The professor is in!

On the rocky shore of Lake Saimaa, Ringed Seal drags himself up out of the water - not onto ice, but onto land! Unlike other seals, who use ice for their spring moult, Saimaa Ringed Seals often return to the same place on land each year to shed their old fur (Biard et al., 2021) #2025MMM

In the 1980s, researchers determined that "approximately 70% of [Saimaa ringed seal] pups drowned each year after becoming entangled in gill nets," in Lake Saimaa, Finland (Bell et al., 2008). #2025MMM

Using models of future climate impacts, researchers anticipate that the current habitat for Ginkgo will shift in the coming years, and that areas in the southern edge of Ginkgo's range may experience significant habitat fragmentation (Xie et al., 2024) #2025MMM

Frilled Shark's needle-sharp, barbed teeth close around Tuatara's torso... #2025MMM

Mid-March marks the end of the courtship season for Tuatara, so our competitor is looking for a last chance at romance on Stephens Island in New Zealand. He proudly puffs up & displays his spines, strutting around in a "proud walk" (Gans et al, 1984) #2025MMM

We're back in Suruga Bay, Japan, where Frilled Shark lies in wait in the midwaters. Their eel-like form and fins positioned near the back of their bodies suggest that they may wait for food to come to them, then strike with snake-like precision! (Ebert and Compagno, 2009) #2025MMM

The Tuatara is one cold-blooded competitor - literally! Because they can't regulate their own body temperature, they use behavior to beat the heat or survive the cold. They're sensitive enough to change the temperatures they prefer based on humidity! (Corkery et al. 2013) #2025MMM

The Frilled Shark, fresh off the fern-y carnage of round one, is hungry for battle (and squid)! While these sharks spend a lot of time in the ocean depths, especially in warmer summer months (Tanaka et. al 1990), they spend time higher up in the water during cooler months looking for a meal #2025MMM

Tonight's battle takes place in Eastern Europe. In winter Starry Sturgeon lurked along the bed of the Black Sea, chowing down on fish, worms, & crustaceans detected with her whisker-like sensory organ (barbels). Without teeth, she suctions prey into her large, bottom-facing mouth. #2025MMM

Don't be deceived! Even though Tuatara look like lizards, they are in fact the only living member of the order Rhynchocephalia, which means "beak head"! The name Tuatara comes from a Māori word meaning "peaks or spikes on the back." This reptile tips the scales at 2.2 lbs (4.5 stoats) #2025MMM

Sturgeons as a group are known for their elongated snoots (formally "rostra"). They contain electroreceptors, which allow them to sense electric fields in the water! Like their cousins the paddlefish, sturgeon use these electroreceptors to tell when dinner is nearby! (Zhang et al. 2012) #2025MMM

Clocking in at a whopping 180 lbs (364 stoats) and 7.2 feet (6.5 stoats) long, the Starry Sturgeon is a real aquatic heavyweight. Maxing out at 29 years old, these fish are also older and wiser, making for a powerful combatant (Bakhshalizadeh et al., 2012). #2025MMM