The Fishiest of Places @conservaquarium - Tumblr Blog

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thewriterkb

A graphic depiction of the result of boat strikes on marine species.

@samlawrencephoto

sixpenceee

A scale model showing how mangrove forests protect coasts from wave erosion.

hey-look-another-human

But y’all just wanna cut the trees huh!

milqi

Nature knows what it’s doing. Why do we keep interfering with it?

eartharchives

It wasn’t until 2003 that Japanese scientists officially named Omura’s whale on the basis of nine carcasses hauled in by ships. No one had ever seen a live Omura’s whale in the wild – that is, until recently.

This whale had never been seen in the wild and suffered from a case of mistaken identity until 2003. Last October, scientists released the first images and data documenting their encounters with Omura’s whales.

keyconservation

After years of a rumored existence and years of dedicated field work a new two-foot-long salamander species was finally discovered living in Alabama and Florida. Check out the reticulated siren! | Photo: Pierson Hill | #salamander #Alabama #Florida #discovery #conservation #fieldwork #endangered #endangeredspecies #wildlife #wildlifeconservation #animals #endextinction #science #biologist #Tech4Good #Tech4Wildlife #hope #ConservationOptimism #KeyConservation Read more here: https://buff.ly/2rDL5zY

todropscience

BONNETHEAD IS AN OMNIVORE SHARK, RESEARCHERS FOUND

What an animal consumes and what an animal digests and assimilates for energetic demands are not always synonymous. Sharks, accepted as carnivores, have guts that are presumed to be well suited for a high-protein diet. However, the bonnethead shark (Sphyrna tiburo), an abundant shark commonly found in seagrass habitats, has been previously shown to consume copious amounts of seagrass, flowering marine plant that forms subsea meadows in some coastal waters in the Gulf of Mexico, as in other parts of the world. And now, is considered the first known plant-eating shark. The finding were published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society.

The bonnethead shark is an abundant shark species in shallow waters of the Eastern Pacific, the Western Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico, where they feed on seagrass and small crustaceans, snails and other fishes, and according to researchers, in natural conditions, up to 62.1% of gut content mass is seagrass. Because a large percentage of the diet is seagrass, conserving seagrass beds is vital to the hammerhead shark family and other marine life.

Photo: bonnethead shark in Bahia State, Brazil, by José Amorim Reis-Filho.

Reference (Open Access): Leigh et al., 2018. Seagrass digestion by a notorious ‘carnivore’. Proc. R. Soc. B.

heycalacademy

The votes are in for our 2018 Big Picture Natural World Photography Competition, and Tanya Houppermans’ astounding photo of a tiger shark passing by overhead—surrounding by a swirling ball of baitfish—took this year’s Grand Prize. See the work of all category winners and finalists; exhibit opens July 27. bigpicturecompetition.org

arsanatomica

These are fins from a 500lb Bluefin Tuna.

Tuna are members of the Scrombrid family, a group of fast swimming, partially warm-blooded apex predators, with highly streamlined bodies and retractable fins.

In the image above, the large dorsal fin, with its rigid bony rays, can disappear completely into a deep groove on the body.This gives the fish its distinctive bullet shape, as it charges forward in the water. The fin is pulled out when the fish is slowing down, or turning to keep its cylindrical body from rolling over.

The distinctive little fins, or finlets in the last image are only found in this group of fish. Muscles beneath the skin allows them to move independently. There’s a few people out there researching this, but at the current time their exact function is unknown.

cool-critters

American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula)

American paddlefish are basal chondrostean ray-finned fish closely related to sturgeons in the order Acipenseriformes. American paddlefish are one of only two extant taxa in the paddlefish family, Polyodontidae. The other is the critically endangered Chinese paddlefish which may now be extinct. American paddlefish are highly derived with adaptations specifically for filter feeding. Their rostrum and cranium are covered with tens of thousands of sensory receptors for locating swarms of zooplankton which is their primary food source. American paddlefish are endemic to the Mississippi River Basin. They commonly inhabited large, free-flowing rivers, braided channels, backwaters and oxbow lakes. American paddlefish are among the largest and longest lived freshwater fishes in North America. They have a shark-like body with an average 1.5 metres in length. American paddlefish populations have declined dramatically primarily as a result of overfishing and habitat destruction. In 2004 they were listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

photo credits: wiki, blickwinkel/Alamy, scienceforums

seatrench

A Pufferfish inflating itself by rapidly intaking water

(source)

annekubis

Just had to share a design I recently finished up! I’ve actually had this design on the backburner for years, but got the drive to come back to finally finish it. It’s referencing the amazing youtube channel The Brain Scoop and a discussion on conservation efforts being spent towards marketable animals like pandas vs more environmentally necessary animals like unionid bivalves.

——- Please don’t remove the caption or the watermark. Please don’t repost without permission. Thank you!

thebrainscoop

WAIT

HOLD ON

I NEED THIS. I’M GOING TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN WE ARE GOING TO HAVE THIS SHIRT THANK YOU @annekubis

thebrainscoop

We made it happen!

Freshwater bivalves are the largest group of threatened/endangered species on the planet. To help raise awareness for these under-appreciated filter-feeders, we have a limited number of shirts and decals – just in time for Endangered Species Day (tomorrow!)

Get yours HERE from DFTBA!

thebrainscoop

Today is Endangered Species Day! But you can represent unionid bivalves year round so GET YOURS ❤️❤️❤️

todropscience

PLASTIC BAG RECORDED AT BOTTOM OF MARIANA TRENCH

The world’s deepest plastic bag has been found at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench, at 10,898 m. Plastics are ubiquitous even at depths under 6000 m, most of them are single-use products.

The findings comes from over 5,000 separate dives using deep-sea remote vehicles (ROVs). But not only plastic was found, also metal, rubber, fishing gear, glass and various other man-made items. The study showed association of plastic debris with deep-sea biota, which was relatively frequency, 17% of debris images were found with at least one organisms. Researchers found entanglement of plastic bags in the cold seep communities.

According to japaneses researchers who conducted the study, plastic debris, particularly single-use products, has reached the deepest parts of the ocean. Whereas regulation on the production of single-use plastic and the flow of such debris into the coast are the only effective ways to prevent further threats to deep-sea ecosystems, successful management of plastic waste is possible through internationally harmonized practices based on scientifically sound knowledge.

Photo: JAMSTEC

Reference: Chiba et al., 2018. Human footprint in the abyss: 30 year records of deep-sea plastic debris. Marine Policy

thewhimsyturtle

International Turtle and Tortoise Week 2018, Day 4 (Days 1, 2, and 3)

Did you know you could be directly contributing to killing turtles with your everyday accessories? Real “tortoiseshell” may look beautiful, but it comes from the critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle. We talked about this last year as well, but we’ve seen a mini surge in interest for tortoiseshell jewelry this year. Always make sure you are buying only faux tortoiseshell! Faux tortoiseshell can be just as beautiful, and you won’t be hurting any turtles!

More broadly, you can make a difference simply by taking a second to think about the impact of your everyday purchases on us shells. Minimize using plastic straws that instantly become plastic pollution (and can get lodged in sea turtles’ nostrils - shorter version here). Spend the extra minute to find biodegradable alternatives and environment-friendly chemicals. If we all spend that extra minute, we could save a lot of turtles and tortoises out in the wild!

tort-time

Wise words, Kirby! No piece of jewelry is worth the life of the incredible, but critically endangered, hawksbill sea turtle! This is particularly important for anyone traveling to the Caribbean and Latin America where the sale of these items is far more common despite laws against it. @shadowdunsparce writes more about it here (and the drawing of a hawksbill is incredible!)

Here’s a guide to identifying real turtlesshell jewelry brought to you by the TOO RARE TO WEAR campaign!

Check out their site for more information and SIGN THE PLEDGE TO SAY NO TURTLESHELL JEWELRY!

And Kirby is right! we can all do our part by minimizing the use of plastic straws, bags, and soda can rings! There are many alternatives out there these days, and taking the extra time to look to save our shell friends in the sea… least we can do if you ask me!

thewhimsyturtle

Very important information on how to tell when something is made of real turtleshell!

0ct0pus

This cuttie is a baby Caribbean reef octopus, shifting color as soon as it hatches. This proves once more the natural capabilities of the octopuses for camouflage. This one was responding to the black tabletop beneath its tank.

“It was going into an instant camouflage as soon as it came out of the egg,”

The original video was posted by the Virginia Aquarium.

finandleaf

Man, he’s ready to go! Straight for the prey as well!

stickyfrogs

Pobblebonk Manor is Closed! Go Away! (Except if you know the password) By Bonk and Barry!

screwyouandrew

Is the password “treatie”?

egosumdaniel

Some of the most beautiful fish illustrations I have seen, by @franzanth for an Indonesian field guide.

The species shown above are (top left - bottom right) Anematichthys armatus, Barbodes lateristriga, Barbonymus schwanenfeldii, Cyclocheilichthys apogon, Osteochilus waandersii, Puntigrus tetrazona, Pristolepis fasciata, Pristolepis grootii, Dichotomyctere nigroviridis and Pao leiurus.