You are here: Home / Archives for Marine Science / Vertebrates

What do you mako this?

August 3, 2009 by Leave a Comment

In honor of Shark Week on the Discovery Channel I decided to post a different shark fact each week.jumping_mako

Today…What is the fastest shark species?

The mako shark is the fastest shark. It can get up to 20 miles per hour (or faster when being chased by an enemy). The mako shark can naturally move as fast as I do while driving a go-kart. Unbelievable!

You’d have to be pretty skilled to catch a mako shark, especially on a rod. Here is an article from Underwater Times telling how Brendan Mason caught a 600 pound mako shark with just a rod and reel!

The mako shark can even jump up to 20 feet in the air.

Do you have another great question? Check out www.beachchairscientist.com and enter let us know or e-mail beachchairscientist@gmail.com!

Image (c) UnderWater Times.

Filed Under: Fish, Sharks

Who is afraid of Atlantic wolf(fish)?

July 30, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Wolf FishThe Atlantic wolffish (Anarhichas lupus) may look rather frightening, but, the fish will only harm you if it is out of water. This is rather understandable since it is out of its natural habitat. It prefers to live on rocky bottoms of the ocean floor in very deep, cold waters.

These fish have high concentrations of the compound found in antifreeze so they are able to survive these low temperatures.

The Atlantic wolffish may have gotten black listed as a ‘scary creature’ since it is so often seen out of the water. Commercial fishermen often caught this fish by accident (i.e., bycatch). In fact, the wolffish is listed as a Species of Concern with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Image (c) mercola.com

Filed Under: Bony Fishes, Fish Tagged With: , , , ,

How do flamingos get their color?

July 29, 2009 by Leave a Comment

From their diet. They eat foods high in beta carotene, mostly shrimp and algae. They also will eat mollusks (clams or snails) or crustaceans (crabs). They gather their food by gulping water with their beak and then straining the water and eating the leftover food. So, that being said, the color often varies between bird to bird in a flock.

Flamingos in a zoo are fed foods with the additive canthaxanthin to keep the color up to everyone’s expectations. The same is done with the pretty pink salmon you buy that is farmed and not caught in the wild.

 

Filed Under: Birds Tagged With: , ,

What about blob(fish)?

July 29, 2009 by 18 Comments

“The blobfish is the ugliest animal in the ocean” or at least that is the consensus on many blogs and websites. I am curious if you have another ‘ugly’ favorite. Please share below and in the meantime here are five fun facts about the fish that will never win a beauty contest.

blobfish

But, please remember beauty on the inside is what counts.

  • The blobfish lives off the coast of Tasmania and Australia.
  • The body of the blobfish is made up of mostly gelatin, not muscle.
  • The blobfish is slightly less dense than the water around it so it floats right above the seafloor.
  • Since the blobfish has no muscle it just eats whatever floats near him or her.
  • The blobfish may or not be related to Ziggy.

Image (c) wierdimals.wordpress.com

Related articles

Filed Under: Bony Fishes, Fish Tagged With: , , ,

14 fascinating facts about the blue whale

July 24, 2009 by 6 Comments

Blue Whale

  1. A toddler can fit into a blue whale’s blowhole. The spray can reach up to 30 feet high.
  2. The blue whale’s scientific name is Balaenoptera musculus.
  3. Blue whales live in all oceans of the world.
  4. A blue whale’s tongue weighs more than an elephant.
  5. Blue whales are the loudest animal on Earth reaching up to 188 decibel.
  6. A blue whale’s heart weighs up to 2,000 pounds. Their heart can be the size of a Mini Cooper.
  7. Blue whales are the fastest growing animal or plant on Earth.
  8. Blue whales can be up to 100 feet long. That is about the length of a NBA basketball court.
  9. A medium sized dog can comfortably walk through a blue whale’s arteries.
  10. Blue whales can live up to 90 years in the wild.
  11. Blue whales look blue underwater, but gray above the surface of the water.
  12. Blue whales tend to sleep in the middle of the day.
  13. Blue whales eat krill.
  14. Blue whales can swim up to 30 miles per hour.

Do you have another great question? Email info@beachchairscientist.com and let us know what you always ponder while digging your toes in the sand!

Filed Under: Marine Mammals Tagged With: , , , , ,

How do female terrapins navigate to a nesting site?

July 13, 2009 by Leave a Comment

The answer is “very carefully”.250px-Diamondback_Terrapin

Female terrapins need to look for a spot above the high tide line to lay a nest for their eggs (They lay on average 2 clutches of approximately a dozen eggs each summer).

The challenge is getting to a spot on the beach above the high tide line (dunes are usually the best spot) all the way from the estuaries (a.k.a. bays – spots where fresh and saltwater mix).

Terrapins lay their eggs at all times of day and night so you may see them venturing from the bay to the beach at anytime.

All too often you may see female terrapins crushed on the side of the road since a motorist was not paying attention as the female tried to make her way from the bay to the beach or back again. A good idea is to stop your car and let the terrapin continue across the road in the direction she was headed.

For more information check out the Northern Diamondback Terrapin Association.

Do you have another great question? Check out www.beachchairscientist.com and let us know what you always ponder while digging your toes in the sand!

Image (c) Wikipedia Commons.

Filed Under: Reptiles

What is shark finning?

June 2, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Basically, there is a very high demand for the fins of sharks in China for a soup. The current practice is to cut off the fins off sharks and toss the body back into the ocean.

The shark does not grow a fin back like a seastar would regenerate an arm.

The shark will not be able to swim and not be able to have oxygen over its gills.

The shark will die.

Some may say sharks have a reputation that might grant this type of control. However, they only produce a few young every one or two years and take up to ten years to even be mature enough to make babies.

Sharks populations are being fished at rates above a safe biological limit. Sharks are crucial top predators in the ocean ecosystem. Without sharks at a stable population the balance of the sea is at stake.

Please visit this page for information on how to stop the practice of shark finning:   www.change.org/oceanconservancy/actions/view/stop_shark_finning

Do you have another great question? Check out www.beachchairscientist.com and let us know what you always ponder while digging your toes in the sand or send an e-mail to beachchairscientist@gmail.com!

Filed Under: Sharks

5 fun facts about seahorses

April 27, 2009 by 7 Comments
English: Hippocampus zosterae at the Birch Aqu...

English: Hippocampus zosterae at the Birch Aquarium, San Diego, California, USA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

  1. The female lays her eggs in the male’s tummy pouch, he then incubates them for about 30 days, then they hatch.
  2. Seahorses do not have a stomach; they eat constantly to help get enough food to digest.
  3. Seahorses do not have teeth; they have a fused jaws, so they kind of suck up their food like a straw.
  4. Seahorses can be an inch to a foot more in size.
  5. Seahorse species vary in monogamy.

Do you have another great question? Check out www.beachchairscientist.com and let us know what you always ponder while digging your toes in the sand!

Filed Under: Fish Tagged With: , , , ,

Do all ocean animals swim together in schools?

April 20, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Nope, here is a short list of terms used to describe certain groups of ocean animals when they congregate together.

Jellyfish swim in a smack.
Whales swim in a pod.
Herring swim in a seige.
Penguins walking together on land is called a waddle.

Have a great question that needs a concise and comical answer? Email info@beachchairscientist.com and let us know what you always ponder while digging your toes in the sand!

Filed Under: Fish, Jellyfish or Jellies, Marine Mammals, Ocean, Random Fun! Tagged With: , , ,

What is the largest bony fish in the ocean?

April 20, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Not to be confused with the question, “What is the biggest fish in the sea?” the largest bony fish in the ocean is the ocean sunfish. The biggest fish in the sea is the whale shark, but, sharks do not have bones, they have cartilage. Cartilage is the bendy material that makes up our noses and ears.

Ocean sunfish are made up of bones, just like us. They can be up to 2-3 tons (2000 pounds makes up a ton).

Do you have another great question? Check out www.beachchairscientist.com and let us know what you always ponder while digging your toes in the sand!

Filed Under: Bony Fishes, Fish