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Vampire Squid
The vampire squid (''Vampyroteuthis infernalis'', lit. 'vampire squid from hell') is a small cephalopod found throughout temperate and tropical oceans in extreme deep sea conditions. The vampire squid uses its bioluminescent organs and its unique oxygen metabolism to thrive in the parts of the ocean with the lowest concentrations of oxygen. It has two long retractile filaments, located between the first two pairs of arms on its dorsal side, which distinguish it from both octopuses and squids, and places it in its own order, Vampyromorphida, although its closest relatives are octopods. As a phylogenetic relict, it is the only known surviving member of its order. The first specimens were collected on the Valdivia Expedition and were originally described as an octopus in 1903 by German teuthologist Carl Chun, but later assigned to a new order together with several extinct taxa. Etymology The genus name ''Vampyroteuthis'' comes from Latin ''vampyrus'', meaning vampire, and Ancien ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus. :E.g. ''Panthera leo'' (lion) and ''Panthera onca'' (jaguar) are two species within the genus ''Panthera''. ''Panthera'' is a genus within the family Felidae. The composition of a genus is determined by taxonomy (biology), taxonomists. The standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce different classifications for genera. There are some general practices used, however, including the idea that a newly defined genus should fulfill these three criteria to be descriptively useful: # monophyly – all descendants of an ancestral taxon are grouped together (i.e. Phylogeneti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hematophagy
Hematophagy (sometimes spelled haematophagy or hematophagia) is the practice by certain animals of feeding on blood (from the Greek words αἷμα ' "blood" and φαγεῖν ' "to eat"). Since blood is a fluid tissue rich in nutritious proteins and lipids that can be taken without great effort, hematophagy is a preferred form of feeding for many small animals, such as worms and arthropods. Some intestinal nematodes, such as Ancylostomatids, feed on blood extracted from the capillaries of the gut, and about 75 percent of all species of leeches (e.g., '' Hirudo medicinalis'') are hematophagous. The spider '' Evarcha culicivora'' feeds indirectly on vertebrate blood by specializing on blood-filled female mosquitoes as their preferred prey. Some fish, such as lampreys and candirus; mammals, especially vampire bats; and birds, including the vampire finch, Hood mockingbird, Tristan thrush, and oxpeckers, also practise hematophagy. Mechanism and evolution Hematop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marine Snow
In the deep ocean, marine snow (also known as "ocean dandruff") is a continuous shower of mostly organic detritus falling from the upper layers of the water column. It is a significant means of exporting energy from the light-rich photic zone to the aphotic zone below, which is referred to as the ''biological pump''. Export production is the amount of organic matter produced in the ocean by primary production that is not recycled (remineralisation, remineralised) before it sinks into the aphotic zone. Because of the role of export production in the ocean's biological pump, it is typically measured in units of carbon (e.g. milligram, mg C square metre, m−2 day, d−1). The term was coined by explorer William Beebe as observed from his bathysphere. As the origin of marine snow lies in activities within the productive photic zone, the prevalence of marine snow changes with seasonal fluctuations in photosynthesis, photosynthetic activity and ocean currents. Marine snow can be an impo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cirrus (biology)
In biology, a cirrus ( , : cirri, , from the Latin ''cirrus'' meaning a ''curl-like tuft or fringe'') is a long, thin structure in an animal similar to a tentacle but generally lacking the tentacle's strength, flexibility, thickness, and sensitivity. In the sheep liver fluke, for example, the ''cirrus'' is the worm's muscular penis and when not in use is retained within a ''cirrus sac'' or ''pouch'' near the animal's head. The same structure exists in the various Taenia (flatworm), ''Taenia'' species of tapeworm. In the Nereididae, clam worms, however, the cirrus is the tentacular process or growth on each of the feet (''parpodia''), either the ''dorsal cirrus'' or the ''ventral cirrus'', and has nothing to do with reproduction. Among the Polychaete, bristleworms, a cirrus is a tentacular growth near the head or notopodium containing sense organs and may be either dorsal, ventral, or lamellar. Among the Heteronemertea, ribbonworms, the ''caudal cirrus'' is a small thread-li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lazarus Taxon
In paleontology, a Lazarus taxon (plural ''taxa'') is a taxon that disappears for one or more periods from the fossil record, only to appear again either in later fossil records, or as actual living organisms, and often in isolated, obscure, or otherwise very specialized habitats. Likewise in conservation biology and ecology, it can refer to species or populations that were mistakenly thought to be extinct, and are rediscovered to be still living. The term Lazarus taxon was coined by Karl W. Flessa and David Jablonski in 1983 and was then expanded by Jablonski in 1986. Paul Wignall and Michael Benton defined Lazarus taxa as, "At times of biotic crisis many taxa go extinct, but others only temporarily disappeared from the fossil record, often for intervals measured in millions of years, before reappearing unchanged". Earlier work also supports the concept though without using the name Lazarus taxon, like work by Christopher R. C. Paul. The term refers to the story in the Christ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Geographical Journal
''The Geographical Journal'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal of the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers). It publishes papers covering research on all aspects of geography. It also publishes shorter Commentary papers and Review Essays. Since 2001, ''The Geographical Journal'' has been published in collaboration with Wiley-Blackwell. The journal dates back to two related publications established in the 19th century, ''Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London'' (published from 1831 to 1880), and ''Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of London '', published from 1857 to 1877. Then ''Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography'', published from 1879 to 1892, continued and absorbed the previous journals. In 1893, the journal renamed itself ''The Geographical Journal''. Prior to 2000, ''The Geographical Journal'' published society news alongside articles and it continues to publish the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Azoic Hypothesis
The Azoic hypothesis (sometimes referred to as the Abyssus theory) is a superseded scientific theory proposed by Edward Forbes in 1843, stating that the abundance and variety of marine life decreased with increasing depth and, by extrapolation of his own measurements, Forbes calculated that marine life would cease to exist below . Overview The theory was based upon Forbes' findings aboard , a survey ship to which he had been appointed naturalist by the ship's commander Captain Thomas Graves. With Forbes aboard, HMS ''Beacon'' set sail around the Aegean Sea on 17 April 1841, from Malta. It was at this point that Forbes began to take dredging samples at various depths of the ocean, he observed that samples from greater depths displayed a narrower diversity of creatures which were generally smaller in size. Forbes reported his findings from the Aegean Sea in his 1843 report to the British Association entitled ''Report on the Mollusca and Radiata of the Aegean Sea''. His findings were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher Und Ärzte
The Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians (, GDNÄ) is the oldest scientific association in Germany. Martin Lohse (ed.). "When the spark is lit. 200 years of the Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians". (in German) Passage-Verlag, Leipzig 2022, ISBN 978-3-95415-130-1. It was founded in 1822 by the German naturalist Lorenz Oken. Carl Gustav Carus, Albert Einstein, Fritz Haber, Hermann von Helmholtz, Alexander von Humboldt, and Max Planck Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck (; ; 23 April 1858 – 4 October 1947) was a German Theoretical physics, theoretical physicist whose discovery of energy quantum, quanta won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918. Planck made many substantial con ... were all closely associated with the society and helped shape its development. The society currently has about 2,500 members. It hosts a meeting every two years in which developments in science and medicine are discussed. References External links Official website {{ger ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vampyroteuthidae
Vampyroteuthidae is a family of vampyromorph cephalopods containing the extant vampire squid, ''Vampyroteuthis infernalis'', and the extinct genera ''Necroteuthis ''Necroteuthis'' is an extinct genus of vampire squids from the Oligocene of Hungary. It contains one species, ''N. hungarica''. It was initially identified as a squid, but was recently reinterpreted as a vampyroteuthid. Etymology The genus ...'', '' Provampyroteuthis'' and '' Vampyronassa''. References Octopodiformes Cephalopod families Extant Middle Jurassic first appearances Taxa named by Johannes Thiele (zoologist) {{cephalopod-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Challenger Expedition
The ''Challenger'' expedition of 1872–1876 was a scientific programme that made many discoveries to lay the foundation of oceanography. The expedition was named after the naval vessel that undertook the trip, . The expedition, initiated by William Benjamin Carpenter, was placed under the scientific supervision of Sir Charles Wyville Thomson—of the University of Edinburgh and Merchiston Castle School—assisted by five other scientists, including Sir John Murray (oceanographer), John Murray, a secretary-artist and a photographer. The Royal Society of London obtained the use of ''Challenger'' from the Royal Navy and in 1872 modified the ship for scientific tasks at Sheerness, equipping it with separate laboratories for natural history and chemistry. The expedition, led by Captain George Nares, sailed from Portsmouth, England, on 21 December 1872. Other naval officers included Commander John Maclear. – pages 19 and 20 list the civilian staff and naval officers and crew, along ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology (biology), morphology, behaviour, or ecological niche. In addition, palaeontologists use the concept of the chronospecies since fossil reproduction cannot be examined. The most recent rigorous estimate for the total number of species of eukaryotes is between 8 and 8.7 million. About 14% of these had been described by 2011. All species (except viruses) are given a binomial nomenclature, two-part name, a "binomen". The first part of a binomen is the name of a genus to which the species belongs. The second part is called the specific name (zoology), specific name or the specific ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
