Latest news with #marinebiology
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Incredible discovery at market after common fish purchase
Next time you're shopping for fresh fish, it might be worth taking a second look at the face of the animal you're selecting for your meal. Because it could be a wild creature that's never been described before. Researchers shopping at a small market in Fiji tested one commonly traded stingray and discovered it was an entirely new species. Dr Kerstin Glaus, a research fellow at the Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership, tested the animal's DNA and took detailed measurements of its body parts, focusing on the eyes, tail and fins. 'It stands out with its broad, angular snout, long claspers in adult males, and a row of thorn-like spines running from the neck to the base of the tail,' she said. 'The ray's brown back is decorated with dark mask-like markings across the eyes, two large blotches behind the spiracles, and numerous small black spots — especially around the face.' Fish confused with other similar species The newly described Fiji maskray has regularly been confused with similar-looking species like the blue-spotted stingray, which is found at the bottom of coral reefs in Australia, and the Coral Sea maskray. But it has never been described in detail until now. The animals were bought at Suva Fish Market after they were caught by local fishermen, and not killed directly for the study. Until recently, all maskrays were grouped under one scientific name, Neotrygon kuhlii, but there are now 17 species, with most described since 2016. The animal found in Fiji's fish markets has been named Neotrygon romeoi, in honour of Glaus's father Romeo. Dead scientist's 'time capsule' in vault key to resurrecting declining spiders Rare frog with less than a thousand in the wild tracked down Irreplaceable 6.5-hectare forest protected for future generations Similar delineations are being made across numerous other animal types, particularly reptiles and invertebrates, as DNA and physical analysis methods improve. This is important because if they're not described, entire species can be wiped out without anyone knowing they existed. 'Properly identifying and naming the species is a critical step toward managing its population and ensuring sustainable use,' Glaus said. Neotrygon romeoi is only found in Fiji, and because of its limited range and high-catch rate, Glaus has recommended it be protected under the nation's protected and endangered species act. The species discovery has been chronicled in the Journal of Fish Biology. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Washington Post
a day ago
- General
- Washington Post
From dying reefs to flooded graves, Vanuatu is leading a global climate case
PORT VILA, Vanuatu — When John Warmington first began diving the reefs outside his home in Vanuatu's Havannah Harbor a decade ago, the coral rose like a sunken forest — tall stands of staghorns branched into yellow antlers, plate corals layered like canopies, and clouds of darting fish wove through the labyrinth.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Shark Week team discovers unusual 'black makos' off California coast
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. In 2019, shark tagger Keith Poe was working off the coast of California when he hooked a surprisingly big "black mako" shark. The shark appeared larger and darker than shortfin makos (Isurus paucus), which are generally dark blue or gray with white undersides. This sighting is the basis of the new Shark Week show "Black Mako of the Abyss," where a team sets out to find more of these black makos in an attempt to work out exactly what Poe caught six years ago. Suggestions for the creature's unusual appearance and size include genetic mutations and the potential for shortfin makos hybridizing with another species. In the episode, Poe works with environmental scientist Kendyl Berna, marine biologist Tristan Guttridge and shark attack survivor Paul de Gelder as they travel 40 miles (64 kilometers) off the coast of California to lure ocean predators in the hope of attracting black makos. Their ultimate goal is to obtain tissue samples to conduct genetic analysis and find out what the mysterious animals really are. During the show, the team lures sharks using a helicopter carrying hundreds of gallons of chum. They later deploy a white shark decoy to see if any makos interact with it — with the latter drawing out an aggressive, unusually dark mako shark. This shark, like that in Poe's original video, appears to have shortfin and longfin features, leading the team to speculate that it could be a longfin mako (Isurus paucus), or longfin/shortfin hybrid. Unlike shortfins, longfin mako sharks are more elusive, living in deeper waters further out from coastlines. As a result, they're less understood than their shortfin cousins, with big questions about their range and habitat — although sightings off California are particularly rare. Physically, their bodies are more slender than shortfins, and they have longer pectoral fins and darker coloration. To establish whether the black makos are potentially longfins, the team released bait that encourages the sharks to breach, so they can see their size and physical characteristics more clearly. The captured footage revealed several shortfins, but one appeared to have pectoral fins far longer than the average, again raising the idea of a shortfin/longfin hybrid. Shark hybridization is not unheard of. In 2019, scientists reported scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) and Carolina hammerhead (S. gilberti) hybrids in the western North Atlantic, while in Australia in 2011, researchers found hybrids of the black-tip whaler shark species Carcharhinus tilstoni and C. limbatus. While the Shark Week team tried to get samples from their black makos to see if they are hybrids, the sharks were too fast. Experts say the potential for shortfin/longfin hybridization is unlikely. There is no evidence of the two species mating, and even if they did, any hybrid offspring would likely be sterile. "Different species with naturally overlapping ranges typically don't hybridise, if they did and the offspring were viable, the species would merge back into one," Jess A.T. Morgan, principal scientist at the animal science division of the Department of Primary Industries, Queensland, Australia, told Live Science in an email. How to watch Shark Week Shark Week airs exclusively on the Discovery Channel in the U.S., which is available on most cable TV services. If you don't have traditional cable, you can get it through "cord-cutting" streaming platforms that offer cable channels in an online subscription package. SlingTV offers Discovery on the Blue package for $45 per month (half price for your first month). You can also watch Discovery on Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream, and YouTube TV. To watch on demand, you can get Shark Week content on HBO Max ($9.99 per month) — Discovery's main streaming platform. If you're travelling outside the U.S., NordVPN has a deal on now where you get -70% off a subscription. "Natural hybridisation can and does occur in nature, but often only in restricted regions of species overlap called hybrid zones," Morgan added. "Hybrids occasionally do survive in nature and are able to reproduce (this appears to be the case with black tip sharks) but in most cases they will be less fit than the pure species so don't pass on their DNA." Morgan was a co-author on the blacktip hybrid study from 2011, and said DNA evidence is needed to establish if a weird-looking shark is a hybrid: "One thing we know about sharks is that differences in external appearance can be misleading," she said. "A lot of species can be easily confused, particularly if they belong to the same genus and are not fully grown." Berna said another possibility is that the black makos are just longfins that are coming closer to the coastline, or they are shortfins with mutations that help them hunt in deeper waters, such as darker skin. Environmental changes could also potentially explain shifts in shark ranges — for example, climate change has been linked to tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) moving northwards over the last few decades. "I think it's possible that these black makos that we're seeing are actually just longfin makos," Berna told Live Science. "When you see a mako that isn't supposed to be in these waters, and isn't very documented in these waters, looking funny, then you would think 'wow, that's a strange looking shortfin mako,' when in reality, maybe it's actually a longfin, just in a different geographic range than what's sort of accepted by science." Related stories —Do sharks make noises? An accidental discovery might just answer that question —Why do sharks freeze when flipped upside down? —Incredibly rare, ghostly white shark discovered off Albania Longfin makos tend to be found in more tropical waters, and are known off the coast of Mexico — but as ocean temperatures heat, it's possible their distribution is also shifting north, Berna said. "Global warming, climate change — that's constantly changing distributions of animals, as well as overfishing [changing] where they have availability of prey and food sources. There's a lot of reasons that animals, and sharks in particular, can change their geographic distribution and ranges." Douglas Adams, a researcher at the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, said genetic analyses would be needed to answer these questions about the unusual makos found by the group. "Many questions remain regarding the range and habitat use of longfin makos," he told Live Science in an email. "The ecology and biology of longfin makos are not well understood, but the ranges of many other fish species have been shifting with ocean warming and other factors." Berna said they are still hoping to get a sample to find out what these black makos are. "A genetic sample would be the absolute, highest form of confirmation that we could get. That, ultimately, is the goal."
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Science
- RNZ News
The dance of the lanternfish
During World War II, sonar operators discovered a ‘false seabed’ that appeared to move upwards during the nighttime. In fact, the sound waves were bouncing off huge numbers of small critters. This daily movement is the largest animal migration on the planet, consisting of deep-water animals that hide in the ocean’s twilight then move to the surface after sunset to feed. By far the most abundant fish in this crowd are the lanternfishes. New Zealand researchers are investigating what impact lanternfish migration has on the life cycle of fish we like to eat, and how it may also play a huge role in the Earth’s carbon cycle. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
CBS News
2 days ago
- Science
- CBS News
Number of dead gray whales in San Francisco Bay highest since 2000, scientists say
Scientists said the number of gray whales found dead in San Francisco Bay has reached the highest in a quarter century, with the latest incident taking place earlier this month. According to the Marine Mammal Center and the California Academy of Sciences, the center received reports of a whale underneath the Richmond Long Wharf, which is adjacent to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge on the afternoon of July 7. A responder confirmed the presence of the whale, which was determined to be a subadult female. On July 10, the whale was towed to Angel Island State Park. The following day, a team of 10 scientists performed a necropsy on the whale. "The main finding was hemorrhaging on the animal's left lateral side between the head and pectoral fin, concentrated near the skull, consistent with blunt force trauma due to a suspected vessel strike," the Marin Mammal Center said in a statement. Scientists said the whale was 37-feet long, whose body was in "average" condition based on the fat stores and blubber layer. "This latest gray whale caught everyone a bit by surprise given how late in the season it is and the fact that we had not sighted the species in the bay in nearly two weeks," said Kathi George, the center's Director of Cetacean Conservation Biology. According to the center, the whale was the 21st dead gray whale found in Bay Area waters so far this year, the most since 2000. Of the 21 whales, five were found dead in just one week in May. Scientists noted the number of gray whale sightings in the Bay Area reached an "unusually high number" in 2025, with more than 35 confirmed via photo identification. By comparison, only six gray whales were seen in the bay in all of 2024. A recent population estimate by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found continued decline in eastern north Pacific gray whale numbers, with about 13,000 whales, the lowest since the 1970s. George also urged boaters to be careful while navigating the bay. "With the bay and our immediate coast serving as a shared space for commerce and increasing whale activity, including humpback whales, it's vital that all boaters, from large commercial vessels to sailboats, be whale aware. If you see a blow, go slow," George said.
