Faquatics

mad-as-a-marine-biologist:

Why did the crab cross the road?

The Christmas Island red crabs (Gecarcoidea natalis) climb over an overpass to cross a road on Christmas Island during their migration. 

These crabs live in burrows in the rainforest and when the wet season starts and the tide is right, over 65 million crabs start their mass synchronized 8km migration to lay their eggs in the sea. The crabs are single minded on their mission, with little care for obstacles such as car wheels. Handy then that they are getting a little help :) 

Info | Photo

discoverynews:

“it’s so big.” - she

Mysterious Huge Eyeball Likely Giant Squid’s

The eyes of giant and colossal deep-sea squid are 27 cm (10.6 inches) in diameter. Modeling suggests that the huge eyes are uniquely suited for spotting sperm whales,” said the research team.

Squid can regenerate body parts, and many marine animals can regenerate their eyes, so I can only hope that the one who lost this eye is still in the water of the living and will soon have a new eye.

look at it…

biologylair:

Many vertebrate skulls are capable of cranial kinesis, or movement within the skull. Such kinetic skulls occur when the upper jaw and lateral bones rotate upon each other during feeding. This occurs in ancient fishes, bony fishes, early tetrapods, reptiles, birds, and early synapsids. This kinesis does not, however, occur in mammals, since the upper jaw is fused to the actual braincase.

Cranial kinesis provides organisms with significant feeding advantages by allowing the mouth to rapidly change in conformation. The movement reduces pressure in the buccal cavity of fishes, allowing the organisms to suck in their prey, as well as swing teeth outward to capture prey.

Photo Credit: Photograph courtesy Edith Widder, via National Geographic

neaq:

It’s Electric!
(Electrophorus electricus)

These natives of the murky Amazon and Orinoco watersheds in South America use electricity to hunt for their next meal. Juveniles eat invertebrates, while adults feed on fish and sometimes small mammals. The fish can grow up to 10 feet (3 meters) with weight up to 44 pounds (20 kilograms).

They generate strong electric shocks with specialized organs made of hundreds of thousands of electroplates, which are modified nerve or muscle cells that can produce electricity. Think of a battery. Low-voltage shocks help with navigation (just look at their tiny eyes, they’re virtually blind!), while the high-voltage zaps have been noted during predatory attacks. The shock stuns the prey, while the electric eel is protected by a thick layer of insulation.

Learn more and see more photos.

A FISHY OPTICAL ILLUSION.

ichthyologist:

Hutchins’ Boarfish (Parazanclistius hutchinsi)

False eyespots may serve as a defensive form of mimicry. The eyespot confuses predators into think the fish is larger than it really is. It also tricks the predator into thinking that the tail-end is actually the front end of the fish, increasing its chance of fleeing.

Saspotato on Flickr

braingels:

A venus flytrap anemone releases a cloud of glowing goo to confuse predators in a laboratory image. The species is one of two deep-sea anemone species known to create their own light, the team says.