X-Ray Mag

Sulphur mollies move in waves in response to the presence of a predator.
Sulphur mollies move in waves in response to the presence of a predator.

Sulphur mollies move in waves to evade predators

2 years ago By Catherine GS Lim

While fish are generally no match for predatory birds that hunt them from above, the sulphur molly, a freshwater fish species which can grow up to 4.5 inches, appear to have developed an effective defence mechanism.

When the school spots a potential predator (not necessarily birds, but any other species that may prove a threat, including humans), the school start swimming in waves that were conspicuous, repetitive and rhythmic.

And it is not just a few hundred sulphur mollies involved in this display—we're talking about a much larger number. 

DAN Awards 2021 Bove Research Grant to Peter Buzzacott, Ph.D.

2 years ago By Matthew Meier

Dr. Buzzacott, formerly the director of injury monitoring and prevention at DAN, recently co-authored a paper with DAN researchers describing cardiac function in recreational divers.1

While the study contributed to our knowledge of cardiac function in healthy divers, the participants had been diving in the sea in water ranging in temperature from “bath warm” to “ice cold” and with variable depths and diver workloads.

The Plus Wreck: Late 19th-Century Windjammer in Finland's Åland Islands

Words
Andrea Murdock Alpini
Images
Andrea Murdock Alpini and Ville Lundqvist
A rare photo of the sailing ship Plus at anchor in a harbour
A rare photo of the sailing ship Plus at anchor in a harbour. Source: Åland Maritime Museum
➥ Download the full article as pdf ⬅︎

Located in the Åland Archi­pelago of the Baltic Sea is the wreck of the late 19th-century, German-made, three-masted, iron-hulled barque named Plus, which was lost on a stormy night in 1933. Andrea Murdock Alpini describes his journey there and his dives on this wreck.

Edi Frommenwiler: A True Adventurer in Raja Ampat

Words
Don Silcock
Images
Courtesy of Edi Fromenwilen
and Don Silcock
Edi Frommenwilder. Photo courtesy of Edi Frommenwilder
Edi Frommenwilder. Photo courtesy of Edi Frommenwilder
➥ Download the full article as pdf ⬅︎

Back in 1992, very little was known about Raja Ampat in the Indonesian province of what was then known as Irian Jaya. Edi Frommenwiler had heard rumours about how scenic it was, so he studied the area charts and suspected that with so many islands, there must be some great places to explore underwater.

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