Ours is truly a blue planet. Water covers most of the world's surface. Here we are the outsiders. But under the waves one group thrives. Fish are masters of the waters. And sailfish are the fastest of them all. Their speed makes them one of the ocean's most fearsome predators. Off the coast of Mexico, 30 sailfish have surrounded a ball of sardines. To catch their prey requires more than speed alone. In the tightest turns, fins maintain stability. Their sickle-shaped tail powers them forwards and that extraordinary dorsal fin helps intimidate their prey.
To the naked eye, the action is too fast, slowed, their challenge becomes clear. Just picking a target is hard enough. Knocking it off balance, separates it from the shoal. This requires extraordinary skill. Not every attempt is successful. But as more sailfish join in, when one misses another takes its place. The shoal of sardines is methodically wiped out. Sailfish are top predators, very little threatens them. But for the majority of fish this is not the case.
For most fish the open ocean is extremely จัดอันดับ dangerous. And some go to extraordinary lengths just to survive.
Flying fish. Free of the water they soar on elongated fins, leaving their predators far behind. A flight of fish. Escaping predators is not the only test facing the flying fish. They must also protect their developing young. These flying fish are searching for the one thing that will make this possible. In such a vast ocean it's not easy. They're in luck. A palm frond. It's a tiny island adrift in a huge ocean. And like an island it offers shelter, not for the flying fish, but for their eggs. The females lay eggs on the raft, where the males fertilise them. The first fish spawn and this triggers the others to start.
Soon thousands join the melee. Innumerable strands of eggs are laid. The raft starts to tilt under their weight. The best place to lay eggs is right inside the frond. For some the attempt proves fatal and living fish become entombed. The 10 อันดับ raft starts to sink under the weight of so many eggs. But this is far from a disaster. Sinking away from the surface actually improves the eggs' chances of survival. In just a few days, having been safely hidden in the depths, they'll hatch out. Other fish protect their offspring in different ways. Some go to far greater lengths to care for them. The shallow waters of southern Australia are home to many strange creatures. It's a fairytale world of sea horses.....stargazers.....and stingrays. But none compare with the beauty of the weedy sea dragon. The dragon's tiny fins beat frantically to prevent the current from sweeping it away.
It's the beginning of spring, the season when sea dragons begin their courtship. And in the evening light, they start to dance. In a graceful duet, each partner mirrors the actions of the other. Darkness will soon draw a veil over the pair but they will dance on, into the night. Two months later, and the result of their courtship is revealed. It's the male and he's the one that's carrying the eggs, with rows and rows of them embedded in his tail. That night the female transferred her eggs to him. Since then, the male alone has cared for them.
By carrying them with him he's kept them safe. And now it's time for his efforts to be rewarded. The eggs are ready to hatch. In the calm of a summer morning a baby sea dragon, with yolk sac still attached, is born. The weed bed shelters older dragons that are already able to feed themselves. Although these dragons were well cared for by their father, now they must find their own way in the world. There are fish, however, which provide their young with a safe refuge for far longer. The south western Pacific. A convict fish and it's something of a marine architect. Underground it has created a labyrinth of tunnels. This adult never ventures out of its burrow, what it eats is a mystery. But it doesn't live here alone. At another entrance faces peer out.
Juvenile convict fish. Unlike their parent, the youngsters are not tied to the burrow. And as they start to emerge, a trickle becomes a flood of fish. There are thousands of them. And they all help with the chores. Many hands make light work. The young fish swarm together. Thousands of mouths gulping plankton. What the adults eat must somehow involve these youngsters. Whether the young feed their parents by regurgitating food or through some other mechanism, we just don't know. Whatever the answer, the youngsters provide their parents with a meal and in return get a roof over their heads. Producing young is just one challenge. Finding food and somewhere to live are further trials fish must face.
The Californian coast, a wide range of species live here. But all this life means competition for living space is intense. Old shells are highly prized. And this one is occupied by a sarcastic fringehead. These fish are exceptionally quarrelsome, they have to be, to defend their living space. An octopus. Inadvertently it's wandered into the fringehead's territory and that can't be tolerated. The octopus's impressive jab holds the fringehead at bay. There is more to this behaviour than being bad-tempered. The fringehead needs to defend its patch if it is to get enough to eat and the octopus was competition.
Crabs are not the easiest of mouthfuls. Because of the shortage of living space there are constant boundary disputes, especially with other fringeheads and this one has got too close. Despite the most extravagant threats... ..neither is prepared to back down. Success, and it's quick to get back to its shell. A fringehead can never drop its guard, there's too much competition. Some fish have moved to places where they have fewer rivals. A mudskipper a จัดอันดับ fish that spends most of its life out of the sea. It can walk on land and breathe air. Its life is very different from that of most fish. A fish out of water maybe, but they thrive here in Japan. So what's made this upheaval worthwhile? The answer lies in the mud. As the tide retreats it exposes mudflats. Sunlight hits the rich silt and tiny plants and animals flourish there. All food for a mudskipper. But life on land is not without problems, it's hard work to find a mate.
Jumping high above the mud will get you noticed. With eyes perched on top of their heads the mudskippers keep a look out for both friend and foe. And males fight those who intrude on their territory. They must also take care not to dry out in the sun. Rolling in the ooze keeps the skin cool and moist. For this smaller species, a better option is to retreat underground. So he digs himself a tunnel down into the mud. His heap of spoil is an indication of the extent of his excavations. With the tide flooding the tunnel twice a day, maintenance is a real burden. The tunnel is more than a refuge from the sun, it serves another very important purpose. The tunnel is actually U-shaped and at the far end is a sealed chamber, the walls of which are lined with eggs.
The eggs are kept in air as it's richer in oxygen than the water. The problem is the air that's trapped here won't last for long. So the male travels to the open end of the tunnel to gulp fresh air. Back he goes down his tunnel where he releases it into the egg chamber. Replenishing the oxygen on which the eggs depend. He will repeat this hundreds and hundreds of times until his young hatch. This lifestyle is very demanding, yet the mudskipper has found a way around every problem. The harsh challenges of life in the ocean have encouraged other fish to leave the sea. Not for land, but for fresh water. Hawaii is the remotest island chain on the planet.
These pools look the perfect place for a fish to live, secluded and free from competition and predators. Yet few contain fish, for one very considerable reason. Surely no fish could swim up this. But one fish comes from the ocean, intent on colonising these streams. It's a tiny goby and it's a rock climber. With pelvic fins fused into a disc, which acts like a sucker, all the goby needs is a film of water to climb through. The pioneer is soon followed by many others, possibly following its scent trail. They clamber on, ever upwards against the flow. Drops of water fall like bombs. False leads waste crucial energy. Some must rest. For others, the effort is just too much. Many die in their attempt to reach to top. Against all the odds a few heroic individuals do make it to the top.
They find themselves in a near-perfect fish habitat... ..where the gobies can feed and grow and breed in peace. In time their own young will be swept downstream and out to sea and the cycle will begin all over again. Fresh water presents particular challenges for fish. Nutrients can be in very short supply in spring water, so here fish must take every chance they can to find food. The rain that falls on these Kenyan hills percolates through the rocks.
Finally emerging as crystal clear pools. Pools that are home to fish including barbel. The fish share these waters with all sorts of creatures... ..including hippopotamus. These giant vegetarians are no threat to the fish, in fact they're key to their survival here.
After a night of grazing on land, these hippos return to spend the daylight hours in the cooling waters. And the barbel come to meet 10 อันดับ them. Soon each hippo is trailed by a shoal of fish, waiting for their breakfast. Hippo droppings. But it's not just the hippo's dung the fish are interested in. When the hippos reach one particular spot in the pool, they stand still and wait. And the fish start to clean them... ..removing ticks, parasites and other tasty morsels. To the fish the hippos are a mobile cafeteria. The hippos seem to be enjoying the sensation. The only thing that interrupts the feast is the need to take an occasional breath.
Cleaning the hippo's skin was just the hors d'oeuvre. Now it's time for the main course. So, in addition to providing skin care, the fish look after the hippos' dental hygiene. It's an arrangement that suits both parties. But perhaps it is the fish that are the overall winners. For, thanks to the hippos, they are able to feed on the abundant vegetation that would otherwise be beyond their reach, growing around their pool, on land. Providing a cleaning service is clearly a good way of getting a meal. And there is cleaning to be done in the sea as well. The life of this wrasse is centred on removing parasites from other reef fish.....including predatory jacks.
Normally they would snap up such a little fish, but this is an established relationship and both sides know the rules. With so many jacks and only a few wrasse in attendance, not all the jacks are going to get cleaned. But all this life attracts other predators. Silvertip sharks. The reef provides shelter for the smaller fish, but the jacks remain exposed. Yet this may be a chance for the jacks to solve their cleaning problem. They've spotted an opportunity.
Sharks have skin like sand paper. And bumping into the sharks' flanks helps the jacks to rid themselves of parasites and dead skin. Perhaps the jacks find this a more effective alternative to the cleaner fish. And soon จัดอันดับ swarms of jacks pursue the sharks.
All itching to have a scratch. Unsurprisingly all this attention bothers the sharks and they head back to the blue water, leaving the residents of the reef to resume life as normal. Coral reefs are the richest habitats on Earth. It's not surprising that, with so many different kinds of animals living so closely together, some extraordinary relationships have evolved. A clownfish, a small and defenceless resident of the reef. It seems to have picked a tough place to live, amongst the tentacles of a sea anemone.
Each tentacle is armed with paralysing stings that can kill a fish. Yet the clown fish are totally immune. For this pair, the anemone is like a castle. So long as they stay surrounded by the tentacles, they're safe and so this is where they choose to lay their eggs. After carefully selecting the site, work begins on preparing the surface. Both fish share in the labour, though 10 อันดับ it's the larger female who decides when all is ready. Lines and lines of tiny eggs are stuck to the rock and then fertilised. They're laid so close to the anemone they will be safe. And for the next seven days they'll receive constant care.....much of which is provided by the male.
His seemingly obsessive concern for the eggs is for good reason. His position in the anemone is far from secure. The female watches his every move, she's in charge here and if his efforts don't match up to her standards, she'll get rid of him. In line to take over are a host of immature clown fish.....each waiting to move up the hierarchy. For the male the best way to stay in the female's favour is by lavishing care on the eggs. So he focuses all his efforts on keeping them clean and healthy. The eggs grow rapidly and soon their tiny beating hearts are visible. It seems he's done a good job. Clown fish can hide away within an anemone. But most fish don't have this option.
For some, the only way of avoiding danger is by hiding amongst their own kind.....in shoals. Packed close together, no one anchovy stands out. By sensing and reacting to the movements of their immediate neighbours, thousands can move as one. For a predator, picking out an individual becomes nearly impossible. The shoal's unity is its strength. Yet each fish is acting from selfish motives. Moving together, the fish confuse the sea lions so much that they leave to look elsewhere for a smaller, less tricky target. The sheer size of the shoal defeated the sea lions, but there are fish that can overcome such strategies. Off the coast of South Africa this huge shoal of sardines is shadowed by a ragged tooth shark.
Other sharks join the menacing escort. The shoal has been driven into the shallows by a cold ocean current. And this gives the sharks an opportunity. Hundreds have moved into position. Sharks have a special sense, they can detect the electrical signals their prey gives off when it moves. It's a sixth sense that can give them an edge. But with hundreds of thousands of fish crammed into the shallows, the sharks now need only rely on their speed and agility. As the first shark starts to hunt in earnest, a feeding frenzy breaks out.
The shoal's defences are weakened, there isn't enough space to manoeuvre. And the sharks can gorge themselves. Despite the casualties, the shoal is so vast that the sharks have little effect on its size. Fish not only come together in great shoals for defence, but at other critical times in their lives, when they're ready to spawn. These events only occur for a few days each year. Snapper are normally solitary, but they've travelled here from hundreds of miles away to gather off the coast of Belize. Along this one reef, cubera, dog and mutton snapper form huge shoals. 60 metres down, there is an eerie coolness to the scene. But things are about to hot up. It's the evening of the full moon, the tides are just right. A great column of fish leaves the bottom. As they rise through the water, small groups break free of the shoal.
Each burst is led by a female, with the males racing behind. As she sheds her eggs, they add their sperm to the mix. By synchronising the time when they gather together, the maximum numbers of fish can join in this mass spawning. Millions of fertilized eggs are released, cast into the ocean currents... ..and straight into a dangerous world. Whale sharks, the largest fish on Earth. Each shark might weigh ten tonnes yet they feed on the tiniest
creatures, including snapper eggs. Life is being created, sustained and destroyed simultaneously in one huge event. The struggle for life, encapsulated into a single moment. The oceans are perilous places to live, yet fish have developed the most extraordinary means for survival.
Their astounding diversity, the product of millions of years of evolution, has enabled them to triumph. Dominating the one habitat that we have so far failed to make our own. Filming under water raised all sorts of problems for the Life team. Not least of which was that they were only able to experience the underwater world for as long as the air on their backs or in their lungs held out. But over three years the team were lucky enough to capture on film
some extraordinary moments in the lives of fish. The waters off the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico are a rich hunting ground for Sailfish. Cameraman Rick Rosenthal has teamed up with sport fishing Captain Anthony Mendillo to try and film the hunting behaviour of these amazing animals. It's fish! Feeding birds lead them to the sailfish. Right here.Right here.
Getting to the bait balls and into the water quickly is key, before the feast is consumed. Get ready. Everybody hang on. Let's go swimming, now, now. Go on get in there. It's all very well telling Rick to hurry but these fish are capable of swimming at over 60 miles an hour. Just keeping up with them is hard enough. Getting right in amongst the action is vital, but Rick has to try to avoid becoming part of it. Bills nearly one metre long, scything through the water at break neck speed are guaranteed to get the heart racing. But Rick holds his nerve as the sailfish pick off sardine after sardine right in front of him. Almost as soon as it started, it was all over. That was a wild feed show out there today.
Really wild. Must have been 50 sailfish if there was...Or 49, but very aggressive fish, very hungry, everybody on the move and I had to just keep kicking and kicking and kicking and kicking and kicking and kicking to keep in the action, because after a while the sardine patch was eaten up to just a little sliver and then it was over. Nearly 2,000 miles away on the other side of the Caribbean another crew is taking a slightly different approach. They are trying to film flying fish. The team sets out at dawn on the Hog Snapper, a commercial fishing boat. Conditions are in stark contrast to the gleaming sport fishing boat in Mexico. There's Doug he's ready for action, look. They are hoping to use a local fisherman's expertise to put them in the right place at the right time. Yeah, Roger that. All you catching there's food. You catching dinner, lunch and breakfast. It's not a big boat and the crew's bedroom has now become the kitchen. We're having fried bacon and fried egg this morning.
Fried bacon and fried eggs. I'm the trainee chef and I don't...So I don't get to wear the white wellies. Rather than racing around the ocean chasing the action, the flying fish team have to sit it out and wait for the fish to come to them. Flying fish will spawn onto debris in the water and the team tie on to a floating palm frond to try and make sure they're close by in case the action begins. And sure enough, they don't have long to wait. Thousands of fish have massed below the surface, all intent on reaching the frond. And the frond is not the only thing that they're trying to lay their eggs on. The weight of the eggs sinks the palm frond and puts an end to the spawning and to the crew's filming. Well, it's moments like that we do the job for.
Everything was right. The light was right, blue water, the four tonnes of flying fish all going mental. Thanks, Barry.You're welcome. But now the fish's attention is turned to something bigger. Their spawning directly onto the boat. Barry is worried as he drags up a huge sheet of eggs. Gotta bring it on the boat and check it out. I cleaned this off like five minutes a go. Right? Right now the problem is this, there's too many flying fish... Too many...around us.
If we moor through the nights with the lights on and stuff, more and more will keep coming and what they're doing is they're actually laying on the boat now, so the boat has become their object and that is not good.
So basically you're worried that if we just stay on this drift we're gonna sink the boat. Five hours from now that'll 3,000 pounds.Yeah, yeah. In the back here, it will sink the boat. OK, so we've got to leave this area. Yeah, we can't stay here. Just five minutes of spawning has produced this. The team have no option but to move on. The next day the search for flying fish begins all over again. This time the team want to film the fish doing what they're famous for. We've got some lovely shots from the spawning but now the really hard bit of trying to get them flying. Gonna be, gonna be a good challenge. The fish are around, but they're all too far off to film. The action is impressive this morning, unpredictable but impressive but it's distant, it's not happening next to the boat today.
They're either being chased off or they're just not interested. Look! Look, look! Ah it's loads. Ay, ay, ay! The next day the crew decides to try a different approach. All right, lets go. Now they're just where they need to be, but it puts them directly in the firing line. I guess that's one! Despite being bombarded, their strategy is paying off. That was amazing, we spent a long time in that wee boat today. Thanks. But the last two hours were just off the scale.
We were just getting shot after shot. We need... Can't wait to watch it on the big monitor but it felt really good. And Doug is right, it worked. Flying fish taking to the air and flying. Slowed down 40 times. By working with people more used to catching fish than filming them the Life team have been able to gain a unique insight into the hidden world of fish.
Amazing Ocean
.jpg)
See Price and Buy ---> CLICK HERE
The ocean is everything. It covers seven-tenths of the Earth. Its breath is pure and healthy. There is an immense desert where a man is never alone, where he can feel how the lives of all tremble inside of him. The sea is just a container for all the tremendous, supernatural things that exist in it. "It is not only movement and love, "but the living infinity." So wrote Jules Verne, about 150 years ago, in his classic adventure story 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
And his words are as true today as they were back then. Anyone who has ever looked down on a great ocean has probably been impressed by the sheer size of it. A size which seems to stretch on almost forever. Whether it is the smooth, blue surface of the water, or the rough, towering waves as they break and crash, the sea is always breathtaking. But then, if you look below the surface, you will discover a totally new and fascinating world. It is a world full of life, colour and variety, full of fabulous, almost fairytale, creatures and landscapes.
It is little wonder that the sea and its inhabitants have provided us with so much inspiration for so many stories. Take these little guys for example. Do they seem familiar? Perhaps in the way they are sometimes mischievous and sometimes timid, hiding between these sea anemones. Of course, these are the stars of the wonderful animated film Finding Nemo which turned clown fish into world-famous movie actors. In the film, Nemo's father goes on a long and perilous journey to find his lost son. But in real life, clown fish try to avoid leaving the symbiosis they share with the sea anemone.
Sea anemones are protected by the clown fish and butterfly fish. And these fish are, in turn, some of the few fish that are resistant to the poison arms of the sea anemones. And the sea anemones protect our little Nemo from all the other predators. Fascinating, isn't it? Just as the anemone provides a home for the clown fish, the whole sea and the coral reefs offer a home to a vast multitude of sea dwellers. The corals can be as big as cities, in which very different sea creatures have gathered to live side by side.
And yet, there are some animals which live all by themselves, and others that only feel good when they are on the move in huge swarms.Let's take a look at some schools of fish as they go about their business. Here we see a large swarm of striped grunters, also known as pigfish. Elegantly and skilfully, swarm fish swim in the same direction and in near perfect formation It is almost as if they are being directed by a mysterious internal instinct.
Also, to be part of a big swarm makes sense to a small fish because it is always dangerous under the water and you have to be constantly on your guard as you are likely to have many pairs of eyes on you at any one time. Because every individual is surrounded by its own co-species, the swarm builds its own protection. Even a large predator will think twice before attacking such a huge,
threatening-looking swarm. And if he should attack, the chances of survival for any one individual in the protection of a swarm are not too bad.
There are habitual swarm fish that swim together all their lives, but there are also opportunist swarm fish which only pull together during an attack, or in times of danger. It can also happen that very different types of fish will build a swarm. These swarms show even more vividly the great patterns and colours of the fish. Here, you can truly see the overwhelming power and beauty of nature. There are so many different species of fish, that sometimes it is hard to find an appropriate name for all of them.
For this one, however, the choice was pretty easy. The parrot fish owes its name to its striking similarity to the colourful bird. They are not only just as colourful as their feathered namesake, but their numerous teeth are arranged in a way that resembles a parrot-like beak. This tooth construction enables them to rasp algae from coral and other rocky substrates. They are even able to grind up coral rock, which they ingest during feeding. After they digest the rock, they excrete it as sand, helping to create small islands and sandy beaches.
One parrot fish can produce 90 kilograms of sand each year. This special feature of the parrot fish is a valuable contribution to our ecosystem as it saves the coral reefs from being overgrown with seaweed. The parrot fish also has a very good friend, the trumpet fish. They both like to swim together through the reef. As they swim, the trumpet fish likes to eat whatever the parrot fish stirs up and does not want to eat alone. Outside of mealtimes, however, trumpet fish can often be found alone.
They like to hang upside down in the water and float a little. Also, they often seek the proximity of coral branches in order to camouflage themselves, which all works out pretty well. They search for an environment that looks just like they do. They swim slowly, or lie motionless like a floating stick, swaying back and forth with the wave action of the water. When it comes to camouflage and disguise, the octopus is clearly in a different league. What this animal can do is nothing short of unbelievable. They simply adapt to their surroundings, whatever they may happen to be.
Take a look at how these quick-change artists can play us for a fool. By simply changing their colours, they can hide anywhere they want to, in plain sight. Here we see a damselfish interacting with an octopus. This is an excellent example of the damselfish's general compatibility with other fish and invertebrates. However, the colourful damselfish doesn't protect itself with camouflage. They find protection from predators amongst the stinging branches of the anemones. The damselfish can be found in all the seven seas.
The average size of damsels is around two inches, but they can reach over 14 inches in length. Damselfish even cultivate red filamentous algae. Garibaldi and damselfish are the only fish currently known to engage in farming or cultivating. That might be why damselfish are very settled and never leave their territory. Young damselfish are often very colourful. Brilliantly hued in blues, greens, violets, reds and browns. But with age, they lose their colourful appearance and all full-grown damselfish look more or less the same.
Sea turtles do not breathe through gills like fish, they need air like humans do. That's because they are descendants of the land-dwelling turtles that moved into the oceans about 100 million years ago. Even today, they still deposit their eggs on land and the little babies that hatch go right back into the water as fast as they can. Sadly, the sea turtle is an endangered species. The threat that endangers them is humans, who hunt them for their meat, their eggs, and their shells. The shells are considered to be a lucky charm in Asia. It seems to me that a live sea turtle itself should be considered a lucky charm because every time I see one my heart rejoices.
That's how beautiful and graceful they are. Now, most of us humans are trying to protect the sea turtles, and there have already been some notable successes along the way. All sea turtles are officially under species protection. Trading sea turtle products has been forbidden. It is also forbidden to capture or kill them. All around the planet, organisations and animal rights activists are trying to protect these animals by sealing off breeding areas, or by building new breeding stations. We humans have a real responsibility for the sea dwellers of this world. We should not treat this lightly. Jacques Cousteau, one of the greatest explorers and a very passionate diver, once put it this way. "Underwater.
"In this paradise, humans are merely guests, and they should behave that way. " Jellyfish have adapted themselves very well for life in this underwater paradise All jellyfish sting their prey, but this isn't always done intentionally, as even the slightest contact will trigger their automatic response mechanism to protect themselves by stinging any potential predator. Don't they look incredibly graceful as they float around? And speaking of graceful, squids are excellent swimmers. They are extremely active and they seem to do quite well when it comes to adapting to the changing environment around them. More than 300 different types of squid have been identified around the world.
The size of a squid can vary depending on the species. Some of them are only 24 inches long, while others are more than 40 feet in length. The heaviest squid ever found weighed more than 1,000 pounds. Maybe that's the reason for many old stories that depict them as monsters living in the deep. Corals can only be found in the ocean, especially around the Tropical Belt. There are soft corals, and stony corals. The stony corals form skeletons by storing limestone, which leads to the formation of coral banks or coral reefs. These skeletons often look like tree twigs, and the tips of those twigs are often covered with colourful polyps.
These polyps have a wide spectrum of colours which make the corals look like underwater flowering plants. Corals have existed for 400 million years. Like most deep-sea marine creatures, corals are filter feeders, which means that they get their nourishment through micro-plankton which contains nutrients as well as trace elements which the coral absorbs by filtering them through the ocean current.
The corals are endangered in many parts of the world, and yet they only have two real enemies. Global warming, which influences the algal growth and as a result, algae can then produce toxic substances that are harmful to corals, and humans who break them when they are industrial fishing or even only diving on vacation. A coral typically takes hundreds of years to fully grow, which is why we should be careful whenever we pay them a visit. This will ensure that not only we, but the generations that come after us, can fully enjoy the wonderful play of colours and the exciting hustle and bustle that corals play host to.
Encountering a ray is a terrific experience. Nothing compares to the graceful and weightless swimming of this marvellous fish. The ray has its mouth on its underside and it loves to search through the sand looking for food. When a ray swims through the reef it almost looks like it is flying. One species of ray is even named after a bird. The eagle ray. Rays can grow to be really large. The eagle ray, for example, can reach a wingspan of over eight feet. But you can certainly find bigger and tougher creatures in the depths of the ocean. Despite their size, or rather because of their enormous size, the sea cows, or manatees, are very pleasant cohabitants of the oceans.
They are very relaxed and curious. Because they are mammals, they must surface to breathe air. They are good swimmers in spite of their weight, and are never on their own. In the past, sailors who saw manatees often mistook them for mythical mermaids because of their tails. An easy mistake to make, as you can well imagine that the sudden and unexpected flash of a manatee tail at sea would be quite a shock to the extremely superstitious sailors of old. Sea lions can live in the water, but they can also live on land. While they are very lazy and slow on land, they make up for it with their staggering skills underwater.
They are as fast as rockets. They are agile, they perform somersaults, and are simply amazing. Look at just how much fun a sea lion can have in its cool and watery playground. And if you have ever seen dolphins underwater, you will know that they too rank among the very best swimmers, and that they also like to joke around once in a while. They simply love to swim inside streams and currents. And, of course, they definitely enjoy being on the move with their dolphin friends.
Compared to the dolphin, the blowfish is more of a loner, a very beautiful loner and also very cunning. If a blowfish feels threatened, it simply inflates itself with water and blows itself up to twice its normal size. This defence method has successfully thrown several opponents off track. However, the blowfish does not have a large number of enemies, and most of them are aware that its skin surface is protected by a nasty poison and this doesn't exactly make the blowfish a very desirable prey. Characterised by a bony, box-like shell, the trunkfish, or boxfish, has a very similar technique to protect itself. It secretes a colourless toxin from glands on its skin when touched.
There are about 20 species of trunkfish, including the cowfish, the blue and the grey boxfish, and as we can see here, the spotted trunkfish. Trunkfish are small. The largest species growing to about 20 inches. They are colourful fish with bright patterns of blue, red, white and black. Some species are even capable of changing their colour. Fish have often been a source of inspiration to us, and as a result they have been given beautiful and extraordinary names. Such as the French marine angelfish, which are some of the most alluring of all fish. Life in the coral reef is wild and it's thrilling. It is a never-ending spectacle and its biological diversity and wondrous forms and colours continue to startle and fascinate us.
Slow and stately, the angelfish moves at a leisurely pace amongst the coral heads and overhanging plate corals in search of food. There are around 100 different species of angelfish that inhabit the waters of the Southern Hemisphere. They can grow up to 12 inches and generally have very brightly coloured markings, but the exact colours depend on the species of angelfish. These remarkable goatfish have two barbels extending from the chin. These are used to probe the sand for food such as worms, brittle stars, crustaceans and small fish. The sand tilefish are remarkable, too.
These fish are simply tireless in their search through the sand and can dig up whole landscapes. They never seem to grow weary of digging their holes in the sand. Here are some more angelfish. They are aptly named, and they are best known for their vivacious colour display and their intricate patterns, which are known to change significantly as they grow old. Their bodies have a flat disc-like form that allows them to slip between rocky outcroppings and reef crevices. They are omnivores. That is, they usually eat both animals and plants. With a little luck, deep down at the far end of the reef you might find the enormous tarpons.
At over six feet long, they look most impressive and almost lordly. They inhabit tropical waters from Florida to South America. Perhaps the most unique internal feature of the tarpon is the modified swim bladder. This allows the tarpon to take oxygen directly from the atmosphere and thus increases its tolerance of oxygen-poor waters. The lion-fish is truly wonderful, and its diverse feathering makes it a coveted addition to show-aquariums. In fact, the lion-fish originally came from the waters of the Pacific Ocean, between Malaysia and Japan, its habitat being lagoons and outer reefs.
Since the end of the 20th century, the lion-fish has been sighted in the west part of the North Atlantic Ocean, from the coast of Florida up to North Carolina. Set free by aquarists, the lion-fish now has no natural enemies and breeds too strongly and too fast. Often, and without meaning to, humans interfere with ecosystems they do not completely understand and misfortunes are bound to occur, and sadly things might never go back to their natural order.
Watching manta rays as they swim is an extraordinary experience. Often they appear in pods, which is the term for when several fish swim together, and they like to visit cleaning stations. Including the tail, manta rays can range from 16 to 29 feet long. Their wide heads have slightly movable and rounded fins on both sides. These fins help them to direct plankton into their mouths. And there is no need to be afraid of their long tail, because it never carries a poisonous sting.
Mantas are very calm creatures and completely harmless to humans. This has been a truly fantastic journey. A journey all the way through the reefs of our amazing oceans, and I hope that it has brought you many unforgettable wonders to savour. Perhaps Jacques Cousteau put it best when he said, "The sea, once it casts its spell, "holds one in its net of wonder forever."
See Price and Buy ---> CLICK HERE
สมัครสมาชิก:
ความคิดเห็น (Atom)