Angry seahorses growl/New CE of perfumery
Tiny angry seahorses growl when grabbed
By Jason G. Goldman From Animals io9
Seahorses are known for making little “click” sounds while they’re feeding, but a group of Austrian and Brazilian researchers have discovered a completely new, never before heard type of seahorse vocalization, which they describe as a “growl.”
While it has been known since at least the late 1800s that seahorses could make sounds, studies investigating the functions of those sounds have been rare. To begin to address that dearth of research, scientist T. P. R. Oliveira rounded up a group of longsnout seahorses, Hippocampus reidi, a species which is found along the eastern coast of the Americas from Cape Hatteras to Brazil, and in the Gulf of Mexico.
Then, having equipped an aquarium tank with a hydrophone, the researchers took audio recordings of seahorses in three different situations: feeding, courtship, and stress. Feeding and courtship are straightforward enough. To induce a stressful situation, the researchers simply handled the seahorses. Oliveira explains that a researcher held onto each seahorse’s body at a distance of two centimeters from the hydrophone. “Although handling has a level of artificiality,” write the researchers, “it does provoke fish to produce sounds as if they were captured by a predator. Seahorses are frequently grabbed and held by predators such as frogfish before being swallowed.”
As expected, the seahorses “clicked” during feeding. Their clicks, which are audible to humans, were also emitted during courtship especially on the third day immediately before copulation. While it isn’t clear what the function of clicking during feeding is, it is thought that it helps couples to know when its time to get busy and to help maintain the pair bond. In some species, males also use clicks in competition over females. The acoustic properties of feeding clicks and courtship clicks are different, though, which leads Oliveira and colleagues to suspect that they may be addressed to receivers at different distances, perhaps, or to different audiences.
What was surprising, however, was the stress-induced “growl.” This was the first study to ever describe this type of seahorse sound. Growls were never emitted during social interactions with other seahorses, only when being handled by a human experimenter. If the seahorses indeed perceived that experience as similar to being captured by a predator, then it is reasonable to assume that the growls are part of their natural vocal repertoire.
Why make noises when captured? For fish, nobody really knows.
The predominant assumption would be that they warn other seahorses about the presence of a predator, like a monkey alarm call. Or perhaps they work to attract a second predator which would then attack the original predator, allowing the seahorse time to escape. The problem with that, given the acoustic information that Oliveira collected, is that the growls aren’t audible enough at large distances for either of those possibilities. But Oliveira and colleagues have another idea: “growls may constitute an additional escape mechanism because sound production is accompanied by body vibrations, which might startle predators.” The hypothesis isn’t completely bonkers, since catfish, lizards, and some birds also vibrate while making noise to escape becoming somebody else’s dinner.
I just wish the researchers had included a recording of all these sounds as a supplement to their paper. Because what could be more adorable than tiny angry seahorse growls?
[Journal of Zoology]
Header image: Cliff/Wikimedia Commons.
For more on this story go to: http://animals.io9.com/tiny-angry-seahorses-growl-when-grabbed-1597140565
Lance Patterson appointed Chief Executive of Cradle Holdings
GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman, July 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Cradle Holdings, Ltd., which includes the luxury fragrance companies Penhaligon’s, which is based in London, U.K. and L’Artisan Parfumeur, which is based in Paris and Grasse, France, announced the appointment of Lance Patterson as its Chief Executive Officer and to its Board of Directors. Cradle Holdings, Ltd. is an affiliate of Fox Paine & Company, LLC, which is based in Woodside, California.
Mr. Patterson has over 22 years of retail expertise building luxury brands, including most recently as co-President of Peter Thomas Roth Clinical Skincare. Under Lance Patterson’s leadership, PTR achieved record-breaking results. Prior to his tenure at PTR, Mr. Patterson served as a senior executive at Bare Escentuals and several LVMH cosmetic divisions, including Benefit Cosmetics, Acqua Di Parma, and Bliss. Mr. Patterson holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts Degree in Communications from the University of Pittsburgh.
Mr. Patterson succeeds Sarah Rotheram, who resigned her positions with Cradle Holdings and affiliates to become Chief Executive of Aspinals of London, a manufacturer of luxury leather goods. Over the last six years, under Ms. Rotheram’s leadership, Penhaligon’s and L’Artisan Parfumeur launched highly creative and commercially successful novel fragrances and other products while extending Penhaligon’s and L’Artisan Parfumeur’s global presence.
“We are delighted that Lance Patterson joined Cradle Holdings as its Chief Executive,” stated Saul Fox, Founding Member of Fox Paine, whose affiliated private equity fund is Cradle Holding’s predominant investor. “Given Lance Patterson’s track record building highly profitable and rapidly growing global luxury brands, he is ideally suited to oversee Penhaligon’s and L’Artisan Parfumeur’s efforts going forward.” Lance Patterson added: “The growth and enhanced profitability opportunities at Penhaligon’s and L’Artisan Parfumeur are compelling. With the support of Fox Paine, I am confident that Penhaligon’s and L’Artisan Parfumeur will be propelled to new heights.”
About Cradle Holdings, Ltd.
Penhaligon’s, founded in 1872 based in London, is a niche manufacturer, global distributor and luxury retailer of prestige fragrances and toiletries. Its timeless and innovative fragrances include Vaara, created for His Highness Maharaja Gaj Singh II and Blenheim Bouquet, created in 1902 for the Duke of Marlborough.
L’Artisan Parfumeur, established in 1976 and based in Paris and Grasse, France, is an artisanal manufacturer, global distributor and retailer of niche luxury fragrance and related gift items. L’Artisan Parfumeur’s daring fragrances include Mure et Musc, an icon since its creation in 1978 and considered “the” fragrance of the Parisian woman. In 2013, the brand launched, Explosions d’Emotions, capturing the essence of modern perfumery.
SOURCE Fox Paine and Company, LLC
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