents the life of the bay filmed underwater and on the surface. It's an exhilarating experience to see through the eyes of a dolphin the journey between the sunny world of a river and the depths of the sea. You will also see birds, jellyfish, dolphins, and porpoises. You can visit for free the largest ice house in the UK. You can also watch and touch the bones of giant whales, admire the breath-taking views of the Spey River and learn more about the history of salmon fishing in the area. Here is an amazing educational adventure for the day. Port de Hong Kong

Have you ever seen a pink dolphin? I'm not talking about a video game or a child's drawing, but about a real pink dolphin. You can admire these beautiful creatures in the port of Hong Kong. Pink dolphins have spotted for the first time about 300 years ago, but it was not until the late 1980s that more attention was paid to them - when plans to build the Check Lap Airport Kok were introduced. The airport was supposed to be built in the Northern Lantau Island area, which is the natural habitat for these wonderful creatures. After a general outcry, the Hong Kong government has funded research projects to study this threatened and little-known species.

The pink dolphin is also called the white dolphin of China because adults can be white or pink. New-borns are black and become slowly grey before developing pink spots and becoming completely pink or white. But around Hong Kong, they are predominantly pink. Although they are clearly under threat due to their small population, there are observation cruises organized all year round in their natural environment. Cruises take 3 to 4 hours, and 96% of them are successful. Iceland coastline Iceland is one of the best places in the world to see dolphins and whales. This is one of the few places where you can observe seven different species of the dolphin family. The most common species are white-nosed dolphins, white-sided dolphins, pilot whales and killer whales. The less common species are the blue and white dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin and the common dolphin.

The most common dolphin in Iceland is the white-headed dolphin - it is present in tens of thousands of the country, offshore and near the coast, but not too close to the coast. Many companies offer expeditions that bring you closer to these species. You can see a lot of marine fauna in addition to dolphins in the wild: whales, porpoises, seals, sharks and more. The natural environment is the only place where you can observe the actions and behaviors of these animals. It's an unforgettable experience, no matter how old you are. Key West, Floride

Key West, Florida, is an island well known for its interactive dolphins. There are many tours, cruises, and dives throughout Key West. Some allow you to dive and swim with the dolphins while others offer the chance to see the dolphins in their natural environment without leaving the boat. Whatever your preference, the abundance of bottlenose dolphins in the area means you will not be disappointed. One such organization is Fury's West Dolphin Watch and Snorkel Tour. They are certified 'Dolphin SMART,' which means that they have been trained to observe dolphins responsibly.

Fury offers catamaran tours where you can snorkel with dolphins and get closer to these sweet creatures to interact with their environment. They provide the snorkeling equipment, instructions, a free drink and fresh water showers once back on the boat. They also offer a twilight excursion during which you can admire the beautiful sunset while sipping champagne. Buy your tickets in advance even though you choose to do so you will not be disappointed if they are all sold.

So, readers start planning your vacation to these beautiful destinations and give yourself an opportunity to spend a great time with beautiful creatures.

  https://youtu.be/eFYx9SLzhHs https://aootle.com/vacation-destinations/ https://aootle.com/hiking-benefits/ Read the full article

[ntrending]

The critters of the deep sea may thrive on calamari

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/the-critters-of-the-deep-sea-may-thrive-on-calamari/

The critters of the deep sea may thrive on calamari

Deep at the bottom of the Gulf of California there lies a graveyard. Scientists have discovered dozens of squid carcasses being gobbled up by scavengers in the waters of northwestern Mexico. The bodies appeared fresh, hinting that many more vanished from the seafloor before they could be spotted. If so, squid graveyards could be the sites of much-needed feasts for bottom-feeders around the world, the team reported recently in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

It’s not easy for deep-sea critters to get enough food to survive. Lots of marine snow—tiny bits of dead animals, feces, and other debris—does drift down to the seafloor. But it sinks so slowly that microbes devour much of the nutrients before it arrives. Corpses, on the other hand, sink too quickly to decompose much before they touch down. While squid flesh has been found in the bellies of deep-sea fish, though, actual bodies are almost never seen—until now.

The scientists did not set out to find a graveyard. But the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) they sent to explore the seafloor kept stumbling upon dead squid. “As we saw yet another dead squid…we realized—hey, this isn’t random, there’s a pattern here,” Bruce Robison, a deep-sea biologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Moss Landing, California, said in an email.

Over the course of 11 dives between 2012 and 2015, the robotic submersible found the remains of 64 squids and egg sheets, the membranes that females use to encase their eggs. On one dive, it observed 36 carcasses and egg sheets.

The squid all belonged to the Gonatidae family, whose members are plentiful in the Pacific Ocean. As in most species of squid and octopus, females enjoy but one breeding season before dying when their eggs hatch. The squid were probably drawn to waters near the graveyard because the area offered ideal conditions to hunt or hide from predators while brooding their progeny. Then, after pouring all their energy into the developing eggs, the females perished and sank to the seafloor.

It’s likely that the squid had died recently. Living squid control their coloration by expanding and shrinking pigment-containing cells called chromatophores. After death, the cells contract one final time, leaving the body ghostly pale. Several of the squid carcasses bore purple patches, though, indicating their chromatophores were still active.

The carrion was swarming with ratfish, worms, sea stars, sea cucumbers, and other animals. It takes years for these scavengers to make a large whale carcass disappear, but they can likely manage a squid within a day. “Food this rich does not last long on the deep seafloor,” Henk-Jan Hoving, another member of the team and a deep-sea biologist at the GEMOAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel in Germany, said in an email.

In future, he and his colleagues hope to investigate where else squid graveyards show up on the seafloor and how many species contribute their remains. The researchers suspect, however, that these fleeting graveyards can be found worldwide. And, because there are massive numbers of squid in the seas and they don’t live very long, dead females could add up to quite a few meals for scavengers.

Squid populations are on the rise because their predators are being overfished, and they are better equipped to adapt to climate change than many marine animals, the researchers say. This means squid may transport even more carbon to the seafloor in future.

The deep sea is the largest ecosystem on Earth, and also the one that we know the least about. Squid graveyards are a reminder, though, that the bottom of the ocean is not an isolated world, and its inhabitants are influenced by what happens in the waters above. “The fact that we continue making important new discoveries like this about the basic processes of deep-sea ecology shows that we have a great deal yet to be learned,” Robison says.

Written By Kate Baggaley

[alyssabreanneemerson-blog]

Bait, Slick & Switch - An Oil Spill Symposium

Last night I attended the "From Crisis to Solutions" meeting in St. Petersburg at the Palladium Theatre. It was a full house for sure. Even scores Senators and Congressional Leaders were on hand. Cathy Castor, who is on the energy commerce commission in Washington DC, was there and then as the meeting was starting, she was off to another meeting. That was my first clue that maybe this was not going to be the appointment that was in my mind. You know the one closely Solutions!

Beard Care Products

It was well choreographed and even included the speech from President OBama. The emcee Susan Glickman was impressive, articulate and very prepared. She introduced the panel band kept the meeting on task, at a very good rate and didn't diameter us.

The first panel was importance hearing but new contents was scarce. As a concerned citizen I have been scouring daily to glean any new morsels of news on this crisis. Maybe this is why I am so disappointed. Dr. William Hogarth, who is the Dean from the College of Marine Science at USF, was the 1st speaker. He is a good ol son from VerGineea (Virginia) and talked with a slow southern sentimentality mouth drawl. Ok, he heads the sense of the scientists who are assembly data on the slick itself. They have taken 3 container trips through the region grouping information on the underwater density and extent of the spill. Nothing new here. We already know this. Yep, there is a slick and it is abyss and the Professor showed us plenty of complicated graphs to verify this. The medium he handled his showing left me, the layperson, wondering if he is actually engaged in this research. Next!

The person sitting next to the department rosh was a researcher who had been tracing the fall since day one using satellites. His appearance was much more interesting. Even though English is not his 1st language he was gracious and talked slow enough so we could understand him. He made a wonderful appeal for those of ourselves in the Tampa Bay Area. "The oil slick is not near us and at gift it will not punch our shores." In fact, it is currently 200 miles away from our shores.

The slick is only 5 miles from the slope of Cuba. Cuba evidence get television before us. It's natures' medium of honoring the late John F. Kennedy. So if you are thinking of taking a really cheap shore vacation in Florida; Tampa Bay is the post to come for great deals!

Then came Dan Beard former Executive and retired Geophysical Engineer from Exxon. Talk about a cat with experience. We were entranced with his presentation of the technical facet of the oil spill. He showed us in detail what was event at the time of the accident. He reported what was done incorrectly and then he gave a real pearl of wisdom. He told ourselves to look at the spillway that occurred in Saudi in 1991 if we wanted a close resemblance to discover answer for our tendency situation. The stipulation are similar and 10 times the oil was spilled. And it was cleaned up in 6 months.

After Mr. Exxon, we heard from a ma'am roughly the effects of oil on the species in the gulf. I am sorry, I conjecture I was distracted. Her dialect or performance was not compelling enough to even remember or maybe my thoughts were too preoccupied with Mr. Exxon's presentation that I was unable to focus. I think I do remember her saying that the population of a certain species was in danger and recently taken off the soon to be extinct list. Was it the Pelican or the Sperm Whale? Shoot, guess this is why I am not a reporter. Sorry.

This panel was completed with the dialogue from D.T. Minich, Executive Director of Visit St. Pete/Clearwater which is the emissary purpose statute organization for Pinellas County. Now, this fellow should be in politics. He was articulate, compelling and interesting. He told ourselves that the vacancy rates are at between 20 and 30%. People are being laid off and Pinellas County's tourism perseverance is a $6 billion industry. He noted that BP might only be liable for 75 million because of the caps on statute suits in our state. He also had researched the effects of Exxon Valdez on Alaska's Tourism. It was devastating and the effect lasted 5 years. We have no oil on our beaches. Yet, the detecting of the land is that we are covered in oil. That is why if you came to Tampa Bay this summer your vacation would be wonderful and cheap.

Slick

Then came the next panel which I cry the "slick". All these group represented different medium venues; print, radio and TV. Why on earth were they there? They are entertainers! We don't handling what they have to say because bulk of the time it is bunk anyway. They earn their living by embellishing or slanting the fact so that it will sell. I was truly appalled. Only one brought up an interesting point. She said that 35000 journalists had lost their jobs in the vitality two years. All the specialists and truly seasoned reporters were let go. So in addition, to not having enough review of this action the news we were becoming was creature manipulated and staged. To the grain that BP was keeping journalists away from severely crate standing by becoming cooperation from management enforcement restricting any access.

Then the talk from this aviation turned into a whine fest roughly their industry. We Don't Care! What was really annoying was the guy with buck teeth that kept frothing, flailing and spitting when he screamed into his mike. His contribution was nil. This part of the night was a complete scuffle of time.

After this panel came the televised shot dialect from the President. It is obvious that he is experimentation to let the public know that he plans to observance on summit of this disaster and not make the mistakes that happened during Exxon Valdez. The problem is that he didn't explain to the American tribe where the prospect originated from. It came from Exxon Valdez. There were $7 Billion in claims against Exxon Valdez. As soon as the yarns went cold Exxon stalled the payout with law suits which have lasted 17 years. No Money for 17 Years. Then they managed to negotiate the numbers down to $500 million. So the President is trying to get the earthenware of beans up front.

The Switch

The final panel was to talk roughly solutions. This is why I attended this meeting. I was really looking striker to this segment. The only problem is they never discussed any solutions!

Instead, one speaker discussed the costs and ecological touch of drilling for oil near the shorelines of Louisiana. No answer there.Then another homme talked closely the American dependency on fossil fuels and how we requirement to change. No kidding. Finally, a California counselors advised us all on the challenges of litigation. This durability be close to entity a solution. However, I want to know how to clean up the oil.

Why did this final escape give us their computer dumps of old information? I ended up listening to 3 hours of hand wringing and lamentation and not a single proactive proposal.

What happened to the creative imaginative symposium I was suppose to be attending discussing the explanation to cleaning up the oil spillway in the Gulf of Mexico?

If anyone decides to put on something that gets to the center of this problem and the explanation we indispensability to do, conspiracy me. I am really eager to attend and be a sliver of something importance while.

[homelesshaunts-blog]

Hello, my name is Lavel Wideman. Your Bloghost of Horror. Push the bones aside, as you creep inside this hip part of Homeless Haunts and be welcomed!

A Ms. Brenda Briggs, is stranded alone on Hawaii. She has not one dime for herself or to pay the rent. Not even a dream to sail a boat on. But it’s a friend from the past she knew long ago she meets again. It’s a connection where she finds out what her friend from long ago does for a living.

The story "Scrimshaw" will shock your senses. It was written by Brian Garfield, and one of the best mystery stories published in American literature. And I must say, it’s one of my favorite stories, too.

It will have you checking where you are going and how much bone you need to leave with. Good luck!

~~

Beyond the wide channel the islands of Lanai and Kahoolawe made lovely horizons under their umbrellas of delicate cloud, but Brenda had lost her eye for that sort of thing; she noticed the stagnant heat, the shabbiness of the town, and the offensiveness of the tourists who trudged from shop to shop in their silly hats, their sunburnt flab, their hapless T-shirts emblazoned with local graffiti: “Here Today, Gone to Maui.”

...Brenda then noticed two men in conversation there. One of them was the wino who always seemed to be there: a stringy unshaven tattered character who spent the days huddling in the shade sucking from a bottle in a brown bag and begging coins from tourists. At night he seemed to prowl the alleys behind the seafood restaurants, living off scraps like a stray dog: she had seen him once, from the window of her flyspecked room, scrounging in the can behind the hotel’s kitchen; and then two nights ago near a garbage bin she had taken a shortcut home after a dissatisfying lonely dinner and she’d nearly tripped over him.

The man talking with the wino seemed familiar and yet she could not place the man. He had the lean bearded look of one who had gone native; but not really, for he was set apart by his fastidiousness. He wore sandals, yet his feet seemed clean, the toenails glimmering; he wore a sandy beard but it was neatly trimmed and his hair was expensively cut, not all shaggy; he wore a blue denim short-sleeved shirt, fashionably faded but it had sleeve pockets and epaulets and had come from a designer shop; and his white sailor’s trousers fit perfectly.

I know him, Brenda thought, but she couldn’t summon the energy to stir from her spot when the bearded man and the wino walked away into the town. Vaguely and without real interest she wondered idly what those two could possibly have to talk about together.

She found shade on the harbor front...while she recounted the litany of her misfortunes. Finally hunger bestirred her and she slouched back to her miserable little third-class hotel.

The next day, half drunk in the afternoon and wilting in the heat, Brenda noticed vaguely that the wino was no longer in his usual place. In fact, she hadn’t seen the wino at all, not last night and not today.

...[O]ther side of the palm tree, tucking the fabric of the cheap dress under her when she sat down. The dress was gone—frayed, faded...It didn’t matter, really. There was no one to dress up for.

...[S]he wasn’t ugly; she wasn’t even plain, really; she had studied photographs of herself over the years and she had gazed...All right, perhaps she was too bony, her shoulders too big, flat in front, not enough flesh on her—but there were men who liked their women bony...

...She noticed the man again: the well-dressed one with the neatly trimmed beard...

The bearded man squinted into the shade, trying to recognize her. Brenda removed her sunglasses. She said, “Eric? Eric Morelius?”

“Brenda?” The man came closer and she contrived a wan smile. “Brenda Briggs? What the devil are you doing here? You look like a beachcomber gone to seed.”

“Good Lord. The last I saw you, you and Briggs were off to revitalize the University of what, New Mexico.

“Arizona.” She tipped her head back with the glass to her mouth; ice clicked against her teeth. “And after that a state college in Minnesota. And then a dinky jerk water diploma mill in California. The world, “she said in a quiet voice, “has little further need of second rate Greek and Roman literature scholars--...I spent last year waiting on tables in Modesto.”

“Duckie,” Eric said, “there’s one thing you haven’t mentioned. Where’s Briggs?”

...”He left me. Four years ago. Divorced me and married a buxom life-of-the-party girl...We had a kid, you know. Cute little guy, we named him Geoff with a G—you know how Briggs used to love reading Chaucer...

“I managed to get custody and then six months ago... he went to visit his father for the weekend...Briggs and the copy-writer and my kid Geoff well, there was a six-car pileup on the Santa Monica Freeway and I had to pay for the funerals and it wiped me out.”

Eric brought another pair of drinks...it had been so long since she’d talked about it that she covered her face with the table napkin and sobbed.

He walked her along the Sea Wall. “You’ll get over it, duckie. Takes time.”

“Sure,” she said listlessly. “I know.”

“Sure, it can be tough. Especially when you haven’t got anybody. You don’t have any family left, do you?”

“No. Only child. My parents died young. Why not? The old man was on the assembly line in Dearborn...Let’s change the subject, all right? What about you, then? You look prosperous enough. Did you drop out or were you pushed too?”

“Dropped out. Saw the light and made it to the end of the tunnel. I’m a free man, duckie.”

“What do you do?”

“I’m a scrimshander.”

“A what?”

“A bone ivory artist. I do scrimshaw engravings. You’ve probably seen my work in the shop windows around town.”

Eric’s studio, high under the eaves in the vintage whaler’s house that looked more New Englandish than tropical, revealed it’s owner’s compulsion for orderly neatness.

She had never liked him much. He and Briggs had got along all right, but she’d always found Eric an unpleasant sort. It wasn’t that he was boorish; hardly anything like that. But she thought him pretentious and totally insincere. He’d always had that air of arrogant self-assurance. And the polish was all on the surface; he had the right manners but once you to know him a little you realized he had no real understanding of courtesy or compassion. Those qualities were meaningless to people like Eric. She’d always thought him self-absorbed and egotistical to the point of solipsism; she felt he had cultivated Brigg’s friendship simply because Eric felt Briggs could help him advance in the department.

...Eric had always been very actorish: he wasn’t real—everything was a role a part, a performance: everything Eric did was done with his audience in mind. If you couldn’t be any help to him he could, without a second thought, cut you dead...

“It must be pretty lucrative, this stuff.”

“It can be. Do you know anything about scrimshaw?”...

Watching her with bemused eyes, Eric went on, “The Endangered Species laws have made it impossible for us to obtain whalebone or elephant ivory in any quantities any more. It’s a real problem.”

“You seem to have a fair supply in those bins there.”

“Well, some of us have been buying mastodon ivory and other fossilized bones from the Eskimos—they dig for it in the tundra up in Alaska. But that stuff’s in short supply too, and the price has gone through the ceiling.”

...Eric smiled with the appearance of sympathy and pushed a little box across the bench. It was the size of a matchbox. The lid fit snugly. Etched into its ivory surface was a drawing of a humpback whale.

“Like it?”

“It’s lovely.” She tried to summon enthusiasm in her voice.

“It’s nearly the real thing,” he said. “Not real ivory, of course, but real bone at least. We’ve been experimenting with chemical processes to bleach and harden it.”

She studied the tiny box and suddenly looked away. Something about it had put her in mind of little Geoff’s casket.

“The bones of most animals are too rough and porous,”...still, there aren’t many types of bone that are suitable...The phony stuff has no grain, and anybody with a good eye can always tell...”

“These two here,” Eric said. She looked down at the two etched pendants. He said, “Can you tell the difference?”

“They look pretty much the same to me.”

“There, see that? That one, on the left, that’s a piece of whale’s tooth. This other one’s ordinary bone, chemically hardened and bleached to the consistency and color of true ivory. It’s got the proper grain, everything.”

“Fine.” She set the glass down and endeavored to smile pleasantly...

“Establishments and institutions and laws are designed by winners to keep losers in their place, that’s all. You’re only free when you learn there’s no reason to play the game by their rules. Hell, duckie, the fun of life only comes when you discover how to make your own rules and laugh at the fools around you. Look—consider your own situation. Is there any single living soul right now who truly gives a damn whether you, Brenda Briggs, are alive or dead?”

Put that starkly it made her gape. Eric leaned forward, brandishing his glass as if it were a searchlight aimed at her face. “Well?”

“No. Nobody,” she murmured reluctantly....

She steadied herself with a hand against the workbench, set her feet with care, and turned toward the door. “It’s a drink too late for morbid philosophical dialectics. Thanks for the booze, though. I’ll see you...”

“You’d better sit down, duckie. You’re a little unsteady there.”

“No, I—"

“Sit down.” The words came out in a harsher voice.

“The door’s locked anyway, duckie—you’re not going anywhere.”

She scowled, befuddled. “What?”

He showed her the key; then he put it away in his pocket. She looked blankly at the door, the keyhole, and—again—his face. It had gone hard; the polite mask was gone...

“It’s the ivory, duckie. The best material is fresh human bone. The consistency, the hardness—it takes a fine polish if it’s young and healthy enough...” She heard Eric say, “You’ll make fine bones, duckie. Absolutely first rate scrimshaw.”

ALLEY OF FEAR

You know when water is poured on a duck, the water runs off them like it was a waxed surface. Their feathers protect these animals from being affected by the temperature of cool water; their webbed feet are what help them to swim effectively through murky waters.

As for Brenda Briggs, it should have been the same concerning words, “Sticks and stones...,” but in this story somehow this Eric guy, he somehow gets the upper hand. Where he saw in Duckie something no one else had and on a lovely island in Hawaii, where she'll never feel sorry for herself or be seen by sight again.

She’s now the product of what all visitors in Eric's store will admire. And this time, most important, people will start to notice her.

Here, in the Alley of Fear, we have what’s left of poor duckie. What people didn’t want, and at this time, someone made use of her.

Bones used correctly are made to hold up the flesh, but this time, bones don't need flesh in his store...or his purpose?

We hold Duckie in a place where she will be noticed. Right here in the Alley of Fear.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and in your own homes, and if you have one?

[kakoliberlin]

New Executive Order Takes Aim at Our National Monuments

The Trump administration targeted at least two dozen national monuments in an Executive Order this week, with the apparent goal of reducing or eliminating protections for these treasured lands and waters. The consequences for wildlife could be devastating.

You may not be familiar with the Antiquities Act—after all, the law was passed way back in 1906—but perhaps you have visited Grand Canyon, Zion, Olympic, Grand Teton or Acadia national parks?  If so, you may be surprised to discover that each of these beloved places was originally protected as a “national monument” under the Antiquities Act, which authorizes the president to protect public lands and waters to preserve their historic, cultural and conservation values. Along with preserving the Statue of Liberty in New York and ancient petroglyphs in New Mexico, national monuments across the country also benefit wildlife in a great diversity of habitats.

Every president, with the exception of only three, has used the Antiquities Act to designate federal lands and waters as national monuments. It has become part of their legacy and part of our American story. From the very first designation of Devils Tower National Monument by Teddy Roosevelt in 1906 to last year’s establishment of Bears Ears National Monument by Barrack Obama, Republican and Democratic presidents have designated more than 150 monuments since the enactment of the Antiquities Act.

Despite broad public support and bipartisan use of the Antiquities Act to protect some of America’s most amazing places, the Trump administration appears intent on diminishing or even eliminating protections for dozens of existing national monuments. Trump’s Executive Order directs Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to “review” national monuments designated since 1996. The review provides ample cover for President Trump and anti-conservation forces in Congress—who have been waging a steady war on monuments for years—to drastically weaken or even eliminate entire national monuments. Those same members of Congress are not content with just eliminating or diminishing current monuments, they also hope to restrict the ability of future presidents to designate monuments under the Antiquities Act.

Those seeking to quash the Antiquities Act have long criticized it as a federal “land grab,” portraying the law as a tool the president uses to unilaterally take control of millions of acres of land and water at will. This claim is patently false. Lands and waters designated as national monuments already belong to the American people, as is clearly specified in the Act: monuments  “are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States.”

President Trump’s order also characterizes monuments as “barriers to achieving energy independence,” making it clear that the oil, gas and coal industries are driving the anti-monument agenda as they seek to expand their reach on – and profits taken from – the nation’s public lands. These political attacks on our national monuments not only threaten the integrity of America’s historic, cultural and natural heritage, but pose a danger to the fish, wildlife and plants that depend on them.

Protecting America’s Wildlife and Rich Biodiversity

Monuments are designated in part to protect “objects of historic or scientific interest,” including native wildlife and biodiversity. Each of the monuments profiled below is subject to review and possible alteration or even elimination under the President’s Executive Order. In fact, these monuments may be targeted for revision or elimination because they conserve wildlife and biodiversity values. Trump’s order directs the Secretary of the Interior to determine whether monuments are “appropriately classified” as lands containing objects of historic or scientific interest; this opens the door for the President or Congress to arbitrarily determine that a monument “inappropriately” offered conservation protections for wildlife and other ecological values.

Cascade Siskiyou National Monument by Friends of Cascade Siskiyou National Monument

For example, the Trump administration could determine that President Clinton “inappropriately” designated the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in 2000 for the purposes of conserving the incredible biological diversity found in Oregon’s southern Cascade mountains (President Obama expanded the monument in 2017). In his proclamation designating the monument, President Clinton extolled the area’s “exceptional range of fauna, including one of the highest diversities of butterfly species in the United States,” and the fact that it is, “a significant center of fresh water snail diversity, and is home to three endemic fish species, including a long-isolated stock of redband trout.”

California Red-legged frog by USFWS

Monuments also support imperiled species listed under the Endangered Species Act and other at-risk fish, wildlife and plants. For instance, Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument protects swaths of old growth forest necessary to support the conservation and recovery of the threatened northern spotted owl. The San Gabriel Mountains National

Monument, designated by President Obama in 2014, protects essential aquatic habitat for the threatened Santa Ana sucker and California red-legged frog. The monument also supports over 50 designated at-risk plants and hundreds of California-endemic plants that depend on the rare intact Mediterranean ecosystem conditions found in the San Gabriel range. A recent analysis of one of our newest national monuments – and one directly in Trump’s crosshairs, Bears Ears National Monument in Utah – found it to be “one of the most wild” places in the West, supporting 18 federally protected species, and providing important habitat connectivity, species diversity and other ecological values.

While sometimes overlooked, marine monuments protect an incredible array of biodiversity. President George W. Bush designated multiple marine monuments during his tenure. The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, which surrounds the northwestern islands of Hawaii, has been dubbed “America’s Galapagos” due to the area’s unique biological value, including habitat for endangered blue, humpback and false killer whales. President Obama expanded the monument in 2016, which now protects marine resources over 580,000 square miles.

America’s newest marine national monument (and first within the Atlantic) was designated by President Obama in 2016: the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. It protects underwater canyons deeper than the Grand Canyon and massive extinct volcanoes within a 4,900-square-mile area off the mid-Atlantic coast. The ecological foundation for this biodiversity hotspot is a variety of rare and at-risk deep-sea coral communities that support a functional marine ecosystem that offers refuge for endangered sperm, fin and sei whales and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles.

Each of these monuments, and the stunning wildlife and biodiversity values they protect, are now under immediate threat.

Defenders is Committed to Fighting for Our National Monuments

Defenders is committed to ensuring that America’s national monuments and other priceless public lands and waters are not developed or exploited by short-sighted politicians. We are undertaking campaigns to vigorously fight for the wildlife, fish and plants that call these lands and waters home. These campaigns will oppose the abhorrent efforts to sell-off or transfer our treasured public lands and waters, as well as defend the laws and policies that conserve wildlife habitat in these essential places.

Take action now to protect our national monuments!  Tell Secretary Zinke to keep these cherished lands protected and honor their status as national treasures.

Follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on the status of other developments important to wildlife conservation and our work. Don’t forget to sign up for our emails where you will get all the latest news and action alerts to support wildlife.

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