MBL March Madness: Out of Towners Division

Organisms in the "Out of Towners" MBL March Madness Division 2022
Credit: Emily Greenhalgh
By Emily Greenhalgh March 17, 2022
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Woods Hole is bursting with biodiversity, but it doesn't have everything. Scientists at the ǧƵ study organisms from all over the world. Important biological models—including zebrafish, Xenopus, and some cephalopod species—are cultured at the ǧƵ to give our researchers (and researchers around the world) access to these biological samples. Here are a few organisms that travel from far and wide to be part of MBL research.

Meet the Organisms:

Lesser Pacific Striped Octopus

Lesser Pacific striped octopus (Octopus chierchiae).
Lesser Pacific striped octopus (Octopus chierchiae). Credit: Tim Briggs

The lesser Pacific striped octopus (Octopus chierchiae) lives in the Pacific waters of Central America and can often be found by small rocks, shells, and cracks in the intertidal zone. The ǧƵ’s Cephalopod Mariculture team successfully bred O. chierchiae through multiple generations in 2019 — a global first.

Learn More About the Lesser Striped Pacific Octopus

Chain Catshark

Chain Catshark (Scyliorhinus retifer) Credit: NOAA Okeanos Explorer
Chain Catshark (Scyliorhinus retifer) Credit: NOAA Okeanos Explorer

Chain catshark (Scyliorhinus retifer) is a small species of shark that lives in the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. They spend most of their time resting on the seafloor, where they attach pairs of egg cases to rocks. The eggs hatch after 8 to 12 months. Scientists at the ǧƵ study the development of catshark eggs to better understand human growth and development.

Learn more about Chain Catsharks

Sea Lamprey

Adult sea lamprey
Adult sea lamprey (Petromyzon  marinus). Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is an aggressive parasite that is considered a pest in many regions, including the U.S. Great Lakes. An ancient vertebrate, its lineage diverged from that of humans about 500 million years ago. Scientists study lampreys to help gain molecular understanding of human neurodegenerative disease and neurological disorders and to better understand the genetic basis of regeneration.

Learn more about the sea lamprey

Zebrafish

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) in a lab.
ܱھ(Danio rerio) in a lab. Credit: Lynn Ketchum, OSU via CC license

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a small freshwater fish native to southeast Asia and a popular model system for human genetic disease research as well as for studying vertebrate gene function. Zebrafish embryos are nearly transparent, which makes them an ideal organism for studying the development of internal structures.

Learn more about zebrafish

MBL March Madness Divisions (2022)

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