Thursday, August 05, 2010

Scientists involved in the Census of Marine Life (CoML), a 10-year project to find out what lives in the world's oceans, have published some of their data. This dragonfish, which is found in waters around Australia, is one of the more unusual species. Ahead of the release of the full CoML report in October, the team has published 12 papers listing an inventory and distribution of species found in 25 hotspots - including this deep water octopus that lives at depths of about 2,700m in the Gulf of Mexico.

A MASSIVE wasp nest found in the loft of a Southampton pub has caused a real buzz of excitement after experts confirmed it is the biggest ever found in Britain.
The six-foot by five-foot home of up to half a million wasps could now be entered into the Guinness World Records.
Pest controller Sean Whelan, who successfully tackled the monster nest, said he was proud to have dealt with an historic infestation.
He said: “It was scary as hell, but that’s what we’re trained for – I just pulled the iPod on and listened to Bat Out Of Hell.
“We killed all the wasps, but the nest is still in the attic because we can’t get it out. The wasps will never go back in it, so we will just leave it to disintegrate.
“A couple of experts from Oxford University verified it is the biggest seen in this country, and the biggest anywhere in the last 50 years.”