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EartherConservationScientists Are Racing to Save These Sea Stars From Extinction
Since 2013, a disease exacerbated by overheating oceans has been decimating sea star populations, especially those of one particularly striking variety: sunflower sea stars. Over the course of three years, the illness killed off nearly 91% of the sunflower species’ global population. Now, scientists are fighting to restore the beautiful creatures before it’s too late. … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
ScienceBiologyA Shark, Eating a Squid, Eating a Lobster, in One Fossil
Over 174 million years ago, a squid-like creature was chowing down on an ancient crustacean, only to find itself scooped up as a meal by a prehistoric shark. Three creatures left their mark in time in an extraordinarily well-preserved fossil in Germany. This particular food chain required a bit of detective work. Immediately recognizable in … Continued
Jeanne Timmons -
EartherConservationThe World Has Lost 70% of Its Sharks in 50 Years
Sharks are doing really badly, according to a new report. The study, put together by the Global Shark Trends Project and published in Nature on Wednesday, found that the number of sharks and rays in the world’s oceans has fallen by more than 70% since 1970. The main reason for this rapid decline, the authors … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
ScienceBiologyDramatic Fossil Shows a Squid-Like Creature Crushing a Fish in Its Jaws
A re-analysis of a fossil found in England during the 19th century reveals that it depicts a 200-million-year-old scene in which a squid-like creature is still clutching onto its prey. The fossil preserves two extinct species: Clarkeiteuthis montefiorei, a squid-like creature from the Jurassic period, and Dorsetichthys bechei, a herring-like fish. C. montefiorei was an ancient … Continued
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Tech NewsScientists Document ‘Opportunistic’ Alligators Eating Sharks
It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, or in the case of the southeastern United States, it’s an alligator-eat-shark kind of a world, according to an unsettling new study from Kansas State University scientists. The American alligator, also known as Alligator mississippiensis, is an “opportunistic feeder,” which is exactly what it sounds like. These gators prefer … Continued
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Tech NewsSploidBrutal Drone Footage Shows a Pod of Orcas Attacking a Minke Whale
As apex predators, orcas can prey on whichever marine animal they choose—large or small. During a recent expedition off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, scientists captured rare footage of orcas attacking a 40-foot-long minke whale. Fair warning, people—this footage is graphic and disturbing. They’re called “killer whales” for a reason, and this clip is … Continued
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Tech News
Praying Mantises Are More Badass Than We Realized
Praying mantises are among the most frightening insects on the planet, equipped with powerful front legs which they use to snatch unwary insects, spiders, and even the odd amphibian or reptile. But as new research reveals, praying mantises are also proficient at capturing birds—which they do more often than we thought. New research published in … Continued
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Tech NewsSploidWatch a tigerfish snatch a bird in mid-flight for the first time
So you’re a swallow just flying along and *BAM* a fish jumps out and snatches you from the air. Scientists have been hearing rumors about this bird-eating-tigerfish for years but never put much stock in the rumors. At a lake in South Africa’s Mapungubwe National Park, however, they saw this happen twenty times. “[T]he first … Continued
By Sarah Zhang -
io9
How elephant seals use bioluminescence to hunt in the dark
If you’re an aquatic mammal, how do you hunt in the darkest seas, where light can’t penetrate? Dolphins have it easy with their echolocation, but what about the other animals with much more limited senses? They chase after critters that provide their own light. In a paper published in the journal PLOS One, researchers describe … Continued
