All posts; Tags Include "Zoology"

January 23, 2015
01:21 PM
196 views

Friday Fellow: ‘Ladislau’s Flatworm’

by Piter Kehoma Boll Friday fellow is back! After almost a year, I decided to go on with it. Actually, I interrupted it because of several other activities there were requiring my attention. Now let’s move on! Today I will … Continue reading →... Read more »

Boll, P., & Leal-Zanchet, A. (2014) Predation on invasive land gastropods by a Neotropical land planarian. Journal of Natural History, 1-12. DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2014.981312

January 14, 2015
03:43 PM
205 views

Nature's Drag Queens

by Jente Ottenburghs in Evolutionary Stories

Some men like to dress up like females. But do you find drag queens in other species? It turns out Nature has some surprises up her sleeves.... Read more »

Norman, M., Finn, J., & Tregenza, T. (1999) Female impersonation as an alternative reproductive strategy in giant cuttlefish. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 266(1426), 1347-1349. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.1999.0786

Slagsvold, T. . (1991) Evolution of Plumage Color in Male Pied Flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca): Evidence for Female Mimicry. Evolution, 45(4), 910-917. info:/

January 14, 2015
10:41 AM
215 views

Journal Club: Birds pick nest materials with camouflage in mind

by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora

SUMMARY: A recent study by a research team in Scotland reveals that birds intentionally choose colour-matching materials to camouflage their nests thereby reducing predation risk. Read more... Read more »

Bailey Ida E., Kate Morgan, Simone L. Meddle, & Susan D. Healy. (2015) Birds build camouflaged nests. The Auk, 132(1), 11-15. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1642/auk-14-77.1

January 14, 2015
08:00 AM
214 views

Everybody In The Gene Pool - Plants That Swim

by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules

Plants can be moved by wind and water. Their pollen and seeds can be moved by insects, wind, gravity, but plants themselves don't have motile cells. Well – that’s not always true. Some trees have swimming cells; they take the plunge in order to find a mate.... Read more »

Suinyuy, T., Donaldson, J., & Johnson, S. (2013) Patterns of odour emission, thermogenesis and pollinator activity in cones of an African cycad: what mechanisms apply?. Annals of Botany, 112(5), 891-902. DOI: 10.1093/aob/mct159

Vaughn, K., & Renzaglia, K. (2006) Structural and immunocytochemical characterization of the Ginkgo biloba L. sperm motility apparatus. Protoplasma, 227(2-4), 165-173. DOI: 10.1007/s00709-005-0141-3

Murch, S., Cox, P., & Banack, S. (2004) A mechanism for slow release of biomagnified cyanobacterial neurotoxins and neurodegenerative disease in Guam. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 101(33), 12228-12231. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0404926101

January 7, 2015
08:00 AM
223 views

The Fungus And The Frog

by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules

Amphibians are some of the most vulnerable animals on Earth. Their numbers have been crashing for years. The reasons for this are several, but one fungal infection is a big contributor. This fungus teaches us about evolution, common descent, and phylogenetics – but hopefully it’ll be eaten up by a newly discovered water flea!... Read more »

Martel, A., Spitzen-van der Sluijs, A., Blooi, M., Bert, W., Ducatelle, R., Fisher, M., Woeltjes, A., Bosman, W., Chiers, K., Bossuyt, F.... (2013) Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans sp. nov. causes lethal chytridiomycosis in amphibians. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(38), 15325-15329. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1307356110

Buck, J., Truong, L., & Blaustein, A. (2011) Predation by zooplankton on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis: biological control of the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus?. Biodiversity and Conservation, 20(14), 3549-3553. DOI: 10.1007/s10531-011-0147-4

January 5, 2015
02:32 PM
299 views

Journal Club: Halfsider: a bizarre half-male half-female bird

by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora

SUMMARY: A “halfsider” -- half male and half female bird -- has been mentioned in the news over the holidays. More properly known as bilateral gynandromorphs or tetragametic chimæras, these unusual birds are actually two genetically distinct individuals -- twins -- fused into one being. But what is it like to be such an individual? A recently published paper shares observations of the behaviour and social life of one such individual living in the wild.... Read more »

Peer Brian D. (2014) Observations of a Bilateral Gynandromorph Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) . The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 126(4), 778-781. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1676/14-025.1

Agate R. J., J. Wade, S. Mann, J. Wingfield, C. Schanen, A. Palotie, & A. P. Arnold. (2003) Neural, not gonadal, origin of brain sex differences in a gynandromorphic finch. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 100(8), 4873-4878. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0636925100

Chue Justin. (2011) Sex determination and sexual differentiation in the avian model. FEBS Journal, 278(7), 1027-1034. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-4658.2011.08032.x

December 30, 2014
10:21 AM
258 views

9 Weird and Interesting Facts about Caecilians

by beredim in Strange Animals

There are about 200 species of caecilians (pronounced ‘seh-SILL-yuns’) but it's highly unlikely you have or will ever encounter one. Why? Because they live underground, burrowing through loose soil and ground litter with their long, snake-like bodies.

Read on to learn 9 weird and interesting facts about these unusual creatures.

Bombay caecilian (Ichthyophis bombayensis)
Credit - Wikicommons... Read more »

Mohun, S., Davies, W., Bowmaker, J., Pisani, D., Himstedt, W., Gower, D., Hunt, D., & Wilkinson, M. (2010) Identification and characterization of visual pigments in caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona), an order of limbless vertebrates with rudimentary eyes. Journal of Experimental Biology, 213(20), 3586-3592. DOI: 10.1242/jeb.045914

Kupfer, A., Müller, H., Antoniazzi, M., Jared, C., Greven, H., Nussbaum, R., & Wilkinson, M. (2006) Parental investment by skin feeding in a caecilian amphibian. Nature, 440(7086), 926-929. DOI: 10.1038/nature04403

December 30, 2014
08:00 AM
375 views

Turning New Year’s On Its Head

by Mark E. Lasbury in The 'Scope

The popular phrase is, “It’s not the years in your life, but the life in your years.” Many organisms get to have both. We can learn a lot from studying old organisms, but perhaps the biggest question to answer is what constitutes a single life. Many living things seem to cheat; they have more than one life.... Read more »

Munro D, Pichaud N, Paquin F, Kemeid V, & Blier PU. (2013) Low hydrogen peroxide production in mitochondria of the long-lived Arctica islandica: underlying mechanisms for slow aging. Aging cell, 12(4), 584-92. PMID: 23566066

Seim I, Ma S, Zhou X, Gerashchenko MV, Lee SG, Suydam R, George JC, Bickham JW, & Gladyshev VN. (2014) The transcriptome of the bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus reveals adaptations of the longest-lived mammal. Aging, 6(10), 879-99. PMID: 25411232

Holland, H., Schöne, B., Marali, S., & Jochum, K. (2014) History of bioavailable lead and iron in the Greater North Sea and Iceland during the last millennium – A bivalve sclerochronological reconstruction. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 87(1-2), 104-116. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.08.005

December 29, 2014
12:10 PM
219 views

8 Weird Animal Penises

by beredim in Strange Animals

Penis, the primary sexual organ that male and hermaphrodite animals use to inseminate sexually receptive mates (usually females and hermaphrodites respectively) during sex. Almost all species use some variation of the organ to transfer sperm into females' eggs in order to create more offsprings.

However, thanks to evolution, some species have come up with some really remarkable and weird ... Read more »

McCracken, K. (2000) The 20-cm Spiny Penis of the Argentine Lake Duck (Oxyura vittata). The Auk, 117(3), 820. DOI: 10.1642/0004-8038(2000)117[0820:TCSPOT]2.0.CO;2

Sueur, J., Mackie, D., & Windmill, J. (2011) So Small, So Loud: Extremely High Sound Pressure Level from a Pygmy Aquatic Insect (Corixidae, Micronectinae). PLoS ONE, 6(6). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0021089

Yoshizawa, K., Ferreira, R., Kamimura, Y., & Lienhard, C. (2014) Female Penis, Male Vagina, and Their Correlated Evolution in a Cave Insect. Current Biology, 24(9), 1006-1010. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.03.022

Engh, A., Van Horn, R., Szykman, M., Holekamp, K., & Boydston, E. (2007) Courtship and mating in free-living spotted hyenas. Behaviour, 144(7), 815-846. DOI: 10.1163/156853907781476418

December 28, 2014
12:01 PM
251 views

Give us a Hand, Gar: More Insights into the Evolution of Tetrapod Limbs

by Jente Ottenburghs in Evolutionary Stories

The transition from water to land is well documented in the fossil record, but genetic support is still scarce. Until now.... Read more »

Gehrke, A., Schneider, I., de la Calle-Mustienes, E., Tena, J., Gomez-Marin, C., Chandran, M., Nakamura, T., Braasch, I., Postlethwait, J., Gómez-Skarmeta, J.... (2014) Deep conservation of wrist and digit enhancers in fish. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 201420208. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1420208112

December 26, 2014
04:49 AM
216 views

Adorable Alien-like Bat Embryos

by beredim in Strange Animals

Credit: Dorit Hockman from the University of Cambridge

This cute alien-like thing is actually a bat embryo of the species Molossus rufus, the black mastiff bat. Adorable, ain't it?

The photo was taken by Dorit Hockman from the University of Cambridge during a study on the species' embryonic development. It was one of the finalists in the Nikon Small World 2012 photomicrography ... Read more »

Nolte, M., Hockman, D., Cretekos, C., Behringer, R., & Rasweiler, J. (2009) Embryonic Staging System for the Black Mastiff Bat,(Molossidae), Correlated With Structure-Function Relationships in the Adult. The Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology, 292(2), 155-168. DOI: 10.1002/ar.20835

December 25, 2014
04:57 AM
230 views

Flying Dragons Pretend to Be Leaves to Avoid Predation

by beredim in Strange Animals

Draco cornutus
Credit: Dr. Devi Stuart Fox

A new study by researchers at the University of Melbourne suggests that Draco Cornutus, a species of gliding lizard from Borneo, mimicks the red and green colors of the falling leaves to avoid falling prey to birds whilst gliding.

According to the study, D. cornutus have evolved extendable gliding membranes, like wings, which closely match the ... Read more »

Klomp, D., Stuart-Fox, D., Das, I., & Ord, T. (2014) Marked colour divergence in the gliding membranes of a tropical lizard mirrors population differences in the colour of falling leaves. Biology Letters, 10(12), 20140776-20140776. DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2014.0776

December 19, 2014
10:35 AM
221 views

Mom, where do birds come from?

by Jente Ottenburghs in Evolutionary Stories

If you should ever get this question, the answer is rather short: “according to recent findings, birds are descended from maniraptoran theropod dinosaurs.” Makes sense, right?... Read more »

Xu, X., Zhou, Z., Dudley, R., Mackem, S., Chuong, C., Erickson, G., & Varricchio, D. (2014) An integrative approach to understanding bird origins. Science, 346(6215), 1253293-1253293. DOI: 10.1126/science.1253293

December 17, 2014
07:11 AM
227 views

Humpback Whales Sing For Their Supper

by beredim in Strange Animals

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are known to employ group foraging techniques, however details on how individuals coordinate with each other still remain a mystery.

A new study by Susan Parks, assistant professor of biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, in collaboration with a consortium of other researchers examined the importance of specific auditory cues that these whales emit... Read more »

Parks SE, Cusano DA, Stimpert AK, Weinrich MT, Friedlaender AS, & Wiley DN. (2014) Evidence for acoustic communication among bottom foraging humpback whales. Scientific reports, 7508. PMID: 25512188

December 15, 2014
07:00 AM
246 views

The Paradoxical Shrinking Frog

by beredim in Strange Animals

Pseudis paradoxa in a pond
Credit: Mauricio Rivera Correa

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hylidae
Genus: Pseudis
Species: Pseudis paradoxa
Common Name(s): Paradoxical frog or Shrinking frog
Conservation Status: Least Concern (Not Threatened)

Looks like a pretty much regular frog, doesn't it? Well.. it's not! Meet P. paradoxa, a frog that grows down ... Read more »

EMERSON, S. (1988) The giant tadpole of Pseudis paradoxa. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 34(2), 93-104. DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.1988.tb01951.x

Abdel-Wahab YH, Power GJ, Ng MT, Flatt PR, & Conlon JM. (2008) Insulin-releasing properties of the frog skin peptide pseudin-2 and its [Lys18]-substituted analogue. Biological chemistry, 389(2), 143-8. PMID: 18163889

Arias, M., Peltzer, P., & Lajmanovich, R. (2002) Diet of the giant tadpole Pseudis paradoxa platensis (Anura, Pseudidae) from Argentina. Phyllomedusa: Journal of Herpetology, 1(2), 97. DOI: 10.11606/issn.2316-9079.v1i2p97-100

December 13, 2014
09:56 AM
249 views

Gibbon genome and the fast karyotype evolution of small apes

by Sandra Bosshard in genome ecology evolution etc

Gibbons (Hylobatidae) are small arboreal apes that form a key node in primate evolution. One of the most distinctive phenotype is their high genome plasticity involving large-scale chromosomal rearrangements and karyotype changes. The four gibbon genera (Nomascus, Hylobates, Hoolock, Symphalangus) … Continue reading →... Read more »

Carbone, L., Alan Harris, R., Gnerre, S., Veeramah, K., Lorente-Galdos, B., Huddleston, J., Meyer, T., Herrero, J., Roos, C., Aken, B.... (2014) Gibbon genome and the fast karyotype evolution of small apes. Nature, 513(7517), 195-201. DOI: 10.1038/nature13679

December 12, 2014
02:58 AM
227 views

Researchers Discover Well-Endowed Bone Eating Worm

by beredim in Strange Animals

Male Osedax priapus
The entire body of males has evolved as a tool for mating

Osedax is a genus of weird, deep-sea polychaetes worms, commonly known as boneworms, zombie worms, or bone-eating worms.

The story of these creatures began twelve years ago, when researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) first discovered them, using the submarine ROV Tiburon in ... Read more »

Rouse, G., Wilson, N., Worsaae, K., & Vrijenhoek, R. (2014) A Dwarf Male Reversal in Bone-Eating Worms. Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.11.032

Rouse GW, Worsaae K, Johnson SB, Jones WJ, & Vrijenhoek RC. (2008) Acquisition of dwarf male "harems" by recently settled females of Osedax roseus n. sp. (Siboglinidae; Annelida). The Biological bulletin, 214(1), 67-82. PMID: 18258777

Vrijenhoek RC, Johnson SB, & Rouse GW. (2008) Bone-eating Osedax females and their 'harems' of dwarf males are recruited from a common larval pool. Molecular ecology, 17(20), 4535-44. PMID: 18986498

December 10, 2014
08:59 AM
256 views

Pacific barreleye: Weird Fish with Transparent Head

by beredim in Strange Animals

Pacific barreleye fish
By Isa2014 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-4.0],
via Wikimedia Commons

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Argentiniformes
Family: Opisthoproctidae
Genus: Macropinna
Species: Macropinna microstoma
Common Name(s): Pacific barreleye

The Pacific barreleye fish is one the weirdest creatures lurking deep in the ocean. Named after its eyes that are ... Read more »

Robison, B., & Reisenbichler, K. (2008) Macropinna microstoma and the Paradox of Its Tubular Eyes. Copeia, 2008(4), 780-784. DOI: 10.1643/CG-07-082

December 8, 2014
04:46 PM
209 views

Electroreception in Mammals

by beredim in Strange Animals

The duck-billed platypis is one of the handful
mammals with the ability to sense electrical fields
By TwoWings, via Wikimedia Commons

Electroreception is the biological ability to perceive natural electrical stimuli or in simpler words, the ability to perceive the world via electricity.

Electroreception is quite common in aquatic or amphibious animals, since water is a much better conductor... Read more »

Scheich, H., Langner, G., Tidemann, C., Coles, R., & Guppy, A. (1986) Electroreception and electrolocation in platypus. Nature, 319(6052), 401-402. DOI: 10.1038/319401a0

Pettigrew JD. (1999) Electroreception in monotremes. The Journal of experimental biology, 202(Pt 10), 1447-54. PMID: 10210685

Czech-Damal NU, Liebschner A, Miersch L, Klauer G, Hanke FD, Marshall C, Dehnhardt G, & Hanke W. (2012) Electroreception in the Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis). Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society, 279(1729), 663-8. PMID: 21795271

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