Rich Ross

Burdened with glorious purpose

Making Babies! Once a Year Coral Spawn Event

October 9, 2013 No Comments

From and written by Animal World

October 5, 2013 by 

Tenting a Staghorn Coral Acropora cervicornis All Photos included here courtesy Richard Ross California Academy of Sciences

The Octo Mom pales in comparison to the Florida Keys Coral Spawn

An event that happens just once a year yet results in hundreds of thousands of babies. Imagine have just one such happening to produce all the offspring you could ever want! That’s the annual spawning of Elkhorn, Staghorn and other corals off the Florida Keys.

For just a short period of time each year, by a phase of the moon, thirty thousand coral colonies or more are synced-up and driven to reproduce. This happens in August or September, usually just a few days after a full moon.

Now that type of baby making is enough to stir the envy of any mom, Octo or otherwise! Granted, there’s not the same type of physical interaction mammals have, making babies in the animal world. There’s no dating or marriage, nor ongoing obligations. (more…)

Spectacular video by Richard Ross of Philippine soft coral spawning event

May 24, 2011 No Comments

From Advanced Aquarist blog

A team from California Academy of Sciences’ Steinhart Aquarium (including Advanced Aquarist writers/biologists Richard Ross and Matt Wandell) is currently at work in the Philippines. Thus far, they’ve managed to observe (and capture on video) many corals spawning. Today, Richard Ross posted their latest video of a Cespitularia soft coral spawning event taking place right now.

Biologists from Steinhart Aquarium collect coral gametes

On May 8, Richard Ross announced in Advanced Aquarist that Steinhart biologists were heading out into the field for “the most comprehensive scientific survey effort ever conducted in the Philippines.”

On their very first day of their expedition, Steinhart aquarists chance upon an Acropora spawning event and reported back two wonderful videos from their night dive (read Matt Wandell’s blog to watch the videos and to learn more about the SECORE (SExual COral REproduction) gamete-collecting initiative).

We now get word the team has produced yet another video, this time of soft coral spawning.  The video shows biologists collecting soft coral gametes.  These gametes will be carefully held until they are fertilized and ready to settle in captivity.  Watch the video below.

http://vimeo.com/24080492

We eagerly await reports from the Steinhart team when they return.  Great work, guys!

CEPHALOPOD BREEDING