Greetings everybody, Its that time of the week again!! It is species of the week time!! We may have spooked you out abit with last weeks post on the diving bell spider but this week we thought that we would introduce you to a bright mammalian species! Say hello to the sun bear....

Conservation status: Vulnerable

Habitat: Found from southern China to eastern India and as far south as Indonesia. They call tropical evergreen rainforest mountain forest and swamp habitats their home!

Length: tend to be 4-5ft long.

Characteristics: The sun bear is the smallest of the eight bear species, the sun bears name originates from its yellowish-white crescent marking on its chest that people thought resembled the rising or setting of the sun. It was found that much like the tigers stripes a sun bears crescent marking acts like a fingerprint of its individuality.

Sun bears also boast some excellent climbing skills, and send a considerable amount of time up high in the trees. Their appetite is not limited either they have been seen to hunt insects, small birds, lizards and rodent and even snack on the fruits of their habitats. Cute fact alert, mother sun bears have been seen to cradle their cubs in their arms whilst walking on their hind legs! 

But the sun bears are not just cute and cuddly on the outside check out their tongue!

Perfect for  licking out that last bit of peanut butter out the jar. 

But in all seriousness, these are a vulnerable species primarily because they are caught by poachers and sold to other institutions and their limbs are then harvested, if you have some spare time check out the video below it is an amazing video! also provides a valuable insight into the inner working of  zoos!

Well that is all from us for today. 

@Biobunch.
over and out.

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Greetings everybody, Happy Friday! There are popular misconceptions about evolution, and in order to combat them, this infographic was created. Biobunch has faced these barriers and they have also been documented in literature. The following infographic attempts to clarify five persistent fallacies.

 

Biobunch.

Over and out.

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Greetings everybody,

Hope your week is coming along AWESOME! This week's species of the week is a bubbly spider, the diving bell spider (Argyroneta aquatica) also known as water spider and air bubble spider and is the only known species of spider to spend its entire life under water.

Conservation status: Least Concern

Habitat: found in ponds, slow-moving streams, ditches, and other shallow bodies of freshwater, particular where aquatic vegetation is in abundant across the northern and central regions of Europe, Northern Asia and Siberia.

Length: 8-15mm for females and 9-12mm for males

Characteristics: Gray-dark brown in colour. Fine short hairs cover entirety of their legs and abdomens, which are responsible for trapping air bubbles in the water and give the spiders a shimmering, silvery appearance.

Remarkably adapted to its underwater life, it spins an underwater retreat amongst the weeds, which it fills with air by travelling up to the surface and returning the retreat, carrying air bubbles trapped in the fine hairs on the body.

Well that was Species of the week everyone, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did and we will see you soon! Until then why not leave a comment on what species you would like featured in our next species of the week.

Check out our previous Species of the week!

Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)

Blue Sea Slug (Glaucus atlanticus)

Olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina)

@Biobunch

Over and out.

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Greeting everyone,

As a part of University of Lincoln’s ‘Go Green week 2014’“, there were several activities to get ourselves involved in and being the Biobunch we strived to make them all one of which we particularly loved was a workshop run by the Marine Conservation Society UK.

The workshop was run by a really lovely and inspiring person called Karli. She is a certified Sea champion but we shall talk about this later. It all kicked off with the following quote...

Karli further described this quote by painting a wonderful image of our planet, stating that the seas, oceans, rivers and lakes make up the blue heart of our planet. And when ⅔ of the planet is made up of water it isn’t a hard image to imagine.

Marine conservation society workshops are made up of a series of interactive discussions and activities such as the ‘Timeline of degradation’  in which we were given a series of items such as paper, cardboard, cigarette butt, plastic bags, balloon, tin can, crisp packet, aluminium can, nappy (a clean one), fishing line, plastic bottle and glass. We had to organise it from the lowest-highest amount of time taken to degrade. And although we honestly thought  plastic bags was one of the longest to degrade it was actually!

GLASS!! (let us assure you though it is only glass because we are not sure how long it takes to degrade naturally and that plastic bags are still a MAJOR problem in marine conservation).

But this isnt all just fun and games, Karli then told us some pretty awesome facts that we will now startle you with!

DID YOU KNOW?

- The UK coastline is one of the largest in Europe at over 11,000 miles

- On average 1,500 items of litter are found for every km of beach surveyed in the UK .

- There are around 7,500 species in UK seas.

Why pollution is leading to an explosion of primitive life?

Warmer seas are on the increase as a cause of pollution, warmer waters have reduced oxygen levels which favour primitive life forms (such as jellyfish) rather than complex organisms (like whales, turtles, us and you). If you do not feel alarmed then think about this, if the waters continue to get warmer, you will have to become accustomed to the idea of jellyfish with chips!

It doesn't stop there...

Sea turtles are the prime predators of jellyfish, and increasing number of jellyfish is not only an indicator of rising water temperatures but also a worrying signal that the turtle population must be declining. The increasing presence of plastic bags in the ocean is a major factor in this declining number of turtles, they are unable to distinguish between a jellyfish or an upside down plastic bag. 

A lot of marine issues were highlighted in this session, a lot of upsetting images of animals caught in fishing nets, birds that have died from the continued consumption of plastic and countless animal deaths due to the presence of plastic in the water and overfishing of our oceans. However, Karli offered us some really good news, its not too late to help!  These solutions were presented at an organisation/world level but also on a personal level, changes that we could start making the moment we leave the door. 

Because we as individuals can help… A LOT!  

You can help!

- Like Karli become a Sea Champion

- Look for the sustainable fish symbol! 

- Follow campaigns to help spread the word, keep an eye out for your local Beach Watch or Break the bag habit!

And to top this amazing workshop we got A ‘FREE’ fish and chip dinner from Lincoln’s own ‘Mr.Chippy’ was which has been certified by MCS for having sustainable haddock! 

And if that wasn't enough! we got this:

After the workshop, we received a free book, a free ‘bag for life’, and marine conservation magazine copies.

So we hope that this has made you want to attend the a workshop hosted by this amazing organization, (not only for the free food) or maybe you would like to organize one of these events yourself! and we hope you do keep us updated if you guys do! Make sure you visit their website to hear more about their amazing conservation efforts!

@Biobunch.
Over and out.

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Greetings everybody,

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HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!! We do hope that you're all having a great day no matter what you are getting up to. However, the day is not over yet, for you men and women out there it is not too late to do something to spice up this day. Have no fear we got you covered we are going to teach you how to impress the ladies the NATURE way! And for those of you who are having a girly night in, this is going to be a bit of a laugh really.

So lets get on then!

Firstly, what is a courtship display? well it is a performance taken on by animals seeking to advertise their  intentions to find a partner and mate. Examples include the peacocks tail but in monogamous species these displays are solely to reaffirm the bond between them, so public affection really. 

Rule #1: Moonwalking! It's swarve...

One dance move fits all, even in nature... the moonwalk! This is guaranteed to get her attention, all girls like a guy who can dance and shuffle his feet. 

Rule #2: Saucy dancing. Yes. Gifts. Yes! Second base. No!

Showing your other half your moves in a hot sexy tango or salsa dance, muy caliente, and giving her gifts even if all of them are blue is very sweet (probably not when you have just met her of course), but going straight for second base with a girl you have just met, we advise against it, even if it did work out for him, you do this you're up for a slapped face.

Rule #3: Show how much you appreciate and love your mate.

These lovely birds are Clark's Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii) and they mate for life! What you have just seen is a dance that both the male and female carry out to reaffirm and strengthen their bonds. How romantic, these birds are not afraid of public affection and adoration for one another, and we love it! 

Rule #4: Attention to detail is crucial!!

Now, we are not encouraging you to go out and make a 'seduction parlor' (and if you have one maybe you have found some inspiration for your interior). But women do appreciate the little things you do whether it is rose petals on the bed, or having a candlelit dinner to set the scene, and you know if you do happen to bring a man or woman back then it would be best that your house isn't a bomb site.

Rule #5: Pink is Masculine

Pink things seem girly however as seen in the male hooded seals (cystophora cristata) mating ritual. A hot-pink balloon is used to demonstrate manliness. So remember to pull out all the stops and show off. Unlike these creatures, a fight with your competition is not advised. 

Overall you find these tips helpful and that nature have taught you a few things. Have a lovely Valentine's. 

@Biobunch. 

Over and Out. 

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Greetings everybody,
What you are seeing down below is the answer to the question of 'what happens when you mix a house cat and a teddy bear?'... well according to National Geographic's description.

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Is this little cutie looking familiar to any of you guys? It just so happens that this specie was also featured in our Celebration of 2013 post to see why just click on that link. The Bassaricyon neblina is commonly known as the olinguito, but enough about names lets get down to the facts of our species of the week!

Order: Carnivora

Family: Procydae

Habitat: Only in cloud forests of the northern Andes in Ecuador and Colombia at high elevations.

Length: 14 inches in length and their tails are 13-17 inches long!!

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Characteristics:

The Olinguito is the smallest member of its family also known as the raccoon. They often eat fruit but have been known to turn their appetites towards insects and nectar as well. 

Even though the Olinguito has only been classified as a new species fairly recently, it wasn't completely of the radar, it was just misidentified for around 100 years! Until finally in the year 2013, the Smithsonian declared that it was in fact its own species! And what an adorable species might we add!. 

Well that was Species of the week everyone, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did and we will see you again on Friday!! Until then why not leave a comment on whether you agree it looks like a mix between a house cat and a teddy bear or maybe you have made up a better mix we would love to hear about it as always!

@Biobunch
Over and out.

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Greetings everybody, hope you've had a lovely week. HAPPY FRIDAY! Enjoy the facts and your weekend! 

Discovered nearly 20 years ago near Japan’s Amami-Oshima island, the 2-metre wide geometric circular structures (in the picture above) were found to be constructed by male Pufferfish Torquigener sp. (Tetraodontidae). Watch the fish in action here.

Males use their body in various angles to create peaks and valleys on the sea bed around a central circle in order to create a structure “nest” desired by female Pufferfish. If a female likes the nest and the male who built it, she lays her eggs in the center of the nest and leaves the male to do the parental chores.

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A combination of smoking and heavy drinking habits can contribute to the acceleration of age-related cognitive decline, according to a new study. A 10-year study conducted by researchers from University College London used 6500 participants (aged 45-69). The study found that a combination of both smoking and drinking behavior lead to a decline of 36% in brain function, and the problem accelerates in correlation with increased alcohol intake. However no cause-and-effect relationship was proven.

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Sand tiger sharks are also known as grey nurse sharks, spotted ragged-tooth sharks, and blue-nurse sand tigers. They are large-bodied and are found hovering near deep sandy-bottomed gutters, rocky caves or in the vicinity of inshore rocky reefs and islands. For sand tiger sharks competition between males to pass on their genetic material does not end with conception. The competition prolongs into the female’s uterus, where when the first baby shark develops it cannibalizes the other males from hatched embryos, inside the womb until only one remains. Watch it here.

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Grey seals (also known, as the Atlantic Grey Seal and Horsehead Seal) inhabit the North Atlantic Ocean and come ashore onto exposed rocky areas in order to reproduce. Half of the world’s population of grey seals is found on and around the British coasts where their numbers have doubled since 1960.

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Hope you have been entertained by this weeks Friday fact segment. Thank you for stopping by. And as always if you would like us to mention a fact in the next Friday facts? Make sure to leave a comment and come back for more articles. 

@BiobunchOver and out. 

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Greeting everybody,

You guys might be thinking, woah! What is SOTW? What happened to AOTW? Don’t panic! We’ve decided to change the 'animal of the week' to 'species of the week' as it would allow us to appreciate not only animals, but plants, bacteria and other organisms.

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This week our featured species is Dionaea Muscipula (Venus Flytrap), probably the most famous of all the carnivorous plants. It is found only in the wet pine savannas in North and South Carolina of United States.

The Venus flytrap is a relatively small plant which looks like a rosette, but the leaf blade consist of two parts: 

1. a broad petiole - the “footstalk”, and 

2. a pair of terminal lobes which serves as the trap - held together by the midrib. 

The inner surface of each lobe consists of three “trigger hairs”, which act as mechanosensors.

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Mechanosensors are things that respond to changes in mechanical force. When an insect brushes against a hair, the bending hair triggers a tiny electrical charge, and a second hair brush is needed within an interval of 0.75 to 40 seconds and SNAP! The insect then is liquified by the digestive enzymes excreted by the plant and further absorbed.

This plant is classified as ‘Vulnerable’ by the IUCN Red list, however there are between 3-6 million plants in cultivation alone. The fascinating features of the plant are admired by humans which have lead to illegal collection of large quantities of the plant.

Hope you enjoyed our first official SOTW. Let us know what species fascinate you? Leave a comment below to ensure a species of your choice is in the next species of the week.

@BioBunch.
Over and out.

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Greetings everybody, 

Hope you guys have all been keeping up with us on twitter @BioBunch,  because a group of 180 different species of fish were found to have an illuminating adaptation. Researchers from the American Museum of Natural History made an impressive discovery. Using a yellow filter they found that this group of fish were able to absorb light, transform it and then eject it as a different color! If that does not sound awesome, just take a look at the pictures below!
In this post we welcome you to the world of BIO FLUORESCENCE!! 

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2014 marked the year that fish were added to the evolutionary tree of biofluorescence as it is only just been discovered! This is less impressive in nature however, the prime reason being that this adaptation is also seen in jelly fish, and surprisingly coral! (image below).

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Not much of this colorful reaction is known in fish, but fish like many other underwater organisms live in a predominantly blue world (as seen in the background in the above picture). As the depth of the water increases the amount of visible light diminishes because a larger portion has been absorbed by the molecules in the water. The 180 fish species displaying biofluorescence absorb any remaining blue light left and re-emit it in neon greens, reds and oranges marking one of natures most dazzling moving light shows, hidden in the depths of the ocean. 

Biofluroescence: a rather private affair

If this is such a dazzling light show, and  if the colors are truly as bright as they show then why is it that when you go by in a boat, or on a cruise on an ocean that we are all unable to see it? Simply put, the answer lies in the beginning of this post. The researchers used a yellow filter to take these pictures, it just so happens that there is a yellow filter located in fish eyes. Meaning that this display of colors is impossible for the naked eye to see. Thats why to us fish look like the fish on the right, when in reality to each other they literally glow, or look a lot spookier like the one on the left. 

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It has been said that this stands as a form of interspecific communication (communication between members of the same species) for mating, whilst achieving some levels of camouflage against lurking predators. 

But why such a big fuss??

Cast your minds back to the discovery of the green fluorescent protein that was found in a hydrozoan jellyfish in the 1960s. This single discovery transformed how we study everything in biology, from marking the AID's virus to showing the inner workings of our brains! and now it is thought that these fish could display different proteins for expressing their bioflurescence. Meaning, biochemists and immunologists are having a field day having a play around with all these proteins. Good time to be a biochemist we are sure!!
But as biologists and because we like to have a strong emphasis on conservation we would like to inform you that this discovery isn't solely for the biomedical field but also aiding massively in the conservation field, take a look at the picture below!

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Well that marks the end of our Biology Behind for this week!! Have an awesome rest of the week and keep a watchful eye for upcoming posts to come!
Biobunch, 
Over and out.

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