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What mechanism allowed early terrestrial animals to transition from water to land?
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A new study finds that Mudskipper fish carry water in their mouths in order to eat prey outside of water. As seen in the video below, the hidden water is expelled at the moment of eating and it serves as a suction to move the water and their meal back toward the esophagus. The water suction, or “hydrostatic” tongue, may serve as the evolutionary bridge that allowed our aquatic ancestors to begin feeding on land.
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36004 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
Memory-enhancing foods to help you study
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There's more to studying than simply memorization and practice. It turns out that your diet also plays a pivotal role in recalling key bits of information, while keeping you energized and focused in the process. We're not talking about those scam-ridden supplements that promise a boost in brain power, but simple natural foods such as milk, nuts, seeds, rice, and oats. The nutrients found in these items help your study efforts by releasing natural memory enhancers called CCKs ( cholecystokinin). When CCK crosses the blood-brain barrier, it acts as a neurotransmitter associated with memory. Studies have shown that learning and memory processes are severely damaged (in rats) that genetically do not respond to the presence of CCK. And in people ...
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20853 |
bio_man |
4 years ago |
What some fish will do to survive
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Shallow waters will sometimes get too hot, forcing one fish to make a break for the shore. The tiny mangrove rivulus (shown above) avoids neurological damage from hot swamps by escaping to land. Retreating to land allows the fish to cool down through a process called evaporative cooling, which is akin to human sweating but using water from the environment. Previously, scientists had suggested that the fish, besides simply escaping hot water, might be taking advantage of evaporative cooling. Source: http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/11/10/20150689 ...
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20479 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
Ever been inside a fish before?
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National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame has a 143-foot muskie fish building. It's lower jaw is an observation deck.
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17897 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
This baby fish will grow up to be one of the fastest fish in the sea
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While it may look small now, this baby swordfish ( Xiphias gladius) grows fast and can reach 14 feet in length and weigh up to 1,200 pounds as an adult. They are found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans and sometimes cold waters, including the Mediterranean Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov. They are highly migratory, moving to warmer waters in the winter and cooler waters in the summer. While they are not at the top of the food chain, it is not a fish to be messed with; apparently, even sharks are wary of them! ...
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17627 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
Turns out that fish oil only benefits those who have the right genes
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Most foods today are fortified with essential oils like omega-3 fatty acids. Naturally, these oils are found in fish, and are known to benefit many parts of the body, including the eyes, brain, heart, and joints. So, are these so-called beneficial oils important for people who lack the DNA profile needed to metabolise them? It turns out that the extra omega-3 might not do much good at all. According to a study published in Science, Inuit people living in Greenland whose traditional diet of fish and marine mammals have the right enzymes in their bodies needed to metabolise these foods that are very high fat content. The researchers reported that their DNA that was most different was on chromosome 11, specifically among genes that control the ...
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15460 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
How does our vision compare to some animals?
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Do animals see the same way we do? Do some animals have better vision than humans? The senses of animals have evolved to give members of the species an optimum chance for survival. Here are a few examples: Some animals, such as cats, have a reflective surface ( tapetum) on the back of the eye behind the sensory receptors (left image above). When light first enters the eye, some light is detected by the sensory receptors. The light not detected by the sensory receptors continues onto the reflective surface at the back of the eye. This light is then reflected outward toward the sensory receptors, providing a second opportunity for detection. This feature produces two results. First, the outward reflection results in the shining of the cat's ey ...
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14938 |
Biology Forums |
A year ago |
What's the ocean's equivalent to the cheetah?
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The shortfin mako ( Isurus oxyrinchus) is probably the champion speedster among sharks. Its speed has been recorded at 40 km/h (25 mph) with bursts of up to 74 km/h (46 mph). What's more, this high-leaping fish can leap approximately 9 m (30 ft) high or higher in the air. With its highly streamlined body, a lunate tail supported by keels, a sharply pointed snout, large eyes and some of the wickedest-looking teeth in its class, the mako shark is a highly sought-after game fish worldwide. ...
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9434 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
My new favourite animal
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Meet the guineafowl puffer ( Arothron meleagris), all puffed-up and poisonous to deter any would-be predators. Found throughout the Indo-Pacific and Eastern Pacific Oceans, this spotty species loves feeding on tiny marine invertebrates and the tips of coral.
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7567 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
One hairy situation
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The hairy frogfish ( Antennarius striatus) is a marine fish with spines resembling strands of hair - and it can change color. This small fish grows up to 22 cm (8.7 in) long, and has a rounded, extensible body. Its large mouth is forwardly extensible, allowing it to swallow prey as large as itself! The coloring of its body is extremely variable because individual fish tend to match their living environments. Frogfishes have the capacity to change coloration and pigment pattern, taking only a few weeks to adapt. The dominant coloration varies from yellow to brownish-orange, passing through a range of shades, but it can also be green, gray, brown, almost white, or even completely black without any pattern. Body and fins can be marked with roug ...
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7178 |
duddy |
7 years ago |
Piranhas, meet your match
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Shown above are vampire fish caught in Corona Falls, Guyana. Also called payara by locals, these Amazon Basin predators feed on other fish, especially piranhas, which they impale on their long fangs.
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6544 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
A fish that looks like a butterfly
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This is a butterfly gurnard fish. They have a large bony head and a bony rostrum on the snout with a very small median notch with tiny spines. They are sandy with reddish bands and blotches and often turn red on capture. The greenish pectoral fins are round with bright blue spots and margins, and a roundish black blotch with a bright blue margin and scattered blue spots inside.
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6461 |
duddy |
11 years ago |
A fish that spits
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Besides what we probably have seen while watching The Little Mermaid - fish singing and playing instruments, Finding Nemo, Shark Tale - whale being cleaned at a whale wash! , or even Spongebob Square pants - making hamburgers that is, have you ever seen or heard of a spitting fish? Well, I have not, until today.. Apparently, the archerfish from the family Toxotidea, literally "spit" to catch their prey. It is like a frog, but upgraded, in the sense that it catches insects and land based prey without a weapon, or a physical means. It just teleports its prey from above water, into the water by knocking it out via shooting water droplets. The missile strength of the water droplet is created and altered based on how far and how big their prey is ...
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6249 |
ehd123 |
10 years ago |
What does a box and these fish have in common?
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Their name and shape!Ostraciidae is a family of squared, bony fish closely related to the pufferfishes and filefishes. Members of this family occur in a variety of different colors (e.g. right - Hawaiian Blue Boxfish, Ostracion meleagris and the Yellow Boxfish, Ostracion cubicus), and are notable for the hexagonal or "honeycomb" patterns on their skin. Boxfish swim in a rowing manner. Their hexagonal plate-like scales are fused together into a solid, triangular or box-like carapace, from which the fins, tail, eyes and mouth protrude. Because of these heavy armoured scales, Ostraciidae are limited to slow movements, but few other fish are able to eat the adults. Some boxfish also secrete poisons from their skin into the surrounding water, fu ...
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6161 |
bio_man |
6 years ago |
This fish looks like a melon
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This is the red-eyed gaper, a type of anglerfish that can be found up to 2km below the ocean's surface. Its large head and red blobby face may not look too attractive, but the gaper lures prey in with the shiny patch between its eyes.
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5850 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
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