Fish and Amphibians

More than half of Hawaii restaurants may be forced to close for good by April without a significant boost in tourism, according to a survey by the University of Hawaii's Public Policy Center. The latest survey released Wednesday showed that 87% of restaurateurs surveyed do not have access to financing to restart after a closure. There were 3,665 eating and drinking establishments in the islands in 2018. "With a virtual halt in tourism the lifeblood of the industry has been cut, resulting in a five-fold increase in restaurants that are behind in paying their bills," the report said. "If these assessments come to pass, not only will a vibrant portion of our state's culture be silenced, but those members of our community with the skill and experience to resurrect the restaurant industry in a post-COVID environment will be locked out of doing so." Hawaii restaurants generated an estimated $5.6 billion in sales in 2018 and employed 73,300 workers, accordi...

Ophidiophobia, the fear of snakes , is the most-reported phobia worldwide with about one third of adults expressing some abnormal apprehension of them. However, most snakes are harmless. In San Benito County there are18 native snake species and only one, the Northern Pacific rattlesnake, is harmful to people, livestock or pets. Snakes, like all reptiles, are ectotherms, that is they use an external source for heat. Because of this, most engage in a deep sleep during the winter. Now is the time they exit their winter dens and become visible. They feed on rodents, smaller reptiles, and amphibians, making them a vital part of their ecosystem. A snake on the ground is often heating up. It might not have enough energy to move, or in the case of a rattlesnake, to strike.  Snakes species native to San Benito County The California glossy snake is found in the eastern part of the county in arid scrub, rocky washes, grasslands, and chaparral. Adults are 26-70 inches in length. Average ...

CORRECTION: This article was originally published with an image of a Sulcata Tortoise. It has been corrected to the Blandings turtle, pictured above. HOLLY, Mich. (AP) - Eighteen juvenile Blanding's turtles have been released to a restored wetland area along a utility pipeline right-of-way north of Detroit. Consumers Energy employees joined Herpetological Resource and Management and the Michigan Sea Life Aquarium in the release in Oakland County's Holly, the utility said Thursday. Turtle eggs and 31 adult and juvenile Blanding's turtles were rescued in 2020 from along the utility's Saginaw Trail Pipeline which extends north from Oakland County to Saginaw County. Herpetological Resource and Management staff collected the eggs as part of wildlife work on the pipeline to relocate reptiles and amphibians with an emphasis on rare species, Consumers Energy said. The adult turtles were moved to safe locations outside the construction area. After the eggs hatched, the...

The thin film polymer adjusts the properties of the inkjet printed array of small microwave resonators. Composite devices can be tuned to capture or transmit microwave energy of different wavelengths.Credits: Fio Omenetto, Tufts University Engineers develop cheap and scalable ways to create metamaterials that manipulate microwave energy in ways that traditional materials cannot. Engineers at Tufts University have developed new ways to more efficiently produce materials that behave abnormally when interacting with microwave energy. This can affect telecommunications, GPS, radar, mobile devices, and medical devices. These materials, called metamaterials, can theoretically bend the energy around the object to make it invisible, focus the energy transfer on the focused beam, and reconstruct the absorption like a chameleon. Sometimes called "impossible material". Or transmission in different frequency ranges. Innovations described today Nature Electronics, Using low...

I've mentioned it before in this space, but for a prideful waterfront city, New Bedford proper suffers from a dearth of oceanside eateries. That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of places to eat outside and enjoy a view of the lapping waves, but only a handful of restaurants — Fathom's, Waterfront Grille — sit on the water, not a parking lot or seawall away. Since late last summer, Kyler's Catch, the longtime seafood market off Interstate 195, has joined that exclusive club with its new waterside patio and cooked-to-order menu. Dubbed Kyler's Catch Kitchen, it offers up a clam-shack style menu with a view that can't be beat, and on a recent Saturday afternoon, my wife Becca, son Cooper and I stopped by to enjoy the sunshine on the deck and analyze if the food stacks up with the bevy of other fried seafood options in the area. It turns out they aren't just throwing some batter on day-old fish, dropping it in the deep fry and calling it a restauran...

A poison frog about the size and color of a mint chocolate bonbon is quietly upending what we thought we knew about how frogs think. Native to tropical rainforests of central and South America, the land-adapted species Dendrobates auratus eschews rivers and lakes entirely, instead laying its eggs on the forest floor. When the eggs hatch, the frog piggybacks its tadpoles up into trees, placing them in water accumulated within tree holes and bromeliads. To find, remember, and navigate among egg nests and tadpole nurseries in such a complex, changeable landscape requires a brain that can make and revise a mental map of its surroundings. Many mammals and birds form such maps. And now, new research in the Journal of Experimental Biology provides the first evidence of the same skill in amphibians. "We hypothesize that because of their natural history, poison frogs evolved a more advanced cognitive ability—to flexibly use environmental cues to find locations," says Sabrina B...

The striped skink is one of the most common reptile species found in towns and gardens around much of South Africa. They can become quite accustomed to humans, often living close to homes, sometimes even willing to except foods such as meal worms out of your hand. They are a medium sized skink, growing to around 15 centimetres in length. They seem to be quite social, more than one individual can be seen together, also outside of mating season. An interesting fact is that the striped skink gives live birth, three to nine young are born at a time in mid to late summer. These lizards feed on almost any insect they can overpower and swallow, including flies and beetles. They are also harmless. Contact Warren Dick to have some of your interesting spiders, snakes or other wildlife identified, WhatsApp or call him on 072-211-0353. Follow the conversation on Facebook, Warren's Small World. DID YOU KNOW? Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on thi...

There are some new additions at the Lehman Sanctuary in Luzerne County, aimed at protecting the environment and educating the community. LEHMAN, Pa. — It's empty now, but once a storm rolls through, a basin at the Lehman Sanctuary in Lehman Township will be filled with runoff stormwater that will be naturally filtered.  "This is the teaching rain garden, and so used for primary education for the community. We'll be to show them what polluted water looks like and how it affects everybody," Chris Miller said. "Stormwater is polluted water, and that leads to pristine sources of life, which are watersheds."   That rain garden works to protect the forest of wetlands and the habitats within it. "The pristine bodies of water, the vernal pools, the spring seeps, the streams that has rare amphibians and spring peepers and all kinds of creatures in our source of water and life and leads into a marsh which has a remarkable concentration of ...

OK, so they don't breathe fire, they don't fly, and you can't ride them into battle, but bearded dragons are pretty cool pets. They're chill, they come in different colors and patterns, and they get all blissed-out when their heat lamps are perfectly positioned. Before you become Queen Sarah, the First of Her Name, Queen of Dragonstone, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons, there are a few things to consider. For example, how much do you really like crickets? First, let's talk about bearded dragons ( Pogona vitticeps) in general. They're technically lizards native to Australia. In the wild, they live in rocky and arid regions, and you might find them lounging on branches, sunning on rocks, or chilling in the bushes and shade. These large lizards have triangular heads and flat bodies, and they're covered with soft, spiny scales. Bearded dragons make great pet reptiles because they don't get too big, they're omnivorous (which means they eat l...

Congratulations to Tyler Urban on landing a new catch/release state record warmouth. The sunfish measured 7.5 inches long and is the first record submitted for this species. Tyler was fishing CJ Strike Reservoir on May 26 with his dad — a fellow panfish enthusiast — looking for a chance at a new record species. Warmouth are a species of sunfish similar to bluegill and pumpkinseed, which are both much more common in Idaho. Warmouth are not native to Idaho, and the date when they were first introduced is unknown. They are typically found in their native range in the Mississippi River drainage from Iowa south, in the Rio Grande River drainage, Florida and along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. Warmouth look very similar to green sunfish, but have brown coloration, teeth on their tongue and have a much bigger mouth. Most eat aquatic insects, while the bigger ones tend to favor crayfish and fish. Despite often living 6-8 years, these stout little sunfish often grow slowly, so a fish of...

A 6-foot long python was discovered under a bed on the ninth floor of a Ukrainian apartment building. The snake, around 6.5 feet in length, was discovered on Monday under a bed by the owner of the ninth floor apartment, located in the city of Kharkiv in the northeast of Ukraine, who then called the police, according to Ukrainian news service Channel 5. The female apartment owner told the authorities that she does not know how the snake got into her residence, according to a statement by the Kharkiv Region Patrol Police that was posted on Facebook. The authorities managed to catch the snake and put it in a bucket, in order to transport it out of the apartment building, and contacted a zoo located nearby in the city. A veterinarian at the unnamed zoo examined the python and discovered that it was two years old. The snake was very hungry, but it started to feel better once it was fed. Dmytro Haiduk, a spokesman for the Kharkiv Region Patrol Police, told Channel 5: "In the...

Chefs wearing tall red caps delight guests as they cook and serve up choices at large tables in Fuji restaurant on South Washington Street. The Japanese Seafood and Steakhouse draws groups – many with children. And children who come in skeptically are soon delighted to watch the action. Often they are having a birthday party. From time to time you hear the Happy Birthday song from their tables. The restaurant is large and orderly. There is an area with booths and tables for mid-day customers. There is a convenient long bar for meals and drinks in an adjacent area. And there are three large areas where chefs preside. Busy summer Angela Chen, manager, says holidays in summer are the busiest times at Fuji. King Crab is the most popular choice of six deep fried rolls. The crunchy roll is made of crab with white tuna and salmon, lightly fried. listen live watch live Among rolls there's a Stone Henge version made with shrimp tempura, cream chee...

Adorable isn't a word usually applied to lizards, but crocodile skinks check all the boxes. With their large, anime eyes, dinosaur-like head plates, and body spines that resemble, well, crocodiles, these hand-size lizards look like they crawled straight out of the Pokémon universe. Not surprisingly, they make for popular exotic pets in places like the U.S. Anecdotally, international trade in all 10 crocodile skink species, which come from New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Indonesia, seems to be on the rise. Yet no one has any idea how many of these lizards are caught in the wild each year, where they wind up, or whether or not their populations are being affected. This is because, like thousands upon thousands of other species, they aren't included in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the 45-year-old treaty that's supposed to ensure that international commercial trade of wildlife doesn't send plants and anim...

It is an auspicious beginning when a restaurant's co-owners readily agree on the type of establishment they want — and on a clear division of responsibility. When Terry Williamson and Mike Phillips decided to open The Old Town Smokehouse in East Peoria, they knew they wanted to provide the feel of a hometown family diner. Because they have families themselves, they understand that the prospect of bringing children to a restaurant can often be a daunting one. "You always worry that your son or daughter will be upset, cranky or crying," Williamson explained. "You worry about all the dirty looks or the glares you might get from other customers. We want to give them a place where they don't have to worry about that. We want to give them a home-cooked meal and a place where they can feel comfortable, no matter what." Phillips brings over 20 years' experience of cooking and creating menus to the endeavor. Williamson has about 25 years of office managemen...

Gif: Natalie Peeples Christmas 2020 was a weird one, my first without my family, my first not in Chicago. I spent it in an Airbnb in the Sierra Nevadas in a town with major Twin Peaks vibes and about a 10% mask-wearing rate among the locals. It makes sense that it was on this holiday, of all the holidays, that I met my newfangled quarantine love: a rectangular tin of Crown Prince smoked oysters. Not as part of the Christmas feast itself (which was mostly melted gruyère in various formats), but in my stocking. The cured invertebrates were a gift from my girlfriend, a vegetarian who respects my gross food preferences (particularly if said preferences are less anthropomorphize-able than, say, a cow or a pig). The gift felt a little like a dare, and a little like a declaration of the moment: yep, I was at this point in the pandemic, the point where I'd be getting into canned oysters. Advertisement "Canned" and "oysters" are two words th...

Amphibians and humans differ in many ways, but Laurie Boyer, a professor of biology and biological engineering at MIT, is particularly interested in one of those differences. Certain types of amphibians and fish can regenerate and heal their hearts after an injury. In contrast, human adults who have experienced trauma to the heart, such as in the case of a heart attack or exposure to certain medications, are unable to repair the damage. Often, the injured heart ends up with scar tissue that can lead to heart failure. Recent research in this area now indicates that mice, and even humans, have some capacity for cardiac repair for a short period after birth. But after even just a few days of age, that ability starts to shut off. "The heart has very limited ability to repair itself in response to injury, disease, or aging," Boyer says. Alexander Auld, a postdoc in the Boyer Lab, studies the key cellular mechanisms that lead heart cells to mature and lose regenerative pote...