Tag

Parental Care

All articles tagged with #parental care

biology1 year ago•3 min saved

"Worm-Like Amphibians: Adorable Milk-Leaking Hatchlings"

Researchers have discovered that a species of egg-laying caecilian amphibians produce milk to nurse their young, a behavior previously thought to be exclusive to mammals. The mother caecilians have specialized glands in their oviduct walls that produce a fat and carbohydrate-rich milk, which the hatchlings eagerly consume. This discovery challenges previous assumptions about milk production and parental care in vertebrates, highlighting the diverse strategies that have evolved across different animal groups.

via ScienceAlert|

#amphibians #biology #caecilians

science1 year ago•3 min saved

"Unique Video Captures Worm-Like Creature Feeding Young with Butt 'Milk'"

In a first-of-its-kind video, a female Brazilian ringed caecilian was documented feeding its offspring with a milk-like substance secreted from its anus, marking the first time this behavior has been observed in caecilians. The offspring communicate with physical touch and sounds to encourage the mother to release the liquid, which is rich in long chain fatty acids. This discovery sheds light on the little-understood maternal care and reproductive behaviors of caecilians, opening new areas of research for amphibian biology and evolutionary biology.

via Livescience.com|

#amphibians #caecilians #evolutionary-biology

nature2 years ago•2 min saved

"Rare Footage Captures Deep-Sea Squid Brooding Thousands of Eggs"

Incredible footage captured by the Schmidt Ocean Institute shows a black-eyed squid, also known as the clawed arm squid, brooding thousands of eggs in the deep sea, a behavior rarely observed due to the species' habitat at around 1,900 meters below the ocean's surface. The squid uses special hooks inside its arms to transport and care for the eggs, a process that may last 6-9 months during which the mother does not feed. This unique reproductive behavior sheds light on the little-known habits of deep-sea squids and their parental care.

via IFLScience|

#deep-sea-squid #marine-biology #nature

biology2 years ago•3 min saved

"Unprecedented Discovery: Enigmatic Creatures Nurture Offspring with Microbes"

Caecilian mothers have been found to grow a special fatty layer of skin that their offspring tear off and eat, providing nourishment and microbes for their young's microbiome. This is the first direct evidence of parental care and microbial transfer in any amphibian species. The study focused on the Congo caecilian, Herpele squalostoma, and found that juveniles obtained their microbiomes from both skin feeding and coiling with their mothers. Understanding the caecilian microbiome could shed light on the role of microbes in their overall health and ecological roles.

via ScienceAlert|

#amphibians #biology #caecilians

biology2 years ago•4 min saved

Amphibians Break New Ground: Passing Microbes to Offspring

Researchers have discovered that caecilians, a type of amphibian that resembles a worm-snake hybrid, pass microbes to their offspring through unique parenting behaviors such as skin-feeding and coiling. This is the first direct evidence of parental care in an amphibian playing a role in transmitting microbes from one generation to the next. The study focused on a caecilian species from central Africa and found that juveniles shared some part of their skin and gut microbiome with their attending mother. The research sheds light on caecilian biology and contributes to the understanding of African microbes. Future studies will explore the benefits of microbiomes for caecilians and their health.

via Phys.org|

#amphibians #biology #caecilians