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Basking sharks are one of the few warm-blooded species of fish

20 July 2023

The ability to warm up parts of their body may help basking sharks migrate long distances and overcome drag when they are feeding


Treated sewage released into rivers may hamper eel migrations

18 July 2023

European eels avoid swimming through plumes of effluent from sewage treatment plants, which could delay their journeys and use up precious energy reserves


Mass fish deaths will occur more often in rivers as UK gets hotter

14 July 2023

Large numbers of dead fish have been seen in many UK rivers in recent weeks, and researchers warn that climate change will lead to more such events


Reef sharks are being wiped out by overfishing so rays are taking over

15 June 2023

A global survey reveals that common species of coral reef shark are in sharp decline, and rays are more abundant in reefs where sharks have been depleted


A zebrafish

Zebrafish produce sunscreen to protect their embryos from UV light

12 June 2023

Zebrafish eggs contain a compound called gadusol that acts as a sunscreen to protect the developing embryos from the sun’s rays


Whale shark seen bottom feeding for the first time

1 June 2023

An ecotourism guide in Mexico filmed a whale shark gulping down material from the seabed, a behaviour that has never been observed in this species before


A skate embryo

Skates evolved their undulating wings thanks to genome origami

12 April 2023

The front fins of skates emerge from their heads as huge wings and now we know how they can develop in this way


Seahorses use a spring motion to quickly capture their food

Seahorses have a super strong gulp thanks to two spring-like tendons

11 April 2023

Elastic tendons let seahorses suck in water around eight times faster than they could using muscle power alone


Broad-nosed ancient shark was one of earliest fish to smell in stereo

8 April 2023

Fossils found in Morocco show the sensory specialisation of a 365-million-year-old shark, given the species name Maghriboselache mohamezanei


How hagfish slime gets its incredible clogging ability

28 March 2023

Fibrous protein threads hold together the mucus in hagfish slime, giving it up to 1000 times the clogging power of common thickeners like xanthan gum when dissolved in water


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