Why Do Red-Lipped Batfish Have Red Lips?

In the cool waters of the Galapagos Islands lies an unusual fish. With its frog-like “legs”, lipstick-red pout and dangling lure, the red-lipped batfish is truly unlike any other fish in the sea. Those lucky enough to have seen it in person can confirm: the red-lipped batfish is one of a kind.

So, what’s the deal with this fashionable fish? Read on to find out everything you need to know.

They’re only found in once place in the world.

You’ll have to travel to the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean to see the red-lipped batfish for yourself. It’s one of many species that are endemic to the Galapagos (meaning they’re found nowhere else), including the marine iguana, giant tortoise and Galapagos penguin. In fact, its scientific name, Ogcocephalus darwini, is inspired by the famous scientist Charles Darwin who derived his theory of evolution from his work in the Galapagos.

Red lipped batfish are typically found at depths of about 30 to 60 feet, but can be found in deeper waters up to 400 feet. They prefer to hang out in sandy or rocky bottoms that help them blend into the sea floor.

They have fins that let them “walk” on the seafloor.

The red-lipped batfish is one of about 60 species of batfish that have modified pectoral and pelvic fins that resemble legs. Although they’re capable of swimming, you’re likely to find them walking on the sea floor by alternating their limb-like fins. It’s hard to describe (here’s a video so you can see for yourself) but it kind of looks like a walking frog. If the fish decides to swim, it can tuck its pectoral fins underneath its body and move its tail and pelvic fish back and forth to power forward. It’s about as awkward-looking as it sounds!

© Rein Ketelaars

They have a way to lure in their prey.

The red-lipped batfish is one of many fish in the order Lophiiformes, also known as anglerfish. Anglerfish are known for their unusual appendages on their heads called illiciums that lure in prey. Red-lipped batfish are no exception! They have a fleshy modified dorsal fin that can be extended and retracted to lure in their prey. The lure attracts small fish, shrimp and crabs to the fish. This is helpful, as the batfish’s awkward swimming style doesn’t make it easy for it to chase down prey.

Scientist’s aren’t totally sure why they have their signature red mouth.  

The red-lipped batfish’s most iconic feature is also its namesake. Some scientists think their luscious lips help attract mates, but more research is needed to be sure.

Fun fact—they’re not the only species of batfish that sports a red pout! The closely-related rosy-lipped batfish (Ogcocephalus porrectus) is found in the waters of Cocos Island off of Costa Rica.

Looking for more weird and wonderful fish in your life? Learn about the sarcastic fringehead, frogfish or gulper eels!

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Small AND mighty: getting the right messages to the right ears

Melissa McCutcheon reflects on her internship with Ocean Conservancy’s Ocean Acidification program Melissa McCutcheon is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Coastal and Marine System Science program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She has always felt a special connection with the ocean and has spent more than eight years studying marine science on the Virginia and […]

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Small AND Mighty: Getting the Right Messages to the Right Ears

Melissa McCutcheon is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Coastal and Marine System Science program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She has always felt a special connection with the ocean and has spent more than eight years studying marine science on the Virginia and Texas coasts.

I just did something completely out of my comfort zone. I’m nearly done earning my doctorate at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where I’ve been happily working on ocean acidification research in the coastal zone for more than four years. Yet I put that work on hold for six months to intern at Ocean Conservancy and work on ocean acidification policy in Washington, DC.

Prior to interning here, I honestly had no idea the role environmental advocacy groups play in the translation of scientific knowledge to environmentally smart policy. Scientists are primarily trained to become researchers or academics. There have been very few opportunities throughout my graduate schooling to see first-hand how other sectors function. As a marine scientist, I have always hoped that my contributions to science would make a difference in how humans regard and interact with their environment. But like most scientists, I was not actively involved in making sure that the right people see or hear the science to make a positive change.

© Melissa McCutcheon

Once I learned about the National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) new Non-Academic Research Internship for Graduate Students (INTERN), I had to apply. As the first, and currently only, graduate student to complete this internship through NSF’s Chemical Oceanography Program, I now feel compelled to share the amazing experience that I had and encourage other graduate students to take advantage of this internship.

The INTERN award is unique in that the graduate student is responsible for contacting potential mentors at prospective host-organizations; as long as someone agrees to serve as a mentor, the internship can be with any non-academic organization. It doesn’t have to be ocean-focused, or tightly tied to students’ existing research. When I was considering potential hosts to contact, Ocean Conservancy seemed like a clear fit for me for a few reasons. First, they have an Ocean Acidification Program, and coastal acidification (and its drivers and variability over time and space) has been the focus of my dissertation research. Second, I have always been interested in the application of science in environmental policy. And finally, Ocean Conservancy has several scientists in leadership roles, showing how research success and scientific influence can come together outside of the traditional academic career path.

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© Melissa McCutcheon

During my time at Ocean Conservancy, I have used the skills that I have gained through my scientific training to synthesize information and create products that will be used in direct communications with decision-makers as they consider how to confront the growing threat of ocean acidification. While Ocean Conservancy primarily engages in federal (and some international) policy, I was able to expand the organization’s understanding of state-level action. I was surprised to see how many states, including land-locked states, have mentioned ocean acidification in state policies. Hopefully, this synthesis of state attention to ocean acidification will help federal action and solutions proceed. While I had never really considered the human dimension of the science-policy connection, the most interesting thing that I have learned is how to strategize about who, when, and how to appeal to people about ocean issues in relation to policy. No matter where my next career stage takes me, I think that this will continue to influence the way that I think about effective science communication to any audience.

As I return to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi to finish off my degree, I am so grateful to NSF and Ocean Conservancy for providing this opportunity. This experience showed me that relatively small organizations like Ocean Conservancy can make a huge impact. I am proud of the work that they are doing to promote healthy oceans, and I am proud that I got to contribute in small part to that effort.

The post Small AND Mighty: Getting the Right Messages to the Right Ears appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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What’s the Difference Between Stingrays and Skates?

Rays are unlike any other animals—their flat bodies and flapping “wings” give them one of the most distinctive silhouettes in the ocean. But with hundreds of species of ray, these critters can be difficult to tell apart. Today, we’re here to help you differentiate between two commons types of ray: stingrays and skates.

To start, let’s look at what they have in common. Stingrays and skates are both elasmobranchs, meaning they are cartilaginous fish whose skeleton is made of cartilage instead of bone. They have some pretty famous relatives: sharks are also elasmobranchs! Both are part of a superorder (for the taxonomy buffs, this means a category that is larger than an order, but not quite a class) called Batoidea. All of the animals within this category are considered “rays”, and it includes about 600 species.

Stingray © Gregory Piper / Coral Reef Image Bank

At first glance, stingrays and skates look similar. They both have flat bodies that look like a kite and move by undulating their large wing-like pectoral fins. (Side note: there are a few exceptions to this, like the guitar-shaped skate called the guitarfish who swing their tail side-to-side like sharks). Their gill slits are on the ventral (underside) of their body (in sharks, for example, these slits are located on the sides of their heads). They are also largely found on the sea floor, where they can lay flat against the sand and hide from predators and sneak up on prey.

Although these animals are closely related, they’re definitely not the same. Stingrays fall in the order Myliobatformes, where skates are in the order Rajiformes. But that doesn’t help you if you run into one of these in the wild (you can’t really ask them, “excuse me, but which taxonomic order are you in?”)

There are a few key ways you can tell these two flat fishes apart. First, look at their tail. Skates typically have shorter, thicker tails than stingrays, and they do not have a stinger. Stingrays get their name from their sharp, stinging barb on their tail that helps them defend themselves. Stings from these venomous barbs can be fatal to humans, so people are encouraged to do the “stingray shuffle” by moving their feet close to the sand when in areas with lots of stingrays. Skates don’t have stingers, so if you spot one, it’s a safe bet it’s a stingray.

Skate © NOAA

Next, look at the fins. Skate’s pelvic fins (the ones closest to their tail) have two lobes where stingrays only have one lobe. If counting pelvic lobes isn’t your thing, skates will often have thorn-like protrusions along their back that help provide protection. Also, stingrays tend to be larger than skates (although this is not a hard-and-fast rule).

The last difference is difficult to spot—skates are oviparous, meaning they lay eggs, where stingrays are viviparous, meaning they give birth to live young (have you ever seen a baby stingray? You’re welcome). Skates produce egg cases that look like black rectangles with thin extensions on each corner, which are commonly known as mermaid’s purses. If you’ve ever walked along the beach and spotted one of these, congratulations, you saw the home of baby skates!

Although skates and stingrays have their differences, one thing is for sure: these critters are cool. Now you know everything you need to tell these two apart. Now go forth, impress your friends with your Batoidea knowledge!

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The "air" in the ocean becomes thinner

Oxygen content in seawater continues to declineIn addition to warming and acidification of seawater, the loss of oxygen in the ocean increasingly leads to a shift in the biological, chemical and physical equilibrium of our oceans. This result was presented in the 562-page report of the Interna-tional Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at the UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid on 7 December, with contributions by scientists from GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

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Going Deep for Gulf Restoration

Today is a day of celebration for the Gulf of Mexico. Nearly 10 years after the BP oil disaster, the federal government took its most significant step yet toward healing deep-sea habitats and marine wildlife harmed by the worst marine oil spill in history. With the release of the final Open Ocean Trustee restoration plan a total of $226 million will be spent on 18 projects aimed at the recovery of some of the Gulf’s most iconic and threatened marine species. Restoration of sea turtles, fish, marine mammals and deep-sea corals is the plan’s focus.

Led by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with the cooperation of the Department of Interior and other federal agencies under the Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group, the plan is as historically significant as it is pioneering and bold, containing projects that greatly expand the oil spill restoration toolkit for ocean resources. Ocean Conservancy advocated strongly for the plan, and more than 70,000 of our activists expressed their support for the projects.

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon mobile drilling platform suffered a catastrophic blowout, resulting in the tragic deaths of 11 people and pumping 210 million gallons of oil into the deep, offshore and surface waters of the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days. Ground zero was some 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana at a depth of 5,000 feet, oiling shorelines from Texas to Florida, closing fisheries and injuring a wide swath of marine species and habitats. Among the ocean casualties were as many as 167,000 adult and juvenile sea turtles, trillions of larval fish, the endangered Bryde’s whale and centuries-old corals.

Unlike coastal environments where physical on-site restoration is possible, the deep ocean’s relative inaccessibility and the wandering nature of marine life such as fish and marine mammals pose a logistical and technical challenge for restoration officials. In response, NOAA is taking a novel approach to restoration by better understanding and reducing ongoing threats to marine species and seafloor communities. What is also important is the plan does not contain a single new regulation. The agency is enlisting the cooperation of the fishing community to test new technologies or fishing practices intended to reduce bycatch of species injured by the disaster such as Bluefin tuna, sea turtles and red snapper.

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For example, NOAA will partner with recreational fishermen to improve the survival of red snapper that are incidentally caught and released back into the sea. Like the bends in divers, fish reeled up to the surface suffer from the results of barotrauma. This causes bloating which greatly reduces their odds of survival when returned to the sea. Post-release mortality results in numerous red snapper deaths each year. The agency will study the effectiveness of descender devices used to deliver red snapper back to the seafloor. If effective and used properly, this technology could help the red snapper population rebuild and potentially boost fishing opportunities.

Other projects will map and monitor deep-water corals, develop more effective sea turtle excluder devices, work with the bottom longline fleet to reduce deadly fisheries interactions with Bluefin tuna and catalog threats (e.g., vessel strikes, manmade noise) to the recovery of marine mammals.

Since 2010, Ocean Conservancy has been a steady voice advocating for the restoration of the Gulf’s marine environment with BP oil spill fines and settlement monies. Today, we see our efforts come to fruition with the open ocean restoration plan.

NOAA and the other Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group members have raised the bar for marine restoration in the Gulf and more broadly as other countries grappling with future offshore oil spills look to the Gulf for inspiration. Today, we raise our glasses to the Open Ocean Trustees, to Ocean Conservancy’s activists and to the future health of the Gulf!

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OC Overview for the week of 09 December 2019

Adventurers cross Arctic Ocean on skis despite thinning ice

https://phys.org/news/2019-12-adventurers-arctic-ocean-thinning-ice.html

Seychelles: The island nation with a novel way to tackle climate change

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50670808

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