Amazing Zoology

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/60j2a Image Credit: Andrea Marshall Occassionally, brittle stars are seen in the body of jelly fishes. They are usually present under the bell or on the oral arms. But they are not seen on jelly fishes in cold to temperate waters. Interesting fact is the food sources of brittle stars seems to be mesozooplanktons and they were never observed with arms out in water. Then, where do they get their food from? They take food directly from the mouth or the oral arms of the jelly fish. It means, they are stealing food from the jellyfish which are pelagic predators. There are several reports of other brittle stars moving down into the feeding arms or near the mouth and stealing food directly from the host. So these are called as KLEPTOPARASITES. Suggested Reading 1. Ingram BA, Pitt KA, Barnes P. Stable isotopes reveal a potential kleptoparasitic relationship between an ophiuroid (Ophiocnemis marmora...

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/oa97t Image Credit: Evelyn Bailey The function of the meninges is to cover and protect the brain. It also encloses and protects the vessels that supply the brain. It has three layers, Dura mater, Arachnoid mater and Pia mater. In between the layers is filled with Cerebrospinal fluid. Dura mater (literally means durable mother) itself is formed of two distinct layers, Periosteal dura mater just adjacent to the skull and Meningeal dura mater below that. Next is the arachnoid mater which is named due to its spider leg appearance. Deepest layer is the pia mater (literally means soft mother) which is a very delicate connective tissue.

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/-wos5

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/6lxdx Image Credit: Koragit The long horned orb-weaver, Macracantha arcuata, is also known as the curved spiny spider. It has two long spines extend from its sides. Usually found in southeast Asia and India It can also be found in parts of the southeast United States where it is an introduced species. Macracantha is a genus of spiders in the Araneidae family. As of 2018, Macracantha arcuata is the only species in the genus.

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/drl98 Horseshoe crabs live primarily in and around shallow coastal waters on soft sandy or muddy bottoms. They occasionally come onto shore to mate. Horseshoe crabs superficially resemble crustaceans but belong to a separate subphylum of the arthropods, Chelicerata, and are closely related to arachnids. Horseshoe crabs are closely related to the extinct eurypterids (sea scorpions), which include some of the largest arthropods to have ever existed, and the two may be sister groups. The earliest horseshoe crab fossils are found in strata from the late Ordovician period, roughly 450 million years ago. Morphology of a limulus (horseshoe crab) : marine arthopod which lives near the shore. Frontal organ : organ of the horseshoe crab situated at face-level. Chelicera : a pair of venomous hooks situated on the head of a horseshoe crab. Walking leg : floating appendage. Genital operculum : struc...

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/5z-f- Image Credit: https://infovisual.info A beautiful image showing the internal anatomy of a spider. A spider’s body is divided into two regions, Prosoma, anterior part and Ophisthosoma, the posterior part. Prosoma contains head, antenna and the legs. Everything else is self explanatory.

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/4js5e

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/eomi2 Flat and transparent larva of eels are called as Leptocephalus (slim head). Fishes with a leptocephalus larval stage include the most familiar eels such as the conger, moray eel, and garden eel as well as members of the family Anguillidae. Glass eel is a developmental stage from the end of metamorphosis in the leptocephalus to the beginning of pigmentation. Leptocephalus larva undergoes metamorphosis and enters a stage called as glass eels, before entering freshwater. It has the shape of an adult eel, with small size and without any pigmentation. Following this stage the young eels are called “elvers”. You may be interested in  Whale Falls and Whale fall communities .

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/jny-9 Flat and transparent larva of eels are called as Leptocephalus (slim head). Fishes with a leptocephalus larval stage include the most familiar eels such as the conger, moray eel, and garden eel as well as members of the family Anguillidae. Glass eel is a developmental stage from the end of metamorphosis in the leptocephalus to the beginning of pigmentation. Leptocephalus larva undergoes metamorphosis and enters a stage called as glass eels, before entering freshwater. It has the shape of an adult eel, with small size and without any pigmentation. Following this stage the young eels are called “elvers”. You may be interested in  Whale Falls and Whale fall communities .

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/jny-9 Flat and transparent larva of eels are called as Leptocephalus (slim head). Fishes with a leptocephalus larval stage include the most familiar eels such as the conger, moray eel, and garden eel as well as members of the family Anguillidae. Glass eel is a developmental stage from the end of metamorphosis in the leptocephalus to the beginning of pigmentation. Leptocephalus larva undergoes metamorphosis and enters a stage called as glass eels, before entering freshwater. It has the shape of an adult eel, with small size and without any pigmentation. Following this stage the young eels are called “elvers”. You may be interested in  Whale Falls and Whale fall communities .

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/wie02 A collection of most interesting eggs from fishes, birds, reptiles, mammals, insects molluscs, arachnids and crustaceans.

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/hr06f Image Credit: Gerringer, Linley, Jamieson, Goetze & Drazen, 2017 Pseudoliparis swirei is the deepest-dwelling fish in the world. This small deep sea creature can withstand more water pressure than 1,600 elephants standing on its head. Researchers exploring the Mariana Trench, the deepest place on Earth, found large numbers of weird, tadpole-like fish swarming their mackerel-baited traps. This translucent snailfish was recorded 5 miles below the surface of the ocean, making it the deepest-dwelling fish in the world. This is a tadpole-like fish measuring 112 mm yet appears to be the top predator in its benthic community at the bottom of this particularly deep sea. P. swirei belongs to the snailfish family, Liparidae. It is believed that 8,200m is a physiological limit below which nearly no fishes can survive. Watch video of  Pseudoliparis swirei  in its habitat You may be ...

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/88s6t Scanning Electron Microscopic Image of E. coli bacteria. Image Credit: Martin Oeggerli Escherichia coli (abbreviated as E. coli) are bacteria found in the environment, foods, and intestines of people and animals. It is a large and diverse group of bacteria. Although most strains of E. coli are harmless, others can make you sick. Some kinds of E. coli can cause diarrhea, while others cause urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia, and other illnesses.

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/dnuxk Image Credit: © Chris Rooney

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/lpem4 Comparison of a human red blood cell, a white blood cell and a platelet. SEM X2500 Image Credit: Dr. Stanley Flegler Blood consists of 3 types of cells, suspended in a liquid called plasma. These three types of cells, red blood cells (RBC), white blood (WBC) cells and platelets perform different functions throughout the body. RBC’s transport oxygen to cells and is doughnut shaped.  WBC’s play major role in our immune system, and appears usually in spherical shape. Platelet are cell fragments and they help in blood clotting. This is a Scanning Electron Microscopic Image of Human RBC, WBC and Platelet.

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/8e3rm Epifluorescence micrograph of a single Thiolava veneris filament picked from the solid lava substrate. Image credit: Roberto Danovaro In 2011, the underwater volcano Tagoro erupted in Canary Islands. The eruption increased water temperature, decreased oxygen and released massive quantities of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. It literally wiped out much of the ecosystem off the coast. Three years later, a strange new bacteria was the first organism to re-colonize the area. Three years later, a strange new bacteria was found to re-colonize the area. It was a new species of proteobacteria producing long, hair-like structures composed of bacterial cells within a sheath. Due to its long, hair-like structures, sceintists called it ‘Venus’s hair’. Bacteria grown as a white mat. Image credit: Miquel Canals/University of Barcelona, Spain The bacteria grew a massive white m...

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/igm6c Image Credit © GRNSW Greyhounds As Pets

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/gxegk Reconstruction of ancestral placental mammal. Image Credit: Carl Buell Placental mammals are mammals chatacterised by the presence of a plaenta during development. A Mass extinction in the Cretaceous period (K/Pg Boundary) led to the extinction of non avian dinosaurs. The ancestors of placental mammals were present during this period. The extinction of carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaurs opened a variery of dietary niches. Existing mammals utilized the opportunity and radiated into all the available niches. This is the story of evolution of placental mammals as we have learned from fossils. Now a recent scientific study concluded that the ancestoral placental mammal was an insectivore or insect eater. But how did they reach the conclusion? Let’s see. The body of almost all insects is covered with a tough carbohydrate material called chitin. So every animal that feeds on insects...

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/165rh Image credit: Tim Laman Orangutans are the only Great apeas other than humans in Asia. In 2001, the orangutans of Sumatra and Borneo were recognized as distinct species, Pongo abelii and Pongo pygmaeus. A team of researchers after examining examining morphometric, behavioral, and genomic evidence, have concluded that an isolated population at the southern range limit of Sumatran orangutans, in Batang Toru. It is distinct from both northern Sumatran and Bornean species. They were named Pongo tapanuliensis, for the region of the island in which they’re found. An estimated 800 individuals exist in a small, fragmented habitat over about 250,000 acres. You may be interested in  How smart are Orangutans? Suggested Reading 1. Nater A, Mattle-Greminger MP, Nurcahyo A, et al. Morphometric, Behavioral, and Genomic Evidence for a New Orangutan Species. C . 2017;27(22):3487-3498.e10. do...

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/v763- Image credit: Christoph von Beeren and Alexey K. Tishechkin Nymphister kronaueri is a tiny beetle that lives among ants. They live exclusively among one species of army ant, Eciton mexicanum in Costa Rica. These army ants are nomadic, spending a few weeks in one place before migrating for about three weeks to new territory. Shown in green circle is the beetle, attached to the abdomen of ant. Image credit: D. Kronauer The beetle can move about and feed while the host colony is stationary, but when the ants move, so must the beetles. There come the mimicry. The beetle with only 1.5 millimeters length, is shaped, sized and colored just like the abdomen of a worker ant. The beetle uses its tiny mandibles to clamp down on its host’s abdomen as the ants move. This makes it look like the ant has two abdomens. Like other myrmecophiles, or ant-lovers, these beetles likely use similar che...