Latest Ichthyology Stories
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are often thought to be solitary behemoths that live and feed in the open ocean. Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution and colleagues, however, have found that this is not necessarily the case, finding that whale sharks can be gregarious and amass in the hundreds to feed in coastal waters.Aggregations, or schools, of whale sharks have been witnessed in the past, ranging from several individual sharks to a few dozen. However this new research, which involved...
A Star-mapping Algorithm For The Hubble Space Telescope Also Helps Researchers Keep Tabs on Rare AnimalsThe speckle-skinned whale shark, despite growing to lengths of up to 40 feet, is among the rarest and least understood fish species. Its name in Madagascar"”"marokintana""”means "many stars." It's fitting, then, that researchers are now tracking these filter-feeding leviathans using an innovation originally designed to help NASA map the heavens.In 2002, Portland, Oregon, software...
According to a new study released Monday by researchers in Australia, a single reef shark can be worth about two million dollars in tourism revenue over its lifetime. The analysis from the Pacific island nation of Palau shows that sharks are worth many times more to local economics alive than dead. "Sharks can literally be a 'million-dollar' species and a significant economic driver," said lead author Mark Meekan, a scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science."Our...
WASHINGTON, May 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A single reef shark can contribute almost US$2 million in its lifetime to the economy of Palau, according to a new study by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the University of Western Australia. The analysis quantified the economic benefits of the shark-diving industry to the Pacific island nation and found that its value far exceeded that of shark fishing.(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110502/DC92959...
A novel way to ramp up biodiversity Bruce Carlson stands next to a fish tank in his lab, holding a putty colored Radio Shack amplifier connected to two wires whose insulation has been stripped. At the bottom of the tank a nondescript little fish lurks in a sawed-off section of PVC pipe.Carlson sticks the two bare wires into the tank. Suddenly we hear a rapid-fire pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. The pops, which are surprisingly loud, sound rather like the static on an old-fashioned tube radio...
SAN FRANCISCO, April 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Aquarium of the Bay today unveiled its No Fins, No Future: Support AB 376 exhibition to help local sharks by spurring support for the passage of Assembly Bill, AB 376, which would ban the possession, sale, trade and distribution of shark fins in California. No Fins, No Future will highlight the importance of this legislation through a multimedia station, including WildAid's public service announcement by Yao Ming. An action station will provide...
By Danielle Torrent, University of FloridaA new study led by a University of Florida researcher uses tracking data of three shark species to provide the first evidence some of the fish swim directly to targeted locations.Researchers found tiger and thresher sharks showed the ability to orient at large distances, with tiger sharks swimming in direct paths at least 4 miles away and reaching specific resource areas about 30 miles away, said lead author Yannis Papastamatiou, a marine biologist in...
Photographs of fins used to ID individual sharksIn the first census of its kind, research led by UC Davis and Stanford University found that there are far fewer white sharks off central California than biologists had thought.The study, published today in the journal Biology Letters, is the first rigorous scientific estimate of white shark numbers in the northeast Pacific Ocean. It is also the best estimate among the world's three known white-shark populations (the others are in Australia/New...
NSF CAREER awardee studies the behavior of schooling fish and creates biologically inspired robots that may someday help preserve marine lifeScientists have long turned to nature for inspiration and innovation. From unlocking the secrets of spider silk to create super-strong materials to taking hints from geckos for new adhesives, clues from the natural world often lead to advances in our practical world. But the relationship between engineering and nature has been largely one-directional,...
Pew applauds Pacific Islands for leading world on shark conservation WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Senate of Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean, passed a bill today banning the sale, possession and distribution of shark fins. With this legislation, sponsored by the Guam Senate's Vice Speaker B.J. Cruz, the Pacific islands continue to lead the world in the fight for shark conservation. It now moves to Governor Eddie Baza Calvo for his signature. "More and...
Latest Ichthyology Reference Libraries
The little tunny is found widespread in temperate and tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea. It is the most common tuna and is highly migratory, with a range from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Brazil in the Western Atlantic. In the Eastern Atlantic it is found from Skagerrak to South Africa. The little tunny will form schools close to the shoreline, around inlets, and sandbars that can cover up to two miles. This fish prefers warm water and will migrate south in...
Image Credit: WA Djatmiko/Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0, 2.5, 2.0 and 1.0) The African sharptooth catfish is native throughout Africa, and the Middle East, and in the 1980’s it was introduced all over the world. This catfish lives on muddy bottoms in freshwater lakes, rivers, swamps, man-made habitats, and occasionally found in urban sewage systems. This species is able to crawl across dry ground to another body of water when one pool dries up. It is also able to survive for long periods of...
This harmless shark is native to the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Indonesia, it is also found in coastal waters from Japan to India. It lives on the ocean floor in shallow areas around coral reefs, hiding during the day and feeding at night. In Taiwan and Madagascar the whitespotted bamboo shark is used for food. Occasionally this species is kept in home aquariums as pets. The young whitespotted bamboo shark will have a black body covered with white and light blue spots and dark vertical...
West African Lungfish thrive in fresh water in the West African countries of Senegal, Niger, Gambia, Volta and Chad basins, where the water temp ranges from 77 to 86 degrees. They also can be found in tributaries of the Chari River in Western Sudan. It is eel-like in looks with a long slender body containing 34 - 37 pairs of ribs. The body can be 9 - 15 times the length of its head with small eyes and a prominent snout. The pectoral fins (fins on each side closest to the head) are fringed...
Copeia is a peer-reviewed scientific journal established in 1913. The first issue was published by John Treadwell Nichols. It consisted of a single piece of paper folded to form four pages of information with five articles. The cover of the pamphlet read: “Published by the contributors to advance the science of coldblooded vertebrates.” Copeia is quarterly published and covers research in ichthyology and herpetology. It was named after Edward Drinker Cope, a prominent American...
