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fauna

Traces of the day: Siphonichnus and Teichichnus

Today I photographed paired openings on the seafloor. These openings have been produced by burrowing bivalves (clams) to keep contact with the oxygenated seawater. The fossil burrows Siphonichnus and Teichichnus are possible analogues of this burrow system, spotted on the sandy seafloor of the Ligurian…

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Snorkelling in the Thyrrenian Sea

I was excited about today’s snorkelling dive in the Thyrrenian Sea, on the Italian coast. I was there to map burrows, but the richness of underwater life deserved some non-ichnological photos!

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An octopus within its burrow

I got these pictures of this amazing octopus (within its burrow) while mapping burrows on the seafloor of the Ligurian sea.

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Actuopaleontology: not only burrows

Here are some highlights from today’s actuopaleontological snorkelling survey, including a pen shell (Pinna sp.) and the Mediterranean red sea star (Echinaster sepositus)

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Fishes

A major part of my on-going research is mapping the products of modern life-substrate interactions – e.g. burrows and trails. However, sometimes it is impossible to ignore other wonders of  the marine ecosystem such as these fishes, including damselfishes (Chromis chromis) and saddled seabreams (Oblada…

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