Scorpionfish – scorpion fish Introduction: Scorpionfish are marine fish that belong to the family scorpaenidae that includes many of the world's most venomous species. The family has several genus and more than 200 identified species. As the name tells, scorpionfish have a type of "sting" in the form of sharp spines coated with venomous mucus. The Bearded Scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis barbata) is most likely the species shown here. Distribution and habitats: Scorpion fish are found in the Western Indian Ocean: Red Sea to at least the coast of Somalia. They live along sandy beaches, rocky coastlines and coral reefs and in shallow waters. Description: Bearded scorpionfishes, Scorpaenopsis barbata, is dull in color and is characterized by its heavily pigmented dark brown or reddish brown color, mottled with whitish and blackish blotches. Its name refers to the fleshy outgrowth of skin protruding from its chin. They have a wide mouth and broad spiny head and venom glands that may occur at the base of fin spines which can produce deep and painful wounds. The feathery fins which cover the scorpion fish body help in the camouflaging of the animals into the surrounding coral. Also, the coral- like frilly, fleshy flaps of skin protruding from its chin add …show more content…
They rest during the daylight in crevices in the corals and from their position they suddenly leap at their un-suspecting prey which could be small fish and crustaceans. The species may also create suction by rapidly opening the mouth to draw the prey in. Scorpion fish are able to stun their prey using their venom. The opportunistic hunting performed by scorpionfish is supported by their camouflage to get close to prey unnoticed before striking rapidly. Also, the big mouth of the species allows –when wide open- to engulf its meal in a big gulp. On the other hand, the scorpion fish has very few natural
Because of its size and abundance, T. californicus is commonly regarded as the insect of the sea. This creature is generally very small, from 1-3 mm in size as adults. They are cylindrically shaped, and have a segmented body (head, thorax, abdomen) though no noticeable division between body regions (Powlik 1966). Each segment of the body has a pair of legs. They use their 'legs' to propel themselves through the water in short rapid jerks. They have 2 pairs of long feathered antennae, a chitin us exoskeleton and a single eye in the middle of their head, this simple eye can only differentiate between light and dark.
The Great Lakes system affects our lives in various ways. Not only does this water system affect people, it has an impact on the natural environment as well. The weather, climate, wildlife and habitat are all affected by this arrangement of five lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, and Erie. The lakes are huge and powerful, however they are very fragile when it comes to being mistreated. The ecosystem has been placed under stress in the past, and we now realize the importance of protecting and preserving our lakes. Years ago, a species of carp were brought into the United States to help our lakes, and now they run the risk of destroying them. Asian carp are a species of fish native to Siberia and China, but they were imported by fish farms in the southern United States to control algae and snail population. In the early 1990’s, aquaculture facilities in the southern United States were flooded and the carp escaped into the Mississippi River and spread into northern rivers. The carp moved north becoming the most abundant fish in some areas of the Mississippi river, triumphing over native fish and bringing hardship to the people who fished the river. The carps’ domination over the Mississippi is reason for concern in the Great Lakes region growing concern in the Great Lakes; the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal connect the Great Lakes to the Mississippi. Last month, a survey was taken that found Asian carp only 55 miles south of our very own Lake Michigan. Unless the Asian carp are deterred, they will infiltrate our great lakes, potentially bringing disastrous effects to the entire region.
Name – Arius felis Name – Hardhead catfish Description – Hardhead catfish have six rounded barbels that stick out from their chins like whiskers. These barbels help the catfish find crabs, fish and shrimp in the muddy bays where they live. The dorsal and pectoral fins each are supported by a sharp, slime-covered barbed spine. The catfish is covered in a mildly toxic slime, that causes severe pain, and swelling, should the catfish cut you. The dorsal spine normally is held erect when the fish is excited, and a tennis shoe or even a leather-soled shoe offers little protection.
A defining feature of the lionfish which everyone sees are the “18 venomous spines on its dorsal fin and its pelvic and anal fins, which are used for defense” as described in FACE OFF WITH THE ENEMY: LIONFISH by Special To The Citizen. Which is a neurotoxin that results in intense pain and swelling of one’s body. Fernando Simal, a marine hunter at STINAPA National Marine Park, found out the potency of their venom after his first hunt when being stung by the lionfish he caug...
Scorpaenidae are mostly marine fish,very few found in fresh and brackish water. The family have around around 45 different genera and 380 different species. They are mostly found in the India Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Most of them lives in coral, tropical reefs and shallow waters, warmer areas. Not all of the family fish lives in the shallow water, small portion of the Scorpaenidae live deep as around 7,000 feet. Just like most of the coral reef fish are, Scorpaenidae have camouflaged body. Their characteristic reflects their name, they have sharp spine that can sting other organisms. Their spine are covered with venomous mucus just like how some other kind of fish are covered with the venomous mucus. Their body are covered with scales. Generally speaking, the Scorpaenidae family fish have different number of spines over the course of the body. Most known type pf Scorpaenidae are lionfish and scorpionfish. Lionfish have preorbital bone with 3 spines, spines and third below the diagonal; , big mouth, end position, oblique fissure. Mandible, vomer and jaw bone with villiform teeth group. Gill openings are wide, tetrabranchiate membranes without the isthmus, pre-opercular margin with 5 spines. Body are ctenoid scales, round head. On the side, there are about eight to nine dorsal fin, fin spines and rays of an anal fin; five to six pectoral fins, they are large, round, and are branched from the upper fin rays. There are about one to five pelvic, sub thoracic; caudal fin rounded truncate. Reef stonefish are extremely camouflaged, they could look exactly like a rock when hiding for predation. The spines of Scorpaenidae are hard and rough, some of their fin spines have poison, can cause serious pain, swells and fatal wounds. Some of ...
Lionfish have brown and white stripes covering their body (NOAA, 2011). Lionfish have broad pectoral fins, and long individual dorsal spines that contain the venom glands in the tips (NOAA, 2011). The venom of the lionfish is only intended as a defense mechanism and not meant to kill. The spines of the lionfish deliver a sting that can result in severe pain, respiratory distress, and even paralysis (NOAA, 2011). Lionfish are found in almost all tropical marine habitats consisting of warm waters due to their invasive behavior. Their native range covers a very large area from western Australia and Malaysia east to French Polynesia and off the east coast of Australia to the Kermadec Islands of New Zealand (NOAA, 2011). Lionfish have been found along the coast from Florida to North Carolina. The first lionfish was reported in South Florida waters in 1985 with additional sightings occurring until they were documented as established in the early 2000s (NOAA, 2011). Lionfish are very popular aquarium fish, especially in the U.S making them important to the aquarium trade. There are two possible ideas about how the lionfish were introduced into the Atlantic. The first is through ballast water, the water carried in the bellies of the enormous transport ships of intercontinental trade (Whitney, 2003). Larval lionfish have low oxygen and food needs which makes surviving movement in ballast water a possibility (Whitney, 2003). The second possibility is that a number of...
The normal weight of M. salmoides is one kilogram; however, certain largemouth basses have gotten weights of over ten kilograms. Males usually do not surpass 40 cm, while females can reach up to 56 cm in length. The largemouth bass has a large, slightly sloping mouth. Its body is slender to robust, slightly compressed laterally, and oval in cross section. The corner of the mouth extends past the eye, hence its common name. (Bailey, et al., 2004; Boschung, et al., 2004) Immature Micropterus salmoides feed on zooplankton and marine insects. As they grow their diet shifts to crayfish
Orconectes rusticus, also known as Rusty crayfish, are freshwater benthic omnivores that are important in the lentic ecosystem (Nilsson, E, et al, 2012). Nilsson et al, observed how the Rusty crayfish that are native to the Ohio River valley in North America are dispersing to other lakes and becoming an invader of that ecosystem. Rusty crayfish feed on the microphytes, (Nilsson, E, et al, 2012) which are aquatic plants that enhance water transparency and aquatic biodiversity in fresh water ecosystems (Peeters Ehm, et al. (2013)). Microphytes also provide shelter and food for native fishes such as lepomis. Lepomis also prey on the juvenile rusty crayfish. Abundances of rusty crayfish, macrophytes and Lepomis were associated by a feedback that
In The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister tells how a beautiful, extraordinary, yet, self-centered blue fish learns that being beautiful isn’t the key to happiness. The blue fish came to find this lesson when he lost his friends. Pfister takes a simple ocean setting and explores the consequences of an individual’s arrogance toward their peers, the process of humbling of oneself, and the tremendous reward one feels when they learn to share. The story achieves these morals by the author’s use of detailed imager and also, the influence of minor characters on the antihero in order to reveal to the audience the true thematic message; selfish actions bring true happiness.
What is a pogona? How big are they? What do they eat? Few people know the answers to these questions. This essay will discuss these questions and more. Lets start with the types and what they are.
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...
The morphology of whale sharks is mostly similar to aquatic fish species, but many specific traits help differentiate them from the rest. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world and can reach a size of around 20 meters (Martins, C., and C. Knickle). This is often compared to the size of a school bus. The shark has a very large transverse mouth. They have 5 very large gill slits and have a larger first dorsal fin compared to the second one (Whale Shark). They have a distinctive spotted “checkerboard” pattern with stripes (Martins, C., and C. Knickle). It is not exactly known why they have this specific body marking. It is believed that the body markings act as a camouflage. The strange thing about whale sharks is that they have 300 rows of teeth that play no role in feeding (Martins, C., and C. Knickle).
In common Stingrays, their digestive tract consist of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, anterior intestine, spiral valve intestine, ending in a cloaca. Unlike most animals, the mouth of the stingray is located on its underbelly and is the opening hole in allowing food bolus to enter. With some common stingray, they do not contain any teeth and therefore must use small plates located in their mouth to absorb the food particles out of the water. Once this has occurred, the gills of the stingray trap the food inside its mouth and allow the remaining water to be released. When in the case that the stingray do not have teeth, there are 28-38 upper tooth rows and 28-43 lower tooth rows where each tooth is often small and blunt. A stingray’s mouth is only visible from underneath and therefore very hard to see.
Products in the Stingrae line includes:- squid, crab backs, crab meat, shrimps, prawns, lobster (live and frozen), flying fish, white salmon, pink salmon, counter caviar, fillets of white fish, mussels, octopus and a variety of other seafood products.
The difficulty in tracing this species evolutionary history stems from the fact that its ancestry dates back 245 million years ago to the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. Additional Interest Whale sharks have no real means of defending themselves and warding off attacks from the larger predators such as killer whales or the great white shark. The whale sharks means of defense is its thick skin. The whale shark has the thickest skin of any animal on the planet, and this is its only means of defense. Conclusion Rhincodon typus live in warm temperate seas, primarily found in tropical and subtropical climates.