So, cownose rays are in Bermuda 🇧🇲 now! How did they get there, and what does it mean, ecologically? 🤔 Read more about this collaborative effort between @HarborBranch @USMPhillipsLab @BdaZooSociety & @NOAAFisheries ➡️ #rayrevolution #Bermuda #Atlantic https://t.co/1VXT7IdMdE

We're seeking a #postdoc at @OceanEcologyLab for a new project with @NOAAFish_NWFSC to study the role of marine mammals and seabirds in shaping the early life history of salmon. Fun fieldwork! Cool models! Thermal imaging! AI! $55-60k for 2.5yr pls share!:

Proud to be with @FrontiersIn Fish Science as an Associate Editor🐟🐟🐟🐟: https://t.co/4NB16wyBns Note that there is an #elasmobranch science section within the journal as well for #shark, #skate, and #ray work! 🦈 More here: https://t.co/hDjFNTb1un #openaccess #RetweeetPlease

POST-DOC available at @SportfishCenter @HarteResearch, a GREAT place to work! 🐟🎣🦈🚤🔬🏄 Check out their video here: https://t.co/P6u964Fcgj Job Link here: https://t.co/RlAy3En0J0 #postdocjobs #fisheries #gulfofmexico #marinescience #fishscience #sharkscience #tamucc #Texas

Write up of our recent paper on great hammerhead shark dynamics in French Polynesia @SharkMourier @HuveneersSSEG @FIUEnvironment @FIUMarineBio @FrontMarineSci https://t.co/HKL7YhwvJr

I’m looking for a postdoc to work on acoustic telemetry projects in the US mid-Atlantic and northeast regions. The position is based in Maryland @SmithsonianEnv and starts this fall. #postdoc #JobAlert

Please read the full article here to learn more about these findings and awesome collaborative study. https://t.co/9JAeNuPluf This took a village! #RaysUp #raystheroof #harborbranch #fau #mote #eagleray #sharkscience #Diet #ecology #Florida #shellfish #marinescience #ocean 11/11

This is important since we found no evidence of consumption of bivalve species of commercial or recreational interest in Florida, such as hard clam, eastern oyster, or bay scallop. BUT, it is important to recognize these species are quite depleted in the areas we assessed. 10/11

Why is this important? Well, rays are protected by @MyFWC in Florida, and considered globally "endangered" by @IUCNRedList. So, these dietary data are important for understanding how the species interacts with other components of the food web. 9/11

Additionally, younger rays had diets more dominated by bivalves, whereas adults had higher contributions of gastropods and hermit crabs. 8/11

So, what did we find? Rays had a diet dominated by mollusks and some hermit crabs. While that is consistent with previous work, we were able to identify 33 unique taxa, more than any other study to date! The most important species? Atlantic Giant Cockle! 7/11

We then sorted prey tissue worked with @VossLaboratory to developed protocols and primers to conduct DNA extractions before sending for analysis to @UAAHGSA and @BarcodeofLife and @NCBI 6/11

Then, we developed an INTERNAL tissue guide of shelled invertebrates from the sampling area, in case the gut content material was fresh enough to identify to species. So, we'd match stomach content to the tissue guide where possible. 5/11

So, what did we do? Well, a couple of things! First, we went out and collected >50 individuals with @MoteMarineLab and used a non-lethal technique called gastric lavage to obtain the gut contents. 4/11

This removes "evidence" of what they've eaten from their digestive tract, since all that remains is soft tissues of their primarily mollusk prey. I mean, can you identify this stuff below? 3/11

Eagle rays loved hard shelled things🐚... but they are also good at getting rid of the shell through a process called "winnowing." 2/11

Check out the PR on our new #openaccess paper on whitespotted eagle ray diet in Flrida by former student @elasmobri, just published in @Fishes_MDPI. Awesome collaboration between @FishEcoHBOI @CnidaRyan @VossLaboratory and @MsHullRay https://t.co/QAoYYCpdps A thread... 1/11

Congratulations to graduate student Natalia Jaworski and Ph.D. candidate Clark Morgan for receiving Guy Harvey Scholarship Awards for marine science research! @FloridaSeaGrant https://t.co/usZ7NuLIgx #marinescienceresearch #harborbranch #guyharvey #sustainablefisheries

Very thankful for the Editor’s Choice feature in @ICES_ASC Follow the tweet below to watch the promo video and read the paper. Fish sounds provided in the supplementary data!!🐟 🗣️

Estuarine fish are talking, and we can learn a lot about the health & function of their populations by listening in! 🐟🗣️ Check out our new paper in the ICES JMS to learn more @ICES_ASC @OxfordJournals @OUPAcademic – https://t.co/t3slsw9jxT @gobysimon @TPWDfish @UTMSI @UTAustin