marine animals – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

The Problem of Using Plastic Bags

By Guest PostDecember 23, 2013Environmentadvertising agent, australian, australian department, bbc, cleaning day, Environment, environmentally friendly material, hdpe, hdpe bags, logo, marine animals, melisa marzett, plastax, plastic waste, polyethylene, polyethylene recycling, problem, problems of environment, recycle plastic bags, statistics in ireland, using plastic bags, Wall Street Journal

We are all familiar with plastic bags, but not many people are aware of the cruel truth hiding behind the using of plastic bags. The level of plastic bag consumption is estimated at more than 500 billion plastic bags per year, almost 1 million per minute.

The main source of this problem is disposable bags made of polyethylene with a high level of density (HDPE). Having packed your goods in such a package, you leave it to rot in the earth for nearly 1,000 years.

FACTS

Investigation of Australian Department of the Environment shows that Australians consume about 6.9 billion plastic bags per year, it is 326 per person.

According to statistics in Ireland in 20011.2 billion disposable plastic bags were used, each person uses 316 disposable plastic bags per year. However, the problem has been cardinally improved in 2002 due to the introduction of new packages PlasTax , thus, the consumption level of HDPE bags decreased by 90%. (more…)

Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone Severely Impairs Reproduction in Atlantic Croaker, Researchers Find

By Guest PostJune 16, 2011Environment, Scienceandrogens, aromatase, atlantic croaker, coast of louisiana, coastal regions, dead zone, enzyme, estrogens, female sex hormones, fish population, gulf of mexico, hypoxic area, hypoxic coastal zone, hypoxic dead zone, impairment of reproductive output, low oxygen waters, male sex hormones, marine animals, marine science, marine scientist, masculinized, neuroendocrine function, ovarian masculinization, oxygen levels, peter thomas, reproductive impairment, saydur rahman, second largest seasonal hypoxic zone, sperm and eggs, the university of texas at austin, thomas and rahman, world

AUSTIN, Texas — Atlantic croaker living in the large Gulf of Mexico “Dead Zone” exhibit severe reproductive impairment with potential long-term impacts on the fish’s population abundance, researchers from The University of Texas at Austin’s Marine Science Institute have found.

Males and females were found to produce dramatically fewer sperm and eggs. In addition, females in the hypoxic Dead Zone waters were masculinized — some 20 percent actually produced sperm in their ovaries. The sex ratio was also heavily skewed toward males in the hypoxic area. (more…)

Scientists Discover Fossil of Giant Ancient Sea Predator

By Guest PostMay 27, 2011Scienceancient sea creatures, anomalocaridid creature, anomalocaridids, biodiversification, cambrian animals, cambrian explosion, cambrian period, complex ecosystems, deep-water, derek briggs, fossils, marine animals, marine fauna, marine predators, morocco, ordovician period, paleontologists, peter van roy, sea floor, sediment clouds

Paleontologists have discovered that a group of remarkable ancient sea creatures existed for much longer and grew to much larger sizes than previously thought, thanks to extraordinarily well-preserved fossils discovered in Morocco.

The creatures, known as anomalocaridids, were already thought to be the largest animals of the Cambrian period, known for the “Cambrian Explosion” that saw the sudden appearance of all the major animal groups and the establishment of complex ecosystems about 540 to 500 million years ago. Fossils from this period suggested these marine predators grew to be about two feet long. Until now, scientists also thought these strange invertebrates-which had long spiny head limbs presumably used to snag worms and other prey, and a circlet of plates around the mouth-died out at the end of the Cambrian. (more…)

Crocodiles 168 Times More Dangerous Than Sharks

By PravdaDecember 14, 2010General, Natureakvatoria, angola, bandundu, bees, cancun, cockpit, congo, croc attacks, crocodiles, daniel philemotte, elephants, hendrik coetzee, hippos, kinshansa, lagoon, lauren faille, malaria, marine animals, Mexico, mosquito, predators, salt water crocodile, shark attacks, sharks, south african guide, stewardess, threat to humans, ukraine, yalta

The fears connected with shark attacks are stronger in the world today than those related to much more dangerous predators – crocodiles. However, crocodiles pose a greater threat to humans than sharks do.

A crocodile snatched Hendrik Coetzee, a South African guide, 35, from his kayak while he led an American expedition into the heart of Congo last week. Two American tourists could only watch the scene in horror as the guide was killed and eaten by the predator. They paddled to safety unharmed. Coetzee’s body has not been recovered.

Stories about croc attacks are just as terrible as they are hopeless. Experts say that it is possible to stay to fight off a shark, but it is much more difficult or even impossible to rescue themselves from an attacking croc. (more…)

Listing of Rare Hawaiian Coral Species Called into Question

By Guest PostDecember 3, 2010Naturealgae, blue rice coral, coral biodiversity, coral reef, coral skeleton, discovery, diverse habitats, ecosystems, endemic, genetic groups, hawaii institute of marine biology, hawaiian reef coral, hawaiian species, himb, invertebrate species, m dilatata, m flabellata, m patula, marine animals, montipora, planet, rob toonen, sandpaper rice coral, zac forsman

Close up of Montipora patula (Sandpaper Rice Coral). Image credit: Zac Forsman

Researchers at the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB), an organized research unit in the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology have made a remarkable new discovery.

Coral reef ecosystems are one of the most diverse habitats on the planet, providing habitat for a wide variety of marine animals. Unfortunately, coral reefs and their associated fish, algae, and invertebrate species are in worldwide decline. In 2009, 83 rare corals were petitioned to be listed under the United States Endangered Species Act. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service is currently reviewing the status of the coral on the petition. If the listing is granted, it will afford higher protection and designate critical habitat for these corals. But are all the ‘species’ on this list really species?

A challenge to the evaluation is that coral “species” definitions are presently based on the coral skeleton, which can be so variable that it is often difficult to distinguish between groups. All 83 species on the petition can be found in the United States with 9 corals found in Hawai‘i. Identifying which of the corals on this list are endemic (unique to each region), rare, or at risk of extinction, may prove difficult because it is not clear which corals interbreed. (more…)

Tag Archives: marine animals

The Problem of Using Plastic Bags

Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone Severely Impairs Reproduction in Atlantic Croaker, Researchers Find

Scientists Discover Fossil of Giant Ancient Sea Predator

Crocodiles 168 Times More Dangerous Than Sharks

Listing of Rare Hawaiian Coral Species Called into Question