Whale Funeral: Underwater Decomposition of Large Carcasses
by Emily Rose Nelson, RJD Intern Like any living thing, the lives of whales must come to an end at some point. Upon the death of these massive creatures some may strand and end up on shore, others may float and quickly be removed by other animals, and at least 50 percent will sink to […]
Who’s your daddy? A scientific perspective into the evolution of great white sharks
by Becca Shelton, RJD Intern There are few things I love more than sharks and a good debate. The white shark, or great white, (Carcharodon carcharias) is my favorite species of extant sharks and the megalodon shark (Carcharodon megalodon) is my favorite extinct species. It just so happens that both species are in the center […]
Can fish feel pain?
By Fiona Graham, RJD Intern Pain and suffering in fishes has been a hotly debated topic throughout the past, especially in the context of angling. While previous research has stated that fish might indeed feel pain, the authors of this paper decisively contradict these studies. This paper by Rose and colleagues details a comprehensive literature […]
Open Ocean Migrations and Their Implications for Conservation
By Dani Escontrela, RJD Intern Over time our understanding of animal migrations and habitats has greatly increased due to advances in tracking technology. Whereas before tags only told us when animals arrived and left certain places, tracks now are able to tell us about the migratory paths they follow. In addition other methods such as […]
Shark Tagging with Experience Aviation
by Gabi Goodrich, RJD Intern 1/20/2013 My alarm sounded promptly at 5 am. Coffee deprived and still half asleep, I got in the car with Meg and made my way to Islamorada. As I began waking up, my sleepiness was replaced with excitement; I was going to shark tag today. It was my first day […]
Climate change influences sea turtle nesting
by Becca Shelton, RJD Intern In David A Pike’s scientific paper Climate influences the global distribution of sea turtle nesting, Pike takes an in-depth look at which factors contribute to sea turtle nesting sites. There are 7 extant species of marine turtles that inhabit mainly tropical and subtropical waters and globally, are all considered to […]