Underwater
World’s First Two-Headed Neon ‘Toxic’ Sea Slug Discovered in Borneo
This neon two-faced sea slug might look like something you’d find in a sci-fi movie, but it was just found right here on Earth! đ
The nudibranch – a soft-bodied, marine gastropod mollusk – was discovered by a diver and a team of film-makers at Kapalai, a sandbar off the coast of Sabah in eastern Malaysian Borneo.
These slugs are part of the species nembrotha kubaryana, but are commonly known as neon sea slugs due to their bright orange and green pattern – which warns predators of their toxicity.
The two-headed oddity was found by dive master Nash Baiti while making a new film series called ‘Borneo from Below.’ This amazing slug’s alien malformation was most likely caused by a gene mix up or damage from pollution.
Clay Bryce, a nudibranch expert and marine biologist at the Western Australian Museum in Perth said, ‘I have never seen another two headed marine creature like this before and I have spent 10,000 hours underwater chasing nudibranchs.’
Maybe it’s just me, but I think this one-of-a-kind neon slug is pretty cute! đ
Credit: Caters News Agency
Credit: Caters News Agency
Credit: Caters News Agency
Credit: Caters News Agency
Massive Shark Report: ‘Deep Blue’ is Biggest Great White Caught on Film and Huge Tiger Shark Caught in Australia
I can’t decide if this footage of what is believed to be the biggest great white shark ever caught on film is terrifying or eerily soothing. Her name is ‘Deep Blue’ and not only is she over 20-FEET long – she may also be pregnant.
The footage was captured by shark researcher Mauricio Hoyos Padilla off Mexico’s Guadalupe Island in 2013, but wasn’t released until now.
When Padilla first spotted ‘Deep Blue’ he wasn’t afraid, he was excited. “When I saw Deep Blue for the first time, there was just one thought on my mind: HOPE. A shark of that size is at least 50 years old and that tells me protection and conservation efforts are working. Deep Blue has been spared from long lines and the inherent dangers of living in the wild,” he wrote.
Padilla wants to raise awareness and help protect these magnificent creatures. New born baby great whites and pregnant females run the risk of getting caught in lines and nets in shallow waters and the illegal trade of shark teeth, jaws, and fins is sadly very lucrative.
This isn’t the first time the world has seen Deep Blue. Discovery featured the large great white in a Shark Week documentary last year.
The news of Deep Blue comes just days after the corpse of an 18-FOOT tiger shark was pulled onto a fishing boat off the coast of Australia. According to reports, Geoff Brooks posted two images of the huge predator to Facebook on Tuesday, claiming that the tiger shark was caught near Lennox Head, on the northern New South Wales coast. But, there is much debate as to exactly when and how the shark was killed.
Credit: Facebook
Credit: Facebook
SCIENCE VIDEO WRAP UP: Colossal Squid Sighting, Cosmic Photobomb, and Peacock Spiders Dance!
KSTV WEEKLY SCIENCE WRAP UP
1) Colossal Squid Caught on Camera!
2) The ‘Dark Side’ of the Moon Photobombs Earth
3) New Peacock Spiders Discovered in Australia
4) The Winner of Nat Geo’s Latest Photo Contest
Rare Massive Colossal Squid Caught on Camera Trying to Steal Fish in Russia
Russian fishermen were left stunned when a massive colossal squid tried to steal the latest catch off the side of their boat – and it was all caught on video! đ
Michael Vecchione, an adjunct scientist at NOAA’s National Systematics Lab and giant squid expert, told The Huffington Post the creature seen in the video below is in fact a colossal squid, not a giant squid. This can be a tough call to make given that the cephalopod relatives are both mythical creatures of the deep, rarely seen alive.
Screen Shot: LiveLeak via YouTube
Screen Shot: LiveLeak via YouTube
Colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) are slightly shorter than giant squid (Architeuthis dux), but have a larger, heavier body. Giant squid live deep underwater and manage to avoid human contact – for the most part. The largest giant squid ever recorded by scientists was almost 43 feet (13 meters) long, and may have weighed nearly a ton. YIKES.
Watch the crazy colossal squid footage below – published to YouTube on July 23!
These Tiny Fluffy ‘Sea Bunny’ Slugs Almost Broke the Internet
Who knew sea slugs could be adorable? The ‘sea bunny’ slug, or Jorunna parva, is a species known for its fluffy bunny-like appearance. No wonder it just gave the internet a heart attack! đ
This little sea slugâs bunny ears are actually rhinophores, or chemosensory organs that help them detect chemicals in the water and also sense changes in currents. And its tiny ‘fluffy’ bunny body (less than 1 inch) is actually covered in caryophyllidia – sensory tubercles, surrounded by tiny needle-like structures called spicules.
Jorunna parva belongs to a group of soft-bodied, marine mollusks called nudibranchs. They are found along the coast of Japan, but have also been spotted in the Indian Ocean and around the Philippines.
This cute underwater rabbit can vary in color from yellow, to orange, to white with black ‘spots.’ All I know is I want one! đ°
The Only Thing Better Than One Great White on Camera is TWO: Watch Massive Shark Photo-Bomb
Great white sharks are only cool when they are gnawing on someone else’s boat. This week, tourists on a South African shark-diving tour got the shock of their lives when they watched one great white take the bait next to their boat – just as a second great white leapt out of the water behind it! I knew sharks couldn’t take selfies, but apparently photo-bombing isn’t out of the question.
RemoSabatini posted the video below to YouTube on July 6, 2015.
In honor of this weeks gnarly shark footage I’d like to post a few amazing pics from Chris and Monique Fallows – who spend 200 days a year at sea.
Photographing great white sharks for 20 years gives Chris and Monique Fallows front row seats on the amazing behavior and secrets of formidable predators few people see. In this post they share ten of their favorite images of great whites.
This Video of a Cuttlefish Changing Colors Will Hypnotize You – Plus Fun ‘True’ Cuttlefish Facts!
Who needs a stress ball when they have this underwater footage? There are few creatures as unique and bizarre as the cuttlefish. This video, filmed by a diver with the Japan Marine Club, features a Pfeffer’s flamboyant cuttlefish, which uses chromatophores — color-changing cells in its skin — to alter its appearance đ
Cuttlefish are masters of camouflage – using their skin to communicate and evade predators – but, scientists know very little about how these animals disguise themselves so well.
Below is a video courtesy of Ze Frank, EVP of Video for Buzzfeed, explaining fun ‘true’ facts about the cuttlefish. Try to ignore the fact that it sounds like it was narrated by Ron Burgundy đš
This Cute Pac-Man Ghost Octopus Needs a Name: Scientist Suggests ‘Adorabilis’
This adorable seven-inch, deep sea octopus is a species rarely seen by humans. In fact, very little is known about the life history of these animals. They are small, fragile, and gelatinous, with relatively large eyes. The funny thing is they don’t have a name yet!
Stephanie Bush, a postdoctoral fellow at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), is researching this cartoony creature and has the difficult task of finding it an appropriate name. Until they know what to formally call it, researchers are simply referring to it as the “flapjack octopus,” which belongs with its cousins in the Opisthoteuthis family.
âI was thinking about what my options are [for naming it], and I wanted it to be something indicative of the characteristic of the species. Since they’re so cute, I thought I could name it the Opistoteuthis adorabilis,” Bush told ABC News.
They have a well defined web just under their tentacles that allows them to parachute around the water. The fins above their eyes helps them steer!
In their exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, these un-described cephalopods live in a tank specially designed to imitate the cold, low-oxygen environment of their deep-sea habitat.
The image below shows the flapjack octopus (Opisthoteuthis sp.) on exhibit. Researchers use a red light to display this species because the octopus can’t see red light. This makes it think it’s safe in the darkness of the deep sea, just like its natural habitat.
Bush and her MBARI team collected about 15 specimens last year using a remotely-operated vehicle along Monterey Canyon in the eastern Pacific. Those little guys now live at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
For more information about the flapjack octopus check out this awesome ‘Science Friday’ video! đ
NOAA Discovers Terrifying Deep-Sea Creatures After Exploring the Waters Off Puerto Rico
I have to admit, I’m a bit terrified of deep sea creatures. I mean, 95% of the ocean floor remains unexplored. That is A LOT of room for giant squid to roam. Lucky for me, NOAA decided to explore the waters off of Puerto Rico in search of the deep sea life that haunts my dreams.
From April 9 to April 30, 2015, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer explored largely uncharted deep-sea ecosystems and seafloor in the vicinity of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. What they found – using state of the art technology – will amaze you!
Quartz posted this incredible video to their Facebook page, using footage gathered from NOAA. Some of these creatures are so new – they don’t even have names.
Océano Profundo 2015
Legs 1 and 2 of the mission focused on mapping the seafloor where primarily only low-resolution satellite or topographic data existed previously. Leg 3 of the expedition featured some of the deepest remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives ever conducted in the region and collected critical deep-water environmental data that will improve ecosystem understanding and inform federal and local resource managers.
Why Puerto Rico?
According to NOAA, a diversity of seafloor features lie just offshore Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands that include trenches, seamounts, numerous submarine canyons, valleys, and troughs. These features likely contain valuable and vulnerable ocean resources, but very little is known about them, making this an important area to survey.
It is crucial to explore this area for several reasons:
- It is tectonically active, with seismic hazards
- It includes a large section of U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone
- One of the major fisheries in the area is deepwater snapper, but little is known about snapper populations there
- It is of potential interest for marine protected area managers, those creating ocean usage planning maps, and sanctuary managers
Communication Technology
NOAA did a fantastic job of documenting their journey, allowing scientists and the public access to mission logs, daily reports, photos, video, and live underwater video feeds.
During the dives, Okeanos Explorerâs two-body ROV system continuously captured high-definition video, which the ship transmitted to the Office of Ocean Exploration and Researchâs website, www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov, where anyone could follow along in near-real time!
Okeanos Explorer
NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, âAmericaâs Ship for Ocean Exploration,â is the only federally funded U.S. ship assigned to systematically explore our largely unknown ocean for the purpose of discovery and the advancement of knowledge. Telepresence, using real-time broadband satellite communications, connects the ship and its discoveries live with audiences ashore. Visit the NOAA Marine Operations Center Okeanos Explorer page for operations and crew information đ
Krystian Science 