Hippocampus satomiae, little bigger than a pea, has been found on reefs in Indonesia

Little bigger than a pea, the smallest known sea horse, Hippocampus satomiae, was discovered at a depth of about 15 metres on reefs in Indonesia, from Derawan island to northern Sulawesi and Borneo. Like other pygmy sea horses, its size and camouflage make it difficult to spot. This species resembles, in texture and colour, the sea fans with which it lives. It has a pouch in which it carries its young, which are only 3mm in length. Animal names ending in -ae honour women, in this case Satomi Onishi, a diving guide who collected the first specimen.

Quentin Wheeler International Institute for Species Exploration, Arizona State University, www.species.asu.edu/

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Hippocampus satomiae, little bigger than a pea, has been found on reefs in Indonesia

Little bigger than a pea, the smallest known sea horse, Hippocampus satomiae, was discovered at a depth of about 15 metres on reefs in Indonesia, from Derawan island to northern Sulawesi and Borneo. Like other pygmy sea horses, its size and camouflage make it difficult to spot. This species resembles, in texture and colour, the sea fans with which it lives. It has a pouch in which it carries its young, which are only 3mm in length. Animal names ending in -ae honour women, in this case Satomi Onishi, a diving guide who collected the first specimen.

Quentin Wheeler International Institute for Species Exploration, Arizona State University, www.species.asu.edu/

]]> http://about-marine-biology.com/environment/the-worlds-smallest-sea-horse/feed/ 0 http://about-marine-biology.com/california/ecological-field-research-assistant-mclaughlin-reserve-ca/ http://about-marine-biology.com/california/ecological-field-research-assistant-mclaughlin-reserve-ca/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:47:14 +0000 Thripthi http://www.thesciencejobs.com/jobs/biology/ecology/14630

Sailors coined name of largest dolphin species after seeing them prey on whales

KIller whales, one of which killed its trainer in Florida yesterday, are the largest species of the dolphin family. There are up to five types of killer whale, which range across the world's oceans.

Their fearsome name is thought to have been coined by sailors who witnessed them hunting other whales. Depending on type, killer whales can prey on fish, squid, birds and marine mammals such as seals.

They have also attacked swimming deer and moose. In 1997, a boatload of tourists west of San Francisco saw a killer whale defeat a great white shark.

Up to eight metres long and weighing more than six tonnes, killer whales can swim at 30mph – and often kill prey by butting them at speed. Although equipped with fearsome teeth, they prefer to stun before they kill and can throw seals into the air and lash them with their tails.

Killer whales in Pacific coastal waters, uniquely among mammals, never leave their mother's side. Females can live for 90 years in the wild, and some family groups comprise four generations.

Attacks on humans by wild killer whales are rare and are usually blamed on the animals mistaking people for prey. Attacks on wild killer whales by humans were, until recently, far more common and governments encouraged their shooting because of the competition for fish.

Killer whales in captivity seem more of a threat, and there have been a reported two dozen or so attacks on handlers or pool intruders since the 1970s.

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Sailors coined name of largest dolphin species after seeing them prey on whales

KIller whales, one of which killed its trainer in Florida yesterday, are the largest species of the dolphin family. There are up to five types of killer whale, which range across the world's oceans.

Their fearsome name is thought to have been coined by sailors who witnessed them hunting other whales. Depending on type, killer whales can prey on fish, squid, birds and marine mammals such as seals.

They have also attacked swimming deer and moose. In 1997, a boatload of tourists west of San Francisco saw a killer whale defeat a great white shark.

Up to eight metres long and weighing more than six tonnes, killer whales can swim at 30mph – and often kill prey by butting them at speed. Although equipped with fearsome teeth, they prefer to stun before they kill and can throw seals into the air and lash them with their tails.

Killer whales in Pacific coastal waters, uniquely among mammals, never leave their mother's side. Females can live for 90 years in the wild, and some family groups comprise four generations.

Attacks on humans by wild killer whales are rare and are usually blamed on the animals mistaking people for prey. Attacks on wild killer whales by humans were, until recently, far more common and governments encouraged their shooting because of the competition for fish.

Killer whales in captivity seem more of a threat, and there have been a reported two dozen or so attacks on handlers or pool intruders since the 1970s.

]]> http://about-marine-biology.com/news/killer-whales-rarely-attack-humans/feed/ 0 http://about-marine-biology.com/science/great-white-shark-is-more-endangered-than-tiger-claims-scientist/ http://about-marine-biology.com/science/great-white-shark-is-more-endangered-than-tiger-claims-scientist/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:36:18 +0000 Ian Sample http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/19/great-white-shark-endangered-tiger

Recent research suggests there are more tigers left in the wild than there are great white sharks

Great white sharks may be more endangered than tigers, with only a few thousand left in the world's oceans, according to a leading marine biologist.

The grim assessment suggests that fishing and collisions with shipping vessels have taken a devastating toll on the ancient predators.

The World Conservation Union, which operates the red list of endangered species, lists great white sharks as vulnerable but has no official estimate of their global population. But a recent survey suggests that great whites have fallen below 3,500 individuals, the number of tigers conservationists believe are left in the wild.

A team led by Barbara Block, a marine biologist at Stanford University, used radio transmitters to track more than 150 great white sharks off the coast of southern California.

"The estimated total population of great white sharks in the world's oceans is actually less than the number of tigers," said Ronald O'Dor, a senior scientist at the Census of Marine Life, an international collaboration that is cataloguing marine life.

"We hear an awful lot about how endangered tigers are, but apparently great white sharks are pretty close to the same level. Some people say 'I don't care, they eat people,' but I think we have to give them a little space to live in," O'Dor told the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in San Diego yesterday.

"The Australians have now got a system where they put tags on great white sharks and they have receivers on the beaches so when a great white comes into the bay the receiver automatically makes a cell phone call and tells the guy in charge to close the beach. So we can co-exist with marine life," he added.

In 2007, marine biologists at Dalhousie University in Canada analysed records from fisheries and research vessels dating from the 1970s to 2005 and found evidence for a dramatic fall in shark populations. Tiger sharks and scalloped hammerheads had declined more than 97% since the mid-1980s, while numbers of smooth hammerheads and bull sharks fell 99% off the east coast of the US.

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Recent research suggests there are more tigers left in the wild than there are great white sharks

Great white sharks may be more endangered than tigers, with only a few thousand left in the world's oceans, according to a leading marine biologist.

The grim assessment suggests that fishing and collisions with shipping vessels have taken a devastating toll on the ancient predators.

The World Conservation Union, which operates the red list of endangered species, lists great white sharks as vulnerable but has no official estimate of their global population. But a recent survey suggests that great whites have fallen below 3,500 individuals, the number of tigers conservationists believe are left in the wild.

A team led by Barbara Block, a marine biologist at Stanford University, used radio transmitters to track more than 150 great white sharks off the coast of southern California.

"The estimated total population of great white sharks in the world's oceans is actually less than the number of tigers," said Ronald O'Dor, a senior scientist at the Census of Marine Life, an international collaboration that is cataloguing marine life.

"We hear an awful lot about how endangered tigers are, but apparently great white sharks are pretty close to the same level. Some people say 'I don't care, they eat people,' but I think we have to give them a little space to live in," O'Dor told the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in San Diego yesterday.

"The Australians have now got a system where they put tags on great white sharks and they have receivers on the beaches so when a great white comes into the bay the receiver automatically makes a cell phone call and tells the guy in charge to close the beach. So we can co-exist with marine life," he added.

In 2007, marine biologists at Dalhousie University in Canada analysed records from fisheries and research vessels dating from the 1970s to 2005 and found evidence for a dramatic fall in shark populations. Tiger sharks and scalloped hammerheads had declined more than 97% since the mid-1980s, while numbers of smooth hammerheads and bull sharks fell 99% off the east coast of the US.

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