Fish and Amphibians

"Toughie," the last known Rabbs' fringe-limbed tree frog, was found dead in his enclosure by his keepers at the Atlanta Botanical Garden on September 26. Environmental writer Andrew Revkin noted that Toughie's death came "four years after the only other known member of this tropical species died at the Atlanta Zoo. Both were males, so the species was at its end well before they passed away." The natural range of Rabbs' fringe-limbed tree frogs (Ecnomiohyla rabborum) was in the mountains of central Panama, where it would use its massive webbed hands and feet to glide from tree to tree in the cloud forest canopy it called home. A rare tree frog species is believed to be extinct after the death of its last living member. "Toughie," the last-known Rabbs' fringe-limbed tree frog, was found dead in his enclosure by his keepers at the Atlanta Botanical Garden on September 26. Environmental writer Andrew Revkin noted that Toughie's de...

Ethan Winters just cannot catch a break. First the whole mold business at the Dulvey house in Louisiana, then the thing on the ship with the killer child, and now, he's stuck in an Eastern European village being hunted by a whole Brady Bunch of murderous freaks and their Lycan pals. Ethan can use all the help he can get, and we're here to provide assistance with a comprehensive walkthrough on how to (hopefully) survive Resident Evil Village. And don't worry, we'll go as spoiler-free as possible, and offer plenty of warning when we can't. Table of Contents [hide] Part 1: Introduction and the Village So before you even get started with the game, we highly recommend giving the Baker Incident Report a read. It says it's 80 pages, but don't panic; it's only a couple of sentences per page, and it gives a really nice rundown of everything that's happened since the events of Resident Evil 7, as well as an eye-opener of a reveal when you find o...

His efforts to replace illegally captured frogs have made him famous among American collectors, who – in part thanks to Lozano – are increasingly seeking legally-traded, eco-friendly animals. Production of these Oophaga specimens by Tesoros has risen from 30 to 150 a year, but supply is still unable to meet demand. Robert Zahradnik, a 37-year-old collector based in Colorado, believes legal breeding has forced many collectors to change their mindsets. "There is now peer pressure to buy sustainable frogs," he says. "Any posting of questionable frogs on social media is met with resistance [by the community] in the form of comments calling out the origins. Meanwhile, sustainable frogs from Tesoros are considered something to be proud of." Parts of the conservation community, however, have been hesitant to fully endorse projects that seek to protect endangered animals through captive breeding. In the murky case of tiger farms across Asia, instead lowering prices an...

All featured products are curated independently by our editors. When you buy something through our retail links, we may receive a commission. Is there any meal more quintessentially summer than a clambake? Whether you are digging a pit in the sand and dropping in a bushel along with corn and potatoes or boiling the bounty in an oversized stockpot in your kitchen, you might be confused as to whether you should buy steamer clams or littleneck clams. Here is the difference between these two varieties that both taste oh-so-amazing served with melted butter. Steamer Clams Also called soft-shell, Ipswich, or Essex clams, the species Mya arenaria is mainly found in New England, where clams live buried in the sediment on tidal flats. Their shells are very thin and easily broken (hence the name "soft-shell") and they can be served a variety of ways including in chowder, fried, or steamed. Steamers have a piece of "neck skin" that can hold some sand, so they must be cle...

Don't get me wrong; I love lobster. Still, that armed and armored sea-spider, klaxon red and steaming on the platter can be frightening. Which is why some of us with more delicate sensibilities might eschew serving the entire beast in favor of a simple and elegant lobster tail. Neat and tidy and nary a whit scary. Fresh vs. frozen Lobster tails mostly come frozen, like ice cream and woolly mammoths. That's because, unlike your regular swimmy-type fishes — your anchovy, your bream, your cod — lobsters don't take well to being dead. They have enzymes that begin breaking down muscle immediately upon their demise, giving the meat a mushy, unsettling texture. On top of that, once that lobster passes, numerous bacterial freeloaders begin multiplying like microbial rabbits and, while that may sound adorable, it can result in some nasty foodborne illnesses. Flash freezing solves all of these problems by preserving the lobster in its pristine, ready-to-cook state. How to...

Fossils of land animals from South America have been found in the Antilles, but how did these animals get there? According to scientists from the CNRS, l'Université des Antilles, l'Université de Montpellier and d'Université Côte d'Azur, land emerged in this region and then disappeared beneath the waves for millions of years, explaining how some species were able to migrate to the Antilles. This study will be published in June 2021 issue in Earth-Science Reviews . Fossils of land animals from the Antilles, including mammals and amphibians, have their closest relatives in South America. The crossing of the Caribbean Sea from South America was therefore possible, but how? As swimming across the continent must be ruled out, given that several hundred kilometres separate the South American continent from the Antilles, the dispersal of this fauna has been attributed either to natural rafts coming out of the continent's flooded rivers, or to the existence of land bridg...

Recently, I came upon one of those many (many!) lists of the "best of in every state," cranked out as click-bait by the numerous websites that pop up on my electronics. It gave me pause. It was a list from the always-intriguing, often-eccentric site called "Eat This Not That." This one was the best seafood restaurant in every state. California is blessed with great fish houses, from the venerable Tadich Grill, and slightly less venerable Sewan Oyster Depot up in SF, to our own Nobu, Broad Street Oyster, Coni Seafood — and so many more. And what did "Eat This" name in California? San Pedro Fish Market & Restaurant . (Their methodology, as the site explains, was built around Yelp, both the ratings, and the number of reviews. Which also resulted in the best in New York being a Cajun seafood chain called The Boil. Sorry, Le Bernardin, but you didn't get as many reviews!) Now, don't get me wrong, I've long been a big fan of the San Pedro...