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Citizen donations provided new information on 10 of the 17 seahorse species previously thought to be lacking data, and helped update knowledge about the geographic distribution of nine species, researchers said. writes in the Journal of Fish Biology. Some of the observations have helped scientists better understand when and how seahorses reproduce.
Founded in 2013, the iSeahorse project invites the public to record seahorse sightings and observe the animals’ behavior. According to his website for the project, iSeahorse has so far collected about 11,000 observations from more than 1,900 contributors.
Overall, the researchers were able to verify 7,794 observations from 96 countries and 35 species of seahorses. Volunteer observers even noted rare species that would probably not have been detected through traditional monitoring, they wrote.
“Seahorses are an extremely fascinating species that benefits from community science, as they are so mysterious that even formal study is difficult,” says co-founder of the project and director of the Bertarelli Foundation’s marine science program. said one Heather Caldeway. news release. Koldewey, a co-author of the study, said the new findings highlight the importance of community science efforts in raising awareness and achieving conservation goals.
Want to get involved? Visit https://projectseahorse.org/iseahorse/ for more information.
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