December 2022

Claire Paris (second from left) and co-author Jean-Olivier Irisson (third from left), deploying the Drifting In Situ Chamber (DISC), equipped with an imaging system, during an expedition at the Australian Museum Lizard Island Research Station
Claire Paris (second from left) and co-author Jean-Olivier Irisson (third from left), deploying the Drifting In Situ Chamber (DISC), equipped with an imaging system, during an expedition at the Australian Museum Lizard Island Research Station

Fish larvae use external clues to find their way

In this study, researchers discovered that fish larvae around the world used external cues like the sun, Earth’s magnetic field and sounds to find their way around in the open ocean. 

The fish larvae were able to control their destination and migrate by keeping a bearing. 

A deep-sea batfish
A deep-sea batfish

New species discovered off Western Australia

While on a mission to map the volcanic geography of Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park off Western Australia, researchers aboard the vessel Investigator also surveyed the deep-sea life in the Indian Ocean Territories.

In doing so, they came face-to-face with many fascinating, and some previously unknown, species.

Besides filming videos of the vast marine life amidst the summits of seamounts, the team also collected specimens from depths as deep as five kilometres below the surface.

We have discovered an amazing number of potentially new species living in this remote marine park

Dr Tim O’Hara, Chief Scientist of the expedition and Senior Curator, Marine Inveterbrates at Museums Victoria Research Institute

During the expedition, the researchers had been sharing their discoveries with more than 850 school students and community members in Australia through real-time livestreaming.

The expedition was a collaboration between Museums Victoria Research Institute and CSIRO, in partnership with Bush Blitz, Parks Australia, Australian Museum Research Institute and the Western Australian Museum.

Shark fins still attached to their rightful owners

President Biden signs the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act

The Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act represents a multiyear effort by lawmakers, under pressure from animal-rights and ecological organizations such as the Animal Welfare Institute and Oceana, to ban the trade of shark fins. 

Seventeen states and three U.S. territories have banned or restricted the intrastate sale of shark fins, but instituting a federal framework is critical as fins imported and sold in the U.S. can come from endangered or threatened shark species, or from sharks that were finned.

New subspecies of bottlenose dolphin identified

A new bottlenose dolphin subspecies has been identified, and it is found only in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, according to a study published in the Journal of Mammalian Evolution.

Called the Eastern Tropical Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus nuuanu), it is smaller than other common bottlenose dolphins, and is likely to prefer the deep offshore waters between southern Baja California and the Galapagos Islands. 

Male glassfrog photographed from below using a flash, showing its transparency
Male glassfrog photographed from below using a flash, showing its transparency

How glassfrogs become transparent when they sleep

During the day, glassfrogs hide under leaves and become almost transparent, leaving only their eyes, bones and internal organs visible. This camouflage is so effective that they can sleep peacefully during the day, in preparation for the night, during which they hunt for prey. 

Scientists have long wondered how glassfrogs are able to bring about their "cloak of transparency."

3D-model image of the Shonisaurus popularis fossil bed at Quarry 2 in Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park, Nevada. Fossilised bones have been color-coded, with each color corresponding to a different skeleton.
3D-model image of the Shonisaurus popularis fossil bed at Quarry 2 in Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park, Nevada. Fossilised bones have been color-coded, with each color corresponding to a different skeleton.

Fossil bed in national forest in Nevada may have been breeding ground for ichthyosaurs

In the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada, there is a fossil bed in which many ichthyosaurs (Shonisaurus popularis) have been found petrified in stone.

Over the years, there has been speculation that they had perished in a mass stranding incident or due to a nearby algal bloom. While these were possible, there had not been strong evidence to support these theories.

Hooked shark
Bycatch is a term used to refer to any species caught accidentally while fishing for other species. According to the FAO, there are few fisheries that don't catch sharks as bycatch, and some fisheries actually catch more sharks than their targeted species.

Small device can reduce shark bycatch by 90%

Marine scientists have invented a small device that can reduce shark bycatch numbers by emitting short electrical pulses as a deterrent.

When clipped on the fishing line next to a baited hook, the battery-operated SharkGuard works by emitting a short localised pulse every two seconds. This causes the shark’s ampullae of Lorenzini (electrical sensors around its nose and mouth) to be overstimulated, thus prompting it to swim away.

Kellet's whelk laying egg capsules
Kellet's whelk laying egg capsules

How higher temperatures affect whelk larvae

For the most part, most research have focussed on the impact of oceanic temperature changes on adult animals, but few looked at the animals' early life stages. A study by researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara gives a useful insight into this specific area. 

Focussing on the larvae of the Kellet's whelk, a common sea snail in Southern California, it showed that rising temperatures will adversely impact the larvae.