A new paper published in the frontiers in Marine Science journal has investigated the relationship between tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) social behavior and baited shark feeds. Using satellite tag data and acoustic telemetry, researchers were able to analyze the social data of the sharks that visit Tiger Beach, off Grand Bahama.
A paper in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal points to the existence of a 600kg amphibious whale-like animal that lived 43 million years ago. Named Phiomicetus anubis the discovery is based on fossil records discovered in Egypt’s Fayum Depression. The three-meter animals had “strong jaws” to catch their prey and had webbed feet to enable them to walk on land and swim underwater.
A paper published in the journal ZooKeys describes a new species of pygmy seahorse. Named Hippocampus nalu or the Sodwana pygmy seahorse, it was found on Two Mile Reef at Sodwana Bay, South Africa. It is the first pygmy seahorse discovered in Africa and the Indian Ocean.
A paper published in the Marine and Freshwater Research journal has identified four new species of walking sharks. The 12-year study has used DNA analysis and surmises that the new species evolved due to being isolated from their original populations.
A paper published in the journal Conservation Physiology reports on the metabolic cost of human:shark interactions. High frequency 3-axis acceleration loggers were attached to 10 white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) at the Neptune Islands, South Australia.
A new paper (PDF) in the Royal Society Open Science journal has analyzed the results of testing the DNA of 112 tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) pups from 4 pregnant females that had been caught off Australia. The analysis shows that each litter seems to have had a single male parent. Typically, most shark species practice polyandry wherein females are mated by multiple males. T
A new paper published in the Journal of Mammalogy documents cases in which whale species have apparently been observed grieving for dead compatriots. The behaviors observed include clinging, holding and circling dead podmates.
A new paper, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society journal shows that Hydrophis (Pelamis) platuru sea snakes drink from rain that collects on the surface of the sea. Image from Shutterstock