Clownfish, Amphiprion sp.
Introduction: Clownfish includes a group of species that belongs to the family Pomacentridae. These species whether caught from the wild or bred in captivity make up about 40% of the global marine ornamental trade. They are about 30 known species which are native to warmer waters and are found around tropical coral reefs; most of which live in the shallow waters of the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and the western Pacific.
Description: These fishes are characterized by their bright yellow to orange color with three distinctive white bars across its body. They are among the most recognizable reef-dwellers. Their average length –as reported- ranges about 11 cm.
Feeding habits: Clown fish are omnivorous animals that they
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The anemone provides a safe home for the clownfish where most fish other than clown fish avoid these stinging anemones. In return, the clownfish will eat the remains of fish paralyzed and eaten by the anemone. The clownfish eats the rotten or dead tentacles of the anemones and could also feed on small invertebrates that could harm the anemone.
The clownfish sticks close to their anemone host which provides them with enough protection to the predation if they move far away by large fish species such as sharks and eels).
Changing sex and reproduction: All clownfish are born male. They have the ability to switch their sex, but will do so only to become the dominant female of a group. When the female dies, the largest male in the area will take her place and becomes the breeding female. This phenomenon is known as protandrous hermaphrodites.
Female clownfish lays her eggs in hundreds or thousands depending on species. Eggs are laid on flat surfaces close to their host anemone. The male parent will usually guard the eggs until they hatch in about 6 to 10 days depending on water temperature. The male continues to take care of the hatched fry until they reach sexual
Of course there are many beautiful and dynamic fish that reside in the waters of Hawaii, but none are as captivating as the Humuhumumunukunukuapua'a (Rhinecanthus rectangulus ). This reef trigger-fish is the official state fish of Hawaii because of its abundance in the shallow waters of the coast. Humuhumumunukunukuapua'a means “nose like a pig” because of the shape of its nose due to the formation of its teeth and because it makes a “snorting” sound when abruptly taken from the water and when swimming away from predators. The locals of Hawaii usually call this fish humuhumu (hoo-moo-hoo-moo) in lieu of having to pronounce its full name for conversation purposes. In other parts of the world this shallow water fish is also known as the Picasso and rectangle fish because of the colors and patterns on its body. Since the humuhumu prefer waters with degrees from seventy-five to eighty degrees Fahrenheit they are found and indigenous to the “Indo-Pacific: Hawaiian islands, Red Sea south to East London, South Africa and east through Indonesia to the Marquesan Islands, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island.”(Oceanlink.com).According to ask a Marine Scientist:Osteichthyes , they are in the class of the “Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)”,the order of the ”Tetraodontiformes (Puffers and filefishes)”,a member of the ”Balistidae” family(Oceanlink.com), and its biome of preference is the coastal strand.
References: Bowling, Brenda. Texas Marine Species Identification. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. 2012. Web. 15 October 2013.
The barnacles not only live and reproduce inside the host crab, but they control it. The tendrils attached to the nerves produce substances that change the crab’s endocrine system. This leads to the crab’s body absorbing its own Y-organ. The Y-organ instructs the crab to molt or grow. The crab’s androgenic gland is also degenerated. The androgenic gland controls sex differentiation. At this point, the crab is unable to grow, molt, regenerate lost limbs and it is infertile. When the barnacle inhabits a male crab, the changes feminize him. The male crab will resemble and act like a female. He may even perform a female mating dance. After all this has taken place, the host crab will take care of the parasitic eggs. The crab acts as if the eggs are its own. At the right time, the crab will climb up onto a high rock, and tend to the egg pouch, as it would do in its own reproductive cycle. When the generous number of eggs are ready to hatch, the crab will bob up and down in the water to release them. The crab will then mix the floating eggs with it’s claw to set them on their way. These larvae will usually find new hosts, which continues this
The Longnose gars reproduction depends on location that the gar is found in. The reproduction does typically happen during the spring or summer months and all dependent on what the water temperature. The female gar will swim into a small, fast moving stream and lay their eggs (Goddard). The Longnose gar eggs are not just normal eggs that most people think of when they think of fish eggs. Their eggs are green and sticky so they can stick to the plants in the fast moving stream (
In warmer waters Bull Shark mating occurs year-round while mating females usually receive mating scars on their dorsum, “the back or outer surface of an organ…” (“dorsum”). They typically carry from one to thirteen pups at one time for ten to eleven months. When the female Bull Sharks gives birth it gives birth to free swimming, live young in their nursery grounds that are again, in areas with low salinity and shallow waters (Curtis). The Pups that survive will be around 56 to 81 centimeters long at birth, and grow approximately to be around 340 centimeters when fully matured (Simpfender & Burgess). Female Bull Sharks are typically larger than males when fully grown and mature; the lifespan for both males and females is around 16 years (Curtis). Females on average are around 180 to 230 centimeters long and 285 pounds, and males on average are around 157 to 226 centimeters and 209 pounds, but the biggest known Bull Shark was reported to be 11.5 feet and 500 pounds (Simpfender and Burgess; Curtis). “Bull sharks are pale to dark grey [on their dorsal, and fade] to white on their [ventral, but on] younger individuals the fins have black
"'Wonder Fish' Turns into Environmental Piranha: The Battle Against Asian Carp." Cleveland.com. N.p., 23 Oct. 2011. Web. 9 May 2014.
Organized in the class Actinopterygii, seahorses, Hippocampus spp., are marine dwelling organisms found in bodies of water which span from tropical to temperate zones around the Earth. As cited by Foster in Life History and Ecology of Seahorses, research by R. A. Fritschze suggests that the genus Hippocampus diverged at least 20 million years ago from its ancestral origins. Research pertaining to organisms organized under the genus Hippocampus are conflicting in regards to the number species contained within it, although a general figure places the number at around fifty discovered species(website source). These odd-looking organisms reside at shallow depths of less than 30 meters and can be found in habitats containing seagrass beds and coral reefs(Foster 10). Hippocampus spp. are all predatory organisms, their main sources of food consist of small crustaceans and fish, as well as other organisms which are small enough to be consumed(lourie 10). Although Hippocampus spp. are predatory, their size and restricted mobility capabilities place them at risk of being prey for other carnivorous organisms.
The Black carp originated in many of the Pacific drainage areas of eastern Asia, China, and parts of Russia and Vietnam. Black carp was introduced to the United States in the 1970’s to fish hatcheries and to control the populations of disease carrying snails in ponds. Flooding is the main factor to thank for the release of the black carp, which quickly turned into an invasion of the waterways. The Black carp is a medium size fish with the opportunity to become an extremely large fish if the conditions are favorable. “Based on Asian records, large adults may be more than 1.5 m total length and 70 kg or more in weight”(Nico,L.G). The black and grass carp is close to identical in regard to the characteristics of one another. However, the black carp is a slightly lighter color of black, with extremely large scales on the entire body. A black carp has human like molars as teeth that are used to crush snails and mollusks. With a slightly pointed snout that is a likely adaptation used to filter through the bottom of water bodies in search of food. The physical build of a black carp exhibits the design of a bottom-dwelling feeder. Sporting a long snout, large powerful human molar like teeth the black carp is built to succeed in water full of snails and mollusks. This means that the populations of already near extinct native snails and mollusks are at great risk of being
Flatworms belong to the phylum Platyhelminthes. They have the simplest body plan of all bilaterally symmetrical animals. They are called flatworms because their bodies are compressed. The mouth is the only opening into the digestive cavity the flatworms have. Food is taken in through this hole and wastes are discharged also through this hole. Flatworms have a well-defined nervous, muscular, excretory, and reproductive system. The flatworm distributes the food it digests through a digestive tube that branches throughout all of its body parts. The fact that the worm’s body is flat serves many purposes. It allows the worm to hid in small spaces, to fit into the opening of other animals if the worm is parasitic, and it means that all the cells are close enough to the surface for exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide with the environment (Meinkoth 399).
Like almost any other animal the octopus has many dangers that they need to hide from. Octopuses are masters of camouflage and have amazing defensive skills that can be used for fighting. Octopi are known for defending themselves against small sharks and other dangerous predators. An octopus uses its color changing abilities to blend in with its surroundings and to warn other animals to prevent them from attacking the octopus.
Albert Hamilton Fish also known as Gray Man, the Werewolf of Wysteria, and the Brooklyn Vampire was born on May 19, 1870 within the capital of the United States, Washington, DC. (Bardsley, 2003) Though no child is ever born evil, Fish was born into a family with long histories of mental illnesses. It is believed that this chain of illnesses and events from his early childhood lead to him becoming one of the world’s most infamous serial killers. Movies with characters like Hannibal Lector were heavy referenced by the crimes Fish committed as a child molester and cannibal.
Together with 1,500 species of fishes and several species of snapper and coal trout. There are many more species in the Reef and this makes it important to Australian fish markets as a source of fish. This place is also a tourist location and a lot of people come visit here every day whether it be fishing or sight seeing.
Though food is everlasting in both the coral reef and deep sea, space is very limited. Organisms in both habitats have to compete for space and survival, having defense mechanisms to keep other species from killing out their kind. Some fishes in the coral reef hide in cracks and crevices along the rocks and corals to hide from their predators. Other fishes camouflage within the brightly colored corals to hide from predators, or even humans looking into their tank. The deep sea holds many small fish, but with large mouths. The large mouths and pointy teeth help the miniscule fish eat their prey, whi...
Ichthyologists say that there are more than 32,000 species of fishes discovered on Earth so far which is more than all the amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals combined. Still, new species are being discovered almost every day. Large areas beneath the ocean surface still remain unexplored. It is predicted that there might be more species of fish which are hidden from the eyes of humans till now. All fish differ in sizes. A fish can be as big as a 51 ft long Whale/Shark or as small as an 8mm Stout infant fish. Common type of fish include; gold-fish, Drum, Spadefish, Trout, Skate, Thalla, Tuna, Hogfish, Wahoo, Grunt, Monkfish, Roughy etc. Some organisms which are considered to be a fish actually do not fall into the category of fish. Examples include; shellfish, cuttlefish, starfish, crayfish and jellyfish.