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You big fat 'sea' pig!
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Sea pigs are marine animals around 15 cm long that live about 1,000 metres down on the deep sea floor. They are scotoplanes (sea cucumbers) and their 'legs' are actually elongated feet which are used to push food into their mouths. The apparent antennae on the front of the head are also feet, used to tread the deep sea water. They feed on deep ocean mud and thrive on the organic material present there. The sea pigs are not considered as a threat to humans and they are not an endangered species. ...
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4039 |
savio |
10 years ago |
Would you eat this mysterious blue fish?
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Lingcods are sometimes found with amazing, edible blue flesh. A bile pigment called biliverdin seems to be the cause, but exactly how it gets into the flesh of the fish remains a mystery.
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5217 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
World's newest island
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The world's newest island, Niijima, keeps on growing, and is now eight times the size it was when it first emerged off the coast of Japan on 20 November. Having merged with its neighbouring uninhabited island, Nishino Shima - which sat 500 metres away in November - the pair bears an uncanny resemblance to Snoopy the cartoon dog.
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6336 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
World's largest fish species
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This photo shows a diver almost being eaten by a whale shark, the world's largest fish species. Marine photographer Mauricio Handler captured the intense moment during a dive in Isla Mujeres, Mexico, when more than 600 of the 12-metre-long animals gathered to feed on tuna spawn.
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3096 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Wholphin: a fertile hybrid
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A wholphin is a rare fertile hybrid born from mating a bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus) (mother), and a false killer whale ( Pseudorca crassidens). Although they have been reported to exist in the wild, the first captive wholphin was born in 1945, where a bottlenose dolphin and a male false killer whale shared a pool. The wholphin's size, color and shape are intermediate between the parent species. For example, an adult wholphin has 66 teeth - intermediate between a bottlenose (88 teeth) and false killer whale (44 teeth). They are smaller than a false killer whale but are larger than a normal bottlenose. Normally, when two different, yet similar species mate, such as a female horse and a male donkey forming a mule, the progeny is expec ...
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6515 |
bio_man |
2 years ago |
What's the ocean's equivalent to the cheetah?
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The shortfin mako ( Isurus oxyrinchus) is probably the champion speedster among sharks. Its speed has been recorded at 40 km/h (25 mph) with bursts of up to 74 km/h (46 mph). What's more, this high-leaping fish can leap approximately 9 m (30 ft) high or higher in the air. With its highly streamlined body, a lunate tail supported by keels, a sharply pointed snout, large eyes and some of the wickedest-looking teeth in its class, the mako shark is a highly sought-after game fish worldwide. ...
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9434 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
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24637 |
ehd123 |
8 years ago |
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24746 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
To kill or not to krill?
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Without krill, most of the marine animals in Antarctica would disappear. So what are they?Krill are crustaceans, each about 5 cm long. In addition to their diet of phytoplankton, they have the ability to scrape ice-algae from the underside of ice formations. In turn, they are on the menu for hungry squid, penguins, seals and whales. In short, krill form an integral part of the Antarctic ecosystem. Together, krill would number in the billions, yet their numbers are decreasing. Why? One reason may be the melting and loss of ice formation due to increased global temperatures. Another reason is humans' greed. Krill oil, high in omega-3 fatty acids, is packaged as health medication to maintain healthy cholesterol. How many krill are worth the lif ...
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3020 |
duddy |
11 years ago |
This isn't a fancy dessert
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We know they kind of look and sound like a fancy dessert, but you won't find Little Egg Cowries on a dinner plate any time soon. In fact, you'll have a hard time finding them anywhere, because these spotty little sea creatures are masters of disguise. Through a process known as 'alimentary homochromy', they can change the colour, patterns, and shape of their flesh to perfectly mimic that of the coral and sea sponges around them.
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2147 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
This fish looks like it can perform hypnosis
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Stargazer fish have their eyes situated on the tops of their heads and can bury themselves in the sediment with only their faces sticking out. Some species lure prey with a worm-shaped projection that comes out of their mouths. They are toxic and some can deliver a 50 volt shock!
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3910 |
savio |
10 years ago |
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8180 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
There's no place like home
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Female lemon sharks return to the place they were born almost 15 years later to give birth to their own young, a longer-term study has revealed, confirming "homing" behaviour for the first time in sharks.
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5786 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
The Wobbegong shark
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Not all sharks are built for speed. This bottom-dwelling wobbegong shark stays near the ocean floor. Its camouflage allows it to go largely unnoticed, until its prey wanders too close or thinks the tassels are something to eat. Then, the wobbegong leaps into action, devouring the unlucky fish, squid, or crustacean. They’ve even been seen swallowing other sharks whole!
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3097 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
The plastisphere
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Much of the debris in our oceans consists of small fragments of detritus no larger than a fingernail. These confetti-like plastic pieces act as microbial reefs – their own ecosystems – in the vast open ocean. Scientists are studying them to help better understand the predation and symbiosis in these mini ecosystems themselves and also how they are affecting the ocean and its other communities on a broader scale.
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3330 |
duddy |
10 years ago |