No doubt you have seen the Amazing Ocean Facts circulating around the web. It seems to be drawing renewed interest even though it cam out last year. Overall, I love the concept. Humor, cartoons, ocean creatures, and some science. Yes more please! However, I have to shot at National Geographic all because I take . . . → Read More: What is the true size of Colossal Squid?
In midsummer 2009, under the intense Mexican sun, a whale shark, MXA-182, arrived at Holbox. He is injured. A nasty cut nearly severs his right pectoral fin. His fin eventually heals, but a hole completely through his fin still persists. The hole’s shape earns MXA-182 the nickname of Keyhole. In 2009, Keyhole is at Holbox . . . → Read More: Sharks and lasers, not just for entertainment!
By Dr. M, on  February 12th, 2012 Adaptations, Ecology, Evolution, Giant Isopod, Organisms Alicella gigantea, Amphipod, body size, deep sea, Edouard Chevreux, French, Gigantism, supergiant, Trench In 1899 a French zoologist named Edouard Chevreux with an inordinate fondness for crustaceans officially described two crustaceans from the deepest parts of the ocean. Over 100 hundred years later, scientists have collected less than two dozen specimens of this enigmatic shellfish, shocking given that is largest species of amphipod ever known. Within Crustacean . . . → Read More: The Large But Enigmatic Supergiant
At 70-80 years old, Brutus is an 18-foot long croc. He’s tougher than nails with a missing leg due to a fight with a shark and missing teeth from eating wild boars. But Brutus is not the biggest croc in these waters. That goes to his 20-foot brother, Dominator. So tonight raise your glass . . . → Read More: Brutus the Giant Saltwater Croc
By Dr. M, on  January 30th, 2011 Adaptations, Cephalopods, Organisms Architeuthis, body size, Giant Squid, mantle, Predation, Reproduction, siphon, squid In the following post I will enumerate the many ways in which current science repeatedly demonstrates that giant squids are awesomesauce. Awesome: (adj) amazing, awe-inspiring, awful, awing (inspiring awe or admiration or wonder) “New York is an amazing city”; “the Grand Canyon is an awe-inspiring sight”; “the awesome complexity of the universe”; “this sea, whose . . . → Read More: From The Editor’s Desk: Giant Squid=Awesomesauce
Each week Dave Munger, Razib Khan and I discuss a recent paper from ResearchBlogging.org. This week was my turn to choose and we discussed the following recent paper: Shackell, N., Frank, K., Fisher, J., Petrie, B., & Leggett, W. (2009). Decline in top predator body size and changing climate alter trophic structure in an oceanic . . . → Read More: ResearchBlogCast #4: Decreasing Predator Size Increases Prey Numbers
By Dr. M, on  April 1st, 2010 Adaptations, Carnivals & Link Love, Giant Isopod, Organisms, Reviews, Uncategorized, Weird Bathynomus, body size, Giant Isopod, isopocalypse Across the internets a craze is sweeping. We here at DSN are calling it Isopocalypse 2010 (stay up to date using the Twitter hashtag #isopocalypse2010). Things got so crazy over the last two days with giant isopods that in my excitement I forgot what year it was and used #isopocalypse2011 hashtag this morning It all . . . → Read More: Isopocalypse 2010: Giant Isopods Storm the Internets
By Dr. M, on  March 7th, 2010 Adaptations, Biology, Cephalopods, Mating & Reproduction, Opinion & Editorial, Organisms aplacophora, Arthropoda, Bernoulli, body size, echinoderms, Gastropod, Invertebrate, Invertebrate Wars, logarithimic spiral, Mollusc, Radula, shell, Vampire Squid A blog war is starting to develop again. No I am not talking about this one. I am talking about the Great Invertebrate Wars. Everything was quiet until someone had to stir the pot. GIW I took many causalities with molluscs taking the clear win. Which invertebrate group will take GIW II? If polls are . . . → Read More: Molluscs, now with 100% more awesum
By Dr. M, on  January 5th, 2010 Adaptations, Biology, Mating & Reproduction, Organisms, Seeps, Vent, & Whale Falls Antarctica, Arthropoda, body size, Buddha nature, Crustacea, digestive tract, diversity, gonad, organs, proboscis, pycnogonid, respiration, sea spider “Pet” Giant Pycnogonid attacking computer. Much of the earth’s biodiversity lies within the phylum Arthropoda. You are probably aware of many species within the group trilobites, spiders, centipedes, crabs, insects, lobsters, and whole other mélange of strange beasties. Throw a crab and you are likely to hit another arthropod. Scratch that as I cannot condone . . . → Read More: Pycnogonids, more than spiders of the sea
By Dr. M, on  November 30th, 2009 Adaptations, Biology, Mating & Reproduction, New Research allometric, Blue Whale, body size, constraints, evolution, feeding, isometric, lunge feeding, mass, RB Editor's Selection, whales The largest, Blue Whale and smallest, Hector Dolphin, cetaceans. From wikimedia commons The question is not why are whales big but why are whales not bigger? The blue whales reached weights of 150 tons prewhaling. To appreciate how massive a blue whale is, consider it would take 15 school buses, around 10 tons in weight . . . → Read More: Why Are There No Super Whales?
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