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DOLPHIN DESIGNS Male humpback dolphins in Northern Australia’ s much-studied Shark Bay have been documented posing with sponges on their heads, while making a“ banana” shape with their bodies, in bids to attract females.
Researchers from the University of Western Australia speculate that the sponges are probably quite difficult to remove from the sea floor, and the“ offering” of one is likely to be a show of strength and ability. However, it doesn’ t seem to be having the desired effect on the ladies, with one frustrated male even spotted throwing the sponge at his intended“ sweetheart”.
The same researchers documented what appears to be rudimentary tool use amongst the dolphins of Shark Bay, with some of these charismatic cetaceans seen using sponges to protect their snouts when hunting.
TRULY ANCIENT MARINERS New research published in Science shows that Greenland sharks are the longest-lived vertebrates in the world, with radiocarbon dating revealing the oldest found to be 392 years old, plus or minus 150 years.
Greenland sharks live in the north Atlantic and grow up to six metres long, though only at a rate of a few centimetres a year. This slow growth rate leading to an adult of a large size is commonly an indicator of long-lived animals. Curious marine biologist John Steffensen at the University of Copenhagen, along with his graduate student Julius Nielsen, used radiocarbon dating and shark lengths to arrive at this astonishing figure.
Very little is known about this elusive species, though this new research suggests it is likely that females do not give birth to young until they are around 150 years old!
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