Great hammerhead shark off Bimini
Great hammerhead shark off Bimini

Great hammerhead has low genetic variation

Genomic data reveals historical population declines and high levels of inbreeding in great hammerhead.

In a recent report by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 31 percent of all shark species are threatened (Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable).  In 1980, only 9 species of oceanic sharks and rays were listed as threatened.

Common Seal (Phoca vitulina vitulina)
The harbor (or harbour) seal (Phoca vitulina), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere

Bird flu is killing marine mammals

 

Last summer, the highly contagious strain of avian influenza, that was first detected in early winter 2021, had been spreading through North American birds made its way into marine mammals, causing a spike in seal strandings along the coast of Maine.

In June and July 2022, more than 150 dead or ailing seals washed ashore, a number that was approximately three times the normal rate for this time of the year. Of the 41 stranded seals tested for the virus, nearly half tested positive.

Coral reef patches surrounded by halos of sand produced by herbivore members of a patch assemblage (fish, mollusks, and sea urchins) who remove sea grass and algae
Coral reef patches surrounded by halos of sand produced by herbivore members of a patch assemblage (fish, mollusks, and sea urchins) who remove sea grass and algae

Reef halos and soundscapes may provide a window into reef health

Coral reef halos, also known as grazing halos or sand halos, are bands of bare, sandy seafloor that surround coral patch reefs. Fish and invertebrates hide in a patch of coral and venture out to eat algae and seagrass that cover the seabed.