Comb Jellies—also Known As Ctenophores—come In A Wide Range Of Shapes And Sizes. Many Are Transparent,

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From: Istoria e dimostrazioni intorno alle macchie solari e loro accidenti comprese in tre lettere scritte all'illvstrissimo signor Marco Velseri … dal signor Galileo Galilei … Si aggiungono nel fine le lettere, e disquisizioni del finto Apelle, Giacomo Mascardi, Roma, 1613 [Yale University Library, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, New Haven, CT]

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Vessel sound is temporarily causing hearing loss in squids

Globally, anthropogenic sounds have become louder and more persistent, however, little is known about how invertebrates detect and respond to human-made sound. Now, new research shown noise associated with boats causes  causes temporal hearing loss in squids across different stages of their life cycle.

The hummingbird bobtail squid (Euprymna berryi) has a short lifespan of at least 6 months, which make them a convenient animal for lab studies. Hearing and behavioural observations were made by researchers before, during and after 15 minutes of vessel sound playback, to test how these squids react to noise pollution, and noted that these squids decrease their hearing sensitivity after exposure to noise, and particularly noise affected juveniles. Juvenile squids experienced an important hearing loss sensitivity after noise exposure between 400 and 800 Hz, while adult and mature squids decreased their sensibility after 200 to 600 Hz exposure, showing more resistence. All squids recovered auditory sensitivity within two hours.

Researchers aim the inclusion of cephalopods within management and policy, because anthropogenic activities and associated sound levels in the ocean are increasing, while the role sound plays in cephalopod life history is only just beginning to be understood.

Photo by Pascal Girard

Reference ()  Putland et al. 2023. Vessel sound causes hearing loss for hummingbird bobtail squid (Euprymna berryi). Frontiers in Marine Science 

by Emiliano Arano

Barrel eyes, they’re watching you! 👀 

The barreleye fish, Macropinna microstoma, has extremely light-sensitive eyes that can rotate within a transparent, fluid-filled shield on its head. The fish’s tubular eyes are capped by bright green lenses. Here, the eyes are pointed upward in search of food. The two spots above the barreleye’s mouth—where we might expect to see eyes on a fish—are actually olfactory organs called nares, which are similar to human nostrils. Learn more about this extraordinary animal of the deep.