Wednesday, June 29, 2011

'Inflatable' sharks discovered

'Jaws' may get envious. A seemingly small shark that can increase its size to scare
off other predators, has been discovered in the Phillippines.
LiveScience.com reported the inflatable shark is possibly a new species of a swell shark.

The shark swells be pumping water into its stomach.

It also a very distinctive camouflaged color pattern.

But it's not just only this new breed of shark that has been discovered.

There's a sea star that eats driftwood, a laughing cicada a crab with needlelike teeth on its claws.

Scientists braved leeches and venomous creatures from the mountains to the sea to uncover more than 300 species that are likely new to science.

Researchers at the California Academy of Sciences and the University of the Philippines and the National Museum of the Philippines conducted a 42-day expedition to Luzon Island, the largest island in the Philippine archipelago, as well as its surrounding waters.

The deep-water channel allows life to flourish because of its nutrients and has existed for about 60 million years, giving species a great deal of time to evolve.

"All of those factors together have led to the high diversity," Gosliner said.

Source:LiveScience.Com

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