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Oceans and Their Inhabitants

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Lani
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Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#1

Post by Lani »

Humpback whales are organizing in huge numbers, and no one knows why
https://www.popsci.com/humpback-whales- ... ce=twitter
The world is ending and only the whales know. At least, that’s one explanation. Humpback whales are normally pretty solitary—scientists used to call groups of 10 to 20 “large.” Now they’re congregating in groups of 20 to 200 off the coast of South Africa. Something is definitely going on here, but so far experts are stumped.

In fact, Humpback whales aren’t supposed to be hanging out in that region in the first place. Humpbacks migrate up to tropical waters to breed, but they typically feed down south in the icy waters of Antarctica this time of year. Yet scientific expeditions keep seeing these super-pods (not to be confused with super PACs, which are equally giant but much more dangerous), which were finally compiled and published at the beginning of March in the journal PLOSone. The researchers have a few ideas about why the humpbacks are organizing, but no clear answers yet. So far the consensus seems to be: this is pretty freakin’ weird.

Most of the whales seem to be young, begging the question of whether the western coast of South Africa is like the humpback version of the local mall for tween whales. They’re just looking for a fishy Orange Julius, or perhaps a krill-based Panda Express to hang out at on a Saturday afternoon. Because it’s not like 200 whales—each weighing about 65,000 pounds—can feed just anywhere.

Congregations of whales usually indicate parts of the ocean that are especially productive. There has to be a dense concentration of prey to support that many humpbacks. And yes, the word “prey” might sound strange for a species known for singing songs and being friendly to other mammals. Lest we forget, humpback whales do hunt for their food. They’re not vegetarians. They eat everything from krill to plankton to small fish, regardless of whether they speak whale. They even have a specialized way of hunting where they gang up on schools of fish to try to eat them all at once. It’s called bubble net feeding. The humpbacks divide up, some swirling around a group of fish and some blowing air, such that the circling whales can drive their victims into a net made of bubbles. This confuses the fish, trapping them inside, until one whale sounds the call and they all rush in, mouths agape, swimming upwards through the teeming mass of fish.
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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#2

Post by pjhimself »

Tracking sharks (ocearch.org):

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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#3

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

CCCCOOOOOOLLLLLL!
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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#4

Post by Volkonski »

It is WhaleSong 2021! The premier cetacean music festival. Their Woodstock. ;)
Lani wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 6:48 am Humpback whales are organizing in huge numbers, and no one knows why
https://www.popsci.com/humpback-whales- ... ce=twitter
The world is ending and only the whales know. At least, that’s one explanation. Humpback whales are normally pretty solitary—scientists used to call groups of 10 to 20 “large.” Now they’re congregating in groups of 20 to 200 off the coast of South Africa. Something is definitely going on here, but so far experts are stumped.

In fact, Humpback whales aren’t supposed to be hanging out in that region in the first place. Humpbacks migrate up to tropical waters to breed, but they typically feed down south in the icy waters of Antarctica this time of year. Yet scientific expeditions keep seeing these super-pods (not to be confused with super PACs, which are equally giant but much more dangerous), which were finally compiled and published at the beginning of March in the journal PLOSone. The researchers have a few ideas about why the humpbacks are organizing, but no clear answers yet. So far the consensus seems to be: this is pretty freakin’ weird.

Most of the whales seem to be young, begging the question of whether the western coast of South Africa is like the humpback version of the local mall for tween whales. They’re just looking for a fishy Orange Julius, or perhaps a krill-based Panda Express to hang out at on a Saturday afternoon. Because it’s not like 200 whales—each weighing about 65,000 pounds—can feed just anywhere.

Congregations of whales usually indicate parts of the ocean that are especially productive. There has to be a dense concentration of prey to support that many humpbacks. And yes, the word “prey” might sound strange for a species known for singing songs and being friendly to other mammals. Lest we forget, humpback whales do hunt for their food. They’re not vegetarians. They eat everything from krill to plankton to small fish, regardless of whether they speak whale. They even have a specialized way of hunting where they gang up on schools of fish to try to eat them all at once. It’s called bubble net feeding. The humpbacks divide up, some swirling around a group of fish and some blowing air, such that the circling whales can drive their victims into a net made of bubbles. This confuses the fish, trapping them inside, until one whale sounds the call and they all rush in, mouths agape, swimming upwards through the teeming mass of fish.
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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#5

Post by noblepa »

"So long, and thanks for all the fish".

No, wait, that was dolphins, not whales.
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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#6

Post by Uninformed »

“Australia whales: ‘Unbelievable’ super-group caught on film”:
If you can't lie to yourself, who can you lie to?
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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#7

Post by Lani »

That was beautiful!
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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#8

Post by AndyinPA »

The first time we went whale watching was in the San Juan Islands from Victoria, BC. At the time (about 20 years ago) there were three orca pods in the straight. One or two days a year, all three pods (about 90 in total) would meet up. We lucked out big time!
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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#9

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

https://www.cbsnews.com
Turtles on runway cause delays at JFK airport

About 150 turtles crawled onto the tarmac at New York's Kennedy airport Wednesday in search of beaches to lay their eggs, delaying dozens of flights, aviation authorities said.

The slow-motion stampede began about 6:45 a.m., and within three hours there were so many turtles on Runway 4L and nearby taxiways that controllers were forced to move departing flights to another runway.

Workers from the Port Authority and the U.S. Department of Agriculture were scooping up turtles and moving them across the airport, he said. Flight delays averaged about 30 minutes, the FAA said.

The migration of diamondback terrapin turtles happens every year at Kennedy, which is built on the edge of Jamaica Bay and a federally protected park. In late June or early July the animals heave themselves out of the bay and head toward a beach to lay their eggs.

"The sandy spot on the other side of Runway 4L is ideal for egg laying," Port Authority spokesman John Kelly told the New York Post. "It is a naturally provided turtle maternity ward. When your airport is virtually surrounded by water, your neighbors sometimes come in the hard shell variety."

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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#10

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

Female octopuses throw things at males that are harassing them


An analysis of footage of octopuses off the coast of Australia “throwing” shells and silt suggests that they intentionally target – and often hit – other octopuses. In most cases, it is females that do the throwing, often at males that are harassing them.

In 2015, Peter Godfrey-Smith at the University of Sydney and his colleagues filmed several common Sydney octopuses (Octopus tetricus) interacting at a site in Jervis Bay dubbed “Octopolis”. It is one of the few places in the otherwise sandy sea bottom where octopuses can make dens, so there are an unusual number of the animals in a small area.

The cameras captured fights, matings and an extraordinary behaviour that the team calls throwing. “It’s hard to know how best to describe it,” says Godfrey-Smith.

The octopuses hold silt, algae or objects such as shells under their bodies in their tentacles, then angle their siphons and shoot a jet of water at the projectiles, propelling them up to several body lengths.

Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/22 ... z74xZ7KaNV
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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#11

Post by RTH10260 »

Pygmy pipehorse discovered in New Zealand given Māori name in ‘world first’
Ngātiwai tribal leaders formally listed as official naming authorities for the tiny creature
Eva Corlett in Wellington
Wed 6 Oct 2021 02.04 BST

A tiny candy-stick coloured pygmy pipehorse, discovered in a small area off New Zealand’s north coast has been given a Māori name by the local iwi (tribe) – in what is believed to be the first time an indigenous group has formally named a new species of animal.

The 6cm long fish is closely related to the seahorse, and inhabits the rocky reefs off the north-east coast. It is the first pygmy pipehorse discovered in the country.

The Ngātiwai tribe worked with biodiversity scientists Dr Thomas Trnski from Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum and Graham Short of the California Academy of Scientists to name the pipehorse Cylix tupareomanaia.

Cylix is a new genus name and is derived from the Greek and Latin word for a cup or chalice; it refers to the cup-like crest on the top of the head of the new species.

The second prong of the name tupareomanaia refers to “the garland of the manaia” – “manaia” is the Māori name for a seahorse and also means ancestor, or tupuna.

The common name for Cylix tupareomanaia is manaia pygmy pipehorse.

The Ngātiwai tribe said it was pleased to have gifted the new species a name.

“The naming of this taonga [treasure] is significant to Ngātiwai as we know there are stories from our tupuna about this species, but the original name has been lost as a result of the negative impacts of colonisation,” a Ngātiwai tribe kaumātua (elder) Hori Parata said.


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/ ... orld-first
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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#12

Post by RTH10260 »

whales go nuclear...
Nuclear bomb sensor exposes hidden population of blue whales
Nathan Howes Digital Reporter
Monday, June 21st 2021, 4:19 pm -

Researchers combing through acoustic data obtained by an underwater nuclear bomb detection array unexpectedly uncovered a new population of pygmy blue whales.

Blue whales are known for their massive size, but somehow a new population of pygmies went undetected in the Indian Ocean for nearly 20 years.

How were they discovered? Scientists combing through acoustic data obtained by an underwater nuclear bomb detection array, according to a study published earlier this year. The data collected also included sound recordings that revealed a never-before-heard song dating back almost two decades.

The new group of pygmy blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) is considered to be a smaller subspecies of blue whale that can grow to a maximum length of 79 feet (24 metres). They are known as the Chagos population, named after a chain of islands in the Indian Ocean near the group's home.



https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/ne ... dian-ocean
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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#13

Post by keith »

RTH10260 wrote: Thu Oct 21, 2021 5:48 am whales go nuclear...
Nuclear bomb sensor exposes hidden population of blue whales
Nathan Howes Digital Reporter
Monday, June 21st 2021, 4:19 pm -

Researchers combing through acoustic data obtained by an underwater nuclear bomb detection array unexpectedly uncovered a new population of pygmy blue whales.

:snippity:
Cool!!
Has everybody heard about the bird?
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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#14

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

https://gizmodo.com/octopuses-crabs-and ... 1848105287
Octopuses, Crabs, and Lobsters are Sentient Beings, Says Updated UK Law
It’s an important step forward for animal welfare, but the degree to which these creatures will be protected remains in doubt.


Marine invertebrates like octopuses, squids, shrimp, and crayfish are capable of feeling pain, hunger, joy, and excitement, among other expressions of sentience. The U.K. government will now update its new animal welfare bill accordingly.

The full impact of the newly updated bill is not yet known, but it means these marine invertebrates could eventually be covered by stronger legal protections. And indeed, Birch and his colleagues evaluated several abusive commercial practices related to these creatures, recommending against declawing, nicking (cutting the tendon of a crab’s claw), eyestalk ablation (eyestalks of female shrimp are sometimes severed to accelerate breeding), the sale of live decapods to untrained handlers, and the extreme practice of boiling lobsters alive without electrical stunning.

According to the U.K. government, however, the announcement that cephalopods and decapods are sentient beings “will not affect any existing legislation or industry practices such as fishing,” and there “will be no direct impact on the shellfish catching or restaurant industry.” Rather, the resulting amendment will make sure that “animal welfare is well considered in future decision-making.”
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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

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Post by RTH10260 »

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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#16

Post by Foggy »

You DID notice the fish lives in outer space and those were stars behind her, yesno?

That was the first thing I noticed, anyway.

Can't believe they thought I was dumb enough not to know that's clearly an outer space fish. Thought they could fool me. :roll:
Out from under. :thumbsup:
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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#17

Post by RTH10260 »

Fish slapping gets a whole new meaning when the next asteroid strikes ;)

Better keep the BBQ hot in time ...
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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#18

Post by RTH10260 »

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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#19

Post by keith »

Australian popsci podcast

https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/pr ... -the-duck/

Author is a self described bird nerd (ornithologist).

She was just on a TV show about the Southern Ocean at winter solstice. Crabs molting. Little Penguins on a late late breeding spurt, whale megapods feeding in Australian waters that were previously thought to feed only in Antarctic waters, 50 killer whales drowning a Blue Whale and then getting chased off within 40 minutes of blood hitting the water by a 200 strong pod of pilot whales. Nobody knows why pilot whales chase killer whales.
Has everybody heard about the bird?
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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

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Post by Volkonski »

“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#21

Post by Dave from down under »

keith wrote: Tue Jun 21, 2022 8:26 am Australian popsci podcast

https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/pr ... -the-duck/

Author is a self described bird nerd (ornithologist).

She was just on a TV show about the Southern Ocean at winter solstice. Crabs molting. Little Penguins on a late late breeding spurt, whale megapods feeding in Australian waters that were previously thought to feed only in Antarctic waters, 50 killer whales drowning a Blue Whale and then getting chased off within 40 minutes of blood hitting the water by a 200 strong pod of pilot whales. Nobody knows why pilot whales chase killer whales.
Why might
pilot WHALES chase off
KILLER whales…

Hmmm… there seems to be a link there…
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Re: Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#22

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

https://www.insider.com/immortal-jellyf ... ome-2022-8
Scientists have mapped the genetic code of the immortal jellyfish that can age in reverse after reaching adulthood

Scientists in Spain have successfully mapped the genome of a species of jellyfish that can escape age-related death by returning to a juvenile state after reaching adulthood.

In their study published Monday in the peer-reviewed Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team writes that they hope their findings can provide clues toward understanding more about human aging and the health conditions we face as we age.

T. dohrnii, dubbed the immortal jellyfish, goes through a life cycle just like other species of jellyfish. In one of these stages, the jellyfish attach to the seafloor as a polyp — basically a stalk of tissue — and attempt to stay alive.

When conditions are right, they can reproduce asexually by cloning themselves and eventually turn into the jelly-like "medusa" shape that jellyfish are better known for.

Once most jellyfish reach this adult "medusa" stage, they can also start reproducing sexually by releasing sperm and eggs into the water. After this stage, the typical jellyfish would eventually die.

However, the T. dohrnii can reverse its aging process even after maturing to adulthood, returning to a polyp on the seafloor, the researchers said.

In a bid to discover how the T. dohrnii's immortality works, the researchers compared its genome to that of its cousin Turritopsis rubra, which doesn't have the same anti-aging ability. They said the T. dohrnii's genome had twice as many copies of genes associated with protecting and repairing DNA.

The team also discovered that the jellyfish had a unique mutation that allows it to prevent telomeres — the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes — from deteriorating. In humans, our telomeres tend to get shorter as we age.

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Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#23

Post by RVInit »

There's a lot of things that need to change. One specifically? Police brutality.
--Colin Kaepernick
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Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#24

Post by AndyinPA »

Cool!
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Oceans and Their Inhabitants

#25

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

:yeahthat:
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