17 Pounds Of Plastic Kills Whale, Highlighting Ocean Pollution

Some 80 plastic bags extracted from within a whale are being laid out in Songkhla, Thailand, in this still image captured from video footage.

Thailand's Department of Marine and Coastal Resources/Social Media/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS

Around 80 sopping wet, black plastic bags lined the floor of an operating room in Thailand last week after they were pulled from the stomach of a whale found stranded on a beach.

The pilot whale, which washed ashore in the southern province of Songkhla, later died after veterinarians tried for five days to save its life, according to the country's Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. An autopsy found nearly 17 pounds of plastic inside the whale's belly, a marine official told Reuters.

The whale's death and photos released by the department serve as a reminder of a growing global problem: plastic debris flowing into the ocean and killing wildlife.

"We are creating the horrible dystopian future that nobody wanted," Enric Sala, an explorer-in-residence and marine ecologist with National Geographic, tells Here & Now's Robin Young.

NPR

robotic fish

microplastics in your shellfish

silver springs, florida

california coast

Filipino Fisherman Reveals 75-Pound Pearl He Kept Hidden For A Decade

A fisherman in the Philippines might have discovered the largest natural pearl ever found — and then kept it hidden under his bed for 10 years.

The pearl's existence was revealed by Aileen Cynthia Maggay-Amurao, a tourism officer in Puerto Princesa, on the island of Palawan.

She says the fisherman is one of her relatives and that he discovered it in a giant clam and kept it as a good-luck charm.

When he was moving out of his home, he decided to give the pearl to Maggay-Amurao for safekeeping instead of transporting it with him — "since it's quite heavy," she told The Guardian.

In fact, the pearl weighs in at 34 kilograms, Maggay-Amurao says — or approximately 75 pounds.

It's more than 2 feet long and 1 foot wide, CNN reports.

That would make it far and away the largest natural pearl ever found in a giant clam. The current world record is held by another pearl found off the coast of Palawan — "The Pearl of Allah" or "Pearl of Lao Tzu," which was discovered in the '30s and cost a diver's life to retrieve.

That pearl, which the Guardian says was valued at $93 million in 2003, weighs 14 pounds — a fraction of the size of the newly revealed pearl.

The 75-pound pearl is now on display in the city hall of Puerto Princesa; the local government has dubbed it the "Pearl of Puerto."

Maggay-Amurao, who says she persuaded her relative to display the pearl instead of hiding it, has called for gemologists to visit Puerto Princesa to examine the pearl for authenticity and an estimate of its value.

A spokesman for the Puerto Princesa government says the fisherman who found the pearl hasn't signed it over to the city, Agence France-Presse reports. "It remains his property," the spokesman says, confirming that the man could be in for an extraordinary windfall.

For the record, a 75-pound pearl would be 170,000 carats. npr

Deep Sea Explorers Discover A Sponge The Size Of A Minivan

The deep-sea researchers were surveying an ocean ridge off the coast of Hawaii in 2015 and amid ordinary ocean floor fare — a bit of coral, some volcanic rock — they came across something surprising.

"Where did this guy come from? Holy cow!" one researcher said to his colleague.

During the moment caught on camera, the brain-like curves of a sponge about the size of a minivan came into view. As one of the scientists exclaimed in the video, "This is the largest thing I've seen underwater."

Now, a new study reports that it is the largest sponge ever documented, at about 11.5 feet long, more than 6.5 feet wide and 4.9 feet high. That's about the size of a minivan. In the video, the researchers immediately voiced their suspicion that it could be the biggest sponge in the world.

npr

Shifting Colors Of An Octopus May Hint At A Rich, Nasty Social Life

Some octopuses intimidate their neighbors by turning black, standing tall and looming over them threateningly, like an eight-armed Dracula.

That's according to a study published Thursday that helps show that octopuses aren't loners, contrary to what scientists long thought; some of the invertebrates have an exciting social life.

The study, in the journal Current Biology, focuses on one species, known asOctopus tetricus — the gloomy octopus — which gathers to munch on tasty scallops in the shallows of Jervis Bay, Australia.

"There can be over a dozen octopuses or more at this site," says David Scheelof Alaska Pacific University. "Generally, during the Australian summer there are more and we see a lot of activity then."

A local diver, Matthew Lawrence, first noticed there was a lot of octopus interaction going on there. His observations piqued the interest of Scheel, who is a marine biologist, and Peter Godfrey-Smith, a philosopher who had been thinking about octopus consciousness.

The research team eventually recorded 52 hours of underwater video, showing 186 octopus interactions.

"I took a look fairly early on at one sequence in which one octopus approaches another in a fairly menacing way," recalls Scheel. "He gets all dark, stands up very tall, and the other octopus crouches down and turns very pale. And then, when the approaching octopus persists, the other one flees. And this is immediately followed by the first octopus approaching a third octopus that's nearby. And the third octopus turns dark and doesn't crouch down. He just stays where he is, holds his ground."

It looked like they were signaling to each other, says Scheel. That was surprising, because the changing color patterns on an octopus's body are generally just associated with camouflage from predators. As the researchers watched more video, they became convinced.

"The dark color and some of the behaviors that go with it are associated with aggression, or at least approach," Scheel says. "The paler colors signify that the octopus is not going to stand its ground — that it's going to retreat or withdraw."

An aggressive octopus would stretch out the web of its tentacles very wide, to look as big as possible. "And, of course, it's got these scalloped edges between each arm," says Scheel, adding that the octopus would also stand very tall and turn black.

"It looked to me, for all the world, like Dracula approaching his prey," he says. "In my early notes I was calling this the Nosferatu display."

Sometimes an octopus will even do this while standing on the highest available ground, he adds — a piece of junk that's sticking up out of the seafloor.

Until about 15 years ago, scientists believed that octopuses were pretty much asocial.

"When they interacted, they either mated or ate each other," says Crissy Huffard, a senior research technician at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California. "That was the overriding idea."

But Huffard has done research on another octopus species that shows males display a black-and-white striped pattern when they're in the presence of another individual. "And that tends to send the signal, 'I'm male,' " she says. If the other octopus displays a similar body pattern, the male will be aggressive and fight. If not, then he'll try to mate.

She was interested in the threatening body posture that researchers observed in Australia.

"That's very cool to see," she says. "Octopuses are probably not as completely asocial as originally assumed. Their communication system reflects the fact that they're interacting on a fairly regular basis." npr

echinoid spine terminology

thefossilforum.com

teeny tiny fish vertebrae

estimating 0.25 - 1mm across

Chemicals In Sunscreen Are Harming Coral Reefs, Says New Study

New research about sunscreen's damaging effects on coral reefs suggest that you might want to think twice before slathering it on.

Reports about the harmful environmental effects of certain chemicals in the water have been circulated for years, but according to the authors of a new study released Tuesday, the chemicals in even one drop of sunscreen are enough to damage fragile coral reef systems. Some 14,000 tons of sunscreen lotions wind up in coral reefs around the world each year.

This Sept. 2015 photo provided by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources shows partially bleached coral in Kaneohe, Hawaii.

The ingredient oxybenzone leaches the coral of its nutrients and bleaches it white. It can also disrupt the development of fish and other wildlife.

Scientists conducted the new study in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Hawaii, but reefs all over the world are at risk, according to a 2011 report by the World Resource Institute.

While destructive fishing, pollution and development all pose threats to the coral reef, the study reveals that sunscreen is a serious danger to the health of coral.

"The use of oxybenzone-containing products needs to be seriously deliberated in islands and areas where coral reef conservation is a critical issue," Downs said according to the Washington Post.

"We have lost at least 80 percent of the coral reefs in the Caribbean," co-author Craig Downs said. "Any small effort to reduce oxybenzone pollution could mean that a coral reef survives a long, hot summer, or that a degraded area recovers."

Local economies also depend on the tourism that coral reefs attract. As a result, some local businesses have started to ban the use of harmful sunscreen in their waters. In Akumal, Mexico, an area known for its reefs and sea turtles, visitors are warned against wearing sunscreen and are restricted to certain areas to prevent too much disruption of reef life.

But damaging sunscreen from beach-goers is just part of the concern. Any time people wear sunscreen, it's going to wind up in the waterways when they clean it off, just like harmful chemicals in household cleaning products that are washed down drains and into the sewage systems.

"People come inside and step into the shower. People forget it goes somewhere," co-author John Fauth told the Post.

So how can you avoid harming coral reefs without allowing the sun to damage your skin?

The U.S. National Park Service for South Florida, Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa recommend using "reef-friendly" sunscreen (those made with titanium oxide or zinc oxide, which are natural mineral ingredients) and wearing clothing and hats to protect the skin from the sun. npr

Algae bloom toxins may make Florida’s manatees and sea turtles susceptible to deadly accidents

Fond of a range of marine and freshwater vegetation such as turtle grass and eelgrass, the Florida manatee spends most of its waking hours grazing in shallow water. Its gentle motions and 3 to 5 mile-per-hour swimming speeds belie the fact that many of these endangered mammals survive under the stress of repeated, low-dose poisoning. The source: red tides and massive algae blooms that produce an array of deadly toxins. Blooms often blanket the submerged plants they eat causing the manatees to swallow the toxins along with their food or inhale it as they breathe.

New research by scientists from the Smithsonian Marine Station in Fort Pierce, Fla.; James Cook University in Townsville, Australia and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, has shown that manatees and green sea turtles (both herbivores) from Florida live with low-levels of a number of algae-produced toxins in their bodies and digestive systems. Sampling muscle and liver tissues and stomach and intestine contents from 14 dead manatees and 13 dead green sea turtles washed ashore in Florida between December 2003 and February 2006, the researchers found most of the specimens had been exposed to sub-lethal levels of the harmful algal bloom toxins: brevetoxin, okadaic acid and saxitoxin.

Together, the cumulative impact of these toxins could potentially impair the health and fitness of the animals, the researchers write, making them susceptible to accidental death by reducing their ability to evade boats and fishing lines, or withstand periods of cold weather. Many of the turtles in the study had been severely damaged in accidents, such as fishing-line entangled flippers, cut and cracked shells and boat-propeller wounds.

Florida is a hotspot for harmful algae blooms with more than 70 potentially harmful algal species identified in its waters. “There are many catalysts for these blooms, such as changes in temperature, salinity, turbidity and nutrient run-off,” explains Angela Capper, principle author of the study from the Smithsonian Marine Station and James Cook University. “Some blooms are successive, i.e. when one bloom dies off it provides the nutrients for a subsequent bloom of another harmful species.” The manatees in the study were collected on the Gulf Coast of Florida where red tides are prevalent and the turtles were collected from Florida’s Atlantic Coast.

“Animals are not only exposed to lethal doses of toxins during bloom periods but, also, due to toxin circulating through food webs, for weeks or months after a bloom has dissipated, prolonging the risk to marine animals,” the researchers write. Multiple species of algae also may bloom at the same time, exposing the animals to different toxins simultaneously.–John Barrat smithsonian

“Dietary exposure to harmful algae bloom (HAB) toxins in the endangered manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) and green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) in Florida, USA”was published in the Journal “Harmful Algae” in July 2013.

vinegar pickles reef eaters- crown of thorns starfish

James Cook University (JCU) scientists have made a breakthrough in the war against Crown of Thorns Starfish (CoTS). A new paper shows injecting the coral-eating pest with simple household vinegar kills it just as effectively as the current drug, which can be expensive and difficult to source.

Lead author Lisa Boström-Einarsson said vinegar had been tried unsuccessfully before, but JCU scientists refined the process which resulted in a 100% kill rate. The animals are breeding at epidemic levels and are one of the primary reasons for the decline in live coral.

Ms Boström-Einarsson said the findings were exciting. “Currently divers use 10 or 12 ml of ox-bile to kill each CoTS. It’s expensive, requires permits and has to be mixed to the right concentration. We used 20 ml of vinegar, which is half the price and can be bought off the shelf at any local supermarket.”

The CoTS in the JCU trial were all dead within 48 hours of being injected.

Ms Boström-Einarsson said the dead CoTS were fed on by fish in the lab trials with no ill-effect, but this needed to be backed up by large-scale field trials to be sure the process is totally safe for other marine life. “There’s no reason to think it won’t work or it’ll be dangerous, but we have to be sure,” she said.

She said the findings could have big implications for developing countries without the means to acquire and use the current drugs.

Scientists say while the process may greatly help slow down the CoTS outbreak, killing the starfish individually was never going to save coral reefs by itself.

“It has been estimated there are between 4 and 12 million of the starfish on the Great Barrier Reef alone and each female produce around 65 million eggs in a single breeding season. They managed to kill around 350 000 last year with two full-time boat crews. While it would take an insane effort to cull them all that way, we know that sustained efforts can save individual reefs,” Ms Boström-Einarsson said.

She said other researchers were working on population-level controls of the animal, but killing the starfish one-by-one was the only method available at the moment.

Sea trials of the vinegar method will begin by the end of the year. This project was funded by the Ian Potter Foundation 50th Anniversary Commemorative Grants Scheme and the Australian Museum’s Lizard Island Research Station. ecomagazine.com

For more information, click here. 

Oysters May Serve as Link in Transmission of Norovirus

Oysters appear to be an important link in the transmission of norovirus among humans, according to new research from China.

Norovirus — better known as “cruise-ship flu,” “stomach flu” or “winter vomiting flu” — is one of the world’s most common causes of gastrointestinal distress. Although most patients recover after a few days of misery, and sometimes ruined vacations, the virus can be lethal to infants, older adults and people with weak immune systems.

It is highly infectious — especially in confined environments like ships — but exactly how it is transmitted has been a mystery. The unwashed hands of food workers have been blamed. But recently, scientists at North Carolina State built a “vomiting machine” that showed tiny infectious droplets of vomit can fly through the air to infect other people, just as droplets from a sneeze do.

In the current study, published last month in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, researchers analyzed the genetic sequences of 1,077 samples of noroviruses found in oysters. Some sequences had been stockpiled in genetic databases since 1983.

The scientists found that 80 percent of the known human noroviruses matched those found in oysters. The majority of the matches were in oysters from coastal waters, more likely to be contaminated with human sewage.

Noroviruses mutate very quickly, as do influenza viruses, and big outbreaks usually begin after a new strain emerges. There was a “convergence” between new strains circulating in oysters and those circulating in humans, the researchers also found.

Yongjie Wang, a food science specialist at Shanghai Ocean University and lead author of the study, concluded that oysters were an important reservoir for human noroviruses — a place where they can hide between outbreaks and mutate. They also can be transmitted back to humans, presumably when oysters are eaten raw.

A way to detect noroviruses in oyster flesh and in the beds where they grow needs to be developed, Dr. Wang said. nytimes

sarcastic fringehead fish

The sarcastic fringehead, Neoclinus blanchardi, is a small but ferocious fish which has a large mouth and aggressive territorial behavior, for which it has been given its common name. When two fringeheads have a territorial battle, they wrestle by pressing their distended mouths against each other, as if they were kissing. This allows them to determine which is the larger fish, which establishes dominance.

They can be up to 30 centimetres (12 in) long, elongate and slender, and are mostly scaleless with great pectoral fins and reduced pelvic fins. They tend to hide inside shells or crevices. After the female spawns under a rock or in clam burrows the male guards the eggs.

They are found in the Pacific, off the coast of North America, from San Francisco, California, to central Baja California. Their depth range is from 3 to 73 metres (9.8 to 239.5 ft).

Fossil Specimen Reveals a New Species of Ancient River Dolphin

Smithsonian scientists and colleagues have discovered a new genus and species of river dolphin that has long been extinct. They made the discovery after carefully examining fossil fragments from Panama. The fossil fragments also shed new light on the evolution of today’s freshwater river dolphin species. The team’s research was published Sept. 1 in the scientific journal Peer J.

The fossil, which dates from 5.8–6.1 million years ago, was found on the Caribbean coast near the town of Piña, Panama. It consists of half a skull, lower jaw with an almost entire set of conical teeth, right shoulder blade and two small bones from the dolphin’s flipper. In comparison with other river dolphins—both fossil and living—the shape and size of these parts suggests that the full specimen may have been more than 9 feet long.

Today there are only four species of river dolphins―all living in freshwater or coastal ecosystems and all endangered, including the Yangtze river dolphin, which is likely now extinct. Each of the modern river dolphin species show a common solution to the problem of adapting away from marine to freshwater habitats by converging upon a body plan that includes broad, paddle-like flippers, flexible necks and heads with particularly long, narrow snouts—all the better to navigate and hunt in winding, silty rivers.

But fossil evidence suggests that river dolphins’ ancestors were widespread around the globe. I. panamensis was clearly one of them, and its fossil remains have helped the team understand something less clear: When in their evolutionary tract did river dolphins transition from the saltwater of the ocean to the freshwater of rivers?

“We discovered this new fossil in marine rocks, and many of the features of its skull and jaws point to it having been a marine inhabitant, like modern oceanic dolphins,” said the study’s lead author Nicholas D. Pyenson, curator of fossil marine mammals at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. “Many other iconic freshwater species in the Amazon, such as manatees, turtles and stingrays have marine ancestors, but until now, the fossil record of river dolphins in this basin has not revealed much about their marine ancestry. Isthminia now gives us a clear boundary in geologic time for understanding when this lineage invaded Amazonia.”

Other fossilized animals found at the same site as I. panamensis were marine species, indicating that unlike river dolphins living today, I. panamensis lived in the salty waters of a food-rich Caribbean Sea, before the full closure of the Panama Isthmus.

“Isthminia is actually the closest relative of the living Amazon river dolphin,” said study co-author Aaron O’Dea, staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. “While whales and dolphins long ago evolved from terrestrial ancestors to fully marine mammals, river dolphins represent a reverse movement by returning inland to freshwater ecosystems. As such, fossil specimens may tell stories not just of the evolution these aquatic animals, but also of the changing geographies and ecosystems of the past.”

The Smithsonian’s Digitization Program Office collaborated with the scientific team to create a high-resolution 3-D scan of the fossil, allowing the scientists to create 3-D prints of the delicate specimen, whose bones are too fragile to be molded and casted by traditional approaches. A 3-D print of the fossil is on permanent display at Panama’s BioMuseo—the original specimen will remain in the Smithsonian’s collection at the National Museum of Natural History. The public can also explore and download high resolution scans of the dolphin’s skull, jaw and shoulder blade at the Smithsonian X 3-D website 3D.SI.EDU.

The fossil was discovered by Dioselina Vigil, then a STRI intern and student at the University of Panama. The name of the new genus, Isthminia, recognizes both the Panama Isthmus and the fossil specimen’s living relative, the Amazon river dolphin, Inia geoffrensis. The study’s authors chose the species name, panamensis, to recognize the Republic of Panama, its people, and the many generations of scientists who have studied its geological and biological histories. smithsonianscience.si.edu

Why Are So Many Shark Attacks Happening in North Carolina?

Two more swimmers have been bitten by sharks off the North Carolina coast. That makes six shark attacks in the state in the last three weeks.

From 2005 to 2014, there were a total of 25 shark attacks in North Carolina. This year's incidents are part of a rising trend in the U.S. and much of the world over the past century (learn more about attacks). Overall, however, they remain relatively rare; an ocean swimmer has only a one in 11.5 million chance of being bitten by a shark, according to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Why are so many recent attacks happening in North Carolina?

The Tarheel State typically gets one to two shark attacks a year but has had four this year, says Frank J. Schwartz, a shark biologist with the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. There were four bites there last year and 55 documented shark attacks in the state since 1905.

The incidents are heavily dependent on weather and currents and are much more likely when the water temperature reaches 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 Celsius) and when strong currents flow north along the coast, bringing bait fish. This year, those conditions appeared in April, and sharks soon followed, coming from Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.

Why are shark attacks rising?

The most likely explanation is the “ever-increasing amount of time spent in the sea by humans, which increases the opportunities for interaction between the two affected parties,” according to the Florida museum. A steadily rising human population is also a big factor.

Is climate change to blame?

Schwartz says it’s unclear, since water temperatures and currents tend to show a high degree of flux from year to year. The numbers of attacks are also so low that statistical analysis is dicey.

Are children more at risk of shark attacks?

The child bit on Wednesday wasn’t necessarily at any more risk, says Schwartz. Although splashing can attract curious sharks, most bites are simply results of someone “being at the wrong place at the wrong time,” he says.

“Usually there is bait nearby and someone just gets in the way,” says Schwartz.

What kinds of sharks attack humans?

A number of sharks may be involved, including tiger, bull, great white, mako, nurse, black tip, white tip, lemon, and spinner sharks.

A sand tiger shark in North Carolina.

Why do sharks attack people?

The majority of incidents are “provoked” attacks, in which someone is bitten while spearfishing or while trying to catch a shark or release it from a line or net. Among unprovoked attacks, the fish are most often confusing people with their normal prey, often due to poor visibility. Surfers are most often attacked (as happened in Australia this week), most likely because they spend long periods of time in the water and often splash around like prey.

What should I do if a shark starts attacking me?

Hit it in the nose, which is often enough to end the attack, says the museum. Then head for shore.

If that doesn’t work, claw at its eyes and gill openings, two sensitive areas. “One should not act passively if under attack,” the museum says, because “sharks respect size and power.”

How do I reduce the odds of an attack?

Avoid swimming in known shark nursery areas, where bait is dropped (like piers or near bait shops or restaurants), and swimming at night or during or after storms, which can make the water cloudy and churn up the bait fish that lead to shark feeding frenzies.

Avoid swimming with open wounds or shiny objects, and don’t go too far from shore or out alone. nationalgeographic.com

Chaetopoda by Ernst Haeckel

Evolution of whale tails. Follow the whale. 1956

zookeepers recreating Jurassic World dinosaur training

After literally the biggest opening weekend ever, Jurassic World fever has taken over, well, the world. Everyone wishes they could hop on a motorcycle and hang out with some dinosaurs, right? Sadly, we can’t grab a frosty beverage and enjoy watching pterodactyls flapping around an atrium quite yet. I know, we’re sad about it too. But, we have uncovered some real life Chris Pratts working hard and joining in on the Jurassic World hype.

Keepers and trainers at aquariums and zoos all over are announcing their membership in Pratt’s raptor squad. Starting on Twitter, keepers have been posting photos recreating the famous shot of Pratt’s character Owen Grady taming the velociraptors. I love a good meme, and these photos are amazing. What better way to spread the word about zoos and aquariums?