No-eyed Fish and Frogs From Papua

No-eyed fish and frogs that carry the eggs on the back are two of the various types of new species discovered in a cave in Papua.

The team of researchers from the Institute of Research and Development (IRD) in Montpellier, France found it in a series of research expeditions in the caves, underground streams until Lengguru wilderness area, the southern region of Papua bird's neck.

"In terms of finding new things, there are many things to be settled in the area, the area is very difficult to access but has an amazing biodiversity," said one scientist from IRD, Laurent Pouyaud, reported by AFP on Friday (26/11 / 2010).

Scientists consisting of biologists, paleontologists and archaeologists trace the study area for seven weeks. The county said the land is a maze of chalk that allows the isolation of species that live experience for millions of years.

Fish that do not have eyes and colorless because they do not have pigmentation (production of the pigment that determines skin color) that is found in one cave is the most amazing discovery. "Fish, to our knowledge, is the first cave fish species found in Papua," said Pauyaud.

While biologists fascinated by the fish without eyes, the archaeologists also captivated by the findings of paintings on cave walls are made of shells fired appliance animals. These findings could be evidence of migration of Asians to Australia about 40,000 years ago.

This study is the first step of a planned project will study the biodiversity of the territory of Indonesia. The research is a collaboration with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries college science.
Pouyaud said, biodiversity in Papua itself now threatened by the planned expansion of plantations and mines.

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Eggs Can Swim Are You Sure..?

Do not think that picture above is the fried eggs that can become a meal with fried rice. The picture above is a species of jellyfish that had just been born in captivity.

Photographer Torben Webber rush to take the camera and managed to take a picture when it learned of this unique creature is born. Naturally, these jellyfish live in waters of the Mediterranean. They require large amounts of sunlight to survive.

This animal ditangkarkan Basel Zoo in Switzerland, when in fact this species is very difficult to reproduce. One of his staff said, "breed is really a challenge for this species. They are found only in offshore areas are remote and relatively difficult to transport to get there.

"Be we have to create an artificial environment that mimics the natural environment. We provide lighting to illuminate the tank and ensure the availability of abundant food," said the staff is as reported by the Daily Mail on Wednesday (24/11/2010).

Form of the jellyfish-like fried eggs or cow eye is called the medusa. In that phase, the jellyfish can produce eggs that are fertilized in the water and develop into larvae that dwell, called polyps.

When mature, the size of jellyfish that can reach 35 cm. Unlike other jellyfish, the jellyfish moves of this type with the white part of her body with movements menggelombang.

Torben perpetuate the image of this jellyfish on November 4, 2010 and then with a Nikon camera D3S. He commented, "They are beautiful creatures and have an unusual shape."

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Mysterious Squidworm From Sulawesi Island

-Mysterious Squidworm From Sulawesi Island-

Scientists recently discovereda mysterious creature in the depths of the waters between Sulawesi and the Philippines. The creature has a body that resembles a worm and squid that scientists call it squidworm squid or worms. Size of mysterious creature that approximately 9.4 centimeters.

Worms squid has ten tentacles long, burst from his head. In addition, he also has six so-called nuchal organ. These organs enable it to taste and smell something in the water.

Mysterious creature was found by three marine biologists led by Karen Osborn from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California. They found the new species after conducting exploration in the Celebes Sea at a depth of 2.8 kilometers using cruisers controlled remotely.

"I'm very excited. The animal was very tempting because it is very different from the characteristics of animals that have been described previously. These animals have the head is fantastic," said Osborn.

Worms squid found by the scientists are living at a depth of 100-200 meters above the sea floor. It is known depth range is a region rich in species that have not been identified.

"When I was exploring the area, I estimate there are more than half the number of animals we see an unidentified species," said Osborn.

Squid newly discovered worms were given the scientific name Teuthidodrilus samae. The species is said to be not a predator. They eat a mixture of micro marine plants and animals that drowned in the depths.

Celebes Sea where this species is found is a region isolated from the surrounding waters. In addition, the region including in conservation areas that have diverse forms of life and the unique geological history. Worms squid found in the region is not only a new species. The properties of squid worms are very different from other forms of life so that not only requires the name of the new species, but also a new genus, taxonomic level above species. The results of this study published in the journal Biology Letters recently.

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Salman and Trout Can Change Size

Animals and humans can in crease the weight and more fat and take care of depednent intake of food consumed. 

However, what occurred in your head when there are animals whose body was shortened and elongated according to the season. There are fish that like you know it.

Rare phenomenon was the subject of researchers from Finland and Norway are the results of research published in the journal Functional Ecology. This is a resea rcher from the two countries, also the phenomenon of downsizing the first body was found in fish.

The researchers said the reduction took place during the winter. They describe, reduction or shrink age in body size was triggered by a condition called anroexia over the winter, a time when the fish ap petite dropped dramatically when the winter.

To arrive at these conclusions, the research team led by Ari Huusko from the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute in Paltamo experimenting with salmonid groups, such as salmon and trout. The researchers create a pool of experiments that have been designed in such a way as to have conditions like winter in subtropical areas.

"We were faced with un expected facts and has never been documented before. Fish actually shrink in winter condition. Young salmon showed a significant reduction in body size, as much as 10 percent of the length of his body," the researchers said in its publications.

Re searchers do not know the exact biological mechanisms that lead to the downsizing of the body. However, researchers speculate that it is associated with diminished fluid, such as gel, contained in the spine which triggers the body size reduction. (HERMAWAN)

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New Squid From Indian Ocean

Scientists discover new species of squid in the Indian Ocean. The discovery was reported by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, on Monday (11/15/2010). The species is included in the family Chiroteuthid.

Species that are found to have a size of about 70 cm long has an organ that is able to emit light to scare the prey. According to the IUCN report, the species found at the bottom of a steep sea.


So far, it has been found in 70 species of squid in the expedition. All squid species that represent 20 percent of species of squid in the world.

"During these 10 days, scientists working with a microscope to identify various types of fish, squid and other interesting sea creatures," said Alex Rogers, a marine biologist from the Zoological Society of London.

Carl Gustaf Lundin, Head of IUCN Global Marine Programme, said that the discovery of new species will not only satisfy the scientists who worked in the field. "This study is also useful for ecosystem management in the Indian Ocean and in the global marine ecosystem."

The discovery of squid species were part of a research expedition aboard the research last year sailed the Indian Ocean to collect 7000 samples of living creatures from the depths of 1,200 meters.

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Last Eagle Crested at Ngrangkah

Two tail "Crested Eagle" in Hamlet Ngrangkah, Umbulharjo, Sleman, Yogyakarta Special Region, on Sunday (24/10/2010)-two days before the first eruption of Mount Merapi-goods last time a eagle Crested observed Lim Wen Sin.

Massive eruption of Merapi was certainly destroyed thousands of hectares of forest and gardens of the people, which is also habitat for birds on the slopes of Merapi. In addition to Crested hawk, vegetation on the south side of Merapi is also home to rare birds of Java-the-eagle before the eruption amounted to less than 10 cows.

Ngrangkah Hamlet is one of the hamlet with the greatest damage. Some citizens were killed in the first eruption. Hamlet is Hamlet Kinahrejo neighbor, caretaker residence hamlet Merapi, Mbah Maridjan.
"Not only bird raptor species (the predator), other birds ascertained also spread to various other locations, away from Merapi," said Lim, birdwatching activist in Indonesia Raptor Club. In addition to spread, it is quite possible some of them die, like the report fellow bird watchers see Javan hawk-eagle dying around the Ground.

Birds such as orioles and Srigunting that prey on insects to be highly affected families. Even if many birds survived, we can be sure the future of dozens of bird species on the slopes of Merapi threatened.

The eruption of Merapi, which burned the vegetation and slope ecosystems has a direct impact on the availability of various types of feed in the wild. If anything, other than limited, quality bird feed, such as insects, snakes, fruits, or plants, confirmed contaminated volcanic ash.

Actually, hope a lot of birds on the slopes of Merapi, survivors are still there. Some reports mention the existence of a local group of birds that migrate a few days before Merapi erupted.

In fact, one day after the eruption, a number of other birds of prey were observed to shift to a grove of trees in the hamlet Kepuharjo, on the south and east Kinahrejo. Post-eruption of the second, Friday (11/5/2010) early days, the presence of migratory birds was not observed locally anymore.

Merbabu slope region and Sindoro-Cleft in Central Java allegedly become the next local migration destination. "That will happen during any form of vegetation corridors connecting," said Lim. Even managed to arrive at a new place, competitions feed into the problem continued. In nature, he is strong who survive.

In the food chain, Javan hawk-eagle and other birds of prey, such as Crested hawk, is a top predator. However, both predators and prey there was no difference in the "eye" of Merapi. And, the birds were forced to fly somewhere.

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Whale Skin Can Burned

Not only that human skin can sunburn. Whale skin can also experience it.

Scientists from the Zoological Society of London recently discovered this fact after doing research on several types of whales found in the Gulf of California. They took samples, collect high-resolution photographs, and examine the microscopic structure of sperm whales, gray whales fin and blue whales.

The results showed, nearly every sample of whale skin have skin cells that sunburn, even in the deepest layer of skin. It shows that the damage is quite severe. The researchers suspected, it burns on whales associated with damage to ozone layer that occurred.

Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse, molecular epidemiology experts from the Zoological Society of London who are involved in the research, said such damage could easily occur because the whales do not have the means of protection. "Whales do not have hair, fine hair, or feathers to protect the body from sun exposure," he said when interviewed by Discovery.

In addition, Whitehouse also said, "Other animals have a certain behavior to protect, for example hiding. However, the pope can not do that." The pope must swim to the surface to get oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the body. That's what triggered burns on whales, "he explained.

So far, scientists have only found two ways of adaptation to the pope, namely increasing the production of pigment and apoptosis or programmed cell death skin to remove damaged cells. However, researchers do not know whether how adaptation can still protect whales from burns. Because ozone is expected to more severe damage in the next few years.

Whitehouse believes there are still ways to save the whales. "I believe we are able to do many things to reduce skin damage caused by exposure to sunlight whales. We must reduce the triggers, such as by reducing pollution," he said. Pollution reduction is very useful so as to prevent increased damage to the ozone layer.

The results of this study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B recently.

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Strange Lizard Species Found in Restaurant

Finding a unique species in the jungle may have been normal. But, what if the species was discovered in a restaurant?

Father and son pair who are both researchers reptiles, and Jesse Lee Grismer Grismer, successfully identified a new species of lizard found in a restaurant in Vietnam. Lizard is a female and able to reproduce asexually, aka can breed without mating.

Name of lizard species found were Leiolepis ngovantrii. Actually, this is not the first time lizard species had been encountered. "The people of Vietnam have been making daily food. The diner also has made it one of the dishes that are sold," said Lee, who became a reptile expert at La Sierra University in Riverside, California.

The research began when fellow Lee, Ngo Van Tri, the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, see the lizard species in the diner. He feels there are discrepancies in these lizards because they all have the same color. He then photographed and mengrimkan photo to Lee.

Lee then came to Ho Chi Min City with Jesse. Having had run out of stock when looking at a diner, a father and son eventually managed to collect more than 70 lizards. They identify it and finally found the fact that all species of lizards were female.

Lizard species that reproduce all of these female parthenogenesis. With the reproductive system, the lizard is able to release her eggs are already cooked and "merge" with another egg that she production. The combination of two egg cells that form a new individual.

Lee said he found the lizard may be a hybrid of the maternal and paternal lines from two different species are interdependent, a phenomenon common in the transition zone. "Thus, the species is in an area and other areas within a certain time to meet and reproduce to form a hybrid," said Lee.

Once the lizard mitochondrial DNA testing, Lee found that the maternal line was a species of lizard Leiolepis guttata. Meanwhile, line paternalnya unknown because of the difficulty to identify paternal lines with mitochondrial DNA. The results of this study published in the journal Zootaxa on 22 April 2010.

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Rare Bats Found in Sumatra

Conservation experts from the UK found a rare bat in the jungle of Sumatra. Bats found in known as the barong Ridley (Hipposideros ridleyi), a species classified as threatened with extinction in the list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Species of bats were found in forest fragments that extent only 300 hectares. Fragment is surrounded by oil palm plantations, which opened in the forest area and expanded so that penetrated an important habitat for the survival of endangered animals.

Researchers said the findings showed that even small forest fragments remain valuable to be preserved. The oil palm plantation managers must identify areas in need of preservation.

Forest fragments where the bats invention is part of the forest managed by the owners of oil palm plantations. In order to preserve wildlife, the researchers asked the plantation owners to identify areas in need of preservation.

Furthermore, the researchers said that the network of forest fragments may be appropriate to preserve certain species. "The scientific community must help the business community so that endangered wildlife can still exist in areas that are managed in the long run," said Matthew Struebig of Queen Mary, University of London, one member of the research team.

A discussion of conservation issues and their relation with oil palm plantations made on Tuesday (08/11/2010) in Jakarta.

Sophie Persey of the Zoological Society of London as well as Palm Plantation Project Manager said, "Forest protection is always a priority in conservation. However, if the palm oil expansion program is still being done, then protecting the forest fragments in oil palm plantations also becomes important to maintain Indonesia's biodiversity. "
Simak
Baca secara fonetik

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Animals with Largest Testes

Put your body mass 65 kg. Sure, the size of your testicles will not be up to 10 percent aka 6.5 pounds is not it? However, things are different species obtained by scientists at a cricket named bushcricket (Platycleis affinis). Testicular size crickets it takes 14 percent of his body mass.

"We could not believe the size of these testes. Testicle seemed to fill all parts of the belly of the crickets," said Karim Vahed, behavioral ecologist from Britain's University of Derby.

Testicle size relative to body mass of crickets was crowned as the largest testicular size. Testicular size crickets beat testicular size fruit fly, Drosophila bifurca, which reached 10.6 percent body mass.

Apparently, the phrase "size does matter" also applies in world cricket. Scientists found that a large testicular size was used to attract the opposite sex so that the male can mate with as many females.

Unfortunately, the big testes was only able to produce sperm in smaller amounts. As a result, opportunities for successful egg fertilized females to become increasingly small.

"The size of the large testes have more to do with the number of females who could be married than the number of females that successfully fertilized," said Vahed.

The findings are a bit tenuous at the previous theory. Usually, the females of many species, including monkeys and probably humans, choosing a large male to male bertestis have a greater chance to be fertilized. Testicular size is usually proportional to the number believed to sperm produced.

In connection with the result that, Vahed said, "The message of importance is that we should not expect the same rules for all species because it could be the same, but may also be different." The results of this research published in the journal Biology Letters, Tuesday.

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Monkey is Also Trading Her Baby

Apparently not just humans who like to enjoy the baby cuteness. Animals monkey compatriots, such as mangabey and vervets, also has a similar habit. If there is one parent who gave birth to a baby monkey, then there is another parent-mother monkey will race to hold and enjoy the cuteness newly born baby it.

The difference, though trade vervets mangabey and her babies. To participate cradling a baby mangabey and vervets, parent, other parent must pay the "price" of a particular, not be "free." Of course the pay is not money, only an obligation for the baby with the parent mempersolek stroked and smoothed its feathers. Behavioral findings were published online in the journal Animal Behavior recently.

The researcher who discovered this behavior, Cécile Fruteau from Tilburg University, Netherlands, said that the obligation to stroking and smoothing the fur can vary long time. In his research, he revealed that several factors that affect the time to stroke is the number of infants in one group, the age of the baby and mother standing in the group.

Fruteau describe, a mother monkey who has a newborn and is the only baby in the group can enjoy hair care for 10 minutes before finally letting the other monkey to touch her baby. However, when nearly 3-month-old baby, the parent will just get a hair treatment less than 4 minutes, even though her baby is the only one in the group.

In addition, according to research Frateau, female monkeys from the low position in the monkey group had stroked and smoothed feathers longer than the monkeys that come from a higher position. Monkey will also be easier to let others touch the female monkey after liabilities are adequate, when compared with male monkeys.

Behaviour of this kind was not only found in mangabey and vervets. Frateau explains, long-tailed monkeys also have similar behavior. Meanwhile, the spider monkey, a price to pay is not a mother caressing her baby, but hugged her. In marmosets, the parent who must mempersolek bayilah other females who caressed her baby.

Frateau also said, mangabey and vervets who have a desire to touch the babies are female. Males do not interact with her children until the babies grow old.

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Birds More Sensitive to Merapi Activity

Merapi not only gives life to men around him, but also in some animals, one bird. A total of 150 to 200 species of birds depend on Merapi to live, find food, and reproduce.

Merapi activity that has lasted more than a week certainly disrupt the existing bird survival. Ign Pramana Yuda PhD, an expert on birds of Atma Jaya University, Yogyakarta, said the bird is far more vulnerable to the activity of Merapi.

"During the Merapi activity, they are very scarce food because no one caring. So, they are much more suffering," said Yuda.

Pramana said, not all birds are able to respond quickly Merapi disaster. He explained that similar birds raptors, like eagles, may quickly be able to fly to other regions. However, some endemic birds Merapi is still alive, but can not fly away will be greatly affected by the activity of Merapi volcano outside this usual.

Further, he said the need of post-activity of Merapi to continue bird conservation program. This was necessary because the process of environmental restoration to its original state in nature may take place within a period that can not be ascertained. Human assistance is needed in this regard.

"Maybe the need for habitat restoration. For example, by planting several species of trees that had been growing at Merapi," Pramana said that graduating from the School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University.

Planting trees may help restore the habitat that the birds that had also "displaced" to other areas could return to Merapi.

Post-recovery environment Merapi activity plays an important role in bird breeding efforts. As known, Merapi, a habitat for several bird species are now classified as protected species. One type of protected bird species is the Javan hawk-eagle.

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This Snake Birth Without Marriage

Asexual reproduction, ie reproduction occurs without fertilization of egg by sperm, it is common in invertebrates. However, reproduction of how it can be very surprising if there in groups of vertebrate animals, or which often referred to vertebrates, although it does not mean nothing.

Recently, researchers were surprised by the existence of snake species that reproduce asexually through a process called parthenogenesis. Boa Constrictor species is, or so-called boa, class no venomous snakes which have relatively large bodies and commonly found in the Caribbean, South America and Central America.

The findings were started when Warren Booth, experts Population Genetics and Evolution of the Virginia State University, found a boa that gave birth to 22 puppies. Boa Boa found in Tennessee this Store are all females gave birth to puppies and characteristics are the same as its parent, caramel color.

After conducting DNA tests on boa females and males found in the area, Booth was convinced that the boa had found reproduces in parthenogenesis. The reason, could not have produced puppies that have characters that are rarely, if not down the genes of both parents.

Booth find something unique on this boa parthenogenesis. "Parthenogenesis is done when there are males in that place," said Booth. This, according to Booth, in contrast with parthenogenesis in general do not find a mate when mating. Until now, Booth had not found a reason parthenogenesis in snakes.

Another uniqueness is the genetic material contained in puppies. In snakes, the male chicks will usually have a ZZ chromosome and female chicks have a ZW chromosome. However, this boa chicks child is different because the chromosomes are WW and male gender. "This is shocking. So far, scientists holds that seedlings with chromosome WW will not be developed," explains Booth.

Booth said the boa ability in doing this parthenogenesis could have a negative impact. "They lose the amount of genetic diversity. Boa it will tend to be physically and physiology which affects its ability to survive and reproduce," said Booth. Attention on how to reproduce it, according to Booth, is very important in snake conservation efforts.

Booth research results published in the online journal Biology Letters on November 3, 2010.

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Masturbation? Human is Very Smart

Until recently, many researchers are still confused and trying to find scientific answers about masturbation habits. The question, in a strategy for survival, is there any scientific reason that living things including humans must maintain a habit of masturbating?

Facts show that the behavior is not only done man masturbating. Many animals also do it with different behaviors. Well, how behavior is masturbation, spy yuk.

1. Elephant
Elephant masturbating by rubbing her genitals to the stone. Hard indeed, but it's probably not a problem for elephants.

2. Hedgehog
By the lust, hedgehogs usually rubbing genitals with food, water, or other items it finds.

3. Squirrel
Male squirrel can masturbate until ejaculation, then eat the results of ejaculation as "genital grooming" aka genital care. Sperm ejaculation results will retain moisture genitals.

4. Tortoise
Turtles masturbating by rubbing his penis against the wall, stone, or other surface.

5. "Walrus" or elephant seals
Perhaps the most unique elephant seals. They used to use the fins to masturbate or her mouth to perform self fellatio oral sex aka independent.

6. Bird
Female birds masturbate by bending his rear wing so that it can touch the cloaca, their reproductive tract. Then, the female birds will rub that part.

7. Horse
Stallion masturbated by rubbing his penis into her lower abdomen. In the meantime, the mare masturbated by rubbing his genitals to another object.

8. Dog
Dogs love to masturbate by rubbing his genitals into other objects, including humans. They also like to lick himself.

9. Human
Humans are very goal oriented in terms of masturbation. According to them, masturbation should always be followed by an orgasm and ejaculation. Because his goal oriented and a variety of ways that they have, said the most intelligent man in masturbating.

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