The Biodiversity Project « Joel Sartore

BBC Nature - Corals inflate to escape being buried alive in sand 8 February 2012Last updated at 03:38 By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC Nature Footage captured over 20 hours shows the coral inflating and deflating to throw off sand Coral might appear solid and inanimate, but surprising new footage of a mushroom coral inflating itself to escape a sandy burial has brought the organism to life. A scientist from the University of Queensland used timelapse photography to capture the footage. It was already known that the species could release itself from the sandy seabed, but it was not clear how. Since corals move so slowly, time-lapse imagery was used to find out. Dr Pim Bongaerts captured the footage and published his findings in the journal Coral Reef. As sandy sediments shift on the seabed, corals need to breathe and prevent themselves from being smothered. "Sedimentation presents a major threat for corals, as they can become covered in a layer of sand from which they are unable to escape," explained Dr Bongaerts. Inflate and deflate

Penguin Cam, Ustream.TV: Penguin Cam - Topside In honor of Discovery Channel and the BBC's groundbreaking Frozen Planet series, we are proud to bring you We are pleased to announce the Penguin Cam will continue to broadcast LIVE in HD on the SeaWorld website beginning June 1. Join us every day to watch these funny and fascinating creatures swim, slide, eat and waddle around SeaWorld’s state of the art facility. Kept at a brisk 25°F year-round and featuring nearly 300 penguins from five different species, there's only two places in the world you can get this experience – Antarctica and SeaWorld. Tune in for periodic penguin feedings throughout the day. Frequently Asked Questions Where is this? How many penguins are here and what types are there? Why is the picture blurry?