Behavior
Accommodating Anemones: Housing more than just clownfish
Clownfish and sea anemones have a famous relationship, but did you know other fishes also use these stinging animals?
Author: Francesca Giammona
I am a PhD candidate at Wake Forest University, and I received a B.S. in Biology from Cornell University. My research focuses on the terrestrial locomotion of fishes. I am particularly interested in how different fishes move differently on land, and how one fish may move differently in different environments. While I tend to study small amphibious fishes, I've had a lifelong fascination with all ocean animals, and sharks in particular. When not doing science, I enjoy running, attempting to bake and cook, and reading.
Behavior
Urchin Unease: Can cues from fellow urchins curb these invertebrates’ appetites?
Kelp forests around the world are being threatened and destroyed. The enemy? Sea urchins.
Conservation
Suffocating Sea Snakes: How fishing harms these undersea reptiles
There are snakes in the ocean, and this is how they suffer from harmful fishing practices.
Plastic
Incidental Ingestion: Do fishes intentionally swallow microplastics?
Microplastics in our oceans are a growing problem, but how do fishes investigate and interact with these particles?
Genetics
Shark Sleuthing: How scientists can identify which species of sharks attack
Though shark attacks are uncommon, it is in humanity’s best interest to learn all we can about the sharks responsible.…
Behavior
Belligerent Birds: Do penguins perform unprompted acts of aggression?
Adélie penguins lead busy lives mating, reproducing, and avoiding being eaten. They can do all this from the safety of…
Behavior Climate Change
Bearing teeth: How polar bear dental health can illustrate climate change
It is no secret that climate change is damaging Arctic ecosystems. Because of melting sea ice, Arctic species have had…
Conservation Policy
Sleeper Sharks: From the jaws of defeat
There are many stories of species close to extinction. Sometimes, species can go locally extinct, disappearing from a particular area.…
Pollution
The Otter Guys: How heavy metal pollution affects Alaskan northern sea otters
Most pollution is clearly visible in nature, but some types are very subtle. In the case of heavy metal pollution,…
Behavior Human impacts
Killer Consequences: How boats affect the behavior of endangered killer whales
Killer whales are famous for their intelligence and athletic prowess in (and leaping out of) the water. However, for some…
Behavior
Cuttlefish Cognition: are these oceanic invertebrates capable of learning?
The science of animal behavior has become more focused on figuring out the intellectual capacity of non-human, and particularly non-mammalian,…
Behavior
Whistle While you Work (for Lunch): Dolphin Communication Techniques During Foraging
Dolphin groups, or pods, need every member working together to communicate and find food. To do this, dolphins whistle to…
Pollution
Cold Water Conundrum: How does unusually cold water affect fish growth?
With the threat of climate change ever present, many of us focus on the negative effects of unusually warm water…
Conservation Human impacts Plastic Pollution
Microplastics, Canned Fish, and You: How plastic pollution may play a role in your next lunch
Did you know that many plastic items can shed tiny particles called microplastics? These microplastics are present everywhere in our…
Ecology
Fish and Fecal Figs: How does the size of one fish affect fig seed growth?
Let’s think of well-known relationships between two different species. Sharks and remoras, hippos and small birds, and....fish and fig seeds?…
Behavior
Shark Smarts: Can associative learning change shark behavior?
We all know that sharks are excellent hunters, but can the instinctual predatory mind of one of the ocean’s apex…
Coral
Can Corals Recover from the Effects of Climate Change?
With climate change becoming a more pressing issue, the world’s coral reefs are suffering heavy consequences. Corals are increasingly becoming…
Behavior
Fat Burning Mode: How one fish survives out of water
Water and air are very different environments. How can a fish with a body built for the water spend time…
