The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : World Wildlife Fund The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : World Wildlife Fund
Showing posts with label World Wildlife Fund. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Wildlife Fund. Show all posts

Thursday, August 12, 2021

Hermit Crabs “Sexually Excited” by Oleamide – an Additive Released by Plastics Found Under the Sea


LONDON – Oceans around the world are facing a plastic pollution crisis. But there’s one species that may be getting a little too excited about it: hermit crabs.

A chemical that is leaked from plastic dumped in the ocean is probably arousing hermit crabs, according to researchers studying the impact of climate change, plastic and other molecules in the ocean on marine species.

The team of scientists from England’s University of Hull examined 40 crabs found in the waters off the Yorkshire coast and found signs that the crustaceans may be “sexually excited” by oleamide – an additive released by plastics found under the sea.

Oleamide elevates the respiration rate of hermit crabs, which indicates excitement, researchers said, adding that the product is already considered to be a sex pheromone for some insects. “Our study shows that oleamide attracts hermit crabs,” PhD candidate Paula Schirrmacher said in a statement released Tuesday.

“Respiration rate increases significantly in response to low concentrations of oleamide, and hermit crabs show a behavioral attraction comparable to their response to a feeding stimulant,” she said.

Schirrmacher noted that oleamide has “a striking resemblance to oleic acid, a chemical released by arthropods during decomposition,” which may explain way it is mistaken for food and ingested by animals – which potentially increases their consumption of microplastics.

The new findings come as governments around the world continue to grapple with the major issue of climate change and its impact on the planet.

At a recent three-day summit in Cornwall, England, leaders from the Group of Seven gathered to discuss the growing crisis along with other pressing topics. During the June meeting, leaders pledged more-ambitious climate goals and reaffirmed their support to be carbon-neutral by 2050.

Without action, there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans by 2050, a study published by the World Economic Forum in 2016 warned.

More than 8 million metric tons of plastic are dumped into the world’s oceans every year, according to the World Wildlife Fund, which estimated that at least 90 percent of birds have plastic in their stomachs and that 1 in 2 marine turtles have consumed plastic – including bags and straws.

“The problem of plastic in nature, particularly in our oceans, is a global crisis,” the organization said in 2019 as it called on people to work together to help nature become plastic-free by 2030.

This story was originally published at washingtonpost.com. Read it here


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Friday, March 20, 2015

Did You Know That There Are Only About 600 Black Jaguars Left in the World? Take a Look at this One Found Swimming in the Amazon River in Brazil


Juruena National Park, Brazil, -The President of the World Wildlife Fund and his boat crew captured footage of a rare black jaguar taking a swim in the Amazon River in Brazil.

Carter Roberts, President and Chief Executive of the WWF, said he and his team were out on the Amazon River in Brazil's Juruena National Park in late January when they spotted the "huge male jaguar" swimming near their boat.

Roberts said the sighting serves as "evidence of the importance of this intact region and how interconnected it is."

The WWF estimates there are only about 600 black jaguars left in the world.

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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

A Sea Turtle Caught in a Line - Gives Diver Who Rescued Him an Adorable Thank You (Video)


Not every story about sea life mistakenly caught in a net ends this beautifully, so it's important to recognize when one does.

According to Dominican Republic social news site Lifestyle Cabarete, dive partners Cameron Dietrich and Colin Sutton were out spearfishing for tuna off the coast of Mexico earlier this year when Dietrich noticed something was not quite right. A sea turtle had been caught in a line.

Dietrich immediately jumped in to save the turtle, working quickly to remove the mess of ropes around its left flipper. Sutton followed close behind, his GoPro camera on and ready to capture the rescue.

The turtle swam away once freed, but then, to the two divers' surprise, it circled back to Dietrich. For an incredible, breathtaking moment it rested inches above him in the water, close enough for Dietrich to reach out and hold it. It was almost as if the sea turtle was saying thank you.

The World Wildlife Fund names human fishing gear as the single greatest threat to sea turtles worldwide, so the fact that Dietrich and Sutton dived in means something. Most species of sea turtles are endangered, and it's going to take everyone, from recreational spearfishers to commercial fisheries, to move them back from the red.

And with any luck, that means we'll get more moments like this.

UPDATE: David Godfrey, executive director of The Sea Turtle Conservancy, said in an interview with HuffPost Green that the sea turtle’s circular swimming was probably the result of limited paralysis in its left flipper. Motion often comes back very quickly, he said, and was likely not a threat to the turtle.

The divers getting off the boat to help the turtle, he added, “was absolutely the right thing to do, absolutely the best thing that could happen in that situation.”









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