Toothed whales and bats have independently evolved biosonar systems to navigate and locate and catch prey. Such active sensing allows them to operate in darkness, but with the potential cost of warning prey by the emission of intense ultrasonic signals. At least six orders of nocturnal insects have independently evolved ears sensitive to ultrasound and exhibit evasive maneuvers when exposed to ...

What is a dolphin? When you think of a dolphin you probably picture a bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, the familiar star of oceanaria. But bottlenose dolphins are only one among sixtyseven living species in the fully aquatic mammalian order Cetacea and the diverse suborder Odontoceti (‘toothed whales’). In addition to possessing adult teeth, the many types of toothed whale are distinguis...

The remarkable elongated upper canines of extinct sabretoothed carnivorous mammals have been the subject of considerable speculation on their adaptive function, but the absence of living analogues prevents any direct inference about their evolution. We analysed scaling relationships of the upper canines of 20 sabretoothed feliform carnivores (Nimravidae, Barbourofelidae, Machairodontinae), repr...

Morphological data and molecular analyses are used to describe the taxonomy of philometrid nematodes of the genus Philometra Costa, 1845, found in the gonads of marine fishes in Japan. A new Philomnetra species, P. sawara sp. n., is described based on male and female specimens collected from the gonads of Scomberomorus niphonius (Cuvier) (Japanese Spanish mackerel). Two additional species, Phil...

Fisheries plays a pivotal role in the economy, food security, foreign exchange earnings and employment of coastal population. Maharashtra is bestowed with coastline 720 km spread over 7 districts, viz. Thane, Palghar, Mumbai city, suburban, Raigad, Ratnagiri Sindhudurg along Arabian sea rich marine fishery resources. There are 25 fishing zones seven districts 173 fish landing centres. The total...

BACKGROUND Studies of biological shape evolution are greatly enhanced when framed in a phylogenetic perspective. Inclusion of fossils amplifies the scope of macroevolutionary research, offers a deep-time perspective on tempo and mode of radiations, and elucidates life-trait changes. We explore the evolution of skull shape in felids (cats) through morphometric analyses of linear variables, phylo...

BACKGROUND Methods for the diagnosis of Pediculus humanus var. capitis are controversial and most studies are based on direct visual exam. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to compare the diagnosis efficacy of both direct visual exam and the use of a metal microchanelled fine-toothed comb. METHODS 946 children and teenagers 4 to 19 years of age were examined. Each individual's hair ...

Toothed whales (Odontoceti, Cetacea) are the only aquatic mammals known to echolocate, and probably all of them are able to produce click sounds and to synthesize their echoes into a three-dimensional "acoustic image" of their environment. In contrast to other mammals, toothed whales generate their vocalizations (i.e., echolocation clicks) by a pneumatically-driven process in their nasal comple...

Leaf teeth are conspicuous and often diagnostic features of many plant species. In mesic environments with sufficient nutrient resources, the percentage of toothed species in extant floras generally correlates negatively with temperature; consequently, fossil leaf teeth are widely used to estimate continental paleotemperatures. However, the function of leaf teeth with respect to climate is poor...

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) in artificial feeds on the growth and quality of large yellow croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea) raised in cages. Two diet formulas with dietary CLA were developed, and a diet without of CLA served as a control. The effects of CLA (2% and 4%) on average daily gain per tail (DGT), feed conversion ratio (FCR)...