The first symptom is white lesions that appear on the surface of the starfish and spread rapidly, followed by decay of tissue around the lesions. Eventually, the sea stars' bodies begin to break down; Limbs pull away from the sea stars' bodies and organs exude through their skin and the starfish dies within a few days.
Coral reefs make up some of the most biologically diverse habitats on Earth and face many threats such as coastal pollution, dredging and disease. However, some of their most widespread threats involve warming ocean temperatures, solar radiation and increased ocean acidification. It is from these threats that corals are finding refuge under the red mangroves.
So I asked leading shark ethologist and behaviourist, Professor Samuel 'doc' Gruber to elaborate. After pointing out how much pain women feel when they give birth, making the point that suffering has no effect on reproduction, he reminded me that sharks evolved their mating behaviours and the physical structures involved, separately from other animals.
Although humpbacks migrate between their polar feeding grounds and the warmer waters where they breed, the exact routes they take have remained a mystery. By studying the types of scars on humpback whales and how recently they were made, researchers from the University of Pretoria’s Mammal Research Institute can now determine routes the whales took before arriving in their breeding grounds off the west coast of South Africa, Namibia and Gabon.
In a world-first, the public is getting the opportunity to assist monitoring shark movements off the Western Australia coast in a bid to reduce the number of attacks. The Department of Fisheries has updated its Sharksmart website, which will digitally map all reported shark sightings from the public, surf lifesavers and other agencies.” We want to give beachgoers the latest information so they can make informed decisions about their water use," said Lisa Clack, manager of the department's shark response unit.
Already at risk from oil spills, hunting and habitat destruction, sea turtles have another obstacle to contend with: decompression sickness, also known as the bends. Scientists claim the sickness has been diagnosed for the first time in loggerhead sea turtles, with individuals accidentally caught in fishing nets most likely to suffer.
Singapore Airlines passenger Jeremy Gutsche claims he racked up an internet usage fee of $US 1171.46 in exchange for 155 page views. “I wish I could blame an addiction to Netflix or some intellectual documentary that made me $1200 smarter.
However, the Singapore Airlines internet was painfully slow, so videos would be impossible and that means I didn’t get any smarter … except about how to charge a lot of money for stuff. I did learn that,” wrote Gutsche on Trend Hunter.
Gabon has declared nearly a quarter of its territorial sea off-limits to commercial fishing. The central African nation is home to a variety of threatened species including great hammerhead sharks, manta rays and whale sharks.
Sea turtles have evolved a set of defenses against sharks, using their unusual shape, and their ability to flexibly change direction to evade these efficient predators. In this case, a tiger shark is shown attacking a sea turtle.
"Bangladesh brings us excellent news as we prepare for the World Parks Congress, a once-in-a-decade event where the conservation community from around the world will gather to discuss and make progress in improving the management and expansion of protected areas on the land and in the oceans," said Dr. Cristián Samper, Wildlife Conservation Society’s president and CEO.
It is a significant find that will aid in the understanding of commerce and trade routes in the ancient world, around 218-210 B.C.
Jarrod Jablonski, president of GUE, said the find was a “remarkable piece of history”, exhibiting intricate wave patterns and Greek letters inscribed into its surface. Sixteen other unique artifacts were recovered by GUE technical divers working closely with submersibles from Brownie’s Global Logistics. The Sicilian government will study and preserve these artifacts.
Chris Avila, of Canadian Marine Aquaculture, described how he was trying to collect a 3mm DNA sample from each of the fins of a new shipment of sharks, a species of bamboo shark (Hemiscyllium halmahera).
They showed no signs of distress when handled and had not reacted to having their fins pinched lightly, which is a stress test done prior to the clipping. Nevertheless, Avila had lightly sedated them for the procedure.
