Fish in
the
News.
Each
week the
Bailey
Brothers
start
the Pet
Fish
Talk
Show
with
some fun
and
interesting
stories
about
fish in
the
news.
The Ratfish
has a face only its mother could love. Image Credit: The Oregonian.
Sticklebacks
become less aggressive and more shy, when near predacious fish.
Image Credit : Jeffrey S. McKinnon, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
In
Oregon
Seaside
Aquarium
takes in
a
Distressed
Ratfish.
Special thanks to Brandon from Arizona for the link to this story. The ratfish has a face
only a mother could love. Out of respect, we won't catalog his many oddities here, but let's just say his eyes bulge,
his face is chubby, and his long tail looks like that of a rat. This goofy-looking fish swims in a wide range of depths,
from 40 to 3,000 feet. During the weekend, a ratfish found its way to a cove south of Seaside. A group of Portland
schoolchildren tried to shoo him back into the Pacific, but he kept finding his way to the shore. So they scooped him
up, put him in a bucket and brought him to the Seaside Aquarium. Click
here
to read
more.
Fishing
for
Personalities
How
an
Aggression
might
Evolve.
Using mathematical model and computer simulations, the scientists assumed that a population
of animals made specific reproductive choices; some chose to breed early and some set their early sights on acquiring
territory. Their finding: the animals that opted to breed first tended to be bold and aggressive and more willing than
their patient brethren to take risks, because they had already reproduced and therefore had less to lose. Their real
estate savvy peers, on the other hand, were generally more timid, because they stood to lose more in a confrontation. Click
here
to read
more.
In
Contra
Costa,
California,
State
Shuts
Down
Pumps to
Protect
Endangered
Fish.
he California Department of Water Resources
turned off the massive Delta pumps that deliver water to 25 million people on Thursday to protect a tiny fish that is
plunging toward extinction. The move is not expected to trigger immediate water shortages, but is likely to cause
reservoirs such as Lake Del Valle near Livermore to be drawn down sharply this summer. That could affect boating and
fishing at the popular lake. State water officials say the shutdown is likely to be in place for seven to 10 days. Click
here
to read
more.
In
Atlanta
The
Georgia
Aquarium
Gets two
New
Whale
Sharks.
Two large trucks with police escorts flashing their lights rumbled up to the world's largest aquarium
early Friday with its newest residents - two whale sharks that had made an 8,000-mile journey from Taiwan. Veterinarians
measured the new sharks and took blood samples before they were transferred by canvas harness from the trucks into their
new home. The aquarium's other whale sharks, Norton, Alice and Trixie, circled nearby, seemingly curious about the
newcomers. Click
here
to read
more.
In
Clovis,
California,
Teacher
brings
Turtles,
Fossils,
and
37-years
to
Center.
Packing up his science classroom at Clovis High School will be no easy task for Conrad
Bitters. Bitters is retiring after 37 years of teaching at the high school. His classroom is called Bitters' Museum and
is stocked with five turtles, a rabbit, tropical fish, plants, an 85-pound clam shell, nests, skulls, deer antlers,
fossils and feathers. Spanish moss and lichen hang from the ceiling. The brittle lichen will come back alive if placed
in water, Bitters said. Click
here
to read
more.
In
Salinas,
California,
New
Sony
Camcorder
Records
Underwater!
You can capture video of tropical fish swimming underwater with Sanyo's waterproof camcorder. Designed to
withstand water down to 5 feet deep for up to an hour at a time, the Xacti E1 waterproof camcorder can capture
6-megapixel snapshots and 30 frames-per-second video with a resolution of 640-by-480 pixels above and under the water.
It has a 5x optical zoom, a rotating 2.5-inch flip-out LCD screen and space for either a standard or high-capacity
Secure Digital card. Available in blue, yellow and white, the camcorder will go on sale in June for $500. Click
here
to read
more.
At
McGill
University
in
Montreal,
Canada,
Color
Patterns
Spur
Speciation
in
Tropical
Fish.
McGill University researchers discover that coral reef fish color patterns are responsible for the
emergence of new species. A team of researchers from McGill University and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
has provided the first example of how color patterns on a coral reef fish species can drive its evolution into many
distinct species. Click
here
to read
more.
In
Singapore
Rare
Opportunity
to see
Arapaima
Feeding.
These monster freshwater fish were probably around 4 to 5 feet long and a foot or more across. You could
barely see them cruising around most of the time, as their dark bodies blended in well with the algae-covered sides of
the pond. But, every now and then, the sun would come out and you'd get a glimpse of the red markings on their rear
ends. One of the guys ... came over and gave the fish some Koi pellets so we could take a look at them. The explosive
power of the Arapaima, when they feed, is quite amazing ...
Gatlinburg,
Tennessee
Ripley's
Aquarium
Celebrates
Birth of
Six
Stingrays.
The little stingrays, called pups, were born in the aquarium's stingray tank. Divers entered the tank to
get the tiny critters away from the larger animals, some of which may have tried to eat them. With one diver in the
water using a net to corral the pups and two outside the tank to catch them, the folks from the aquarium's husbandry
department had the animals out of the tank within 20 minutes. "Right after birth is a critical time because the animals
are particularly vulnerable at that time," Director of Husbandry Frank Bulman said. Click
here
to read
more.
A Big Sincere Thank-you
for calling during the show to
Kenny from Wisconsin and
Chris from Australia.
The Bailey Brothers
encourage YOU to call Pet Fish Talk
during the show and talk about your pet fish.
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