Visual Aquatics

Ark of corals

Living Coral Biobank Project Kicks off in Australia | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog You might have heard of a seed bank but have you ever heard of a Living Coral Biobank? A relatively new initiative by Great Barrier Reef Legacy is taking place in tropical North Queensland, Australia.

Squid Sunday

This is a squid and in spite of having a tall, conical head its brain is shaped like a donut. Not only that, but its esophagus passes through the middle of said brain. This means if it tries to swallow something too big, it will give itself a nasty headache (or even brain damage). Even the giant squid, in spite of its fearsome size and reputation, mostly leaves only dainty little bite marks on bait. So... why? The donut shape is more effective for linking information from the eyes, and squids are known for having extraordinarily sensitive vision. It's actually pretty common for animal brains to change shape according to the sense they use the most. For example, the great white shark has a Y-shaped brain, which optimizes information from its olfactory bulbs—meaning it has an extremely keen sense of smell. 📷: Lu Lamar