Archive for October 1st, 2008
Interesting Finds: Sharks, Rays, Glowing Fish and an Iguana
I am flush with three scintillating Interesting Finds this week, all in my favorite category: newly-identified species—courtesy of National Geographic’s Online News. Let’s jump right in, shall we?
For those of us who have been to Northern Australia, on Zegrahm’s Kimberley expeditions, not being able to get in the water is par for the course. This is due to the presence of saltwater crocodiles, murky opaque water, and shockingly powerful twice-daily tides. Add to this 113 newly identified (and bizarre looking) sharks and rays—among them not one but two fresh water river sharks. As the photos in the article attest, these are not small home aquarium Amazonian fresh water sharks but rather big, toothy sharks. Read the full story and view images at these links: 113 New Sharks and Rays Announced in Australia & Photos
The second newly-identified animal is a fish that glows red using fluorescence. It belongs to a larger group of glow-in-the-dark fish that live below a depth of 33 feet. Previously scientists believed that red was an “irrelevant” color to fish. The nerve! Read the full story which includes photos of some additional red-glowing sea creatures at this link: Glowing Red Fish Discovered.
This installment of Interesting Finds concludes with a terrestrial animal newly-identified and named in Fiji. Ladies and gentlemen, I alert you to Brachylophus bulabula, a gorgeous new iguana named after a Fijian greeting. Enjoy: Iguana Found in Fiji.
Andrew
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