Thread by @PKurnath

UP FIRST: From the Sea Beasties Division, 1st-seeded SABER-TOOTHED ANCHOVY vs 8th-seeded PINK VENT FISH #2021MMM

#RecapStats: Saber-toothed Anchovy is about 1m long (about 3 stoats), an ancient (45-50 MYA) marine predator & named after a vampire-like demon due to it's large single tooth (artwork by @JoschuaKnuppe) #StoatsAsMeasurement #2021MMM tinyurl.com/5bx5ths2

@JoschuaKnuppe Described just last year by #ActualLivingScientist @acapomorphic & @Friedman_Lab, the existence of Saber-toothed Anchovy suggests this ancient family of fish was diverse, from large predators to small planktivores (Capobianco et al 2020) #2021MMM tinyurl.com/254ya7jr

@JoschuaKnuppe @acapomorphic @Friedman_Lab #RecapStats: Pink Vent Fish is another marine predator found among deep-sea hydrothermal vents & named after Cerberus, the 3-headed guard dog of the underworld from Greek mythology #2021MMM

@JoschuaKnuppe @acapomorphic @Friedman_Lab Measuring about 22cm (just over half a stoat) long, Pink Vent Fish spend their entire lives around active vents or chimneys (nice overview from The Blue Planet here: bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00…) #StoatsAsMeasurement #2021MMM

@JoschuaKnuppe @acapomorphic @Friedman_Lab Last week, Saber-toothed Anchovy sent Planktonic Copepod adrift & Pink Vent Fish ate Lathe Acteon Snail #WinnerWinner #2021MMM

@JoschuaKnuppe @acapomorphic @Friedman_Lab Tonight, we find the fish in an ancient sea over modern-day Pakistan about 47 MYA (the Eocene Epoch of Cenozoic Era), when oxygen levels at shallower depths is relatively low (Zhou et al 2016 tinyurl.com/7emmbtuu, map from Scotese 2014) #MMMagic #2021MMM

@JoschuaKnuppe @acapomorphic @Friedman_Lab Pink Vent Fish is breathing just fine because it's hemoglobin has a super high affinity for oxygen (Weber et al 2003 tinyurl.com/4vkyru2h ) #DeepSeaAdaptation #EvolutionBaby #2021MMM

@JoschuaKnuppe @acapomorphic @Friedman_Lab BUT Pink Vent Fish is out in open ocean (pelagic) without any rocks or 3m (almost 9 stoats!) long giant tube worms to hide among #StoatsAsMeasurement #2021MMM

@JoschuaKnuppe @acapomorphic @Friedman_Lab Pink Vent Fish lacks a lateral line (a cool sensory system found in most fish, Biscoito & Segonzac 2006), so it does not sense a subtle change in water movement... #2021MMM tinyurl.com/5de68fsm

@JoschuaKnuppe @acapomorphic @Friedman_Lab ... and is blind-sided by a Saber-toothed Anchovy ambush!!! #NomNomNom #DinnerTime #CARNAGE #2021MMM

@JoschuaKnuppe @acapomorphic @Friedman_Lab SABER-TOOTHED ANCHOVY (DEF)EATS PINK VENT FISH!!! #2021MMM