Behavior
Scaredy Fish: How Timid Fish Could Skew Research
Divers have long suspected that some fish are more afraid of people than others. A recent study has shown that certain groups of fish will actually hide for hours after a diver has passed through a reef. This has important implications for the future of coral reef surveys and the way we study species diversity. […]
Octopus Mama Drama: Research Expedition Bonus Science
Dorado Outcrop is a small underwater mountain that first received attention from a few scientists because the seafloor that it sits upon is colder than what is expected. It ended up in the media spot-light because of the hundreds of octopuses that call it home. Anne M. HartwellHello, welcome to Oceanbites! My name is Annie, […]
Studying Leopard Seals in Antarctica
Check out this article by guest author Sarah Kienle about her recent research expedition to Antarctica to study leopard seals! Anna RobuckI am a third year PhD student at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography in the Lohmann Lab. My current research interests include environmental chemistry, water quality, as well as coastal […]
Bite or Flight: How Seaweed Can Shape Feeding Behavior in Fish
What is a forest without trees or a coral reef without coral? Neither a forest nor a coral reef. Entire ecosystems are made possible by the living flora that define them; they provide shelter and hunting grounds for the animals which live in them. But what happens when the building blocks of these ecosystems are […]
The Efficiency of Nautili
Imagine if you could function just as well at the top of Mt. Everest (where the air is super thin) as you do at sea level; you’d probably be considered pretty special. Well, nautiluses can do that, and these researchers wanted to know why. Anne M. HartwellHello, welcome to Oceanbites! My name is Annie, I’m […]
Not Just Hanging Out: The Importance of Humpback Whale Mother Calf-Area Use in Hawaii
Continue to celebrate Mother’s Day before May ends by exploring the amazing bond between humpback whale mothers and their calves. Understanding mother-calf pod area utilization might just be the next step in protecting and conserving these giant marine mammals to ensure their continued path to recovery. Rishya NarayananRishya is pursuing an M.S. in Environmental Science […]
Power by the numbers: tiny shrimp generate turbulence in the ocean
Imagine hundreds of thousands of tiny shrimp swimming in the ocean. Believe it or not, the combined swimming action of these ocean dwellers can generate large-scale mixing of the ocean water column. Read on to learn more about these incredible ocean mixers. Katherine BarrettKate is a 2nd year PhD student in the Biological Sciences Department […]
Killing Jaws: Tackling the Idea of the Bloodthirsty Predator
Even though shark attacks are rare, fear of sharks has led people to support laws that kill sharks en masse. A new study shows that at the root of our fear of sharks is the belief that they intend to hurt us. By thinking about how we talk about shark intentionality in educational settings and […]
3 Courtship Tips From the Ocean: Valentine’s Day Edition
Long before we celebrated V-Day, animals in the ocean have evolved courtship strategies to help them score mates. Might there be something we can learn from them? Read more to find out! Megan ChenI graduated with a Masters of Coastal & Marine Management from the University of Akureyri in Iceland, and am currently working at […]
Can we build a multisensory shark repellant?
Human-shark interactions don’t always end well on both sides. Is it possible to build a shark repellant that can keep both humans and sharks safe by using information about sharks’ sense of sight and hearing? Read more to find out! Megan ChenI graduated with a Masters of Coastal & Marine Management from the University of […]
Facts not enough to stop whale watching vessels from disturbing killer whales
Marine-based eco tourism is a fast-growing industry for many countries and vital part of coastal economies. In many places, it can also be a boon to the conservation of charismatic species that draw in the tourists. The Soundwatch Boater Education Program at the Whale Museum in Washington has been monitoring the behaviour of tourists […]
Lobsters fighting antenna and claw over burrows
Animals fight for all kinds of reasons, but the main reason an animal will fight is to become a dominant member of the population. But how do lobsters figure out which one of them is the alpha lobster? Read on to find out! Erin McLeanHi and welcome to oceanbites! I recently finished my master’s degree […]
Solstice Strategies for Survival: Yule be amazed!
Winter blues got ya down? For some organisms on our planet, the shortened days may influence their very survival. On this, the shortest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere, read on to find out how one type of tiny marine algae cope with the low-light conditions, and may even thrive compared to their […]
Mussel and flow
Mussels are nearly ubiquitous in coastal ecosystems. As filter feeders, they are critical for sifting out sediment and nutrients washed into the ocean from land. Despite their importance, scientists have only recently begun to tease out how mussels manage to efficiently get all that stuff into their shells. The answer could have far reaching implications […]
How to clean a sea turtle
Could you imagine if you had to actively seek out showering stations to stay clean? For sea turtles, they must search for cleaning stations. Katherine BarrettKate is a 2nd year PhD student in the Biological Sciences Department at the University of Notre Dame, and holds a Masters in Environmental Science & Biology from SUNY Brockport. […]
Orca vs Narwhal
Orcas are natural predators of narwhals, but they are seasonally kept at bay by Arctic sea ice. As the Arctic becomes increasingly ice-free, killer whales are arriving earlier and hanging out longer in narwhal habitat. How do narwhals fare? Read more to find out! Megan ChenI graduated with a Masters of Coastal & Marine Management […]
The effects of social history on alcohol tolerance in crayfish
Lonely crawdad’s can really handle their liquor according to this study. Abrahim El GamalAbrahim is a PhD student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego where he studies marine chemical biology.
A long history of tool use in marine mammals? You otter believe it!
The use of tools by animals has been documented in a wide range of species, from birds to invertebrates, encompassing land animals and marine animals. Animals use tools to help shelter themselves as well as find their next meal. By investigating animals on a genetic level it’s possible to determine whether tool use is specific […]
Brains only for you
Brain size might dictate the laws of attraction in guppies. Abrahim El GamalAbrahim is a PhD student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego where he studies marine chemical biology.
Public Perceptions of Aquaculture Show Lack of Ocean Literacy
Article: Froehlich HE, Gentry RR, Rust MB, Grimm D, Halpern BS (2017) Public Perceptions of Aquaculture: Evaluating Spatiotemporal Patterns of Sentiment around the World. PLoS ONE 12(1): e0169281. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0169281 Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. A 2014 report by the UN-FAO estimated global freshwater and marine farming to constitute 44% of all […]
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