Cold Fish in the Chesapeake Bay

Dead spot and croaker on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Stevensonville, Maryland. Photo by Charles Poukish, from the Associated Press.

There have been several reports since the beginning of the new year regarding the mass deaths of animals across the globe. Starting with the death of around 5,000 red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) in Arkansas on New year's Eve, media outlets have been quick to pick up on other stories of other mass bird deaths and fish kills. Not only that, but some have been quick to suggest conspiracy theories - from toxic chemicals, to U.F.O.'s, to the coming apocalypse - as the reason for these mass deaths. I'm not going to touch any of that, or perpetuate the notion that these events are in any way, shape, or form related to one another, because they are not. But I do want to talk about one of the instances that hits a little closer to home for me, and its real cause: a recent mass fish kill on the Chesapeake Bay, and its link to global climate change.

The Boneyard 2.5

The Boneyard Blog Carnival is back for 2011 with the first edition of the new year. Head over to When Pigs Fly Returns, where Zachary Miller has put together an excellent Boneyard 2.5. There are lots of great links and lots of topics covered. You're not going to want to miss this one.

Be sure to follow the Boneyard, and if you're a science blogger, why not submit to next months carnival! Just e-mail a link to your blog post to boneyardblogcarnival(at)gmail(dot)com, with the word "Boneyard" in the subject line.

Here's to a new year full of The Boneyard Blog Carnival. Things can only get bigger and better from here!

Simosuchus and the trouble with "living fossils".

When people think of Crocodyliformes, they probably think primarily of the living crocodylians; the alligators, caimans, crocodiles and gavials that inhabit the waters of our Holocene world. They think of large, scaly, man eating beasts with powerful jaws that managed to outlive the dinosaurs and are always lurking right beneath the surface of some river or swamp to snatch up anything that comes along and disturbs the water's edge. And for the most part, they think they are all relatively similar. Sure, some may grow larger than others, they have different shaped snouts, and they live in somewhat different habitats, but for all intents and purposes, a crocodylian is a crocodylian. Just another toothy grin in a sea of menacing reptiles.