the malabar large-spotted civet ( viverra civettina ) , also known as the malabar civet , is a viverrid endemic to the western ghats of india .

it is listed as critically endangered by iucn as its population size is estimated to number fewer than 250 mature individuals , with no subpopulation greater than 50 individuals .

in the 1990s , isolated populations still survived in less disturbed areas of south malabar but were seriously threatened by habitat destruction and hunting because they lived outside protected areas .

it is known as kannan chandu and male meru in kerala വെരുക ( veruk ) in malayalam , and in karnataka as mangala kutri , bal kutri and dodda punugina .

malabar large - spotted civet

* * * the malabar large spotted civet is one of the world ' s rarest mammals .
the diet of the large spotted civet , viverra megaspila , which is closely related to the malabar large spotted civet and considered by some to be conspecific , includes small animals , eggs and some vegetable matter .
main characteristics malabar large - spotted civets have a body length between 76 and 85 cms ( 30 - 33 . 5 inches ) , a tail length between 33 and 40 cms ( 13 - 16 inches ) and they weigh between 8 and 9 kgs ( 18 - 20 lbs ) . they are grey in colour with large black spots and their tail is banded with black and has a black tip . habitat malabar large - spotted civets live in plantations and wooded areas in south malabar , india . they are solitary and active at night . diet malabar large - spotted civets mainly feed on small mammals , birds , snakes , frogs , fruit and eggs . breeding little in known about reproduction in malabar large - spotted civets . predators humans are predators of malabar large - spotted civets . subspecies there are no known subspecies of the malabar large - spotted civet . interesting facts malabar large - spotted civets are also known as : malabar civet jawad similar animals malayan civet otter civet large indian civet small indian civet large - spotted civet binturong
the weight of the large spotted civet , viverra megaspila , which is closely related to the malabar large spotted civet and considered by some to be conspecific , is 8 - 9 kg ( 18 - 20 lb ) .
malabar large spotted civets are aggressive towards members of their own species and have usually been observed alone .
glenn , c . r . 2006 .
earth ' s endangered creatures - malabar large - spotted civet facts
( online ) . accessed
wikipedia article copyright notice : this article is licensed under the gnu free documentation license . it uses material from the wikipedia article
malabar large - spotted civet
.
. extensive deforestation has reduced the malabar forests to a series of isolated patches . cashew plantations are a refuge , which probably hold most of the surviving populations of the malabar large - spotted civet , and are now threatened by large - scale clearance for
extensive deforestation has reduced the forests in the malabar large spotted civet ' s original range to a series of isolated patches . habitat loss continues . cashew plantations , which probably hold most of the surviving populations of malabar civet ( see
habitat
below ) , are now threatened by large - scale clearance for planting rubber . the malabar large spotted civet also has been persecuted for raiding poultry . it is not selectively hunted but is captured and killed when encountered .
the malabar large - spotted civet ' s original habitat was found in the malabar coast moist forests belt below the western ghats , where it lived in wooded plains and adjoining hill slopes . it was once very common in the coastal districts of malabar and travancore . extensive deforestation has reduced the malabar forests to a series of isolated patches . cashew plantations are a refuge , which probably hold most of the surviving populations of the malabar large - spotted civet , and are now threatened by large - scale clearance for rubber plantations .
the malabar large spotted civet was once very common in the coastal districts of malabar and travancore in southwest india . by the late 1960 ' s it was thought to be nearing extinction . none were seen for a long period of time until 1987 , when it was rediscovered about 60 km ( 37 mi ) east of calicut on the southwest coast of india . a 1990 survey revealed that isolated populations of malabar large spotted civet still survive in less disturbed areas of south malabar . ( ashraf et al . 1993 ) extensive deforestation has reduced the forests in the malabar large spotted civet ' s original range to a series of isolated patches . habitat loss continues . cashew plantations , which probably hold most of the surviving populations of malabar civet , are now threatened by large - scale clearance for planting rubber . the malabar large spotted civet also has been persecuted for raiding poultry . it is not selectively hunted but is captured and killed when encountered .
* * * species of the genus viverra are sources of
civet
( or
civet - musk
) , a substance which is used in the production of perfume . the civet - musk of the malabar large spotted civet was apparently in widespread use 20 - 25 years ago ( ashraf et al . 1993 ) .
the original home of the malabar large spotted civet was in the western ghats , a mountain range in southwest india . the species lived in the wooded plains and natural forests surrounding the mountains . today the malabar large spotted civet is one of the rarest mammals of the world . in 1999 , it was estimated that there were less than 250 surviving adult animals in the wild . small , scattered populations are thought to exist in certain areas of south malabar .
the malabar large spotted civet was once very common in the coastal districts of malabar and travancore in southwest india . by the late 1960 ' s it was thought to be nearing extinction . none were seen for a long period of time until 1987 , when it was rediscovered about 60 km ( 37 mi ) east of calicut on the southwest coast of india . a 1990 survey revealed that isolated populations of malabar large spotted civet still survive in less disturbed areas of south malabar . ( ashraf et al . 1993 )
the malabar large - spotted civet ( viverra civettina ) , is a civet . it is also known as the malabar civet and called jawadi veruku - ജാവാദി വെരുകു് in malayalam , the local language of kerala . the species was once common along the lowland coastal tracts of kerala and karnataka in south india . it became rare by the beginning of the 20th century , but was still often used for producing civetin musk in the 1960 ' s . in 1990 , isolated populations of the malabar large - spotted civet still survived in less disturbed areas of south malabar . in 1999 , fewer than 250 mature individuals were thought to survive in the wild .
information on the malabar civet ( viverra civettina ) is currently being researched and written and will appear here shortly .
☛ little is known about the species though the diet of the related large spotted civet , viverra megaspila , includes small animals , eggs and some vegetable matter .
although most civets resemble spotted , long - nosed cats , civets of the genus viverra are the most dog - like in appearance , with long legs and rather canine heads and muzzles . based on data for the large spotted civet , viverra megaspila , which is closely related to the malabar large spotted civet ( and considered by some to be conspecific ) , it probably weighs 8 - 9 kg ( 18 - 20 lb ) . oriental civet - viverra tangalunga the malabar large spotted civet ' s original habitat was found in the evergreen rain forest belt in the western ghats of southwest india , where it lived in wooded plains and adjoining hill slopes . most captures of this species in the last 30 years have been in valleys , around riparian areas . this suggests possible dependence on shallow waterways where the civet forages at night . ( ashraf et al . 1993 ) thickets in cashew plantations may also provide important cover . the diet of the related large spotted civet , viverra megaspila , includes small animals , eggs and some vegetable matter . the malabar large spotted civet has never been observed in trees and possibly forages almost entirely on the ground . species of the genus viverra stay in dense cover by day and come out into the open at night . malabar large spotted civets are aggressive towards members of their own species and have usually been observed alone .
☛ the population status of malabar civet is unknown . it was thought to be possibly extinct , then rediscovered but there is no further recent information and no recent sightings of live malabar civets .
the malabar large spotted civet ( viverra civettina blyth , 1862 ) was once a common species in the coastal districts of malabar and travancore in southwest india in the low elevation moist forests of the western ghats . by the late 1950s it was reported to be almost ' extinct ' . none were seen for a long period of time until 1987 , when it was rediscovered about 60 km east of calicut in kerala . extensive deforestation has reduced the malabar civet ' s .
the malabar large - spotted civet is considered by some authorities as viverra megaspila civettina , a subspecies of the large spotted civet viverra megaspila . based on data for the large spotted civet , considered by others to be conspecific , it probably weighs 8 - 9 kg ( 18 - 20 lb ) . the coat is greyish dull white with indistinct black spots that roughly form vague vertical stripes on the body . another distinguishing feature from the sympatric small indian civet ( viverricula indica ) , with which it might be confused , is its shorter tail when compared its body length and the presence of a crest of black erectile hairs on the back , which are characteristic of all the four species under the genus viverra .
the malabar large spotted civet is nearly identical to , or is in fact the same species as , the large spotted civet ( viverra megaspila ) . adults of this species usually weigh about 18 to 20 pounds ( 8 to 9 kilograms ) . their long gray coats are mottled with large black spots . they have long tails banded in black and a black crest of long fur down their backs . although most civets look like cats , the malabar large spotted civet more closely resembles a dog with its long legs and dog - like head . malabar civets stay hidden in the thickets during the day and forage for food at night . they have never been seen in trees , and probably obtain their food on the ground . they are thought to eat eggs , small mammals , and some vegetation . solitary animals , they can become aggressive when they encounter members of their own species . female malabar large spotted civets usually have from one to four offspring at a time , and they raise their young in the cover of thickets in the woods .
malabar civet was considered a subspecies of large - spotted civet v . megaspila by ellerman and morrison - scott ( 1951 ) . most standard sources , e . g . pocock ( 1939 ) , corbet and hill ( 1992 ) considered it a separate species , but purported morphological differences are slight and its taxonomy therefore needs re - evaluation . it is even possible that it is not a taxon at all , but a result of transport of large - spotted civet ( nandini and mudappa 2010 ) . for the present assessment , the precautionary stance is taken of assuming that malabar civet is a valid taxon , and that it is distinct at the species level .
* * * about 90 % of the people interviewed in a 1990 survey in the area where the malabar large spotted civet is found were not even aware of its existence . those who were aware of it were mainly hunters , trappers and civet rearers . scarcely anyone recognized it as a critically endangered species . ( ashraf et al . 1993 )
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the malabar civet is classified as critically endangered ( cr ) on the iucn red list ( 1 ) and listed on appendix iii of cites ( 2 ) .
☛ the malabar civet is listed in schedule i , part i of the indian wildlife ( protection ) act , 1972 and on cites appendix iii ( india ) .
the malabar large spotted civet has never been observed in trees and possibly forages almost entirely on the ground . evidence suggests that the young are raised in secluded thickets . species of the genus viverra stay in dense cover by day and come out into the open at night . ( ashraf et al . 1993 ; nowak 1999 )
at one time the malabar large spotted civet roamed about southwest india in the districts of malabar and travancore . as more and more humans moved into the area , clearing it for residential , industrial , and agricultural purposes , the forests have nearly disappeared . with the elimination of its habitat , the malabar large spotted civet population declined drastically . by the 1960s , the species was thought to be extinct . however , members of the species were found in the late 1980s , and some isolated groups are still known to exist . one of the reasons for the disappearance of the malabar civet was that they were once hunted as a source of “civet musk , ” a product used in perfumes . the largest threat to the species , however , is the deforestation of its original habitat in the western ghats , which forces the population into tiny isolated areas . the refuge of the last remaining malabar civets during the last decades of the twentieth century was the area’s cashew plantations , which are not weeded and therefore provide the dense thickets the animals can use as their homes . these are now being cleared for rubber plantations .
the malabar large spotted civet ' s original habitat was found in the evergreen rain forest belt in the western ghats of southwest india , where it lived in wooded plains and adjoining hill slopes . natural forests have almost completely disappeared in the entire stretch of the coastal western ghats due to human activities . the present vegetation consists mostly of plantations . the cashew plantations are the least disturbed . they are not weeded and have a dense understory of shrubs and grasses . for a terrestrial species such as the malabar large spotted civet , these thickets can provide important cover . however , it is likely that the cashew plantations are a refuge ' rather than a preferred habitat . furthermore , most captures of this species in the last 30 years have been in valleys , around riparian areas . this suggests possible dependence on shallow waterways where the civet forages at night . ( ashraf et al . 1993 ) the malabar large spotted civet lives in both the western ghats and sri lanka biodiversity hotspot ( cons . intl . 2005 ) and the western ghats moist forests global 200 ecoregion ( olson & dinerstein 1998 , olson & dinerstein 1999 ) .
the use of civet - musk is said to have been widespread within this species ' s range during 1965 - 1970 ( ashraf et al . 1993 ) . in the past , this species might have been used to collect civet oil , although there are no records to authenticate this claim . small indian civet is still illegally ‘farmed’ and kept in captivity to extract civet , and any remaining malabar civets are likely to be at risk for the same reason .
lynam , a . j . , maung , m . , po , s . h . t . and duckworth , j . w . ( 2005 ) . recent records of large - spotted civet viverra megaspila from thailand and myanmar . small carnivore conservation 32 : 8–11 .
malabar civet viverra civettina has sometimes been included in this species , but the two are usually recognised as separate species ( pocock 1939 , corbet and hill 1992 ) , albeit on thin grounds ( nandini and mudappa 2010 ) .
the masked palm civet or himalayan palm civet ( paguma larvata ) is a species of civet spread across the indian subcontinent and southeast asia , which in recent times was considered to be a likely vector of sars . in 2008 , the iucn classified the species as least concern as it occurs in many protected areas , is tolerant to some degree of habitat modification , and widely distributed with presumed large populations that are unlikely to be declining .
brown palm civet ( paradoxurus jerdoni ) also called the jerdon ' s palm civet is a civet endemic to the western ghats of india . the brown palm civet ' s distribution extends from the southern tip of western ghats in kalakkad mundanthurai tiger reserve to castle rock in goa to the north . brown palm civet is a solitary , nocturnal small carnivore . the brown palm civet is a key mammalian seed disperser in the western ghats rainforest by being predominantly frugivorous and dispersing a diverse array of plant species . their large range and presence within several protected areas have led them to be classified as being of low conservation concern . the brown palm civet occurs in fragmented landscapes containing remnants of tropical rainforest amid commercially exploited land patches such as tea and coffee plantations . their ability to persist in such landscapes depends on the occurrence of a diversity of fruit tree species in these areas ( e . g . , shade trees in coffee plantations ) . however , these areas often do not have large mammalian dispersers and birds like hornbills and large pigeons due to habitat loss and hunting . hence , the brown palm civet gains importance in such human - impacted landscapes as an important disperser and maintains biodiversity . ( source : wikipedia )
the large indian civet ( viverra zibetha ) is a member of the viverrid family native to southeast asia . in 2008 , the iucn classified the species as near threatened , mainly because of the known heavy trade as wild meat .
belt below the western ghats , where it lived in wooded plains and adjoining hill slopes . it was once very common in the coastal districts of malabar and
the small indian civet ( viverricula indica ) or rasse is a species of civet found across south and south - east asia as well as in the indonesian archipelago . in sri lanka ' s sinhala speaking community , this civet is known as kalawedda . the assamese name johamaal refers to its glandular odour similar to a scented rice variety called joha . the species has been introduced to madagascar . ( source : wikipedia )
much of the species ' s range , particularly viet nam and lao pdr but increasingly other areas , has seen very heavy market - driven hunting using often non - selective methods such snaring . this is resulting in huge declines and , evidently , widespread local extirpations of many ground - dwelling mammals ( e . g . , willcox et al . 2014 ) . moreover , there has been an increased demand for civets as luxury food in chinese and viet namese markets ( bell et al . 2004 , lynam et al . 2005 ) . although there has been no specific assessment of the extent to which large - spotted civet is taken , it is likely to be neither positively sought nor actively avoided . w . chutipong ( pers . comm . 2014 ) saw in an internet video of civet - coffee farming in thailand a large - spotted civet ; whether the animal was part of the coffee processing operations or was simply a quirky trophy - pet was not clear .
described the large - spotted civet as varying in colour from silvery - grey to golden - buff or tawny with a black to brown pattern and large or comparatively small spots , which are separated or sometimes fusing into blotches or into vertical stripes behind the shoulders . white bands on the tail are mostly restricted to the sides and lower surface but very seldom form complete rings . adults measure 30–30 . 5 in ( 76–77 cm ) in head and body with a 13–15 . 5 in ( 33–39 cm ) long tail . its weight ranges from 14 . 5–18 . 5 lb ( 6 . 6–8 . 4 kg ) .
the small - toothed palm civet ( arctogalidia trivirgata ) , also known as the three - striped palm civet , is a civet . it lives in dense forests of southeast asia . the diet is varied and omnivorous , and usually consist of insects , small mammals , nesting birds , fruits , frogs and lizards . matching the habits of other palm civets , this species is solitary , arboreal and nocturnal . it is threatened primarily by deforestation , as are many southeast asian forest animals . ( source : wikipedia )
malabar civet is possibly one of the rarest and most threatened species of western ghats . this small carnivore has been pushed to the brink of extinction by hunting and habitat loss . it has long legs with a long grey coat and there is a prominent black , bristly dorsal extending from neck up to the tip of the tail . there are large , black spots on the flanks which do not form any pattern . the tail has five white rings , the last one being only about two inches from the tip .
the rough - toothed dolphin ( steno bredanensis ) is a fairly large dolphin that can be found in deep warm and tropical waters around the world . the species is social . group sizes are commonly as large as fifty and groups as large as 100 have been reported . rough - toothed dolphins adapt well to captivity and have proven to be intelligent and creative . less than a dozen rough - toothed dolphins live in various dolphinariums around the world . ( source : wikipedia )
the asian palm civet ( paradoxurus hermaphroditus ) , also called toddy cat , is a small member of the viverridae family native to south and southeast asia . in 2008 , the iucn classified the species as least concern as it is tolerant of a broad range of habitats , is widely distributed with large populations that are unlikely to be declining . ( source : wikipedia )
there is no reliable information about malabar civet ' s habitat use or other aspects of its ecology . the several descriptions of habitat use are speculative or based in whole or part on confusion with other species . it seems that it once inhabited lowland forests , lowland swamp and riparian forests in the coastal plain districts of the western ghats . village reports suggested occurrence in thickets in cashew plantations and in highly degraded lowland forests in northern kerala ( ashraf et al . 1993 ) . it could possibly occur in lowland riparian forests in the coastal plain districts ( ashraf et al . 1993 ) . based on the natural history of congeners , the species is probably nocturnal , ground - dwelling and readily camera - trapped when present . natural forests have completely disappeared from the coastal western ghats . present vegetation is secondary in origin ( champion and seth 1968 ) , and is mostly plantations ( ashraf et al . 1993 ) . of these , cashew plantations are the least disturbed , because they are not weeded , providing a dense understorey of shrubs and grasses for this ground - living species to take refuge in ( ashraf et al . 1993 ) . the pelt records from 1980 - 1990 were in the region of river valleys , suggesting a possible association with shallow water courses ( ashraf et al , 1993 ) . the closely related large - spotted civet is strongly associated with the forested level lowlands ( e . g . , chutipong et al . 2014 ) ; whether this is also true of malabar civet , which occurs within a rather different small carnivore community ( notably , no other species of viverra overlaps with it ) is unknown .
☛ the main threat to this species is the loss and degradation of forest habitat . in the past , this species was widely used to collect civet oil . it is now threatened by habitat loss and retaliatory killings for raiding poultry .
the rusty - spotted cat ( prionailurus rubiginosus ) is the cat family ' s smallest member and found only in india and sri lanka . being one of the lesser studied south asian carnivores it has been listed as vulnerable by iucn only in 2002 . ( source : wikipedia )
the sri lankan spotted chevrotain or white - spotted chevrotain ( moschiola meminna ) is a species of even - toed ungulate in the tragulidae family . it has been proposed that the populations of moschiola meminna in india and sri lanka be split into two species - moschiola meminna and moschiola indica , however the current accepted name for both populations , according to itis and catalogue of life is still moschiola meminna . in sri lanka , this species is found in the dry zone of sri lanka and is replaced in the wet zone by the yellow - striped chevrotain moschiola kathygre . ( source : wikipedia )
large - spotted civet has been found in many protected areas , particularly in thailand and cambodia ( gray et al . 2014 , chutipong et al . 2014 ) . most of these are not well managed , with some level of hunting , and many comprise largely unsuitable terrain and altitude for the species . some of the pas supporting it in cambodia are afforded high ranking in conservation prioritisation , notably mondulkiri protected forest , and gray et al . ( 2010 ) called for large - spotted civet to be given specific consideration in management of this area . the species is nominally legally protected in most or all range states ( excepting china , apparently ) , but these laws are widely flouted and over large parts of the species ' s present range have no deterrent effect on hunting levels . recent great reductions in gun usage by civilians for hunting in lao pdr and perhaps other countries have led to increased snaring efforts ( in compensation ) ; the latter is probably the more damaging form of hunting for this species ( lynam et al . 2005 ) . the overwhelming need is to secure multiple protected areas across its range by reducing hunting and habitat encroachment to levels not detrimental to this species . a firm legal basis already exists to do this in lao pdr , cambodia , thailand and myanmar . such pas should include khao ang rue nai ws and , perhaps , huai kha khaeng ws , thailand ( the latter already one of the best - protected areas in south - east asia ; the former not ) , mondulkiri protected forest and preah vihear protected forest ( cambodia ) , some in myanmar ( currently with too little information to decide which ) , and perhaps xe pian npa in lao pdr ( although recent information is lacking and regional trends suggest it is quite likely the species will now be very rare there ) .
, this species should be readily snared . despite the massive levels of civet hunting , and the often - taken opportunities to check large numbers of civets in trade , this species is not recorded in the widespread trade in china ( lau et al . , 1997 ; kadoorie farm and botanic garden , 2004 ) and viet nam , which suggests that the populations are already reduced to overall extremely low levels ( scott roberton and wang ying - xiang , nguyen xuan dang , michael lau pers . comm . ) .
the chital or cheetal ( axis axis ) , also known as chital deer , spotted deer or axis deer is a deer which commonly inhabits wooded regions of sri lanka , nepal , bangladesh , bhutan , india , and in small numbers in pakistan . it is the most common deer species in indian forests . ( source : wikipedia )
the large - eared pika ( ochotona macrotis ) is a species of mammal in the ochotonidae family . it is found in afghanistan , china , india , kazakhstan , kyrgyzstan , nepal , pakistan , and tajikistan . ( source : wikipedia )
malabar civet is listed in schedule i , part i of the indian wildlife ( protection ) act , 1972 and on cites appendix iii ( india ) . this species is not known to occur in any protected area and the declaration of large new protected areas in its range is unlikely because of the dense human populations ( ashraf et al . 1993 ) . ashraf et a l . ( 1993 ) recommended the following conservation actions for this species : captive breeding ( with the possibility of reintroduction if suitable undisturbed areas are identified ) , field surveys ( to investigate whether this species occurs in protected areas ) and ecological studies ( to determine the threats to this species ) . an urgent conservation action plan is needed . given that recently it has been not possible to find the species at all , the option of captive breeding is not currently practical . reintroduction , assuming that some environmental threats have dissipated the populations , it would need considerable amount of work to nullify those threats having firstly established what they are . field survey should be continued , although many in the last decade have not yielded any positive results ( jayson et al . 2007 , rao et al . 2007 , ashraf et al . 2009 ) . as noted by nandini and mudappa ( 2010 ) in a detailed review of the knowledge of the malabar civet , none of the historical specimens have reliable provenance ; and even for the more recent ones it is fairly vague : not one has a precise wild locality of origin . it therefore is imperative to assess the status of the specimens in various museums and collections using advanced techniques of molecular genetics . this should consider whether the species is in fact a valid taxon native to india , or an incidental result of the wide trans - shipment of various civet species that occurred around the indian ocean counties for many centuries .
the dhole is highly social animal , living in large clans which occasionally split up into small packs to hunt . it primarily preys on medium - sized ungulates , which it hunts by tiring them out in long chases , and kills by disemboweling them . unlike most social canids ( but similar to african wild dogs ) , dholes let their pups eat first at a kill . though fearful of humans , dhole packs are bold enough to attack large and dangerous animals such as wild boar , water buffalo , and even tigers .
) , also called orca , or blackfish , is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family . killer whales are found in all oceans , from the frigid arctic and antarctic regions to tropical seas . killer whales as a species have a diverse diet including fish , sea lions , seals , walruses and even large whales . killer whales are regarded as apex predators , lacking natural predators and preying on even large sharks . being an apex predator , the killer whale is particularly at risk of poisoning from accumulation of toxins , including polychlorinated biphenyls
fraser ' s dolphin ( lagenodelphis hosei ) or sarawak dolphin is a cetacean in the family delphinidae found in deep waters in the pacific ocean and to a lesser extent in the indian and atlantic oceans . fraser dolphins ' swim quickly in large tightly packed groups of about 100 to 1000 in number . often porpoising , the group chop up the water tremendously . the sight of seeing a large group fleeing from a fishing vessels has been reported as
very dramatic
. it is also marked by having the smallest genitalia of any open sea dolphin . ( source : wikipedia )
a century ago because of extensive conversion of forest to agriculture . coastal plain forest was never extensive in its presumed range because the western ghats hill range run quite close to the coast along its length . natural forests have completely disappeared from the coastal western ghats ( champion and seth 1968 ) . land - use and habitat changes have not been too drastic in the last century within the assumed distribution range of the malabar civet . the records late in this period , if they were of wild animals , therefore suggest an ability to persist in today ' s habitat matrix , specifically in deforested areas and / or forest above the plains . in either case , many areas of potentially suitable habitat persist . thus , habitat factors alone are unlikely to have been an unlikely driver of
☛ natural forests have completely disappeared in the entire stretch of coastal western ghats , thus the present vegetation is of secondary origin , and is mostly plantations . however , cashew plantations , which may hold most of the surviving populations of this species , are threatened by large - scale clearance for planting rubber trees .
the onager ( equus hemionus ) is a large member of the genus equus of the family equidae ( horse family ) native to the deserts of syria , iran , pakistan , india , israel and tibet . it is sometimes known as the wild asian ass . onagers are a little larger than donkeys and they are notoriously untameable .
the pantropical spotted dolphin ( stenella attenuata ) is a species of dolphin found in all the world ' s temperate and tropical oceans . the species was beginning to come under threat due to the killing of millions of individuals in tuna purse seines . the 1980s saw the rise of
dolphin - friendly
tuna capture methods in order to save millions of the species in the eastern pacific ocean and it is now one of the most abundant dolphin species in the world . ( source : wikipedia )
the spotted linsang ( prionodon pardicolor ) is a linsang found in the forests of the central and eastern himalaya . it is short , light coloured , and has a slender body with a pointed head and small limbs . it stalks its prey by crawling on its belly , when it is often mistaken for a python or other heavy - built poisonous snakes due to its slender appearance . its diet consists of insects , rodents , lizards , birds and small mammals . it weighs less than 1 kilogram . ( source : wikipedia )
the population status is unknown but the lack of any even possible record since the advent of widespread camera - trapping suggests that very few animals , at most , persist . three recent attempts to find the species failed ( jayson et al . 2007 , rao et al . 2007 , ashraf et al . 2009 ) . this species was formerly believed to be very common in the districts of malabar and travancore in southwest india , based on jerdon ( 1874 ) . however , nandini and mudappa ( 2010 ) concluded that jerdon’s statements were a case of misidentification of the more common ( even now ) small indian civet , supporting pocock’s ( 1933 ) doubts about jerdon’s report . but by the late 1960s it was thought to be near extinction . no sighting was claimed until 1987 ; then , and subsequently , there have been no confirmed records of wild or captive animals : only equivocal sightings ( without any supporting evidence to confirm the species identification ) and dead animals plausibly from captivity ( nandini and mudappa 2010 ) .
the urial ( ovis orientalis ) , also known as the arkars or shapo , is a species of wild sheep . noticeable features are the reddish - brown long fur that fades during winter ; males are characterized by a black ruff stretching from the neck to the chest and large horns . it is primarily found in western central asia , but populations also exist in ladakh ( source : wikipedia )
bryde ' s whales are baleen whales , one of the
great whales
or rorquals . they prefer tropical and temperate waters over the polar seas that other whales in their family frequent . they are largely coastal rather than pelagic . bryde ' s whales are very similar in appearance to sei whales and almost as large . they inhabit tropical and subtropical waters worldwide . ( source : wikipedia )
the brown bear ( ursus arctos ) is a large bear distributed across much of northern eurasia and north america . it can weigh from 300 to 780 kilograms and its largest subspecies , the kodiak bear , rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land - based predator . grizzly bears form a very small population in northern himalayas in india . ( source : wikipedia )
the markhor ( capra falconeri ) is a large species of wild goat that is found in northeastern afghanistan , pakistan , jammu and kashmir in india , southern tajikistan and southern uzbekistan . the species is classed by the iucn as endangered , as there are fewer than 2 , 500 mature individuals which continued to decline by an estimated 20 % over 2 generations . the markhor is the national animal of pakistan . ( source : wikipedia )
the snow leopard is perhaps the most endangered of the large cats , with an estimated population of only 400 to 700 individuals in five himalayan states in india . this species suffers from intense conflicts with rural communities , habitat degradation and depletion of natural prey base , poaching for its exquisite fur and valuable bones ( used in traditional chinese medicine ) . the state of jammu & kashmir has the distinction of harbouring a major portion of existing snow leopard population in india .
the sambar ( rusa unicolor ) is a large deer native to southern and southeast asia . although it primarily refers to r . unicolor , the name sambar is also sometimes used to refer to the philippine deer ( called the philippine sambar ) and the rusa deer ( called the sunda sambar ) . the sambar inhabits much of southern asia , from southern china to indonesia . genetic analysis shows that the closest living relative of the sambar is probably the javan rusa of indonesia . ( source : wikipedia )
the gaur ( pronounced / ˈɡaʊər / ) ( bos gaurus , previously bibos gauris ) is a large , dark - coated forest ungulate of south asia and southeast asia . the largest populations are found today in india . the gaur belongs to the bovinae subfamily , which also includes bison , domestic cattle , yak and water buffalo . the gaur is the largest species of wild cattle , bigger than the african buffalo , the extinct aurochs ( the ancestor of domestic cattle ) , wild water buffalo or bison .
the short - finned pilot whale ( globicephala macrorhynchus ) is one of the two species of cetacean in the genus globicephala . it is part of the oceanic dolphin family ( delphinidae ) , though its behaviour is closer to that of the larger whales . short - finned pilot whales are very sociable and are rarely seen alone . they are found in groups of ten to thirty , though some pods are as large as sixty . hey are known as the ' cheetahs of the deep ' for the high speed pursuits of squids at depths of hundreds of metres . ( source : wikipedia )
dugong ( dugong dugon ) is the only herbivorous mammal that is strictly marine and the only member of the order sirenia found in india . dugongs are restricted to coastal shallow marine habitats and grazes on the sea grass meadows in coastal waters and are therefore called as “sea cows” . in india , it is one of the most seriously endangered species of large mammals . dugongs are vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures as they are solely dependent on sea grasses in coastal areas , which now have been seriously damaged by mining , trawling etc . dugongs have also been hunted for their meat , oil , hides , bones and teeth .
the indian rhinoceros ( rhinoceros unicornis ) is also called greater one - horned rhinoceros and asian one - horned rhinoceros and belongs to the rhinocerotidae family . listed as a vulnerable species , the large mammal is primarily found in parts of north - eastern india and in protected areas in the terai of nepal , where populations are confined to the riverine grasslands in the foothills of the himalayas . the indian rhinoceros once ranged throughout the entire stretch of the indo - gangetic plain but excessive hunting reduced their natural habitat drastically . today , about 3 , 000 rhinos live in the wild , 2 , 000 of which are found in india ' s assam alone . ( source : wikipedia )
the indian pangolin ( manis crassicaudata ) is a pangolin that is found in many parts of india and some parts of pakistan and sri lanka . like other pangolins , it has large , overlapping scales on the body which act like armour . it can also curl itself into a ball as self defence against predators such as the tiger . it is an insectivore and feeds on ants and termites , digging them out of their mounds using its long claws that are as long as its forelimbs . it lives mainly in burrows and is known to climb trees . it is also considered to be a curious animal and has been killed for so - called medicinal value . ( source : wikipedia )
the dugong ( dugong dugon ) is a large marine mammal which , together with the manatees , is one of four living species of the order sirenia . it is the only living representative of the once - diverse family dugongidae ; its closest modern relative , steller ' s sea cow ( hydrodamalis gigas ) , was hunted to extinction in the 18th century . it is also the only sirenian in its range , which spans the waters of at least 37 countries throughout the indo - pacific , though the majority of dugongs live in the northern waters of australia . the dugong is the only strictly - marine herbivorous mammal , as all species of manatee utilize fresh water to some degree . ( source : wikipedia )
the fin whale ( balaenoptera physalus ) , also called the finback whale , razorback , or common rorqual , is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales . it is the second largest whale and the second largest living animal after the blue whale , growing to nearly 27 meters . like all other large whales , the fin whale was heavily hunted during the twentieth century and is an endangered species . almost 750 , 000 fin whales were taken from the southern hemisphere alone between 1904 and 1979 and less than 3 , 000 currently remain in that region . the international whaling commission ( iwc ) has issued a moratorium on commercial hunting of this whale , although iceland and japan have resumed hunting . ( source : wikipedia )
the yak ( bos grunniens ) , is a long - haired bovine found throughout the himalayan region of south central asia , the tibetan plateau and as far north as mongolia and russia . in addition to a large domestic population , there is a small , vulnerable wild yak population . in the 1990 ' s , a concerted effort was undertaken to help save the wild yak population . domesticated yaks are kept primarily for their milk , fibre and meat , and as beasts of burden . their dried dung is an important fuel , used all over tibet , and is often the only fuel available on the high treeless tibetan plateau . yaks transport goods across mountain passes for local farmers and traders as well as for climbing and trekking expeditions . ( source : wikipedia )
the sun bear ( ursus malayanus ) , sometimes known as the honey bear , is a bear found primarily in the tropical rainforests of southeast asia . adult sun bears have almost no predators except humans , due to their fierce reputation and formidable teeth . occasionally , they may be overwhelmed by tigers , or large reticulated pythons . the recent decline in the sun bear population can be largely attributed to the hunting of
nuisance bears
that destroy crops and widespread poaching driven by the market for their fur and for their bile , which is used in chinese medicine . sometimes , sun bears are captured or bred to be domestic pets . the iucn reclassified the sun bear from
data deficient
to
vulnerable
status in 2007 . ( source : wikipedia )
the sei whale ( pronounced / ˈseɪ / or / ˈsaɪ / ) , balaenoptera borealis , is a baleen whale , the third - largest rorqual after the blue whale and the fin whale . it inhabits most oceans and adjoining seas , and prefers deep offshore waters . it is among the fastest of all cetaceans , and can reach speeds of up to 50 kilometres per hour over short distances . following large - scale commercial whaling during the late - nineteenth and twentieth centuries , when over 238 , 000 whales were taken , the sei whale is now internationally protected , although limited hunting occurs under controversial research programmes conducted by iceland and japan . as of 2006 , its worldwide population was about 54 , 000 , about a fifth of its pre - whaling population . ( source : wikipedia )
the wild water buffalo ( bubalis bubalis arnee or ' bubalus arnee ) is a large ungulate , a member of the bovine subfamily and the ancestor of the domestic water buffalo . it is the second largest wild bovid , smaller only than the gaur . it is an endangered species , thought to survive in ( from west to east ) india , nepal , bhutan , myanmar and thailand . wild asian water buffalo are extinct in pakistan , bangladesh , laos and viet nam . ( source : wikipedia ) although domesticated water buffalo are thriving and are distributed well beyond their native range , true wild water buffalo are in jeopardy . it may be that no true wild water buffalo exist , but have been lost to interbreeding with domesticated or feral buffalo . ( source : encyclopedia of life through animal diversity web )
the humpback whale ( megaptera novaeangliae ) is a species of baleen whale . it is an acrobatic animal , often breaching and slapping the water . found in oceans and seas around the world , humpback whales typically migrate up to 25 , 000 kilometres each year . humpbacks feed only in summer , in polar waters , and migrate to tropical or sub - tropical waters to breed and give birth in the winter . like other large whales , the humpback was and is a target for the whaling industry . due to over - hunting , its population fell by an estimated 90 % before a whaling moratorium was introduced in 1966 . stocks have since partially recovered ; however , entanglement in fishing gear , collisions with ships , and noise pollution also remain concerns . there are at least 80 , 000 humpback whales worldwide . ( source : wikipedia )
the red fox ( vulpes vulpes ) is the largest of the true foxes , as well as being the most geographically spread member of the carnivora , being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the arctic circle to north africa , central america , and the steppes of asia . its range has increased alongside human expansion , having been introduced to australasia , where it is considered harmful to native mammal and bird populations . because of these factors , it is listed as least concern for extinction by the iucn . the species has a long history of association with humans , having been extensively hunted as a pest and furbearer for centuries , as well as being prominently represented in human folklore and mythology . because of its widespread distribution and large population , the red fox is one of the most important furbearing animals harvested for the fur trade . ( source : wikipedia )
nine species of vultures are recorded from india of which five belong to the genus gyps . three gyps vultures , namely the oriental rumped vulture ( owrv ) gyps bengalensis , long - billed vulture ( lbv ) gyps indicus and slender - billed vulture ( sbv ) gyps tenuirostris are residents , and the remaining two , the eurasian griffon vulture gyps fulvus and himalayan griffon vulture gyps himalayensis are largely wintering species . owrv and lbv were abundant across india until the 1990s . vultures are nature ' s most efficient scavengers . the gyps vultures are specialized to feed on the soft tissue of the large ungulate carcasses . they play a vital role in the ecosystem by cleaning up the rotten carcasses left in the open . the population of gyps vultures in the indian subcontinent has crashed since 1990s onwards . the populations of owrv , sbv and lbv had declined by around 97 % during the last two decades . veterinary use of the non - steroidal anti inflammatory drug ' diclofenac ' is the main cause attributed for this drastic population decline .
the snow leopard ( uncia uncia or panthera uncia ) is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of south asia and central asia . the classification of this species has been subject to change and its exact taxonomic position will not be resolved until further studies are conducted . snow leopards live between 3 , 000 and 5 , 500 metres above sea level in the rocky mountain ranges of central asia . their secretive nature means that their exact numbers are unknown , but it has been estimated that between 3 , 500 and 7 , 000 snow leopards exist in the wild and between 600 and 700 in zoos worldwide . snow leopards cannot roar , despite possessing some ossification of the hyoid bone . this ossification was previously thought to be essential for allowing the big cats to roar , but new studies show that the ability to roar is due to other morphological features , especially of the larynx , which are absent in the snow leopard . snow leopard vocalizations include hisses , chuffing , mews , growls , and wailing . ( source : wikipedia )


gymnoscelis admixtaria is a moth in the geometridae family .

it was described by walker in 1862 .

it is found in sri lanka , india and japan .

gymnoscelis admixtaria

gymnoscelis yurikae is a moth in the geometridae family that is endemic to japan .
gymnoscelis daniloi is a moth in the geometridae family that is endemic to cape verde .
the double - striped pug ( gymnoscelis rufifasciata ) is a moth of the family geometridae .
a taxon identifier is composed of name , author , year and attribute , all separated by a blank . these are all extracted from the original publication .
the name is reproduced exactly as proposed in the original publication . the name of a genus is made up of one word and species made up of two words ( genus and species ) separated by a blank .
the author ' s name is made up of a string of letters , with no blanks , and multiple authors ' names are separated by a comma . spelling of author ' s name is based on the original publication . if there are more than three authors , only the names of the first two authors are shown , followed by
, +
and the number of omitted authors .
attribute is enclosed in square brackets . this is rarely needed , but to differentiate homo - identifiers , this will contain the page , line or plate number of original publication .
all diacritic marks , hyphens , and apostrophes are eliminated , thus only the following characters are used : a to z , a to z , 0 to 9 , blank , comma , and opening and closing square brackets . although upper and lower cases are used for the convenience of human recognition , it is not case sensitive .
created by dicky sick ki yu 1997 - 2012 please send me information about errors and omissions ( contact information ) with supporting references , possibly with pdf or hard copy .
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eupithecia dentifascia hampson , 1891 , illustr . typical specimens lep . het . colln br . mus . , 8 : 117 .
bastelberger , 1905 , ent . zeits . ( guben ) , 19 : 76 , syn . n . eupithecia eupitheciata walker sensu holloway , 1976 : 67 .
both this and the next species have forewing facies as in the generic description . the anterior half of the forewing postmedial is straight in dentifascia , slightly concave distad in intentata walker . the hindwing of the male in the latter is reduced in size , rather triangular , grading from pale fawn basally to brown distally , without the fasciation seen in male dentifascia and females of both species . examination of the genitalia is recommended to confirm identity .
true m . eupitheciata walker appears to be restricted to the australasian tropics . the ductus bursa in the female is unsclerotised , the seventh segment unmodified and the boomerang signum narrow . in both bornean species the ductus is sclerotised and the seventh segment modified .
all bornean material seen was taken between 1200m and 2110m on g . kinabalu .
hampson , 1893 , illustr . typical specimens lep . het . colln . br . mus . , 9 : 154 .
the taxon malachitis is brought into synonymy with filicata as the new guinea race . the male genitalia differ little from those of himalayan filicata . the australian thalassia turner may also prove to be a race of filicata .
n . e . himalaya , borneo ; sulawesi ( ssp . mochleutes ) ; seram , new guinea ( ssp . malachitis ) .
the only bornean specimen seen is a female from 1930m on g . kinabalu .
a related , somewhat more strongly marked , undescribed species occurs in seram and new guinea .
most records are from g . kinabalu : 450m at poring hot springs to 1930m on the main ascent . one specimen was taken in a cocoa plantation at tuaran in 1997 .


sea apple is a common name for the colorful and somewhat round sea cucumbers of the genera paracucumaria and pseudocolochirus , found in indo-pacific waters .

sea apples are filter feeders with tentacles , ovate bodies , and tube-like feet .

they can release their internal organs or a toxin into the water when stressed .

sea apple

kfc and apple hit by backlash from beijing’s spat with philippines over south china sea .
lots of myths in this hobby . . . sea apple toxin is not one of them .
the apple will automatically anchor at a corner with high waterflow . it is true that sometimes the apple will wander about .
your sea apple can nuke everything in your tank ( even if you have a 500 gallon tank ! ) the sea apple belongs in a smaller tank by itself ( and perhaps a few death row inmates ) .
what about the toxins that the sea apple may let out . the tenticals seem to be getting worse .
pseudocolochirus violaceus ( dendrochirotida : cucumariidae ) sea apple cucumber by lee sui kei rachel , 2016 , on taxo4254 .
smashed iphones latest in south china sea spat kfc and apple hit by backlash from beijing’s spat with philippines over south china sea . check out this story on urltoken urltoken
evisceration has apparently not been observed in the others ( which are curiously - mostly made up of deep - sea members ) . its not clear if some deep - sea sea cucumbers - such as sea pigs eviscerate or not .
sooner or later , a sea lion always pops up . this is a galápagos sea lion ( zalophus wollebaeki ) .
sam apple is the author of the memoir “american parent” and teaches journalism at the university of pennsylvania .
in this column i will discuss some of the most colourful and controversial sea cucumbers in the hobby – the sea apples .
i just want to say . my sea apple is fine in my 7 gallons since my purchase . from my observation , you can make a sea apple tank easily . the trick is you should block all the power head by using live rocks . and try to make your hob filter on either left or right hand corner .
sea cucumbers actually taste like cucumbers . and when you pickle them they taste like pickles . aren ' t sea cucumbers amazing .
recently my huge lta decided to move . he happened to move to where the sea apple sits . the tenticals of the anemone were touching the sea apple and i wasnt really sure what to do so i just let nature do as it will . maybe not a good idea ? the sea apple seemed to move but not very far and it doesnt look that great . his tenticals are out a lot as usuall but a couple of them look to be
melting
for a lack of better words . any advice
the great pearlfish , conqueror of sea cucumber bums , devourer of reproductive organs , all - around decent critter to anything but a sea cucumber .
i would avoid putting anything else in the tank since the apple death will most likely kill everything else in the tank .
there are several parasites that have snails as an intermediate host . however , apple snails are relatively resistant to many of these parasites , which are often host specific and do not regenerate in other hosts like apple snails . however , at least one parasite (
apple only tank , does sound good . . . i think a 5 gallon would do the trick . . . . .
you have teeth in your head , but some sea cucumbers have them in their bum . imagine , if you will , the life of a sea cucumber dentist .
( the edible sea cucumber which is black along the upper surface , and bright pink along the belly , also from the red sea and indo - pacific ) .
an apple snail with an egg deposition problem . the eggs collect near the shell opening qnd not on the surface ( pomacea canaliculata ) .
this sea apple ( pseudocholochirus ) has extended its tree - like feeding tentacles into the water column to capture tiny planktonic food . although these animals have a reputation for being extremely dangerous to a coral reef aquarium , they only cause problems in self - defense . a sea apple can make an attractive and interesting addition to well - designed aquarium in which the animal is protected from pump intakes and receives appropriate and sufficient food . photo by julian sprung
but i find that if you make your hob with high waterflow , it wont move easily for the apple needs current to filter its food .
a sea cucumber behavior wherein they can expel their
guts
through their body wall .
from wikipedia ! sea urchins ! who doesn ' t love em ? the spiny balls of the sea ! we eat em ! they ' re important to marine ecosystems . . .
the natural history museum in rotterdam will exhibit reconstructions of the sea monster later this year .
this sea lion came into a little cove . the trees in the background are mangroves .
galápagos green turtle ( chelonia mydas agassisi ) . galápagos green turtles are a subspecies of the pacific green sea turtle , and the only population of green sea turtles nesting in the galápagos .
here ' s another thought . . . i feel that there is a much greater chance that you bring home a fish that wipes out all the others , than bringing home an apple and it doing the same . i better stop now as my apple could be proving me wrong at the moment . . .
the letters denote the sea cucumber’s increasing level of discomfort . ( click for larger view . )
sea world ' s trevor long says dolphins
are enriched by the experience
of performing .
increasingly innovative maritime raids near the narrow bab al - mandab maritime passage , which connects the red sea with the gulf of aden and the arabian sea , add to already severe difficulties getting aid and commercial supplies to a country that imports 90 percent of its food and fuel by sea .
the sea apple should be fed liquid foods of brine shrimp , grated mussel , or other carnivorous preparations at least three times per week . if you notice an oily residue on the surface of the acclimation container , find cucumber floating on top of the water , any cloudiness in the bag , or note that the acclimation water is very discolored do not add cucumber or acclimation water to the aquarium . it is important to be cautious in caring for the sea apple as it can have adverse effects if done improperly .
the stem cells phyto - elite intensive body sea scrub comes in either green apple or citrus and it helps to refresh and smooth skin . this product helps with the anti - aging process , exfoliating and polishing the skin to leave behind an enjoyable sensory experience .
sorry i probably should have worded my comment better . . was trying to indicate that if he was not concerned about the potential danger of the sea apple . . fine - not that he did not care about the cuke . my apology if i offended .
figure 4 . 3 frost damage to an apple flower ( left ) ; and on small fruits ( right ) [ russet patches near the eyes and rings ] .
these animals may look like boring lumps . . . but sea cucumbers have all sorts of surprises .
formulated with the atoligomer , which is a high concentrate of pure microminerals drawn from the sea water , this scrub helps infuse the skin with natural minerals and strengthen and rejuvenate the epidermis . the entire sea scrub is based around the mineral - rich natural sea salt that enhances the penetration of the active ingredients .
sprung , j . 2001 . invertebrates : a quick reference guide . sea challengers , danville , ca .
echinodermata ! starfish ! sea urchins ! sea cucumbers ! stone lillies ! feather stars ! blastozoans ! sea daisies ! marine invertebrates found throughout the world ' s oceans with a rich and ancient fossil legacy . their biology and evolution includes a wide range of crazy and wonderful things . let me share those things with you !
so , here ' s the thing - sea cucumbers , like most echinoderms directly lack a way to excrete wastes . they are essentially open to seawater the way starfish , sea urchin , and other echinoderms are . .
oh . . . okay . . . that changes things a little . try just moving the sea apple and see if that ' s enough . if the aneomne isn ' t showing damage then the toxins may only be limited . still . . . keep a close eye on things .
kfc and apple “are just closely associated with the u . s . , and you are seeing people picking the closest symbol they can think of to demonstrate against , ” he said .
animal rights activist june killington visits sea world to distribute postcards that claim the park is an
aquaprison
.
interestingly , the extent to which evisceration occurs varies among different groups . here is a generalized classification for sea cucumbers taken
i know that sea apples are difficult and nasty in death which is why i want a species tank for one .
the sea apple is poisonous when stressed . the poison is powerful and can not only kill the anemone but harm the entire tank . if it dies they are known to release even more of this poison . i do not suggest you let nature take its course as this may result in tank - wide problems .
you will also want to ensure that you do not have any species of fish that are known to be predators of sea cucumbers . most trigger fish , some wrasses and butterfly fish will nip at the tube feet of sea cucumbers . although sea cucumbers are nocturnal , our rock landscaping usualy does not provide enough protection to hide in and be completely safe from predatory fish .
a poison apple tree ( manzanillo ; hippomane mancinella ) . this is the only indigenous toxic plant in the galápagos - the sap causes severe dermatitis and the fruit can be fatal to humans , though tortoises eat it .
munday p . l , van herwerden l , dudgeon c . l . evidence for sympatric speciation by host shift in the sea .
kfc is china’s biggest restaurant chain with more than 5 , 000 outlets . it is overhauling its struggling business there after a food scandal and marketing missteps . apple has faced a series of legal hurdles this year in china .
chinese nationalists have protested at kfc outlets and called for boycotts of the fast - food chain , while photos and video circulating online and on social media show people wearing scarves and banners with patriotic slogans smashing apple iphones in protest .
while the iphone x may have stolen the headlines , in fact the iphone 8 could be the sleeper hit of apple ' s new range , offering the same power as the x but with features and a design users trust .
trowbridge c . d , todd c . d . host - plant change in marine specialist herbivores : ascoglossan sea slugs on introduced macroalgae .
sea apples are going to move around till they find a spot they are comfortable with . . and there isn ' t much you can do about it . many would consider sea apples
high risk
and
expert only
- not a great choice for most tanks .
the sea cucumber , though , has a trick up its sleeve . remarkably , it can regenerate complex body parts like intestines and , yes , gonads . and it’s a damn good thing it can , because sea cucumbers defend themselves in what might be described as a fairly unorthodox manner .
apple ' s watch will free you from your phone - while making sure you don ' t suffer the fear of missing out . it ' s a huge step forward , and a compelling reason for the average user to buy a smartwatch .
this defenseless - looking sea cucumber has a secret weapon . when under threat , it expels its own guts as sticky filaments that can tangle or injure…
i recently purchased a sea apple , and wanted to find some more information about how best to care for it . a friend of mine has had his sea apple for about 4 months , and it seems to be doing well . he target feeds it by using a turkey baster to squirt enriched baby brine shrimp ( soaked in selcon for an hour or so ) a couple of times a week , and aside from that he says it catches some of the bits of adult brine that he feeds to his fish and larger corals . i know that there is a risk of them poisoning the tank if they die , but i really like the thing and really want to have one in my tank . is this crazy , or is it really as easy to keep as my friend says ? thanks ,
i have had a very nice sea apple for 4 - 5 years and he just went belly up over the last week . no poison excreted whew . i put him in a hospital tank to offer more food and care , but i still lost him . params were all near perfect and no other losses in the tank . and no other tankmates seemed to pay any attention to him day or night .
toonen , r . j . 2003 . invertebrate non - column : sea cucumbers - part ii . in advanced aquarists online magazine . january 2003 . urltoken
file photo - people walk past a ship docked at the red sea port of hodeidah , yemen february 1 , 2017 . reuters / abduljabbar zeyad / files
well , hopefully that provides you with sufficient information to make an educated decision about whether or not your aquarium is suitable for a sea apple . if you decide that you would like to add one of these beautiful and fascinating animals to your tank , i also hope that the information that i have provided here will allow you a good chance at keeping it healthy and happy for a long time in your aquarium !
lane , david j . w . and didier vandenspiegel . 2003 . a guide to sea stars and other echinoderms of singapore . singapore science centre . 187pp .
different kinds of sea cucumbers evert / expel different organs . these can also vary depending on certain times of the year ( as we ' ll see ) .
but as sea cucumbers were better studied - it turned out that these cases were not quite so clear cut ! and defense was sometimes just not an option .
images here from the encyclopedia of life this week , something about the many different kinds of asteroids ( aka sea star or starfish ! ) t . . .
sea apples are suspension feeders that need ample quantities of phytoplankton to survive . you can purchase or culture phytoplankton to feed these animals , but satisfying their demand and keeping them alive long term requires a high degree of effort and dedication . the sad fact is , most sea apples kept in aquariums gradually starve to death .
can anyone provide me a trustable source regarding this ? i would also like to know if there are any recent papers exploring why males get pregnant in sea horses .
this defenseless - looking sea cucumber has a secret weapon . when under threat , it expels its own guts as sticky filaments that can tangle or injure its aggressor .
sea cucumbers are , of course , the
worm - like
echinoderms . they usually eat fine mud or organic goo and are composed of 3 main parts !
sea world has earned a reputation for its rescue and rehabilitation work and its funding of marine research , but critics say such projects are a
fig leaf
.
: please do not purchase them . while being very colorfull and a temptation to add one to our aquariums , these animals are not suitable for keeping within our aquariums . being filter feeders and not deposit feeders as the other sea cucumbers are , they are almost guaranteed to slowly starve to death . once stressed or having died , a sea apple is one of the most toxic of their family and will kill a great many of your other aquarium pets quickly . the risk is far too great to take a chance on trying to keep an animal that is all but impossible for us to feed properly .
such pearlfishes come in a range of species , and don’t necessarily limit themselves to invading sea cucumbers . they’ll also work their way into sea stars , and are so named because they’ve been found dead inside oysters , completely coated in mother - of - pearl . beautiful , really , though i reckon the pearlfish would beg to differ .
wow - congratulations on keeping such a fragile creature for so long . i ' m not sure what their natural lifespan is , but you did great with that one ! when i saw the subject line , i was thinking - the lifespan of the other creatures in the tank will be
as short
as the sea apple - i don ' t sell sea apples but i ' ve seen the disasters that can occur when people buy them and they come into harm ' s way . . . they nuke and kill everything 4 - 5 years - my hat is off to you - well done ! jenn
shipping industry sources say shipping firms were becoming more reluctant to deliver goods to houthi - controlled hodeidah port together with the neighboring port of salif also on the rea sea .
sea apples on aquarium invertebrates by dr rob toonen on the advanced aquarist ' s online magazine : details the toxic nature and low success rate of keeping these animals in captivity .
so like a disgraced samurai disemboweling himself , the sea cucumber gifts the world with its intestines , whether the world wants them or not . interestingly , though , the pearlfish doesn’t itself seem to trigger this reaction for reasons that aren’t yet clear . and it’s important to consider that the fish in fact benefits from the evisceration , because by using the sea cucumber as a home , it necessarily adopts its host’s predators . its survival depends on the sea cucumber’s ability to defend itself , which is quite intriguing from an evolutionary perspective .
and sure enough , tests with expelled viscera and a place for the sea cucumbers to hide was effective against one of their most aggressive predators . . the sun star . .
( photo by emily miller kauai ) so , recently i ' ve gotten a bunch of questions about these peculiar sea urchins via email - and so i thou . . .
other than those few simple precautions , a sea cucumber ' s only real danger within our aquariums is from starving to death . if you notice that your sea cucumber is slowly shriking ( getting smaller ) , then it would be a good idea to try and find it another home that can provide the amount of detritus and organics it needs to thrive .
the ornately colored sea anemone ( uh - nem - uh - nee ) is named after the equally flashy terrestrial anemone flower . a close relative of coral and jellyfish , anemones are stinging polyps that spend most of their time attached to rocks on the sea bottom or on coral reefs waiting for fish to pass close enough to get ensnared in their venom - filled tentacles .
he story of modern cancer research begins , somewhat improbably , with the sea urchin . in the first decade of the 20th century , the german biologist theodor boveri discovered that if he fertilized sea - urchin eggs with two sperm rather than one , some of the cells would end up with the wrong number of chromosomes and fail to develop properly . it was the era before modern genetics , but boveri was aware that cancer cells , like the deformed sea urchin cells , had abnormal chromosomes ; whatever caused cancer , he surmised , had something to do with chromosomes .
when purchasing a cucumber , as with everything , you should research that specific species , if possible , i say if possible , because there is very little known as this group of animals is very little studied . thankfully most deposit feeding sea cucumbers that i am familiar with are very similiar and only differ in their adult size . when choosing from the few varieties of sea cucumber species normaly available to the hobby , i would first ensure that the sea cucumber will not become a very large specimen as it will most likely not find enough to eat within our aquariums .
respiratory trees are unique to sea cucumbers and are not found in any other echinoderm . all species of holothuroids must use at least one of these organs to breath . respiratory trees are often fed oxygen by the sea cucumber actually breathing through their anus . they not only excrete waste from their anus , but expand and contract their muscular body walls in a slow rhythm , which in turn draws in and expels water . this is where the respiratory trees extract the oxygen . there are a few species of sea cucumbers that also allow small fishes to enter and exit the anus .
i ' ve eaten sea cucumber on many occasions . the species i ' ve tried have a very subtle taste that tends to convey the flavor of the sauce . there is a substantive gelatinous texture to it which is what most people seem to remember most . sea cucumber harvests are becoming a conservation issue - so at this point i would enjoy with some restraint and caution . .
he similarly dismisses the idea that sea world
kidnaps
dolphins from the wild , since , apart from anything else , taking dolphins from the wild for commercial use is illegal in australia .
the book features chapters on several australian zoos and on the dolphins at sea world .
you have to get the animal ' s hunger level just right before a performance ,
he says .
you see some very agitated seals and sea lions just before their performance , because they know they are going to be fed but that they have to do a performance before that happens .
a maritime source familiar with the area said that , depending on the current , any free floating mines could be pushed into the open sea in an area close to the bab al - mandab .
but , i do know that the sea apple which i had in my tank is still back in the store where i returned it . it was in the store for about 3 - 4 months before i purchased it , so . . as for right now it ' s going on maybe 9 - 10 months of living in captivity and i have no idea how long they had it before then . the guy i purchased it from has had his in his tank at home for about 3 years if i rember right .
chinese state media called for
rational patriotism
wednesday amid anti - u . s . protests in recent days after an international tribunal ruled against beijing over its territorial claims in the south china sea .
sea world ' s gate takings are estimated at more than $ 133 million annually . of that it spends $ 1 million on rescue , research and rehabilitation , or three - quarters of 1 per cent .
a saudi frigate was attacked on jan . 30 close to the red sea port of hodeidah in which two crew members were killed and three wounded , saudi official media reported , blaming houthis for the attack .
in several posts here at saltwater smarts , i’ve mentioned that certain marine organisms routinely offered in the aquarium trade should come with a warning label—especially for novice hobbyists . in these cases , i’m usually referring to animals that are really gorgeous or exotic - looking ( hence hard to resist ) but either difficult to keep alive or dangerous to tankmates for one reason or another . in the case of the sea cucumbers known as sea apples (
pelletreau , k . n . , & g . muller - parker . 2002 . sulfuric acid in the phaeophyte alga desmarestia munda deters feeding by the sea urchin strongylocentrotus droebachiensis . marine biology 141 : 1 - 9 .
if you want a ron howard movie about a man obsessed with a creature from the deep ,
in the heart of the sea ,
sadly , is not the place to start . try
splash .
while not a complicted animal to care for , there are a few concerns to take into consideration when adding a sea cucumber to your aquarium . not being the quickest or brightest of creatures , any pump inlet that is not covered or protected will pose a very real danger to your sea cucumber . keeping the inlet guards that should have come with your pump when you purchased it , in place , will prevent any such accidents from happening .
when threatened , some sea cucumbers discharge sticky threads to ensnare their enemies . others can mutilate their own bodies as a defense mechanism . they violently contract their muscles and jettison some of their internal organs out of their anus .
but the sea cucumber may not be entirely defenseless against the invasions of the pearlfish . some species have what could be functioning as a built - in gate in their anus — a handy accessory considering that in addition to the pearlfish , crabs and clams have also been known to make themselves at home inside the poor critters ( the sea cucumber , it seems , like any good host , can never really enjoy itself at its own party ) .
the day after i meet killington , i pay a visit to trevor long , sea world ' s director of marine sciences . long has worked at sea world since 1973 and was involved in the collection of many of its animals . killington had described him as some kind of monster , but he seems perfectly amiable , if a little defensive , with a snow - white beard and skin cured to a rich caramel by decades of uv exposure .
and by no means was i trying to say 3 months was a success . just that i have cared for one , and it was my first addition to a new tank ( please note : my tank was up for about 2 months before i added anything , i also did not have a protien skimmer , or a fuge at the time ) . during that time i only saw growth in the creature , and it was always feeding . which is one of the tell - tale signs of the health of a sea apple is if it ' s not feeding or taking on some water .
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ you can ' t kill a fish born to hang . . . . . 65 - gal red sea reef 12 - gal nanocube
but for the past two years she has focused on sea world , which she calls an
aquaprison
where
dolphins that have been stolen from the ocean or bred in captivity perform tricks every day for dead fish
.
landry c , geyer l . b , arakaki y , uehara t , palumbi s . r . a recent speciation event in the indo - west pacific : rapid evolution of gamete recognition and sperm morphology in cryptic species of sea urchin .
despite this , they are sceptical about the park ' s research claims . sea world ' s website lists 84 marine research projects it has funded in the past 10 years , 65 of which have been included in peer - reviewed publications .
no no its the sea apple . you know how the tenticale sticks out and they look kinda like . . . . . . a feather sorta thing ? lol well one of them seems to be
melted
. i am not sure what to do . i just did a partial water change cuz the salinaty was very very high . ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? not sure how that happened but after the water change ( straight from the tap ) the water was high range ph 8 . 2 , amonia between 0 and . 25ppm the nitrite at 0 ppm and the nitrate around 10 ppm
parks such as sea world generally don ' t keep endangered species ; they keep bottlenose dolphins , which are abundant in the wild .
so it ' s pretty transparent that it ' s not about conservation . it ' s about money .
this behavior is the strange product of a housing crisis . you see , shelter is in short supply on many seafloors , particularly those that lack reefs . and there are few better shelters than sea cucumbers , little mobile homes that pearlfishes will enter pretty much as they please , leaving to hunt and returning for protection . if they can’t return to the same one , no worries at all . there’s plenty of decent housing squirming around the seafloor — if you’re willing to live in a sea cucumber’s bum .
i have a question about sea apple behavior . please spare me the
they ' ll nuke your tank
comments , as i fully understand the chances i have taken . ( imo i think most , only most not all , are made up or caused by powerheads ) anyways , i have had my apple for about two weeks now . it made its way to one of the sides and has been hanging out there for the majority of the time . this morning i woke up to find it almost to the top of the tank , about six inches away from my korolia . so i turned it off to avoid any hazard should he decided to make a left ! is this normal behavoir ? or is he stressed ? water is completely stable and nothing in my tank is showing signs of stress , quite the opposite actually . also , his feeders only come out about half way , and only a few times a day . is this normal ? ? ? ? ? ? ? i may swallow the 60 bucks and get rid of him . . . . . let me know .
hamel , j . f . , & a . mercier . 1998 . diet and feeding behaviour of the sea cucumber cucumaria frondosa in the st lawrence estuary , eastern canada . canadian journal of zoology - revue canadienne de zoologie 76 : 1194 - 1198 .
one tropical family of sea cucumbers , have special structures called cuverian tubules which are adhesive and used specifically for defense . i ' ll be blogging about those - hopefully next week . . so i will hold off on saying much about those for now .
next time , i’ll continue on with the remainder of the issues you raise in this question and try to give you an actual answer to what conditions you require to have a reasonable chance of keeping a sea cucumber healthy in your aquarium . . . .
with a little knowledge and care taken , a sea cucumber can and will be very helpfull in keeping your sandbed looking clean and fresh . most everyone has heard of the horror storys of a cucumber
nuking
their tanks , i have never had this happen and know of no one that has . now sea apples are a different story , i would never have one in my tank since they are the most likely to nuke a tank and when they do , its right up there with small nuclear devices .
file photo - a houthi militia media officer checks a camera next to giant cranes , damaged by saudi - led air strikes , at a container terminal at the red sea port of hodeidah , yemen november 16 , 2016 . reuters / khaled abdullah / file photo
infertile eggs just like chickens , apple snails do lay eggs even when they are not fertilized . this should be kept in mind of you have a single snails or several snails without a single male . if the eggs never hatch , even not when you are sure that the snails have mated , one should also think of bad conditions for the eggs ( dry air , to humid air with condensing water , low temperatures etc . ) .
with countries phasing out the captivity of
man ' s best friend in the ocean
, the gold coast ' s sea world dolphinarium looks like an endangered species . or is it ? tim elliott meets those working on both sides of a highly emotional divide .
hamel , j . f . , p . k . l . ng , & a . mercier . 1999 . life cycle of the pea crab pinnotheres halingi sp nov . , an obligate symbiont of the sea cucumber holothuria scabra jaeger . ophelia 50 : 149 - 175 .
how can they turn into liquid ? anyway i am about to make a thesis . . . i want to try what you said here if a sea cucumber really can regenerate when cut into two . . . i really am amazed . . . anyway thanks for the info
there are more than 1 , 000 sea anemone species found throughout the world’s oceans at various depths , although the largest and most varied occur in coastal tropical waters . they run the full spectrum of colors and can be as small as half an inch or as large as 6 feet across .
depending on what species it is , the pearlfish initiates one of two relationships once inside : a commensal one , in which it simply takes up space without either helping or adversely affecting the sea cucumber , or a rather more parasitic one , in which it chows down on its host’s gonads .
last week’s ruling by the united nations tribunal in the hague , netherlands , found there was no legal basis for beijing’s claim to most of the south china sea . despite overlapping claims , beijing has been undertaking vast infrastructure projects in the area to secure natural resources and control strategic shipping lanes .
there are about 95 species in 11 genera and four families . tentacles are simple . respiratory trees are present . the calcareous ring is without posterior projections . the body wall is generally soft and pliant . most forms live in shallow water , though one family is restricted to the deep sea .
great performances , fantastic experience , it makes you feel like you ' re there at sea . the whale scenes are intense and tge drama is heartbreaking seeing what these men went through . i liked the man vs nature and man vs man aspects . could have been better with character development though
urbina bay is perhaps best known as the site of an uplift event which raised 385 acres of the sea bed by up to 13 feet in 1954 . the uplift was so rapid that turtles , fish , lobsters , and other marine life was stranded . chunks of coral are still visible .
arnold is similarly worried by sea world ' s involvement in establishing marine parks in asia . in 2012 , sea world ' s owner , village roadshow , struck a deal with a chinese company to develop ocean paradise , a marine theme park in hainan which is to be stocked with dolphins and beluga whales . long is to head up village roadshow ' s involvement in the project .
the culture in asia is not exactly animal - friendly ,
arnold says .
if it takes off in asia , aquariums will explode and the abuse and the potential for abuse will explode .
the various attachment ligament / tissues which connect and anchor all of the various internal organs to the body wall all begin to rapidly soften . sea cucumbers , like all echinoderms have a unique kind of connective tissue which permits them to toughen or soften their body texture at the animal ' s whim .
there are about 340 species in 35 genera and three families . tentacles are shield - shaped . respiratory trees are present . the calcareous ring is without posterior projections . the body wall is generally soft and pliant . most forms live in shallow water , though one family is restricted to the deep sea .
i suspect this is one of those threads where if you don ' t have any concern about the critter - fine . but having owned alot of cukes including apples i would not be as confident as you . i have had a number of
turd
cukes puke their intestines on me over the yrs . . . just std tank maintenance where you don ' t see the buggers and they get frightened . . . same kind of defense response from an apple may have adverse impact on entire tank .
rabindra , s . , b . a . macdonald , p . lawton , & m . l . h . thomas . 1998 . feeding response of the dendrochirote sea cucumber cucumaria frondosa ( echinodermata : holothuroidea ) to changing food concentrations in the laboratory . canadian journal of zoology 76 : 1842 - 1849 .
regeneration time in sea cucumbers apparently varies on which organs were lost and in what species . . regrowth time varied from 7 to 145 days ! ! yes , that means that at the shorter end of the range , there were some species for which regeneration of an organ could take as little as a week !
in any case , you should also tell your friend that unless they begin to add phytoplankton to their tank on a regular basis , there is a good chance that their sea apple will slowly starve to death over the period of a year or so ( as i explained last time ) . as for the amount and frequency of feeding , it is harder to say . the specifics depend on your aquarium , the number and type of suspension feeders and such , but following the instructions on the phytoplankton products ought to suffice . a good rule of thumb is that if you cannot see the animal poop , it is not getting enough food . the obvious gauge is that if the animal grows it is being fed enough - - if it shrinks , it is starving , and you need to increase the feeding frequency and / or amount .
sea world certainly has its supporters .
it is absolutely the lesser evil ,
says sue arnold , from australians for animals .
i have been to the most appalling aquaria in mexico , canada and europe . there are a hell of a lot of places i ' d be shutting down before sea world .
arnold says she
doesn ' t know of any dolphinaria that has their standard
, and that she
would always work with trevor [ long ]
. yet she remains conflicted .
given the amount of animals he rescues , it ' s an incredible contradiction for him to be involved in the captive industry .
such projects are a
fig leaf
, according to sarah lucas , from australia for dolphins , a melbourne - based group with more than 120 , 000 supporters .
dolphinaria like sea world claim they are helping conservation through research ,
she says ,
when really they are businesses making money through commercial dolphin shows .
ok . . . the apple will move around the tank to find a place with good flow where it can filter feed . i had a beautiful purple one that lasted for years but in the end there was not enough dissolved food in the water and it slowly wasted away . . . and yes you are right , it died in the tank and nothing else died from toxins . toxins are mostly for self defense , but you never know how these animals work so be carefull either way . you will need to feed that guy or he will die .
if buddhists are right about that whole reincarnation thing , it’d be hard to imagine what you’d have to do wrong to die and come back as a sea cucumber . one minute you’re human and the next you’re crawling around the seafloor as what is essentially a mobile intestine , hoovering up food at one end and expelling it through the other .
the most important feature distinguishing the sea cucumbers is a calcareous ring that encircles the pharynx or throat . this ring serves as an attachment point for muscles operating the oral tentacles and for the anterior ends of other muscles that contract the body longitudinally . sea cucumbers are also distinct as echinoderms in having a circlet of oral tentacles . these may be simple , digitate ( with finger - like projections ) , pinnate ( feather - like ) , or peltate ( flattened and shield - like ) . a third key feature , found in 90 % of living species , is the reduction of the skeleton to microscopic ossicles . in some species , the ossicles may be enlarged and plate - like .
sea world gets 1 . 5 million visitors a year .
most of these people come from general suburbia ,
says long .
they are not watching david attenborough , they are playing xbox . if they come here and develop an empathy and appreciation for the animals , they ' ll be more likely to take action to protect them .
i was with jenn , i was going to start spewing the normal feeding problems and stuff of sea apples , but if you were able to keep on for 4 - 5 years you fully understood he feeding requirements of them . did it maintain its size all the way to the end ? have you changed anything in the tank ? substrates / feeding ? g ~
“the part that hasn’t really been substantiated is the fact that you have some sea cucumbers that have these kind of spines around the anus called anal teeth , ” said mah . “and it isn’t clear if these anal teeth really are active defensive mechanisms that keep things like fish and crabs out , or if they’re just there and we assume they’re defensive in some way . ”
it ' s late afternoon when we turn up to sea world , driving into the car park in killington ' s hatchback , which is plastered with
i ' m against dolphin captivity
and
sea world sucks
stickers . killington is dressed in black , with a chunky gold necklace and hair the colour of ribena . in the klieg - light glare of surfers paradise , she sticks out like a goth at a beach party . she is also the most profane woman i have ever met , spraying around expletives like blasts from an uzi .
look at this f . . . ing place , would you ,
she mutters , gazing with undiluted scorn at the theme park ' s gates .
what a f . . . ing disgrace .
the sea fennel ( crithmum maritimum l . ) is a wild plant from the same family of the parsley and celery , that is used as a fresh ingredient for many food preparations . in this work , some alternative culinary uses for this aromatic plant as a dried ingredient have been proposed . therefore , two drying technologies were applied with the aim to obtain a new spice - colorant without chemical synthesis . the results are discussed in terms of visual quality , odor and taste of the dehydrated products . moreover , the effects on the overall sensory properties of some dishes prepared using the two different types of this new spice are reported . the introduction of the dried sea fennel in gastronomy could increase the sensory appeal of some traditional dishes and support the creation of many new recipes .
“two strategies are observed for entering , ” parmentier said . “one , head first by propelling itself with violent strokes of the tail ; two , tail first by placing the head at the cloaca of the sea cucumber and moving the thin tail forward alongside its own body at the level of the lateral line , ” then slowing backing into the host , though not yet all the way .
they hate us , these dolphins ,
she says .
if they could talk , they would say , ' you motherf . . . ers . '
she has brought with her a stack of glossy postcards . the postcards look legitimate , with the sea world logo beneath a picture of a cheery - looking dolphin . flip it over , however , and it reads :
don ' t buy a ticket to animal cruelty . open your mind and your heart and know that cetaceans are not here to amuse and entertain us . go to sea world shut down on facebook for more information .
as we walk around , killington hands these cards to everyone she meets , including staff , even popping into the toilets to leave stacks of them beside handbasins .
since the most common cause for the demise of a sea cucumber within our aquariums is from starvation , i would not get more than one at first and give it a few months to determine if the single sea cucumber is able to fully process the surface layer of your sandbed . again , i would not purchase a large species as not only will they most likely slowly starve to death , but due to their size , they very frequently only extend half of their length out of the rock work onto the sandbed , which over due time , means that as they gather sand grains , it all gets expelled back behind your landscape causing those areas to eventualy get a very deep sandbed while the depth of your sandbed at the front of your tank gets shallower by the day .
in the meantime , the shifting of expectations will be left to people such as june killington . at sea world , i watch as she engages a middle - aged woman and her two children .
what do you think of the dolphins being locked up ?
killington asks her . the woman shrugs .
nothing really . look at them . they ' re not being badly treated .
magnificent apex predators that spend most of their lives roaming the sea ice of the arctic , where they hunt for seals . everything about them evolved to suit living in one of the harshest environments on earth . all of which makes it more than a little sad to see them in a zoo , where they too often live in small enclosures , swim in lukewarm pools , and dine on anything but blubber .
in the winter of 1820 , the new england whaling ship essex was assaulted by something no one could believe : a whale of mammoth size and will , and an almost human sense of vengeance . the real - life maritime disaster would inspire herman melville ' s moby - dick . but that told only half the story .
in the heart of the sea
reveals the encounter ' s harrowing aftermath , as the ship ' s surviving crew is pushed to their limits and forced to do the unthinkable to stay alive . braving storms , starvation , panic and despair , the men will call into question their deepest beliefs , from the value of their lives to the morality of their trade , as their captain searches for direction on the open sea and his first mate still seeks to bring the great whale down .
the committee subsequently recommended that no more dolphinariums be set up , and that those in existence be phased out , which is what subsequently happened to the facilities in south australia , western australia and victoria . only two dolphinariums now remain in australia : sea world and dolphin marine magic , a smaller operation in coffs harbour , on the nsw north coast , that has also attracted controversy over the treatment of its animals .
today boveri is celebrated for discovering the origins of cancer , but another german scientist , otto warburg , was studying sea - urchin eggs around the same time as boveri . his research , too , was hailed as a major breakthrough in our understanding of cancer . but in the following decades , warburg’s discovery would largely disappear from the cancer narrative , his contributions considered so negligible that they were left out of textbooks altogether .
“probably the best thing that sea cucumbers are known for is evisceration , ” said marine biologist christopher mah , “which is tossing their guts out at predators when they are harassed by them . so you have a crab or a fish or something and what they’ll do is literally eviscerate , just take a good chunk of their intestine that will spool out of their body and get shot out at the predator or whatever as a distraction . ”