Giant Freshwater Stingray
The giant freshwater stingray (Himantura chaophraya) is a species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae, native to large rivers and estuaries of Southeast Asia. It is one of the largest freshwater fishes in the world, with reports from the Chao Phraya and Mekong Rivers of individuals weighing 500–600 kg (1,100–1,300 lbs). Its numbers are dwindling due to overfishing and habitat loss, and some local populations are in danger of going extinct. The smaller freshwater whipray of New Guinea and northern Australia was once considered to be conspecific with the giant freshwater stingray but is now recognized as a separate species.
Originally described from Thailand (where it occurs in the Chao Phraya, Nan, Mekong, Bongpakong, Tachin and Tapi Rivers), the giant freshwater stingray is also found in Indonesia (the Mahakam River Basin in Kalimantan) and Malaysia (the Kinabatangan River in Sabah). The rays across these different regions are likely to be isolated from each other, and it is yet unclear whether they represent populations of the same species or a species complex. It prefers a sandy habitat.
The giant freshwater stingray has a relatively thin, more or less oval-shaped pectoral fin disk and minute eyes. The snout is very broad with a projecting triangular tip. The mouth is small, with 4–7 papillae (2–4 large central and 1–4 small lateral) on the floor. The whip-like tail measures 1.8–2.5 times the length of the disk and lacks fin folds. The serrated spine on the tail is the largest of any stingray, reaching 38 cm (15 in) long. It is covered with a sheath of toxic mucus and is capable of piercing bone.
The upper surface of the body and tail are covered with small, rough tubercles, becoming sharp on the tail beyond the spine. The back is uniform brown to gray in color, sometimes becoming lighter towards the margins. The underside is white, with a distinctive broad, black band edged with small spots around the margins of the pectoral and pelvic fins. The tail is black past the spine. This species reaches at least 4.6 meters (15 ft) long and 1.9 meters (6.2 ft) across.
Longhead Dreamer Anglerfish
Looking like a creature from the Alien movies, this nightmarish "longhead dreamer" anglerfish (Chaenophryne longiceps) was until recently an alien species to Greenland waters.
The dreamer, which grows to a not-so-monstrous 6.7 inches (17 centimeters) in length, is 1 of 38 fish species found around the Arctic island for the first time, according to a recent study led by biologist Peter Møller of the Natural History Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.
Ten of the species new to Greenland are new to science too. All 38 were discovered since the last such survey in 1992.
Rising ocean temperatures due to global warming—which could be drawing unfamiliar fishes to the region—and increased deep-sea fishing may be responsible for the spike in fresh fish faces seen off Greenland, according to the study, published in February in the journal Zootaxa. (Learn about global warming.)
Ghost Crabs
Ghost crabs, also called sand crabs, are crabs of the genus Ocypode, common shore crabs in many countries. Characteristics of the genus include one claw being larger than the other, but this difference is not as marked as in male fiddler crabs.
Ghost crabs dominate sandy shores in tropical and subtropical areas, replacing the sandhoppers that predominate in cooler areas. They breathe through gills, which they periodically wet with seawater. They must also return to the ocean to release their eggs, which develop into marine larvae.
Adult ghost crabs dig deep burrows, comprising a log shaft with a chamber at the end, occasionally with a second entrace shaft. They remain in the burrow during the hottest part of the day, and throughout the coldest part of the winter. They emerge mostly at night, to feed on mole crabs and coquina clams, although they will also eat a wide range of items, including carrion, debris and turtle hatchlings.
The name "ghost crab" derives from the animals' nocturnality and their pale colouration; only O. gaudichaudii The scientific name is brightly coloured.
Ocypode is derived from the Greek roots ocy- ("fast") and ποδός (
podos, "foot"), in reference to the animal's speed.
Vaquita
The vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is a rare species of porpoise. It is endemic to the northern part of the Gulf of California. Estimates of the number of individuals alive range from 100 to 300. The word "vaquita" is Spanish for little cow.
Other names include Cochito, Gulf of California Harbor Porpoise, Gulf of California Porpoise, Gulf Porpoise, Hafenschweinswal, and Marsouin du Golfe de Californie.
The Vaquita has a classic porpoise shape (stocky and curved into a star shape when viewed from the side). It is the smallest of the porpoises. Individuals may grow up to 150 centimetres (4.92 ft) in length and weigh up to 50 kilograms (110.2 lb). They have large black eye rings and lip patches. The upper side of the body is medium to dark grey. The underside is off-white to light grey but the demarcation between the sides is indistinct. The flippers are proportionately larger than in other phocoenids and the fin is taller and more falcate. The skull is smaller and the rostrum is shorter and broader than in other members of the genus.
The Vaquita is one of the top 100 EDGE Species, meaning "Evolutionarily Distinct, Globally Endangered". Evolutionarily distinct animals have no close relatives and represent proportionally more of the tree of life than other species, meaning they are top priority for conservation campaigns.
On October 28, 2008 Canada, Mexico, and the United States, under the jurisdiction of the NAFTA environmental organization, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, launched the North American Conservation Action Plan (NACAP) for the Vaquita. The NACAP is a strategy to support Mexico’s efforts to recover the Vaquita, which is considered the world’s most-endangered marine mammal. The U.S. government has listed the vaquita as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
Atolla Jellyfish
The Atolla Jellyfish is a deep-sea dwelling creature that is usually very hard to gather information on since it is quite skiddish when noisy, cumbersome submersibles try and interfere with their normal routines.
Luckily, a new type of camera has been invented - designed to operate in the dark without being noticed by the creatures it is observing created for California's Monterey Bay by Dr Edith Widder and colleagues of the Harbour Branch Oceanographic Institution in Florida.
When threatened the Atolla Jellyfish respond by creating a moving circular wave of light around their outer edge which is referred to as a "burglar alarm" response. Scientists theorise that jellyfish use this response to attract large animals in to eat jellyfish predators. So basically, when the jellyfish is under attack, it starts lighting up so that other, bigger, scarier animals will be attracted to the scene and (hopefully) eat the thing attacking the Atolla Jelly.
"Glamour" Squid
A large new species of deep red, glowing squid has been discovered living near undersea mountains in the southern Indian Ocean, scientists announced Monday.
At about 28 inches (70 centimeters) long, the as yet unnamed species is relatively big—though other squid can reach as long as 65 feet (20 meters), some species are barely three quarters of an inch (1.5 centimeters).
The new species belongs to Chiroteuthidae, a group of slender squid in which light-producing organs run in the family.
"It's thought that this particular group of squid actually uses bioluminescence to lure in prey," which are thought to include small fish and crustaceans, said Alex Rogers, a conservation biologist at the University of Oxford in the UK.
The new squid is just one of more than 70 squid species observed during a six-week research cruise that began in September 2009 but whose results are only now beginning to be released.
"In a single expedition, we sampled about a fifth of all the world's squid species that are known to date," Rogers said. "That's really a staggering diversity of squid to sample in a single trip."
Most of the squid observed were already known to science, but, in addition to the blinking beast above, a few are thought to be completely new species.
"We think we have more than one new species of squid," Rogers said. "This just happens to be the biggest and most glamorous one."
Detached Feet Mystery
Since August 2007, ten detached human feet have been discovered on the coasts of the Salish Sea in British Columbia (Canada) and Washington (United States). The feet belong to five men, one woman, and one other person, the two left feet having been matched with two of the right feet. As of August 2008, only one foot has been identified; it is not known to whom the rest of the feet belong. In addition, a hoax "foot" was planted on Vancouver Island.
As of December 14, 2010, seven feet have been found in Canada, and three in the US State of Washington.
The first foot was discovered on August 20, 2007, on Jedediah Island, by a girl visiting from Washington. The girl found the foot when she picked up a shoe and opened the sock. The foot was that of a man, and was found wearing a size 12 Adidas shoe and a sock. It is thought to have become disarticulated due to submerged decay. This kind of shoe was produced in 2003 and distributed mainly in India.
The second foot was discovered by a couple on August 26 on Gabriola Island. It was also that of a man, and also became disarticulated due to decay. It was waterlogged and appeared to have been taken ashore by an animal. It probably floated ashore from the south. This shoe was produced in 2004 and sold worldwide, and the type has since been discontinued.
The third foot was discovered on February 8, 2008, on Valdes Island. It was also a man's right foot and was wearing a sneaker and a sock. This shoe was sold in Canada or the United States between February 1, 2003, and June 30, 2003.
The fourth foot was discovered on May 22 on Kirkland Island, an island in the Fraser Delta between Richmond and Delta, British Columbia. It was also wearing a sock and sneaker. It is thought to have washed down the Fraser River, having nothing to do with the ones found in the Gulf Islands. This right foot was of a woman. The shoe was a New Balance sneaker manufactured in 1999.
The fifth foot was found on June 16, floating in water near Westham Island, part of Delta. It was found floating in the water by two hikers. It has been confirmed that the left foot found on June 16 on Westham Island and the right foot found February 8 on Valdes Island belonged to the same man.
The sixth foot was discovered on August 1, 2008, by a camper on a beach near Pysht, Washington. It was covered in seaweed. The site of the discovery was less than 16 kilometers from the international border in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Testing confirmed that the right foot was human. Police say the large black-top, size 11 athletic shoe for a right foot contains bones and flesh. This was the first foot of the series to be found outside of British Columbia. The RCMP and Clallam County Sheriff's Department agreed on August 5 that the foot could have been carried south from Canadian waters.
A seventh foot was discovered on November 11, 2008, in Richmond. The foot was in a shoe that was found floating in the Fraser River. The shoe was described as a small New Balance running shoe, possibly a woman's shoe. A forensic DNA profiling analysis indicated that it was a genetic match to the foot discovered on May 22 on Kirkland Island.
In July 2008 it was announced that one foot had been identified by Vancouver police as belonging to a man who was depressed and probably committed suicide. His identity was withheld on request of his family.
On October 28, 2009 an eighth foot was found inside a running shoe on a beach in Richmond.
A ninth foot was discovered on August 27, 2010, on Whidbey Island in the American state of Washington. This foot was determined to be in the water for two months and belonged to either a juvenile or a female, based on the size. This foot was found without a shoe or sock. Detective Ed Wallace of the Island County Sheriff's Office released a statement saying the foot would be tested for DNA.
A tenth foot was found on December 5, 2010, on the tideflats of Tacoma, Washington. "The right foot was still inside a boy's size 6 'Ozark Trail' hiking boot, and likely belonged to a juvenile or small adult, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said Tuesday in Tacoma, about 40 kilometres south of Seattle and 225 kilometres south of Vancouver."
