barine miology

because fish are wack my dudes

[barine-miology]

Cookie Cutter Shark

(CW: slight gore)

Also known as the cigar shark, these lil buds are pretty interesting. Only being 16.5 - 22 inches long (42- 56 cm), you`d think they`d be pretty weak, but their uniquely parasitic nature has allowed them to not only survive, but go mostly unseen until the sixties, when they mistook soviet and american subs for whales, though contrary to popular belief they were actually first recorded in 1824.

Cookie cutters get their food primarily from latching onto larger marine mammals and fish using their thirty or so teeth and burrowing inwards in order to cut out a cylindrical plug of flesh. A lesser known aspect of their feeding habits is that they lure these larger creatures via bioluminesent phosphores on it`s underside that mimic the look of smaller fish. They will also eat small fish, squids and crustaceans in a manner similar to other sleeper sharks of a similar caliber. 

Look guys, he`s glow-in-the-shark!

The injuries they leave are not usually fatal, but still, poor baby :(

They live in warmer, deeper equatorial waters, often near the coasts of islands. They also enjoy the perks of diel vertical migration, keeping below 1,000 meters during the daytime, and rising up to around 300 meters at night. They`ve been seen to go as deep as 3.7 km.

Probable predators include larger sharks and the occasional bony fish. Their lifespan in as of now unknown, but we do know that they reach sexual maturity at around 15 inches long. They are mostly solitary outside of mating seasons, and are almost entirely precocial, being able to live on their own right out of the eggsack. Surprisingly little is known about their reproduction, but some theorize that they use coastal waters as a sort of nursery habitat, if not just as mating grounds.

There have been four confirmed attacks on humans, all of which happened in Hawaii.

[barine-miology]

Freshwater Friday: Blind Cave Tetras

Yes, it`s true, I cover less salty wildlife as well.

Blind Cave Tetras, or Blind Cave Fish, are pretty wacky for a simple freshwater fish, especially since it`s from such a common genus. It`s one of the larger members of the tetra family at around 4.7 inches (12 cm), and like most tetras they live in schools.

This strange variant of the Mexican Tetra live in the waters of underground caves and caverns, being found as far north as New Mexico and as far south as Guatemala. Their most striking feature is that, well, they ain`t got no eyes. The really bizarre thing about them, though, is that they aren`t actually born that way. Baby cave tetras start out having eyes, and as they age they recede until their sockets become simple fatty deposits that are eventually covered by the same scales that coat the rest of their bodies.

So if they`re blind, how do they even get around without bumping into stuff? Well that`s where things get interesting. It utilizes a sort of underwater echolocation wherein in sucks water into it`s mouth and tracks the resulting currents and, by extension, the objects they bounce off of. It uses this in combination with sensors on its flanks to avoid threats and obstacles. Neither of these adaptations are unique to the Blind Cave Tetra, but no other fish has been known to use them together, especially with such frequency.

It`s also believed that their skeletal structure assists in navigation, as this also changes as it develops. As they mature, the typically symmetrical cranial bones of the juvenile tetra begin to skew to the left. This grants the fish greater directional awareness, not only because of the weight difference, but because it allows their neuromasts to better track the contours of their environment.

Suprisingly, the Blind Cave Tetra, like most other tetras, can be kept in freshwater tanks, and while they`re not like the best starter fish or anything, they aren`t as difficult to care for as their eccentricities may imply. They should be kept in schools of at least five and require a minimum tank size of 30 gallons, and require water that is between 68° F and 77° F, with a pH level of 6.5 to 8.0. Ideal tankmates are peaceful community fish of a similar size that primarily occupy a different level of the tank.

A super interesting aspect of these dudes is how genetically similar they are to regular Mexican Tetras, which invites a really cool comparative aspect to their already unique biology.

[barine-miology]

Reef Stone Fish

It`s him. He`s here. The worst fish.

Sorry if I`m being rude, but I HATE the Reef Stone Fish. In fact, I hate the stone fish genus as a whole!

Around 14 - 20 inches long (35-50 cm) and weighing in at 5 pounds (2.3 kg), this rude customer has some insane camo. If you`re not looking for it, this little sucker is almost impossible to notice, which is one of the reasons I hate it so much.

You see, it`d be fine if they just had great camouflage, that`d be understandable, but they also happen to be venomous. Like, really venomous. Like, THE MOST VENOMOUS FISH ON EARTH venomous. That`s not hyperbole, Reef Stonefish venom has been known to kill adult human in less than an hour. This venom is administrated via one of thirteen spines along it`s dorsal fin. There are actually 5 other spines, but they are usually hidden. Venom is stored and produced in glands located at the base of each spine, and is secreted when pressure is applied to it`s respective spine. The amount of venom secreted is directly proportional to the amount of pressure applied.

So, imagine you`re just walking around on the ocean floor, as you do, and you step on, or hell, even just bump into what looks to be part of a completely normal reef, only to be stung so bad you could die! How incredibly rude.

This venom is intensely painful from the moment it is administered. Localized swelling is common, and is sometimes occupied by a blueish discoloration of the skin around the envenomation site. If not treated, it will cause heart failure and breathing difficulties, eventually resulting in death. Other symptoms include seizures, muscle paralysis, tissue necrosis, and shock. Reef Stonefish stings require immediate professional medical attention, so the first thing you should do if you or someone with you have been stung is call the hospital. While waiting for an ambulance, soak the affected area in hot water to relieve pain, though be careful not to burn yourself. Do not remove any spines stuck in the envenomation site, as doing so could possibly result in substantial blood loss. Instead, pad the areas around where they enter the skin. Reef Stonefish venom is localized, so do not try to apply a pressure immobilization bandage. If the affected person is unresponsive and not breathing properly, perform CPR if you know how.

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Rapidly-Progressive-Necrotising-Fasciitis-following-Tang-Fung/d698f606ee034c51e05c057b99b42053eee19649

Reef Stonefish are carnivorous, subsisting off shrimp, various crustaceans, and other smaller fish. It hunts by lying motionless on the floor until something tasty comes close enough, then it bolts at it, capturing it`s prey. The striking phase of this hunt is so fast it can be difficult to film, as it can snap up a small crab almost entirely within a 0.15 second timespan. Despite this, they are often prey to larger sharks, rays, and sometimes even sea snakes.

They have been known to live both in groups and alone, and usually live for between five and ten years in the wild. They normally live in reef flats and shallow lagoons in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asian Pacific, and can allso be found in the Red Sea. They almost never go deeper than the 30 meter mark, 50 meters at the deepest. Unlike most other fish, the Reef Stonefish can survive up to 24 hours outside of the water, a fact I wish I never learned.

Did I mention that they can spit at you? Because they can. What assholes.

[barine-miology]

Introduction

What`s up! This is a continuation of an aquatic life blog I had around a year ago on amino.

I`ll probably post around three times a week, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

I just finished posting all the old stuff from amino, so everything from here on out will be one hundred percent new.

That`s all I really had to say, have a great rest of your afternoon.

[barine-miology]

one mysterious dude

MEGAMOUTH SHARK

Since I've covered the basking shark in the past I decided why not talk about the smallest of the three filter feeding sharks (megamouths usually being around 4 meters long)

They're pretty elusive, so much so that they weren't discovered until the seventies, so there's still a good chunk of info on them we don't have yet. there's only been 55 confirmed sightings.

For example the only thing we know for certain regarding whether they have predators or not is that sperm whales have been known to attack them from time to time.

Their recent discovery explains their rather blunt but undeniably convenient name, which obviously alludes to their meter wide mouths. Their massive maws are lined with hundreds of lil teeth, 50 rows on the top and 75 on the bottom.

They attract their prey by using bioluminescent phosphors around their mouth as a sort of bait. Unfortunately despite much searching I have yet to see someone else refer to them as the glowing lips of doom.

Like I said earlier they're filter feeders, so they mainly subsist off of plankton and maybe the occasional shrimp.

Despite their aforementioned elusiveness, they're a pretty widespread species. Not only do they live all over the globe, but they can be found anywhere from the epipelagic zone near the surface all the way down to the upper parts of the abyss.

They're also apparently pretty ungraceful swimmers despite their infamous surreptitiousness.

originally posted on Science Amino on 01/06/19

[barine-miology]

LIONS MANE JELLYFISH

Here he is, the largest jellyfish in the world! up to 120 feet (37 m) long to be exact (which is longer than the longest recorded blue whale, btw).

This big guy is a practicing pelagic invertebrate who loves the salty open oceans of Scandinavia and North America. Unfortunately, due to its chilly location global warming could potentially do a lot of damage to them.

They live off of plankton, crustaceans, and smaller jellyfish (moon jellies being a favorite).

Even with their massive size, it's not uncommon for them to be eaten by leatherback turtles. this is also despite their 1200 stinging tentacles. While they technically have the potential to be deadly to humans, the only recorded "attack" was this one time in 2010 when a partially shredded corpse washed up on a beach and over 50 people were accidentally stung by the all the dismembered parts.

They have this cool symbiotic thing where various creatures (usually shrimp, medusa fish, etc) hang out in it's titular "mane" and eat their host's leftovers. Fish who are more sensitive to their venom tend to gather around them for protection as well.

They are continual swimmers, and while they usually go it solo, they have been known to swarm together into groups called shoals

Even though some species of jellyfish are famous for being virtually immortal, these guys have a lifespan of only 12 months. Despite this, according to some sources, their population numbers are thriving.

originally posted on Science Amino on 12/19/18

[barine-miology]

pineapple cake

UPSIDE DOWN JELLYFISH

heeeeeeeeyyyy I've known these things for years! they're one of the mainstays at my local aquarium, which isn't surprising considering they're so easy to care for it's not uncommon for them to be kept as pets.

Also the biggest they get is at most around the size of your average pie plate, so it's not exactly hard to find room for them in most cases

They're also not very demanding eaters. they get their nutrients one of two ways. the first is their oral appendages. They have eight of them in total, each with dozens of little mouths on them. They use these to ingest both zooplankton and phytoplankton.

The second way they eat is pretty cool. you see they house algae inside of their bodies, which they have a symbiotic relationship with. The jellyfish provides the algae a little protection with its not particularly painful but still very itchy and unpleasant sting, and the algae photosynthesizes food for the jellyfish. This is why they're upside down, so the algae can receive more sunlight. the algae also causes the jellyfish's color.

This whole photosynthesis thing is kind of fitting, since these jellies look so much like flowers. The resemblance is helped by their tendency to group together.

They use their bells suction cup style to stick to the ocean floor, where they spend most of their time. they usually live in tropical waters, mostly in warm coastal regions like Florida.

They are mostly eaten by leatherback turtles and sunfish, as well as any other animal known for eating jellies in general.

On occasion, crabs have been known to pick them up to use as protection and camouflage.

What a lovely hat.

originally posted on Science Amino on 12/04/18

[barine-miology]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

BASKING SHARK

You'd think spending most of your day with your mouth open would suck ass, but apparently it doesn't according to these dudes.

This is the basking shark. It's around 6-8 meters in length, lives up to 30 years, and got its name from its undying love of sunbathing.

They tend to live in cold to temperate waters of the continental shelves, though they regularly migrate along with the plankton population, the most obvious of which is the southward journey they make in the winter. They are also often seen in coastal areas, much to the joy of spectators.

As you've probably guessed by now, this lil buddy eats plankton, in way that kinda resembles how some whales do it. That is to say, by strolling around opened wide hoping some food finds its way into its stomach. The main difference is that I'm pretty sure there aren't any whales swimming around with gill rakers.

Gill rakers (which is coincidentally also the name of my friend`s cousin's heavy metal band) are those nearly inorganic looking things lining their huge mouth. They act as strainers, separating the plankton from the water.

Weirdly enough, these gill rakers fall out during the winter months. they usually don't starve though, since they have massive livers. Because of this, they were actually endangered at one point (currently they're vulnerable) due to them being hunted for liver oil.

Despite their status as the second biggest (living) fish in the sea, they are perfectly safe to humans, as well as most things that aren't plankton. Hell, they aren't even that aggressive towards plankton, seeing as they don't actively hunt out food. They can't be kept in captivity though, due to its size and food intake.

We don't actually know a lot about them (especially their migration patterns) so scientific interest is ongoing, and, though they're no longer endangered, they're still vulnerable, so conservation efforts for them are still abundant. They're awesome creatures, so it'd be a sad day if they ever went extinct.

Contrary to popular belief, they can in fact close their mouths, they just don't do it very often.

originally posted on Science Amino on 12/08/18

[barine-miology]

my ugly boys

GOBLIN SHARKS

You guys have probably heard of these lil dudes (and by little I mean up to 210 kg in weight and 4 m in length of course).

Not a lot is definitively known about these guys due to how unlikely it is to encounter one of them, so some of what I'm about to say might be disputable btw.

They're one of those deep sea species that has barely changed in a crazy long amount of time, which is the main reason they look the way they do.

They tend to live in the Mesopelagic level and below, which is fitting seeing as how I'd probably think I was in the Twilight Zone if I saw one in person.

Because of how deep they are, sometimes they go for long stretches without much food. because of this their livers are huge, usually being around a quarter of their total body weight.

Due to how little sunlight they get they don't have retractable eyelids like a lot of other sharks do, however they do have irises like we do, and are able to change the size of their pupils, proving that they do occasionally rely on their vision.

One of their most prominent physical characteristics is that they look pink! Their skin isn't actually pink though, it's translucent. this actually does serve an adaptational purpose in that it can act as camouflage against some coral reefs.

They eat (rock)fish, cephalopods, crustaceans, and sometimes other sharks.

They mainly use their ampullae of Lorenzini to hunt their prey (basically receptors on their face that detect the electric fields in the water around them).

They also have this really cool thing they can do where they coordinate their mouth and throat to create a vacuum of sorts to suck prey in.

They can open their jaw pretty wide because of their expanding gill muscles and loose skin.

Despite the fact that they're pretty avid predators, they move sluggishly most of the time.

originally posted on Science Amino on 12/02/18