Latest news with #FloridaMuseum
Gizmodo
23-05-2025
- Science
- Gizmodo
Why Ancient Sloths Became the Size of Elephants—and Then Vanished
Giant sloths with razor-sharp claws and as large as Asian bull elephants once roamed the Earth, snacking on leaves at the tops of trees with a prehensile tongue. Now, scientists have figured out why they became so huge—and why these massive sloths didn't stick around—according to a new study published in Science. Today, two sloth species dwell in Central and South America. But long ago, dozens of sloth species populated the Americas, all the way from Argentina to Canada. Like modern-day sloths, the smaller species were tree-dwelling. But the larger sloths? 'They looked like grizzly bears but five times larger,' Rachel Narducci, collection manager of vertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History and coauthor of the study, in a statement. The larger sloths didn't do much tree climbing, at risk of falling to their deaths. Instead, they survived by being terrifying; the largest sloths had long, sharp claws that they used to carve their own caves out of raw earth and rocks. But exactly why they got so large remained a mystery. To figure out how these sloths got so massive, researchers analyzed ancient sloth DNA and compared more than 400 fossils from natural history museums to create a sloth tree of life. The researchers traced the sloths' origin to 35 million years ago. And, because the scientists were particularly interested in how sloths got their size, they estimated their weights by taking fossil measurements. The researchers concluded that the Earth's past climate was a big factor. Thirty-five million years ago, the first ancestor of modern-day sloths, which lived in what is now Argentina, was roughly the size of a large dog. Sloths hardly changed in size for 20 million years, and lived on the ground. Then, during a warming period around 16 million years ago, sloths adapted by evolving smaller physiques due to their need to keep cool. Then, as Earth cooled down again—which it's been doing on and off for the past 50 million years—sloths started to get bigger and bigger. They also started to migrate, fanning out from Argentina throughout North and South America, and even up to Alaska and Canada. These new habitats presented challenges that the sloths met, in part, by bulking up. This new size also helped them keep warm and stay safe from predators. 'This would've allowed them to conserve energy and water and travel more efficiently across habitats with limited resources,' Narducci said. 'And if you're in an open grassland, you need protection, and being bigger provides some of that.' They reached their most massive size during the Pleistocene Ice Ages, which spanned roughly 3 million to 12,000 years ago, shortly before they disappeared. Scientists aren't completely sure why sloths went extinct, but they do have some guesses. Early humans migrated to the Americas around 20,000 years ago. Larger ground-dwelling sloths likely became a prime, meaty target for early humans, and being on the ground became a liability. Larger sloths were the first to go, but tree sloths didn't escape unscathed. Over time, more and more species of tree-dwelling sloths went extinct, too. Two species survived in the Caribbean until around 4,500 years ago—until humans wiped them out. Now, sloths mostly keep to Central and South America, but thankfully aren't on the menu anymore.
Miami Herald
24-04-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Fisherman hooks ‘aggressive' predator in first-of-its-kind catch in Chile. See it
In a fjord along the coast of southern Chile, a fisherman hauled in an 'aggressive' ocean predator and brought it to a nearby dock. The animal caught the attention of visiting scientists — and for good reason. It turned out to be a first-of-its-kind catch. Comau Fjord is a 'deep and narrow' inlet connected to the Pacific Ocean and the site of a poorly understood phenomenon: 'the occurrence of deepwater species in shallow depths, far beyond their usual distributional range,' according to a study published April 15 in the peer-reviewed Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. A team of researchers suspected Comau Fjord had more shark and skate diversity than previously realized so they spent six months in 2018 surveying its depths, the study said. To do so, researchers set up longline fishing gear at several locations around the fjord, let the lines sink down to roughly 1,500 feet and waited. Any animals they caught were photographed, sampled for DNA and then released. The team also spoke to local fishermen and SCUBA divers. Their efforts paid off. Overall, researchers documented nine species of shark, skate and dogfish, including three species recorded in the fjord for the first time. One of these new records was the broadnose sevengill shark, or Notorynchus cepedianus, the study said. Photos show two of these shark sightings, which included an encounter by a SCUBA diver caught on video and a catch made by a local fisherman. Broadnose sevengill sharks are 'large,' 'opportunistic' predators considered 'aggressive when provoked' and 'potentially dangerous to humans,' according to the Florida Museum. The species is vulnerable and has been 'used for human consumption, liver oil and leather' for decades. Researchers documented another first-of-its-kind catch of several yellownose skates, or Dipturus chilensis, the study said. Photos show these endangered skates. Other photos show a largespine velvet dogfish, or Scymnodon macracanthus, found at the fjord for the first time, the study said. Researchers also recorded several more species of shark, including the endangered leafscale gulper shark, more species of dogfish and another skate species. In total, seven of the nine recorded species were considered at-risk and had shrinking populations. The team concluded that Comau Fjord is an important habitat for several deep-water species and may serve as a 'primary nursery ground' for some. They described their work as 'essential data to inform decision makers, conservation managers, and future research' and suggested further wildlife surveys. A 2017 YouTube video shared by Camilo S. shows Comau Fjord, located along the southwestern coast of Chile. The research team included Mette Schiønning, Lara Marcús, Ana Veríssimo, Aris Thomasberger, Stacy Ballyram, Günter Försterra and Francisco Concha.
Miami Herald
13-03-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Anglers snag ‘unusual' 2-foot-long sea creature in first-of-its-kind catch for Malta
Anglers dropped several lines into the Mediterranean Sea and waited until something took the bait. Their catch — an 'unusual' 2-foot-long sea creature — turned out to be a first-of-its-kind record for Malta. The first known record of a wahoo in the Mediterranean Sea came in 1872 after the fish ended up in a trap near Palermo, Italy. Ever since, the species has been an 'uncommon' catch in the region. But 2024 was different. Last year, wahoo fish were found at 'relatively high frequency' throughout the Mediterranean. A combination of factors, including a 'greater fishing effort,' 'extended period of fair weather' and 'exceptionally high seawater temperatures,' likely contributed to the 'unexpected' number of sightings, according to a study published March 12 in the peer-reviewed journal Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria. Off the coast of Malta, anglers David Ellul and Jean Paul Sciberras caught two wahoos last October and November — the country's first record of the species, researchers said. Scientifically known as Acanthocybium solandri, wahoos are also commonly referred to as barracudas or kingfish, according to the Florida Museum. These 'very long' fish live in open, tropical oceans around the world, generally being 'solitary or forming small, loose aggregations.' Wahoo have a 'high commercial value' and are 'considered very valuable in recreational fishery,' the study said. These fish are 'a generalist top predator' capable of reaching swimming speeds of about 28 miles per hour. Photos show the pair of young male wahoos caught off Malta. They measured between 23 and 24 inches in length and weighed about 2.3 and 2.7 pounds, the study said. One wahoo was caught 'by a professional fisherman' using a Fishing Aggregated Device, a floating object used to attract oceanic fish, at a depth of about 1,700 feet, researchers said. The other fish was caught at a depth of about 1,150 feet with fishing lines placed off the end of the boat and 'baited with (an) artificial lure stuck to a feather.' Researchers said the first-of-their-kind wahoo catches add 'another species to the checklist of marine fishes reported for the Maltese archipelago.' Malta is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea situated south of Italy and north of Libya. The research team included Alan Deidun, Maria Corsini-Foka, Alessio Marrone, Gianni Insacco, Jean Paul Schembri, Arnold Sciberras, Mario Santoro, Flavia Occhibove, Antonio Di Natale and Bruno Zava.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Divers discover 500,000-year-old treasure trove of fossils in Florida sinkhole
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Fossil collectors have discovered a prehistoric graveyard buried in Florida's Steinhatchee River. The site has yielded a remarkable collection of more than 500 fossils dating back roughly half a million years. It was full of exceptionally well-preserved bones from ancient mammals, including horses, giant armadillos, sloths and possibly a new species of tapir. Around 500,000 years ago, before the river flowed over the site, a sinkhole opened up in Florida's Big Bend region and became a death trap for hundreds of animals. Sediment filled the sinkhole over time, entombing their remains in near-pristine condition. These fossils remained hidden until 2022, when fossil collectors Robert Sinibaldi and Joseph Branin stumbled upon them during a routine diving expedition in the river's murky waters. After Branin spotted horse teeth sticking out of the sediment, the pair uncovered a hoof core and a tapir skull, signaling a potential major discovery. 'It wasn't just quantity, it was quality,' Sinibaldi said in a statement released on Feb. 12 by the Florida Museum of Natural History. 'We knew we had an important site, but we didn't know how important.' The Florida Museum recognized the significance of the find and dated it to the middle of the Irvingtonian North American Land Mammal Age (1.6 million–250,000 years ago)—an evolutionary transition period with a sparse fossil record. 'The fossil record everywhere, not just in Florida, is lacking the interval that the site is from,' Rachel Narducci, vertebrate paleontology collections manager at the Florida Museum and coauthor of a study of the site published Nov. 15 in the journal Fossil Studies, said in the statement. One of the key discoveries are fossils from an extinct giant armadillo-like creature called Holmesina. Within this genus, scientists knew that there was a transition from a species that lived two million years ago, the 150-pound H floridanus, to H. septentrionalis, which reached a whopping 475 pounds — but there was little evidence of how the change in size occurred. 'It's essentially the same animal, but through time it got so much bigger and the bones changed enough that researchers published it as a different species,' Narducci said. The fossils from the Steinhatchee River offer a snapshot of this evolutionary change, as the study revealed ankle and foot bones that match the size of the later, larger Holmesina species while retaining features of their smaller ancestors. 'This gave us more clues into the fact that the anatomy kind of trailed behind the size increase," Narducci said. "So they got bigger before the shape of their bones changed.' One intriguing specimen found at the site was the skull of an ancient tapir — a pig-shaped mammal with a short elephant-like trunk. Puzzlingly, the skull had lots of features not seen in the fossil record before, leading the researchers to consider whether the specimen might belong to a previously unknown species. However, Richard Hulbert, lead author of the study, cautioned against making that leap just yet. 'We need more of the skeleton to firmly figure out what's going on with this tapir,' he said in the statement. 'It might be a new species. Or it always could just be that you picked up the oddball individual of the population.' RELATED STORIES —Giant horned dinosaur's fossils were destroyed in WWII — but photos reveal it was an unknown species —'Alien plant' fossil discovered near Utah ghost town doesn't belong to any known plant families, living or extinct —'I knew they were something special': New York homeowner discovers mastodon jaw fossils in backyard Among the 552 fossils recovered, about 75 percent belong to an early species of caballine horses — the subgroup that includes modern domestic horses. Horses tend to dwell on large expanses of grassland rather than dense forests such as those that occupy the Big Bend region today. Since horses make up such a large chunk of the fossils discovered at Steinhatchee River, the researchers concluded that the site area may have once been more open and grassy. Horse teeth were some of the best preserved fossils in the sinkhole. 'For the first time, we had individuals that were complete enough to show us upper teeth, lower teeth and the front incisors of the same individual,' Richard Hulbert, lead author of the paper, said in the statement. With wear and tear still visible on the teeth, researchers may be able to study the horses' diet in unprecedented detail.
Fox News
18-02-2025
- Science
- Fox News
Mysterious 'doomsday fish' shocks beachgoers as it approaches shallow waters
A group of beachgoers encountered an interesting-looking fish as it surfaced in shallow waters on a beach in Mexico. The silvery, iridescent oarfish was captured on video washing onto the shores of Playa El Quemado in Baja California Sur, making a rare appearance in broad daylight. "The fish swam straight at us, lifting its head above the water about two inches," Robert Hayes, the beachgoer who recorded the fish, told Storyful. "We redirected it three times out to the water, but it came back each time." The flat-bodied fish laid itself out on the beach, outside the water, before people approached the creature. Another man in the video who identified the deep-sea species attempted to return the "flailing fish" back into the ocean before it swam right back up to shore. "This is amazing, it's the smallest one (oarfish) I've ever seen," the man can be heard saying in the video. Oarfish are typically located in the great depths of the ocean, ranging from 650 feet to upwards of 3,200 feet, according to the Florida Museum. The oarfish is commonly referred to as the "doomsday fish," as some believe it "foreshadows natural disasters, such as earthquakes or tsunamis," according to the Ocean Conservancy. Last year, Ben Frable, Scripps Oceanography Marine Vertebrate Collection manager, said in a statement that the increased spotting of oarfish off the coast may have to do with a change in the ocean conditions. "Many researchers have suggested this as to why deep-water fish strand on beaches. Sometimes it may be linked to broader shifts such as the El Niño and La Niña cycle but this is not always the case," said Frable. The Florida Museum reported that oarfish are only spotted on the surface of the water or in the shallow depths when they are injured or dying. While oarfish can reach lengths of 36 feet, this particular fish in the video appeared to be on the smaller side, the Florida Museum stated. "The long, flat, tapering body is reflective silver with a dorsal fin running the length of it that it uses to swim and turn with. Its abrupt, slightly concave profile is set with a toothless mouth ideal for filtering krill and crustaceans out of the water," Florida Museum officials wrote online. "It is a deep-water fish that spends time floating vertically in the water column to camouflage itself, trailing the elaborate red first spines of its dorsal fin and pelvic fins." The man in the video who identified the fish helped it move through the water.
