Saturday, February 24, 2007

The Yellow Brick Road

Am on my way to Lizard Island, Queensland, Australia! I will be there for the next two months watching my little fishies (Centropyge bicolor or the bicolor dwarf angelfish for anyone who wants to know). Am meandering over very gradually via London, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore (current location) and Cairns -- so it is taking a little while. I'll try to post on this blog when I can about the trials and tribulations of being an intrepid field researcher on a resort island on the Great Barrier Reef...

Friday, February 09, 2007

:)

In a paper about some fish:

"During courtship the male approaches a female, swims parallel and slightly behind her, then the pair swim side-by-side and, wriggling frenetically, rise slowly for 2-3 m into the water column, release eggs and milt in a visible small cloud, and move back immediately to the bottom."
- Marconato et al (1995) The mating system of Xyrichthys novacula: sperm economy and fertilization success. J. Fish Biol. 47:292-301

Am I alone in thinking that if I ever watch these fish court and mate I will laugh so hard at the thought of their frenetic wriggling that I'll spit my regulator out by accident (either that or somebody will think I am suffering CNS oxygen toxicity and convulsing much like that man in the PADI video...)

Thursday, February 08, 2007

What I Did This Morning



Just a little taller than me thanks to the rather chic hat the other Trinity people who gamely joined us in building our snowman put on him! I donated my scarf for purposes of picture taking...

I also built him a baby brother on the Trinity Bridge, looking out onto the Cam towards John's.


And this was my view out the window when I got up.


Finally, my favourite snowman (of many seen over the day as I trekked all through the backs on my way to the University Library). This little guy was guarding a doorway in Clare's Memorial Court.