First complete assessment of European marine fishes highlights major threat from overfishing

03. Juni 2015

A total of 7.5% of all European marine fish species are threatened with extinction in European waters, according to the European Red List of Threatened Species published today by IUCN and the European Commission. While some species are recovering, marine management has been less successful for many other commercial fishes: 40.4% of European sharks, rays and chimaeras face an elevated risk of extinction.

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'Missing link' in shark evolution found in 380m-year-old Australian fossil

29. Mai 2015

Fossilised skeleton found in Kimberley shows sharks once had bone cells within cartilage, suggesting a sophisticated evolutionary path

A 380m-year-old fossil found in Western Australia has been hailed as the “missing link” in shark evolution, revealing the marine predator has a far more sophisticated lineage than previously thought.

The fossilised skeleton, jaws and teeth, found at the Gogo formation in the Kimberley region of WA, shows the ancient shark had a small amount of bone as well as cartilage.

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How sharks and rays claspers evolved

30. April 2015

How did animals like sharks and skates evolve claspers—paired penislike organs found on male pelvic fins—like the ones seen on the male skate on the left? For years, their origin has remained an evolutionary mystery, but now, a new study suggests that regulation of the genetic circuit known as the Sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway by sex hormones may be the answer.

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