Elasmobranch Archives | Earth Life

What Is A Elasmobranch?

Duke — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 21:33:29 +0000

What Is A Elasmobranch And What Subclass Are They? Elasmobranchs are an iconic and diverse subclass of cartilaginous fishes, ranging from fearsome sharks to flattened rays and skates. The name “elasmobranch” comes from the Greek words elasm—meaning plate—and branchia, meaning gills. For centuries, their anatomy and biology have fascinated and frightened humans in equal measure. …

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Electric Fish 101

Gordon Ramel — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 02:48:05 +0000

Electric Fish 101: From Electrocytes To ‘Ampullae of Lorenzini’ Nerve impulses are electric impulses. And water – especially if it contains dissolved minerals, called electrolytes – is a good electrical conductor. This means that every time an animal that lives in the water uses a muscle it gives off a minute electrical signal. It should …

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Fish Evolution 101: From Agnathans To Placoderms And Beyond

Gordon Ramel — Sun, 22 Mar 2020 02:07:39 +0000

While we know that the evolution of vertebrates had its first great successes with fish, it is still – in many ways – poorly understood by scientists. It is now generally accepted that the first vertebrates arose about 550 MYA (MYA = Million Years Ago). These animals, our very distant ancestors, were extremely different to …

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Can Fish Smell? The Magic Of Fish’s Nostrils & Olfactory System

Gordon Ramel — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 07:09:07 +0000

Can Fish Smell? Sense of Smell in Fish Scents disperse more slowly in water than they do in air, so do fish have a sense of smell is a good question. The answer is yes, the majorty of fish, and other marine organisms have have an olfactory sense. In fact the olfactory sense may be …

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Fish Eyes 101: Their Sight & Vision Compared To Humans

Gordon Ramel — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 02:37:45 +0000

While water is a better medium for the transmission of sound than air, it is a much worse medium for the transmission of light. Basically, water absorbs light. This means that the further a ray of light travels through water, the weaker or more attenuated it becomes. While we who live in the air can …

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