We have all heard or used the expression “Bird-Brain.” Birds have comparatively small brains, and because of that we humans place them at a very low level of intelligence. Yes, we recognize that we can train birds of certain species to react to a limited assortment of commands, but animal science has, until now, been […]
A testicle-eating fish has arrived in America. The pacu, which is related to the piranha, is best known for attacking people in their most, er, sensitive areas. It’s not exactly nice to look at either, with creepy human-like teeth which according to a Danish fish expert are ‘perfect for crushing’. Eek. The evidence is mounting […]
Scientists have discovered the world’s deepest-dwelling fish during research in the depths of the Pacific. They captured video footage of a type of snailfish at depths of 8,145 metres (26,700ft). They also discovered several new species on the trip to the Mariana Trench in the Pacific, as well as the first footage of a live […]
South Africa is building a massive insect-rearing factory where thousands of flies will be fattened on food industry leftovers – animal manure, blood and brains from abattoirs – to produce food for farmed fish that will ultimately be eaten by people. When the factory opens in spring 2014, thousands of common houseflies, black soldier flies […]
The coastline of La Higuera and Isla Chañaral in Northern Chile is different from any other coastline I have ever experienced. I grew up in New York, next to the East River, with the Atlantic Ocean right around the corner. I have travelled along many different coastlines, from Italy´s Amalfi Coast, to British Columbia´s Queen […]
Borneo is a vast tropical island known for orangutans, rhinos, elephants, sun bears, proboscis monkeys, hornbills, and ubiquitous leeches. Conservationists have championed all of these species (aside from the leeches) in one way or another, but like many tropical regions Borneo’s freshwater species have long been neglected, despite their rich biodiversity and importance to local […]
A giant mako shark caught by a sports-fisherman in California Monday has spurred a conversation about declining shark populations worldwide, reports the Associated Press. The female shark caught Monday off Huntington Beach by Jason Johnston of Mesquite, Texas, weighed in at 1,323 pounds and measured 11 feet long and eight feet around at its midsection. […]
A new study in the open access journal PLoS ONE estimates that manta rays are worth $140 million a year in tourism across 23 countries, significantly outweighing the worth of manta ray gill plates, which have become the newest craze in Traditional Chinese Medicine. “As an example in Indonesia, revenue to fishermen from manta gill […]