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The Truth About The Penguins That Have Disappeared In Antarctica

February 17, 2016 By Jason Leathers Leave a Comment

Adélie Penguin group on an iceberg in Antarctica.

All the internet pages are rumoring about their death, but the truth about the penguins that have dissapeared in Antarctica sounds a little bit different. As terrible as the news may appear at first glance, there’s no proof yet that the birds are dead.

What reasearchers sustain is that a colony of Adélie penguins in Antartica’s Cape Denison has decreased from 160,000 to just 10,000 since 2011, when a huge iceberg ominously named B09B became grounded in nearby Commonwealth Bay. These reports stated that the iceberg, which is close to the size of Rhode Island, had crippled the penguins’ food supply, effectively stranding them and leaving them to die.

But is this really true? Because no one has actually found 150,000 frozen penguins. There is, however, another theory in line: the colonies are doing just fine, which indicates that rather than having starved to death, the penguins could have simply moved to another home.

Usually, when the fishing gets tough, penguins simply pick up and move. It wouldn’t be the first time Adélie penguins marched to new digs. When an iceberg grounded in the southern Ross Sea in 2001, penguins on Ross Island relocated to nearby colonies until the ice broke up.

Michelle LaRue, a penguin population researcher at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis adds credibility to the explanation:

Just because there are a lot fewer birds observed doesn’t automatically mean the ones that were there before have perished.

She also pointed out that the penguins easily could have moved elsewhere, which would make sense if nearby colonies were thriving.

This is Adelie penguin. Smallest of "brushtail" penguins. Lives around continent, needs rocks for nesting.#scicomm pic.twitter.com/a4FYumMuEo

— Michelle LaRue (@drmichellelarue) February 15, 2016

However, the study on the iceberg’s impact on the Adelie penguins can provide scientists understanding into the broader implications on the impact brought about by an increasing sea ice in the area. Continuing environmental changes are anticipated for the Southern Ocean, which will possibly have an impact into predatory marine animals, as per a 2015 report.

Moreover, ecological changes due to climate change could stimulate major changes in the breeding habitats of the animals, the food source in a marine ecosystem and the accessibility of prey for bigger predators.

The continuing melting of glaciers or deglaciation, plays a key role in the decline of Adelie penguins’ population over the past 1,000 years, affirmed the scientists. While changes in sea ice can directly have an impact into the species, it is crucial to keep on monitoring the penguins’ population over a longer period of time.

All in all, the good news is that the Adelie penguins are probably just fine – they just decided to change the scenery, by moving to another home.

Image Source: wordpress.com.

Filed Under: Tech & Science Tagged With: Adélie penguins, Antarctica, B09B, birds, Cape Denison, colony of penguins, deglaciation, ecological changes, frozen penguins, iceberg, melting of glaciers, Michelle LaRue, penguin population research, penguins, penguins’ population, Ross Island, Sea, sea ice

Young Sea Turtles Rescued From Frigid Waters Off Florida Coast

February 16, 2016 By Germaine Hicks Leave a Comment

Green-Sea-Turtles-Are-Making-a-Comeback-in-Florida-385690-2

The turtles were ‘cold-stunned’ after being found in 57-degree water in the Gulf of Mexico.

According to the latest news, seven young sea turtles rescued from frigid waters off Florida coast are being rehabilitated at a special hospital, as we speak.

The Miami Herald reports that the turtles were ‘cold-stunned’ after being found in 57-degree water in the Gulf of Mexico and were recovered by staff at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, according to Turtle Hospital Manager Bette Zirkelbach. She stated that 20 mph winds blew the turtles inland. Some were found alive, like the seven brought to the hospital, but others were found dead.

Dr. Raj Joshi from the Marathon Veterinary Hospital and other staff at the Turtle Hospital gave the turtles thorough checkups after they arrived, checking for internal and external tumors. Zirkelbach expected the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to bring about 10 more to the Turtle Hospital Friday night from the same area in Clearwater.

Bette Zirkelbach also declared that one turtle died through the night Thursday and another one passed away in the morning. Four of the of the sick turtles are already eating squid in their hospital tanks. If the doctors will find that they are tumor free on the inside, then they will undergo surgeries to remove the external tumors when they are strong enough.

Rehabilitation specialists Lauren Miller (above left) and Courtney Miller check on one of seven juvenile green sea turtles.

Rehabilitation specialists Lauren Miller and Courtney Miller check on one of seven juvenile green sea turtles at the Turtle Hospital.

Sea turtles’ internal temperatures are dependent upon the temperature of their environment. If the water they swim in or the land is too cold, they can become lethargic, even die. According to Zirkelbach, full recovery could take a year to two years depending on the severity of the turtles’ fibropapillomatosis, a debilitating herpes virus that is specific to sea turtles.

Release locations for the turtles will be determined after they recover.

According to Andy Devanas, science officer at the Key West National Weather Service, waters temperatures Friday were 66 degrees at Key West Harbor, 63 degrees at Long Key Light and 76 degrees at Molasses Reef in Key Largo. Zirkelbach stated that 172 sea turtles were admitted to the Turtle Hospital last year. That was up from 93 sea turtles in 2014, 68 in 2013 and 65 in 2012.

All in all, after hearing about the tragedy of the ‘cold-stunned’ turtles, everybody has high hopes for them to recover. On social media networks, people are very responsive to the case. Cindy Araya, a woman impressed by the story, posted on her Facebook account: ‘Poor babies! I hope they make a full recovery!’.

Image Source: bocaratontribune.com; miamiherald.com.

Filed Under: Tech & Science Tagged With: 57-degree water, baby turtles, Bette Zirkelbach, cold-stunned turtles, dangers, Florida, Florida coast, Gulf of Mexico, Nature, nature in danger, Sea, sea life, sea pollution, sea turtles, Turtle Hospital, turtles

Bizarre ‘Fish Lizard,’ The Oldest Of Its Kind, Unearthed by Paleontologists

November 6, 2014 By Germaine Hicks Leave a Comment

Oldest-known-Fish-lizard-discovered

Recently, the researchers found a 248 million year old fossil of an ancient reptile in China, which is believed to be the oldest known member of a well-known group of marine reptiles, and might have lived both on land and in the sea.

The researchers revealed that the specimen is an ancient type of ichthyopterygian, a group related to ichthyosaurs, which are large marine reptiles that dominated the world’s oceans after the Permian-Triassic extinction. At that time, approximately 252 million years ago, around 96% of marine animals and 70% of land animals went extinct. Researchers said, the recently discovered fossil provides new evidence that ichthyosaurs evolved from creatures that lived on land. The study is published in the Nature journal on 5th Nov.

The lead-author of the study and a geologist at Peking University in China, Da-yong Jiang said, “This new animal is a link between the terrestrial ancestor and the ichthyosaurs fully adapted to a life in the sea.”

Ichthyosaurs, which is a Greek name for “fish lizard,” lived from about 248 million to 95 million years ago. The group was extremely diverse, with body lengths ranging from less than 3.3 feet (1 meter) to more than 66 feet (20 m).

Jiang told Live Science in an email, “So far, all known ichthyosaur fossils came from animals that lived exclusively in the ocean, and there was a huge gap in the fossil record between them and their ancestors. Scientists didn’t know whether their ancestors were reptiles or amphibians, and if they lived on land or not.”

The recent specimen named “Cartorhynchus lenticarpus” discovered by Jiang and his team is the smallest known ichthyosaur-type creature — only about 1.3 feet (0.4 m) long. “We think the animal is fully grown, but cannot rule out the possibility that the fossil is the remains of an immature form of a larger creature,” researchers say.

In contrast to other ichthyosaurs, the new specimen has oddly large flippers that perhaps limited its ability to get around on land, making it similar to a modern seal. It also has a short muzzle and body trunk, like other land reptiles, the researchers said.

Jiang said, “The animal was probably a suction feeder on the seafloor, and may have eaten worms or eel-like creatures called conodonts. The fossil is quite complete and well-preserved; just part of the animal’s tail is missing.”

The fossil is discovered during an excavation in Chaohu, South China, in 2011. During the dig, researchers found several skeletons of ancient ichthyosaurs and extinct aquatic reptiles called sauropterygians, as well as fishes and other creatures.

Sine 2002, Jiang and his colleagues have been doing excavations in South China, looking for the first ichthyosaur that “jumped into the sea,” he said, so the new discovery “is a milestone after our hard work for more than 10 years.”

Filed Under: Tech & Science Tagged With: 248 million years ago, 95 million years ago, Cartorhynchus lenticarpus, Chaohu, china, Da-yong Jiang, Fish lizard, ichthyopterygian, ichthyosaurs, Land, Live Science, Nature journal, Peking University, reptiles, sauropterygians, Sea, South China

Studies Target Warming Oceans – Climate Post

October 9, 2014 By Germaine Hicks 3 Comments

warming-of-ocean

From the top of the waves to the bottom of the briny deep two new studies shed light on the issue of the warming of the oceans.

The oceans absorb the overwhelming majority of heat produced by man. They also absorb carbon dioxide as do plants. The two new studies share interesting new data on the processes and effects.

In the journal Nature Climate Change, they estimate the rate of the upper levels of the ocean depths between the years 1970 and 2004. Lead author of the of the study, Paul Durack, an oceanographer stated the importance of the data gathering and results. He emphasized that there’s been an underestimation of the problem due to poor sampling that took place before as well as limitation of the methods used to analyze such that conservatively estimated temperature changes in what he says a data sparse regions.

His team used climate model simulations and satellite data and the results he says suggest that the warming of the oceans has been underestimated by a whopping 24%-58%. This data does indeed match previous data but this is the first time researchers have attempted to estimate how much heat was missed.

For the first 2,300 feet of the oceans the researchers used temperature measurements and satellite measurements of sea level as well as computer models to find the rate of the sea level rising. They then compared the rise measured by the satellites covering each hemisphere.

In the second of the studies conducted by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, they poured over data gleaned from satellites as well as direct ocean temperature data from the years 2005 to 2013 and discovered that ocean depths deeper than 1.24 miles did not warm. William Llovel the lead author of the JPL study stated that the deeper parts of the ocean were harder to measure and that the combination of research tools shows only a glimpse of how much deep warming is in relation to sea level rise.

They also discovered that the growing warming of the oceans were responsible for at least 1/3 of Earth’s 2.8 millimeters of annual sea level rising. They figure floating probes are the only resort to to get more accurate data from deeper waters. These probe are called Deep Argo which will reach depths of 19,700 feet.

Filed Under: Tech & Science Tagged With: Climate, climate post, ocean, Sea, sea water, warming of ocean

Semi-Aquatic and Land Based Dinosaurs Battled On Land And Sea, Research Proven

September 29, 2014 By Germaine Hicks 2 Comments

Dinosaurs-Battled-On-Land-And-Sea

The University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech have added more insight into the relationships of semi-aquatic and land based dinosaurs.  Their discovery of a tooth from an aquatic dino embedded in the thigh bone of a land based dino shows not only did the two variations of giant lizards meet, but duked it out tooth and nail.

The tooth of the matter was from what they referred to as a phytosaur which was a big,  creature with a long snout that looked sort of like crocodiles that roam the Earth today.  At some point this dinosaur left the water or was on land drying off or basking in the sun, when it got into a fight with another big reptile referred to as a rauisuchid that is said to have been 25 feet in length and and about four feet high.  The tooth that was embedded in the animal stayed lodged there and the tissue healed and grew over it thus preserving it for fossilization and the discovery we now have today.

The land/water battle took place during the Late Triassic period some 235 to 200 million years in the past.  The rarity of the find has scientists surprised as one would guess.  Since the rauishuchids were the big bad boys on the dinosaur block at the time one would think they could hold their own against the smaller phytosaurs.  Whatever happened in those ages long past, this discover is evidence of an epic battle that surpasses anything Hollywood could come up with.

Published in the German journal Naturwissenschaften aka The Science of Nature, this discovery has scientists shaking their heads and realizing they’ll have to go back and review the earlier discoveries.  This paints a whole new picture across the dino landscape for sure.

To achieve this discovery the tooth was examined using computed tomographic data and a 3D printer.  They printed both copies of the tooth.  Not only that but the scars left in the bone of the victim showed it had fought many a battle in its day.  Adding to the discoveries pouring out of this new data, the size of the dino didn’t mean the success of the dino. Bigger may be better in some battles but evidence is growing that the smaller dinos like this phytosaur often came out on top. Probably due to speed and  agility and using less energy than its larger cousins.

Filed Under: Tech & Science Tagged With: battled, Land, land based dinasaurs, Phytosaur, Rauisuchid, research, Sea, semi-aquatic dinasaurs, University of Tennessee, Virginia Tech

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