Colony of 60 million ice fish discovered plus fluffy dragon

[Opti]

www.microsoftnewskids.com/en-us/kids/animals/colony-of-60-million-fish-with-transparent-blood-discovered-in-antarctica/ar-AASLCTy?ocid=msedgntp


A breeding colony of 60 million fish has been discovered in Antarctica's ice-covered Weddell Sea -- a unique and previously unknown ecosystem that covers an area the size of Malta.

The vast colony, believed to be the world's largest, is home to the remarkable icefish (Neopagetopsis ionah), which has a see-through skull and transparent blood. It's the only vertebrate to have no red blood cells.



To survive at such low temperatures, it has evolved an anti-freeze protein in its transparent blood that stops ice crystals from growing.



The breeding colony was discovered in February 2021 by the German polar research vessel Polarstern, which was surveying the seabed about half a kilometer below the ship. It used a car-sized camera system attached to the stern of the ship that transmits pictures up to the deck as it's being towed.

[Value Buy]

THIS IS REAL COOL!
(No pun intended)

[toomuchreality]

Amazing!
Although they don't look much like fish to me, it's still amazing!
And pretty neat that someone found them.

Edited to add:
I take it back. They do look like fish. The other times I saw the picture, I didn't notice the fish inside the circles.
My bad.

[NoNamePerson]

Jan 14, 2022 10:45:36 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

THIS IS REAL COOL!
(No pun intended)

  Super interesting! 

[haapai]

I cannot imagine how long it might take an egg to mature at those temperatures.  So cool that we may soon find out! 

[haapai]

Anyone else wondering whether the apparently random orientation of fish on the nests might actually be highly organized?  The organization of nests is regular enough that it might be the case that the fish on the nests are also organized in a fashion that maximizes something.  Given the siltiness, or muckiness, of the ocean bottom involved, the "something" might be about keeping the eggs from being enveloped by what can only be called "muck" with minimal effort expended by the sentinal parents/fans. 

This is just so cool!  And why does a fish with a transparent skull and transparent blood seem to have dark pectoral fins? 

[Opti]

Fluffy dragon. I'd probably try to pick it up.


www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/pets-animals/this-fluffy-little-dragon-is-actually-a-bird/ar-AAT1hHT?ocid=msedgntp

For whatever reason, these birds barely look like birds at all. They look more like fluffy little dragons or creatures from the Harry Potter movies. They’re adorable and delightful to look at either way and definitely help to bring our favorite fantasy worlds to life.

There are other species of nightjar out there, too, but none are quite as unique as these little dragons. The great eared nightjar is truly one of a kind.

[toomuchreality]

I don't think they look fluffy. I wouldn't touch it! I think it looks like dead leaves... bugs or spiders could get me.