Sunday, May 17, 2015

The warm-blooded fish intrigued scientists – Why doctor?

A major discovery in marine biology surprised the scientific community, and upsets animal classification. There is a fish species able to warm his blood!

A warm-blooded fish. That’s the surprising discovery made by a group of researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the institution specialized in marine biology in the United States. In a study published in the journal Science , they explain that salmon of the gods, also known as kingfish of Opah or moon, is the first fish ever identified warm blood.

For all connoisseurs of animal biology, this discovery is surprising. Indeed, the Opah categorize as a warm-blooded animal, ie it shares an important characteristic with mammals and birds.

Specifically, that means that the fish is able to maintain a body temperature above that of its environment, which gives it a particular evolutionary advantage. Indeed, the animal lives in the depths of the ocean, where the water temperature is so cold that the fish and shellfish living in them evolve slowly.

The ability to raise its temperature body about 5 degrees above that of the water in which it swims, allows it to move faster than these prey. The Opah is therefore a formidable hunter, who survives well in cold, deep water, reproduces rapidly, and is found everywhere in the world.

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