Discoveries / Research News - 2008

July 22, 2008. Scientists have discovered that baby dolphins and infant orcas are insomniacs. The newborn cetaceans remain active around the clock for the first month of their lives. As a result, their mothers are deprived of sleep as well. Gradually, over the course of several months, the newborns and their mothers both increase their sleep time until they reach a normal level of sleep. There may be significant advantages to young cetaceans that remain active for the first few weeks after birth. Constant activity may reduce the dangers posed by predators—by not sleeping, the young simply do not let their guard down.

July 21, 2008. Scientists working off the coast of Bahia state in Brazil have discovered a vast region of previously unknown coral reefs. Surprisingly, the newly discovered reefs are not located in remote waters. Instead, they are nestled up against the South Atlantic's largest known coral reef system: the Abrolhos reef system. Despite their proximity to the well-known Abrolhos reefs, the newly discovered reefs are concealed in deeper waters and are therefore quite inaccessible. Scientists relied on side scan sonar (a type of sonar frequently used to create nautical charts) to construct a map of the newfound reefs.

July 12, 2008. Numerous native fish species of the Colorado River (such as Razorback Sucker, Roundtail Chub, Humpback Chub, Bonytail Chub, and Pikeminnow) have suffered significant declines over recent decades. During that same time period, non-native fish species (such as Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Striped Bass, Bluegill, and Crappies) have thrived. A team of scientists from Northern Arizona University led by Dr. Alice Gibb has been seeking to explain these trends and establish a set of recommendations on how to better protect the Colorado River's native fish species.

July 9, 2008. A research team from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute has completed a survey of coral biodiversity in the Las Perlas Islands. Their study revealed a broad mix of coral species in the waters of Las Perlas. In total, they counted 57 species of corals (19 species of hard corals and 38 species of soft corals). They found that reefs in the region were small and patchy and some corals grew directly on bedrock on the sea floor instead of building layer upon layer of corals.

July 2, 2008. Scientists from Boston University have discovered that the yellow tree frog (Dendropsophus ebraccatus), a native to Panama and other regions throughout Central America, is able to lay its eggs on land or in water. So far, no other egg-laying vertebrate is capable of such reproductive flexibility. According to researchers Justin Touchon and Karen Warkentin, the yellow tree frog may "represent an intermediate stage in the evolution of terrestrial reproduction, combining a retained ancestral capacity for aquatic development with a derived ability for terrestrial oviposition and development".

June 28, 2008. Scientists from the University of Bristol have introduced a novel method of monitoring wild animals which enables researchers to gather population data without having to capture and tag individual animals. The capture and tagging of animals can cause them undue stress and may interfere with their ability to evade predators, find mates, or capture prey. The new technique side-steps these ills by placing a sophisticated camera system into the animal's habitat. The system collects images of animals as they pass by and then sends the data to a central server for analysis and archiving.

June 25, 2008. Scientists have discovered 14 new animal species in Brazil's Cerrado, a vast woodland-savanna ecoregion that stretches across more than 2 million square kilometers of the country's central plateau. The new species include eight fish, three reptiles, one mammal, one bird, and one amphibian. These new species add to a rich assortment of flora and fauna previously known to inhabit the region, many of which are found nowhere else in the world.

June 19, 2008. Scientists have discovered that a group of hard corals known as stylasterid corals first evolved in deep ocean habitats. Stylasterid corals, also known as lace corals or hydrocorals, have a rigid skeleton that is made up of calcium carbonate. They are the second most diverse group of hard corals alive today. The new findings are the first to show this pattern of coral species diversification—a pattern of diversification that originates in deep water and later moves to shallow water.

May 26, 2008. BirdLife International reports that the Bermuda Petral (or 'Cahow' as it is known locally) has returned to nesting grounds on Bermuda's Nonsuch Island for the first time in over 400 years. Nonsuch Island is a 14-acre island located in Castle Harbor, a natural harbor formed by St. David's Island and the main island of Bermuda. The whole of Nonsuch Island has been established as a wildlife sanctuary and today offers secure habitat for the endangered petrals.

May 22, 2008. The Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) is the most endangered turtle in the world. There are only four known specimens of the species that remain: three in captivity and one in the wild. Now conservation biologists are trying to bring the species back from the brink of extinction. In a desperate move to save the species, a team of conservationists undertook a risky endeavor earlier this month. They transferred the last remaining female of the species from her home at the Changsha Zoo to the Suzhou Zoo, more than 600 miles away.