Marine conservation has gotten a lot of press lately with President Obama’s plan to extend Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, the release of a new study on seafood fraud, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s pledge to support ocean conservation (Hey Leo, let me know if you are looking for a marine scientist partner!). Here are a … Continue reading
Coral reefs are more than “just a pretty face.” Why should we care about coral reefs? If you don’t often interact with coral reefs, or even if you do, you might have trouble answering that question. You probably know that coal reefs are beautiful marine ecosystems. But they only really matter to people who want to … Continue reading
Happy Film Friday! Some of the other UNdertheC bloggers and I have been taking a science communication class at UNC this semester. For our final project, we had to explain our research topics using a form of communication that was new to us. For my project, I chose to make a YouTube video explaining the … Continue reading
Or in other words, do lionfish have ninja skills? Lionfish have been called the “Pirates of the Caribbean,” but “Ninjas of the Caribbean” might be a better nickname. Lionfish are predatory fish, native to the Indian and Pacific regions, that have invaded the Atlantic and Caribbean. See our previous posts about lionfish (Photo Friday, Marine … Continue reading
“Training” wild sharks to eat lionfish might sound like a good idea. But what happens if they are actually being “trained” to attack divers? Since the lionfish invasion hit the news, people have suggested that native predators will eat and control invasive lionfish. For more information check out our previous posts The Great Debate: Predators … Continue reading
People like stories. Scientists have all heard the suggestion to communicate your science as a story when communicating with the public. But what about to fellow scientists? Do we then get the dry, impersonal version of your science? Unfortunately, it often turns out that way, but established science communicators are now suggesting science stories be … Continue reading
Largest: Blue Whale These marine mammals can grow up to 100 ft long and weigh up to 200 tons. They maintain this huge size on a diet of small shrimp-like animals called krill which they filter out of the water with plates called baleen instead of teeth. Fastest: Sailfish Although this is still debated, the … Continue reading
Happy Valentine’s Day! Can you spot all three marine organisms in this picture? Vase Sponge The heart in our Valentine’s Day photo is actually a uniquely-shaped vase sponge. These sponges are usually found on coral reefs and can be pink, purple, or even fluorescent blue. As members of the Porifera phylum, these organisms lack true … Continue reading
The following is a guest post from an undergraduate student in the Marine Ecology class that I was a TA for last semester. See the entire student blog at http://marineecologyblog.web.unc.edu/ A discussion of Marko et al’s “Fisheries: Mislabelling of a depleted reef fish”, 2004 By Michael Auriemma So men, picture you are on a date with a … Continue reading
A study was published on Jan 21, 2014, the 50th anniversary of the IUCN Red List, that found a quarter of shark and ray species are threatened with extinction (more information here). Only 23% of these species are considered “safe” with the IUCN listing of “Least Concern.” You may think of sharks as threats to … Continue reading
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