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Brittle stars stealing from Jelly fishes!

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This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/60j2a Image Credit: Andrea Marshall Occassionally, brittle stars are seen in the body of jelly fishes. They are usually present under the bell or on the oral arms. But they are not seen on jelly fishes in cold to temperate waters. Interesting fact is the food sources of brittle stars seems to be mesozooplanktons and they were never observed with arms out in water. Then, where do they get their food from? They take food directly from the mouth or the oral arms of the jelly fish. It means, they are stealing food from the jellyfish which are pelagic predators. There are several reports of other brittle stars moving down into the feeding arms or near the mouth and stealing food directly from the host. So these are called as KLEPTOPARASITES. Suggested Reading 1. Ingram BA, Pitt KA, Barnes P. Stable isotopes reveal a potential kleptoparasitic relationship between an ophiuroid (Ophiocnemis marmora

Meninges, the protector of brain

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This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/oa97t Image Credit: Evelyn Bailey The function of the meninges is to cover and protect the brain. It also encloses and protects the vessels that supply the brain. It has three layers, Dura mater, Arachnoid mater and Pia mater. In between the layers is filled with Cerebrospinal fluid. Dura mater (literally means durable mother) itself is formed of two distinct layers, Periosteal dura mater just adjacent to the skull and Meningeal dura mater below that. Next is the arachnoid mater which is named due to its spider leg appearance. Deepest layer is the pia mater (literally means soft mother) which is a very delicate connective tissue.

Meandering is curving of rivers. How do rivers meander?

This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/-wos5

Long horned orb-weaver

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This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/6lxdx Image Credit: Koragit The long horned orb-weaver, Macracantha arcuata, is also known as the curved spiny spider. It has two long spines extend from its sides. Usually found in southeast Asia and India It can also be found in parts of the southeast United States where it is an introduced species. Macracantha is a genus of spiders in the Araneidae family. As of 2018, Macracantha arcuata is the only species in the genus.

Morphology of Limulus

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This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/drl98 Horseshoe crabs live primarily in and around shallow coastal waters on soft sandy or muddy bottoms. They occasionally come onto shore to mate. Horseshoe crabs superficially resemble crustaceans but belong to a separate subphylum of the arthropods, Chelicerata, and are closely related to arachnids. Horseshoe crabs are closely related to the extinct eurypterids (sea scorpions), which include some of the largest arthropods to have ever existed, and the two may be sister groups. The earliest horseshoe crab fossils are found in strata from the late Ordovician period, roughly 450 million years ago. Morphology of a limulus (horseshoe crab) : marine arthopod which lives near the shore. Frontal organ : organ of the horseshoe crab situated at face-level. Chelicera : a pair of venomous hooks situated on the head of a horseshoe crab. Walking leg : floating appendage. Genital operculum : structure

Anatomy of a Spider

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This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/5z-f- Image Credit: https://infovisual.info A beautiful image showing the internal anatomy of a spider. A spider’s body is divided into two regions, Prosoma, anterior part and Ophisthosoma, the posterior part. Prosoma contains head, antenna and the legs. Everything else is self explanatory.

What is coral bleaching and how it happens?

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This article was originally posted at Amazing Zoology . View original article at http://amzoo.in/4js5e