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

Trashing the ocean.

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a circular pattern of currents, called the North Pacific gyre, has corralled an enormous vortex of floating garbage. Often referred to as the Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch, the area, which is at least the size of Texas, is like a slowly churning bowl of plastic soup. Roughly 80 percent of the debris, which ranges from bottles and fishing gear to toothbrushes and packaging scraps, came from land.


While the garbage patch is alarming because of its size and high concentration of trash, marine debris affects waters and coastlines around the world. Animals frequently become entangled in large pieces of debris and can be cut, drowned, or slowed down by dragging the extra weight. Heavy gear like abandoned fishing nets can damage reefs and other important habitat. Each year, marine debris kills more than one million birds and 100,000 marine mammals and causes hundreds of boating accidents.


Because of its durability and our increased use in recent decades, scientists estimate that plastic makes up 60 to 80 percent of marine debris worldwide. This creates a difficult problem because most plastics are not biodegradable. (Bacteria don't break them down into simple, harmless components the way they do paper or wood.) Instead, as plastic ages, the sun breaks it into smaller and smaller pieces. In some parts of the North Pacific gyre, plastic bits outweigh plankton by more than six to one in the surface waters.

heres a picture of a sample of the plastic bits found in the waters of the North Pacific gyre. GROSS!!

For more information check out http://ocean.si.edu/ocean_hall/marine_debris.html

The Saint Ocean Hall.

This post is dedicated to The Saint Ocean Hall. Located in the Smithsonian's museum of Natural History. Although the hall wasn't as big as I predicted, it was amazing. Everything in the hall and the museum was absolutely breath taking. The hall was very well done and included not only fossils but conservation information and ways to preserve our ocean for the future.

For those of you that missed the trip, here's a link for a virtual tour of the hall. http://ocean.si.edu/ocean_hall/Galleries/introduction.html

Thank you so much to Cathy, Jason and Danika for making it an experience I will never forget.

Rock lobster

Although the rock lobster isn't the most attractive creature... he makes it up in personality.

Wild rock lobster.

DID YOU KNOW!

The Rock lobsters are shy and often gather in caves or crevices during the day. But they become active at night, leaving their shelters to roam the reef to feed.

B-52 video.. rock lobster

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szhJzX0UgDM
B-52 made a video about my sea creature of the week.

ROCK LOBSTER!!!!!!
enjoy blog friends =)

Sea Creature of the week: ROCK LOBSTER

As a request from craig zeller, this weeks sea creature is the one and only Rock Lobster or spiny lobster. The rock lobster is not only a wikid creature, but also has a hit song sung by the B-52's.

Spiny Lobster is the general name given to about four dozen species of clawless lobster found in all the tropical and subtropical waters of the world, as well as the temperate seas of the Southern Hemisphere. When alive, the spiny lobster is a beautifully marked crustacean with yellow, orange, green and blue mottling over a predominately rust colored body. They may grow to twenty pounds, but most commonly are between one and five pounds. The California Spiny Lobster lacks the large claws of the Atlantic lobster. It more than makes up for that shortcoming by having a shell covered with sharp spines, large formidable looking antennae, and a powerful tail which can be used in defense or for rapid retreat.

http://www.montereyfish.com/seafood/spinylobster.htm

Sea Horse clip!

I found a short clip showing some sea horses swimming.. Watch how they move! they have little fins in their back that move at a very very fast pace.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3XJF-uY8SQ

Sea Creature of the WEEK: The seahorse

There are over 32 species of seahorse, mainly found in shallow tropical and temperate waters throughout the world. They prefer to live in sheltered areas such as sea grass beds, coral reefs, or mangroves. Hippocampus erectus are larger seahorses found anywhere from Nova Scotia down to around Uruguay. These fish form territories, with males staying in about one square meter of their habitat while females range about one hundred times that area. They bob around in sea grass meadows, mangrove stands, and coral reefs where they are camouflaged by murky brown and grey patterns that blend into the sea grass backgrounds. During social moments or in unusual surroundings, seahorses turn bright colors.

Seahorses are so named for their equine profile. Although they are bony fish, they do not have scales, rather a thin skin stretched over a series of bony plates arranged in rings throughout their body. Each species has a distinct number of rings.

Birth:

The male seahorse can give birth to as few as 1 and as many as 2,000 "fry" at a time and pregnancies last anywhere from two to four weeks, depending on the species.When the fry are ready to be born, the male undergoes muscular contractions to expel them from his pouch. He typically gives birth at night and is ready for the next batch of eggs by morning when his mate returns. Like almost all other fish species, seahorses do not care for their young once they are born. Infants are susceptible to death from predators or being swept into ocean currents, where they drift away from rich feeding grounds or into temperatures too extreme for their delicate bodies. Fewer than five infants of every 1,000 born survive to adulthood, helping to explain why litters are so large. The survival rates of these infants are actually fairly high compared to fish standards, because they are initially sheltered in their father’s pouch during the earliest stages of development, while the eggs of most other fish are abandoned immediately after fertilization. This makes the process worth the great cost to the father of incubating his offspring.

http://www.seahorses.de/seahorses.htm