Ecology & Zoology

It's one of the most persistent problems in camouflage: how do you hide your eyes? Skin is not that difficult to disguise. You can change its color, cover it up, match it to your environment. But eyes are tricky. You have to be able to see out of them ...

Article - Danna Staaf - Mar 24 2011 - 1:31pm

Hemichordate Revealed: 525-Million-Year-Old Fossil Of Tentacled Creature

Researchers have discovered a 525-million-year-old fossil which belongs to a group of tentacle-bearing creatures which lived inside hard tubes. The creature belongs to a group called pterobranch hemichordates which are related to starfish and sea urchins ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 24 2011 - 4:49pm

Freshwater Squid...

... don't exist. But because it's finger squid season in Texas, I've been reading up on the closest approximation to a freshwater squid: the Atlantic brief squid, Lolliguncula brevis. It's a pretty great name for a pretty great squid. T ...

Article - Danna Staaf - Mar 26 2011 - 10:37pm

There Are More Than One Species Of Squid

Fisherfolk can be tremendous founts of information about marine animals. They know where to find different species, what sort of baits they like best, what sizes to expect, and how all these things change with the seasons. Smart marine biologists spend a l ...

Article - Danna Staaf - Apr 4 2011 - 3:55pm

They Should Have Put It In A Smaller Jar

This week's " Smithsonian Snapshot " is a giant squid eye from their collection, not currently on display at the museum, i.e. ONLY AVAILABLE ONLINE: But they TOTALLY should have put it in a smaller jar, 'cause, like, it just doesn' ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Apr 6 2011 - 7:10pm

Commercial Research Steps Into Squid Science Vaccum

Okay, I know I won't shut up about the Argentine shortfin squid, but the situation is just so weird and complicated, and there's always new news for me to puzzle over. We make a lot of people a lot of money. Biologically we are a big question mar ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Apr 10 2011 - 10:58pm

Ants, Termites Can Boost Dryland Wheat Yields

Ants and termites have a significant positive impact on crop yields in dryland agriculture, according to a paper published in Nature Communications. The authors say it is the first study to show a crop yield increase due to soil fauna in the field. Ants ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 13 2011 - 11:35am

Sharks Nom Ammonites

Earlier this year, paleontologists gave us a glimpse into the diets of ammonites, those ancient cousins to squid. I had always thought of ammonites as aggressive predators, so I was charmed to learn that some ammonites, at least, were gentle planktivores. ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Apr 15 2011 - 3:28pm

Can Loud Noises Really Kill Squid?

Hot new squid research has the world of cephalopod reporting all abuzz! The press release came out last Monday, so I'm a bit late to the game, but hey, that means I get to meta-report on the way everyone else reported it. ...

Article - Danna Staaf - Apr 21 2011 - 1:25pm

New Crowd Sourcing App for Backyard Biodiversity Research

Discovery Communications ' Science Channel recently launched a new iPhone application to engage citizen scientists as mobile field observers right from their own back yard. With the " sci.spy " app, users can venture into their little domai ...

Blog Post - Matthew T. Dearing - Apr 17 2011 - 9:46pm