Blogs / Discoblog

You might think these scientists were potty training this whale shark based on their level of excitement when the giant fish (the world’s largest) finally had a bowel movement. The scientists, like some proud parents, even captured the moment on film. Researcher Mark Meekan described the rare poop, which he collected and stored in tiny vials, as “scientific gold” for the clues it would contain about the shark’s diet.

The researchers are studying the whale shark (Rhinsodon typus), a gentle cousin of the great white shark, to learn about the species’ mysterious feeding habits and migration patterns. DNA analysis of the poop confirmed that whale sharks, which can grow up to 12 meters long, sustain themselves on tiny red crab larvae. This also explains why they travel to Christmas Island, just south of Indonesia, where millions of red crabs spawn each year.

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Last week we revealed our Top Ten Science Halloween Costumes and asked you to send in your entries. By far the best was from Linda, who writes:

“Since my 3 year old daughter insisted that she had to be an anglerfish, I had to make her one. All the bioluminescence glows in the dark and the eyes glow as well. The light on her head blinks and bobs just like the real thing!!”

The female anglerfish is a natural trick-or-treater. It uses the bioluminescent esca dangling from its head like a fishing pole to lure other fish to its giant jaws. But just as the other fish think they’re in for a treat, the anglerfish reveals its trick and swallows them whole!

This is without a doubt the most adorable deep sea creature we’ve ever seen. Thanks Linda!


Related Content:
DISCOVER: It’s Not the Size of the Fish
Discoblog: DISCOVER’s Top Ten Science Halloween Costumes, Part I
Discoblog: DISCOVER’s Top Ten Science Halloween Costumes, Part II

Think you might have a problem with body odor? Here’s a dose of perspective: A 41-year-old woman in Australia has smelled like rotten fish all her life. The pervasive smell emanates from her sweat, breath, and urine, and cannot be washed off or covered up. After being “sniffed” by doctor after doctor, all of whom waved her off as a hypochondriac or even prescribed vaginal cauterization, she was finally diagnosed with trimethylaminuria, or “fish malodor syndrome.”

Though she can now put a name to her condition, the bad news is that there is no cure. Trimethylaminuria is a rare genetic disorder that prevents the body from producing an enzyme that breaks down trimethylamine, a fishy smelling substance found in foods like  meat, eggs, peas, soy beans, and er, fish. Only about 600 cases of fish malodor syndrome are known in the world. Cutting out trimethylamine from the diet can help, but there is no effective treatment.

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At a bar, intoxicated people may fall victim to the notorious “beer goggles” effect. Now, researchers have discovered that in the fish world, pollution can have the same effect as a six-pack of Heineken.

Scientists already know that female African cichlids are partially blind, and have evolved into a new species over the past 30 years. The cichlids in Lake Victoria’s polluted waters are vanishing, causing “the largest human-witnessed mass extinction of vertebrates.” And now, pollution is also causing closely-related species of cichlids to interbreed, all because they can’t see each other.

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Now that they know some fish can see red, ichthyologists might be a little red in the face.

Because water tends to absorb long wavelengths of visible light, long-wavelength red photons don’t penetrate much past the top 30 feet of ocean. So fish experts had assumed that red just wasn’t part of the underwater world, and fish probably couldn’t see it. But a new study led by German researcher Nico Michiels concluded quite the contrary—numerous species of fish can produce their own red light through luminescence.

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Do these polka dots make me look fat

It’s the hackneyed backbone of many movies and television shows about high school: the popular kids get all the dates and constantly threaten the freaks and geeks, who humbly remain on their lower rung of the social ladder to avoid provoking any physical or social abuse. These stereotypes and simplifications don’t tend to play out in real life—unless you’re a tiny coral-dwelling fish called a goby.

Researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University recently discovered that the cool kids of goby social circles use the threat of expulsion from the group to deter subordinates from trying to climb the mating ladder. In a goby group, only the two largest two fish (a male and a female) mate—the rest are non-breeding females, who are consistently smaller than their next largest rivals.

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