Tag: weird creatures
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The coolest animal in the world
As a marine biologist it’s my job to understand the complex workings of our mysterious ocean planet, and to wrestle with the great questions of our time. One that has been exercising me lately is this: What is the coolest animal on earth? After considerable deliberation, I’ve made my decision. And I don’t say this…
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Warming-induced killer crab invasion threatens Antarctic biodiversity
[Editor’s update: One of our observant readers and experts on deep-sea crabs, Dr Thomas Shirley of Texas A&M, points out that the photo above taken from the Mail article is of the tanner crab (Chionoecetes sp.), NOT the the giant king crab Neolithodes yaldwyni that is moving onto the Antarctic shelf. This is correct –…
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A fish out of water — and lookin’ for love
“Fish gotta swim”, as Julie put it in explaining why she can’t stop lovin’ dat man in the 1927 musical Show Boat. And we all know what she meant. But do they? Not this one. The Pacific Leaping Blenny (yes, that is its real name) wants to do anything but swim. It literally flees from…
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Hydrogen-powered hydrothermal vent critters
Scientists have discovered a third source of energy used by animals in the deep sea. Hydrothermal vents aren’t for the feint hearted. It’s very dark and unbelievably hot down there, not to mention the pressure – we’re talking many miles beneath the waves, here – and all those zingy chemicals, gushing out from cracks in…
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Bali-wood turns to the ocean
[Sorry, I couldn’t resist.] May I say that this video is awesome! This is the sort of thing that reminds me why I got into the marine biology business in the first place. Plus, hard on the heels of shark week, it provides lots of great material for my planned grand opening of (wait for…
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Ode to a sea cucumber (Dear Helen)
A friend who knows me well recently sent me this poem. Dear Helen, by Charles Simic There’s a thing in the world Called a sea cucumber. I know nothing about it. It just sounds cold and salty. I think a salad of such cukes Would be fine today. I would have to dive for it,…
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Treasures of the White Sea
I’ve just discovered this fabulous gallery of exquisite images by Russian underwater photographer Alexander Semenov. Alexander works in a place that most of us have never heard of, and few would dream of as hosting some of the beautiful animals that he’s virtually captured — the White Sea, an embayment of the Arctic Ocean…
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Sea monster proves to be a regular animal
The mystery is solved. After more than a week of holding their collective breath, sea monster enthusiasts throughout the world can now rest easy, albeit a bit deflated. The serpentine 30-foot creature that washed up on a Scottish beach has been identified by a crack team from the Scottish Agricultural College. Alas, it appears that…
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How to spot a mimic octopus
Love this ID chart from xkdc. HT to Ben Shearon.
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Helen Arney sings ‘Animals’ (with moderate levels of fish-related naughtiness)
I’ve just about finished washing off the mud after spending the weekend getting rained on in a field in Suffolk (England). Among the festival of delights at Latitude – awesome music, literature, comedy etc – was the wonderful songwriter/comedian/science geek Helen Arney. Here’s Helen singing about animals and the things they get up to make…