SEA NETTLE JELLYFISH BY MATIAS TOTZ
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jellyfish
Monday, 22 August 2016
Jellyfish Fun
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jellyfish
Sea Urchin Fun
SEA URCHINS BY MATIAS TOTZ
Background Info
There are almost 950 different species of sea urchins living in the oceans worldwide. These creatures’ shells can reach 3-10 cm long and their spikes are normally 1-3 cm long but a few of the species can have 10-30 cm long spikes. Sea urchins are normally either black, green, brown, purple, blue, or red. They have hundreds of tiny tube feet on the bottom of their shell which helps them move very slowly and stick to walls to reach algae, their main source of food.
There are almost 950 different species of sea urchins living in the oceans worldwide. These creatures’ shells can reach 3-10 cm long and their spikes are normally 1-3 cm long but a few of the species can have 10-30 cm long spikes. Sea urchins are normally either black, green, brown, purple, blue, or red. They have hundreds of tiny tube feet on the bottom of their shell which helps them move very slowly and stick to walls to reach algae, their main source of food.
Their Life Cycle
A few great beasts feed upon sea urchins including sea otters, starfish, wolf eels and triggerfish but other than these, there are not very many creatures who can feast upon sea urchins because they have protective spikes surrounding their body which help keep away any predators trying to break them open. In some unusual cases, people have accidentally stepped on sea urchins resulting in a lot of pain and a lot of unwanted poky spikes. “Urchin” comes from an old word for hedgehog, which have a very similar structure to sea urchins. Sea urchins are one of many unwanted surprises that may just find a way into your life… or foot. Sea urchins do not look like they can kill but on occasion they can bring down humans as did one when a tourist stepped on its loooonggg spikes filled with deadly venom.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_urchin
A few great beasts feed upon sea urchins including sea otters, starfish, wolf eels and triggerfish but other than these, there are not very many creatures who can feast upon sea urchins because they have protective spikes surrounding their body which help keep away any predators trying to break them open. In some unusual cases, people have accidentally stepped on sea urchins resulting in a lot of pain and a lot of unwanted poky spikes. “Urchin” comes from an old word for hedgehog, which have a very similar structure to sea urchins. Sea urchins are one of many unwanted surprises that may just find a way into your life… or foot. Sea urchins do not look like they can kill but on occasion they can bring down humans as did one when a tourist stepped on its loooonggg spikes filled with deadly venom.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_urchin
Sea Cucumber Fun
SEA CUCUMBERS BY MATIAS TOTZ
Species
Sea cucumbers are found on the bottom of the ocean worldwide and are known for being a great addition to any meal. These brilliant creatures look like dogs’ chew toys but they actually are very fascinating creatures with so many talents. There are almost 1,800 different species of sea cucumber found across the world. The one species of sea cucumber that sticks out most to me is the beaded sea cucumber because it reminds me of a glow-in-the-dark banana.
Defense Mechanisms
Some sea cucumbers have spikes sticking out of their body which are very soft but serve as a defense mechanism to trick any predators into thinking they have hard, sharp spikes. Another defense mechanism these creatures have hidden under their sleeves is a gut distraction. If a predator latches onto one of these sea cucumbers, the sea cucumber has the ability to spit out their guts to serve as a distraction. Sea cucumbers will grow up to 10-30 cm long, but some species can grow up to 3 m long.
Food Source
The largest American species which is normally found in the Florida reefs, has a mass of well over 500 cubic centimeters. Sea cucumbers use their mouth to scrape off any algae growing on rocks and will normally only eat anything green. I do not know why sea cucumbers taste so good if all they eat is algae!
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_cucumber
Sea cucumbers are found on the bottom of the ocean worldwide and are known for being a great addition to any meal. These brilliant creatures look like dogs’ chew toys but they actually are very fascinating creatures with so many talents. There are almost 1,800 different species of sea cucumber found across the world. The one species of sea cucumber that sticks out most to me is the beaded sea cucumber because it reminds me of a glow-in-the-dark banana.
Defense Mechanisms
Some sea cucumbers have spikes sticking out of their body which are very soft but serve as a defense mechanism to trick any predators into thinking they have hard, sharp spikes. Another defense mechanism these creatures have hidden under their sleeves is a gut distraction. If a predator latches onto one of these sea cucumbers, the sea cucumber has the ability to spit out their guts to serve as a distraction. Sea cucumbers will grow up to 10-30 cm long, but some species can grow up to 3 m long.
Food Source
The largest American species which is normally found in the Florida reefs, has a mass of well over 500 cubic centimeters. Sea cucumbers use their mouth to scrape off any algae growing on rocks and will normally only eat anything green. I do not know why sea cucumbers taste so good if all they eat is algae!
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_cucumber
Tuesday, 2 August 2016
Sea Star Fun!
SEA STARS BY MATIAS TOTZ
Basic Info
Star fish actually don't exist, sea stars do. One of the most wrongly named animals on the world are sea stars which are commonly mistaken for "star fish." There are over 1,500 magnificent types of these creatures ranging from small brittle stars to the giant sea star. Sea stars are normally found in almost every ocean at around the depth of 6,000m. Most sea stars have five arms lined with hundreds of tiny tube feet that slowly but surely help the sea star move. On the bottom of the sea star, right in the middle is the mouth. Most sea stars are generalist predators, eating algae, sponges, snails, and other small animals. Fish, sea turtles, snails, crabs, shrimp, otters, birds and even other sea stars eat sea stars. Isn't it funny that star fish can be eaten by snails and other starfish even though they eat snails and star fish.
Predators
Even though the sea star's skin is rough and hard, a predator can eat it whole. Predators not big enough to eat them in one bite can flip them over to their soft underside. You may be wondering how these slow five-armed creatures can survive in such a harsh habitat? Well a few species of sea stars like the purple sea star, have almost been wiped off the planet entirely by a horrible disease called the Wasting Syndrome. This disease has come around a few times now but next time we will be ready and not as many sea stars will turn to dust.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfish
Basic Info
Star fish actually don't exist, sea stars do. One of the most wrongly named animals on the world are sea stars which are commonly mistaken for "star fish." There are over 1,500 magnificent types of these creatures ranging from small brittle stars to the giant sea star. Sea stars are normally found in almost every ocean at around the depth of 6,000m. Most sea stars have five arms lined with hundreds of tiny tube feet that slowly but surely help the sea star move. On the bottom of the sea star, right in the middle is the mouth. Most sea stars are generalist predators, eating algae, sponges, snails, and other small animals. Fish, sea turtles, snails, crabs, shrimp, otters, birds and even other sea stars eat sea stars. Isn't it funny that star fish can be eaten by snails and other starfish even though they eat snails and star fish.
Predators
Even though the sea star's skin is rough and hard, a predator can eat it whole. Predators not big enough to eat them in one bite can flip them over to their soft underside. You may be wondering how these slow five-armed creatures can survive in such a harsh habitat? Well a few species of sea stars like the purple sea star, have almost been wiped off the planet entirely by a horrible disease called the Wasting Syndrome. This disease has come around a few times now but next time we will be ready and not as many sea stars will turn to dust.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfish
Wolf Eel Fun!!
WOLF EELS BY MATIAS TOTZ
Basic Info
One of the more popular creatures in the Shaw Ocean Discovery Aquarium is the wolf eel. Fully grown these magnificent creatures can reach the length of almost 200 cm which is almost 80 inches, and weigh about 40 lbs!! Wolf eels feed on crustaceans, sea urchins, mussels, clams, and some smaller fishes. At the aquarium we feed them cut up herring, cut up squid, and larger krill. These creatures love to hide in any crack or undergrowth they can find. At the aquarium, they will not come out until feeding time and when the larger food has been eaten they disappear once again into their hiding spots. Wolf eels are very curious and friendly, except for a few cases of wolf eel bites, these guys are rarely aggressive. During feeding time at the aquarium, one of the wolf eels normally swims to the very top of the tank where he will get hand fed and will receive a head pat. In some parts of the world like Northwest America, people enjoy the taste of wolf eels’ tasty and savoury white flesh. All juvenile wolf eels have dark grey skin colour but when they grow up they may take on a bleach white colour if they are a male, and if they are a female, a darker skin tone. Wolf eels may look like an eel, they may have “eel” in their name, but they are actually not true eels because they have pelvic fins. These beautiful fish are commonly mistaken for eels but they truly belong to the fish class and not the eel class. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_eel
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