Updated Visalization Of Every Vaquita Left On Earth

The dancers of the sea | Peter Chadwick

The Okeanos Explorer has discovered a very cute octopus at a depth of 4,290 metres.

This is the deepest an octopus of this particular sub order of octopus has ever been seen. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration noted this is a completely unsubscribed species and perhaps not belonging to any specific genus. Highlighting how little we still know about the creatures in the depths of our oceans.

(Ocean Explorer)

Video: Ocean Ramsey Swims With A Whale Shark

See The Amazing Video Here!!

The name “hippopotamus” comes from a Greek word meaning “water horse” or “river horse.” But hippos are not related to horses at all—in fact, their closest living relatives may be pigs or whales and dolphins! (photo: Peter Csanadi)

It’s a cute little thing though.

Photograph of a pregnant uterus (womb) from a New Forest pony, approximately five months into the pregnancy. The developing pony (fetus) is outside the uterus but remains attached by its membranes and umbilical cord. The bent back legs of the fetus are sticking out from the membranes (top right-hand side). The uterus has been cut open to reveal its vast blood supply, which is visible on the inner surface. This historical specimen is from a cull animal that happened to be pregnant at the time. It is preserved in formalin in a Perspex container and was photographed in the Anatomy Museum of the Royal Veterinary College in London. (Credit: Michael Frank, Royal Veterinary College / Wellcome Images)

Behemoths of the ancient past…and future?

One thing that many known prehistoric creatures have in common - and the thing that most people find fearsome - is that a lot of them were huge. Everyone knows about the gigantism of T-rex, Diplodocus, and Megalodon. But there were also ground sloths the size of modern-day elephants, dragonflies the size of hawks, and cockroaches the size of domestic cats (!)

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Quoll Returns to the Australian Mainland After 50 Years

On March 1st, Fourteen eastern quolls were released into Australia’s mainland to rebuild their population because of a team’s effort from Australian National University. Since the 1770′s, quoll numbers have been declining due to many dangers such as habitat loss and predators that include foxes, wild dogs, and cats.

The quoll is carnivorous and feeds on smaller mammals, small birds, lizards, and insects. Until now, it has inhabited inland parts of Australia. There are six current species(pictured is the tiger quoll). The larger of which live longer than the smaller, with an average life span of two to five years.

So, whats the point of this translocation? Well, quolls are important to the functioning of the mainland ecosystem where they regulate the prey species. The released quolls will have radio tracking collars to be monitored.

Fact about the quoll: Male and female quolls only meet for mating, and male den territories often overlap female territories. However, they have communal toilets where they may have up to 100 droppings in them.

Photo by:  joshua cunningham via Flickr

Microfilter allows non-invasive diagnosis of fetal abnormalities

A new method could allow physicians to diagnose fetal genetic abnormalities during pregnancy without the risks involved in current techniques.

A team of scientists at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Institute of Microelectronics (IME) has fabricated a microchip that can filter fetal red blood cells from the mother’s circulation. Retrieving these isolated fetal cells could allow the early diagnosis of fetal genetic abnormalities.

The technique, which would require drawing only a few millilitres of blood from an expecting mother, could be used from the eighth week of pregnancy; earlier than current prenatal diagnostic procedures.

Do animals have sex for fun? This video attempts to answer a question all of us might have asked ourselves at some point!