So I asked leading shark ethologist and behaviourist, Professor Samuel 'doc' Gruber to elaborate. After pointing out how much pain women feel when they give birth, making the point that suffering has no effect on reproduction, he reminded me that sharks evolved their mating behaviours and the physical structures involved, separately from other animals.
Autumn is approaching in our hemisphere. In the forests around our city, the deer are in heat, and the stags can be seen fighting for dominance and the right to mate. It can be a dramatic but entertaining spectacle, provided you understand the need to keep a sensible distance from the animals at this time of year.
A review published in the journal Animal Sentience describes the surprising abilities found so far among octopus species.
An article recently published by the BBC discusses the latest scientific findings on consciousness in animals. It states that not only do the “higher” animals, such as birds and mammals, appear to experience consciousness, but likely all vertebrates do. The cephalopod molluscs, including octopuses, insects and at least some crustaceans, are also mentioned as having shown evidence of consciousness.
Take a close look at this image. When was it taken? Last year, actually, but it could have been 60 years ago. It shows the beach where I spent most of my childhood summers, since I was a toddler, and where I have spent most of my summer holidays ever since. In the photo, it is as if time has stood still. Those kids playing on the sandbar could have been my brother and me as children.
Those of us who were children back when the moon landings were the pinnacle of wonder, fellow old-timers, will know precisely what I mean. (Crikey, that does rather date me, doesn’t it?)
Clownfish, also known as anemonefish, are feisty critters that vigorously defend their anemone homes from intruders, particularly those of their own species, displaying aggressive behaviour. Anemonefish species living in the same areas exhibit a variety of stripe patterns, ranging from three vertical bars to none, as observed by Kina Hayashi from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan.
Fish feel pain, or don’t they? Despite a growing body of sound evidence that fish do indeed feel pain and are sentient beings capable of all the types of cognition found in the “higher” mammals, with the possible sole exception of the ability to imitate, a group of critics seems to systematically seek to discredit this research. But for what reasons? Ila France Porcher takes a closer look at the stakes involved.
It was seven in the morning and my coffee hadn’t kicked in yet. The dive guide was giving me a slightly more thorough dive briefing than normal. I wasn’t supposed to wear anything colorful or shiny, and black gloves and a hood were required. Also covered in black neoprene, he was putting on chainmail gloves and told me he’d have a pole with him. He said it was more for the potato cods though, not the sharks.
Diving is a recreational pastime, meant to offer pleasure and respite from our hectic work schedules and the relentless flood of troubling news that seems to worsen daily.
We have always strived to write about and focus on the wonderful adventures, the beauty of the underwater realm, and to provide educational infotainment that enhances our experiences and appreciation of what lies beneath the surface.
