EDIT: for similar articles you may wish to browse the tag #aslzoology they won't all be of cute animals but it will be mostly environment or nature related news
Oceanic manta rays are the largest species of ray in the world, with a wingspan of up to 26 feet. Despite their immense size, they are completely harmless to divers - they have no barbs to speak of, unlike stingrays, and spend their time filtering the water for plankton with the help of their cephalic lobes (the big paddles on each side of their mouths). Socorran mantas have grown very used to divers, and often seek out our bubble curtains seemingly because they feel good and may help clear away parasites!
im an aspiring wildlife biologist intending to major in wildlife bio and minor in applied ecology. I'd like to go to grad school studying wolves or canines in the future as well. i created this blog to motivate me with my studies and to reblog posts relating to my interests 🍄
i would love to chat if you have similar goals or if you are majoring/already majored in what i mentioned above! I really want to make more friends with similar interests! 🍃
Octopuses are usually solitary, but the gloomy octopus Octopus tetricus live in very high densities. Perhaps due to this living arrangement, scientists have captured footage of octopuses throwing stuff at each other, everything from silt to shells to algae. A few evidence to suggest this throwing is deliberate (not just octopus coincidentally flinging something in the direction of another octopus):
Throwing requires an unusual positioning of the siphon (think jet water propulsion device)
The things that get thrown make pretty strong contact with the receiving octopus
Throwers often exhibit uniform dark/medium colour, suggesting that these throws are linked in some way (not random throw events)
Octopus in the receiving end have been shown to try and dodge the missile
Choice of missile is often silt, and not random
Throwing is often done using a specific set of arms
Scientists think it might be some sort of communication. But it's not clear what sort, e.g. whether antagonistic or not, or is it play, enrichment etc.
A close encounter with a very scarred individual! This is potentially a male, evidenced by the heavy rake marks down his body (it is often assumed more heavily scarred dolphins are male due to mating competitions), though it is possible these scars were caused by his environment at some point. Also of note are his parasites - if you look closely at the edges of his pectoral and caudal (tail) fin, you can see what almost looks like fringe. These are actually dangling parasites, likely Xenobalanus globicipitis, which is actually a kind of elongate barnacle!
Bonus: if you look closely, a black manta makes a low fly-by in the background
having an exemplary method for taking and reviewing notes is imperative if you want to improve your understanding of the material covered in class.
Cornell note-taking method
what is it
the Cornell method is a note-taking method that aims to improve grades by creating a more efficient note-reviewing system
the process
the page is split into three distinct sections (the note-taking area, the cue column and the summary area) and each has a specific purposes
during the lesson notes should be recorded within the "note-taking section". in this section of the page aim to write notes that are as complete and informative as possible. when you get to summarizing the notes, it will be helpful as you will have more to work from
the cue column is the area to the side of the page where words that are specific but relatable to the notes go. this column plays a major role when it comes to reciting the information and assessing how much of the information you truly understand. these words should act as gentle reminders or prompts for the content covered in the "note-taking area". filling in this column should be left until after class when more time can be allocated to thinking of a suitable word
the summary should reiterate the content from the "note-taking area" and rephrase it in a simpler way that uses fewer words. it can be found at the bottom of the page and makes it easier, at a glance, to see what is covered in the notes
why use this method
as you can see due to the colour coding each section works together in this method to achieve the 5 R's of studying
record
recording meaningful facts and ideas in the "note-taking section". at this point, it doesn't need to be neat. just an area to quickly get important information down
reduce
in the clue column choose a specific relevant word for each paragraph to act as clues for what the paragraph as a whole is talking about. This helps to clarify meanings, reinforces continuity and improves memory
recite
cover up the note-taking section and, using those "specific relevant words " in the clue column try and write down the information from the notes from memory. using this method of reciting means that you can visibly see the gaps in your knowledge
reflect
find out how the notes are relevant to your course of study or class and make your own opinions on the process or organisation. Knowing its relevancy helps to avoid it being forgotten as it implies that you have a deeper understanding of the matter
review
spend at least 10 minutes a week going over the notes and testing yourself on the subject matter in order to fully ensure that you understand