Giant Squid short movie:

Here's a short movie about a sail boat who had a close encounter with a giant squid.
enjoy bloggers!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeG8rHuCIDQ

Sea Creature of the WEEK: GIANT SQUID

At the smithsonian was a very large squid.. probably my favorite thing in the ocean's hall.

The squid at the meseum is a male caught in July 2005. He is almost 20 feet long, has tentacles of about 15 feet and weighs slightly more than 100 pounds. http://ocean.si.edu/ocean_hall/squid.html

Size: The giant squid is the second largest mollusc and the second largest of all extant invertebrates. giant squid's mantles are not known to exceed 2.25 metres (7.4 ft) in length. Including the head and arms, but excluding the tentacles, the length very rarely exceeds 5 metres (16 ft).

Reproduction: is thought that they reach sexual maturity at about 3 years; males reach sexual maturity at a smaller size than females. Females produce large quantities of eggs, sometimes more than 5 kg, that average 0.5 to 1.4 millimetres (0.020 to 0.055 in) long and 0.3 to 0.7 millimetres (0.012 to 0.028 in) wide. Females have a single median ovary in the rear end of the mantle cavity and paired convoluted oviducts where mature eggs pass exiting through the oviducal glands, then through the nidamental glands. As in other squid, these glands produce a gelatinous material used to keep the eggs together once they are laid.

Feeding: Recent studies show that giant squid feed on deep-sea fish and other squid species. They catch prey using the two tentacles, gripping it with serrated sucker rings on the ends. Then they bring it toward the powerful beak, and shred it with the radula (tongue with small, file-like teeth) before it reaches the esophagus. They are believed to be solitary hunters, as only individual giant squid have been caught in fishing nets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_squid#Size

Forests on the Fringe: Mangroves Losing Ground Globally

In recent years, deforestation, or the cutting down of large tracts of trees, has received much attention worldwide. Scientist and citizens alike have become concerned about the loss of species and habitat as trees disappear from places like the Amazon rainforest. But in the warm tropical waters around the middle of the planet, another type of important forest is being destroyed—faster and with less fanfare.

Mangroves, salt-tolerant trees that thrive in swampy areas along many tropical and subtropical coasts, are rapidly being displaced by development, industrial activity, and aquaculture. Normally, their dense forest canopy and extensive root systems—above and below the water line—provide many benefits to humans and other species.

Despite their importance, mangroves are disappearing at an alarming rate from coastal areas around the world. While mangrove cover is increasing in a few places, scientists estimate that at least 35 percent of the world's mangroves have been lost in the last decade—a rate of loss that exceeds tropical rainforests.

http://ocean.si.edu/ocean_hall/mangrove_removal.html

Rough Going for Orange Roughy Fish

In the dark, cold waters 600 meters (nearly 2,000 feet) below the ocean's surface, things happen slowly. Orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus), deep ocean fish that were once known as "slimeheads" because of the mucous-producing canals on their heads, grow and mature at a sluggish rate compared to most shallow water fish. They don't reproduce until they are at least 20 years old and can reportedly live to be 149.

Before 1980, orange roughy lived their long, plodding lives mostly beyond human reach. But in the past few decades, as fish in shallow waters near the coast have become harder to find, many fishermen have expanded into deeper waters – including the orange roughy's habitat.
In a short time, the fish's popularity as a food item exploded. Roughy often gather in large groups, so fisherman could easily haul in big batches using trawl nets—wide-mouthed nets that are dragged behind boats. These sudden, large harvests did not leave the roughy enough time to reproduce and stocks began declining quickly, especially near New Zealand, Australia and Namibia. In some places roughy fishing has been restricted, but scientists expect the slow-growing fish's recovery to take many years.

Heavy orange roughy fishing has taken its toll in other ways, too. The wide mouth of a trawl net often pulls in other unwanted animals, called bycatch, which are usually thrown back into the ocean dead or dying. Areas of the seafloor and seamounts (underwater mountains) where roughy hang out have also been scraped and scarred by trawl nets. Seamounts, which host a wide diversity of corals, fish, and other animals, can take decades to heal.

While most deep-sea fish are slow growing and vulnerable to overfishing, not all are in danger. For example, the sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria), found in deep waters of the northeast Pacific, is a well-studied and successfully managed commercial fishery. To find out which fish are OK to eat and which need a break from our dinner plates, download a sustainable seafood guide.

Here's a photo of some orange roughy and bycatch on the deck of a research trawler off the east coast of Tasmania.

http://ocean.si.edu/ocean_hall/orange_roughy.html

puffer fish continued.

Here's two short clips of my beloved puffer fish all puffed up. It's so neat that they can expand that much in their form of defense. Enjoy my fellow bloggers =)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrxmYVY1yo8&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLMby_JcNb0&feature=related

Sea cresture of the week: the PUFFER FISH!!

Did you know! Puffer Fish are the second most poisonous vertebrate in the world, the first being a Golden Poison Frog. The skin and certain internal organs of many Tetraodontidae are highly toxic to humans, but nevertheless the meat of some species is considered a delicacy in both Japan and Korea. If one is caught while fishing, it is recommended that thick gloves are worn to avoid poisoning and getting bitten when removing the hook.

Natural defense:As a defense mechanism, puffers have the ability to inflate rapidly, filling their extremely elastic stomachswith water (or air when outside the water) until they are almost spherical in shape. Thus, a hungry predator stalking the puffers may suddenly find itself facing what seems to be a much larger fish and pause, giving the puffers an opportunity to retreat to safety. When lifted out of water there is a risk that puffers inflate with air. This may result in problems deflating again afterwards.

Reproduction: The balloonfish has a pelagic, or open-ocean, life stage. Spawning occurs after males slowly push females to the water surface. The eggs are spherical and buoyant, floating in the water. Hatching occurs roughly after four days. The larvae are predominately yellow with scattered red spots. They are well developed with a functional mouth, eyes, and a swim bladder. Larvae less than ten days old are covered with a thin shell. After the first ten days, the shell is lost and the spines begin to develop. The larvae undergo a metamorphosis approximately three weeks after hatching.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffer_fish