Bevvy's Favourites

Hi there, this blog is dedicated to sharing little tidbits about my favourite animals, research and conservation work. 24 y/o Science & Conservation Comms Guy.

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The coastal seas of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean are alive with the sounds of a fish far better known for its ability to walk, fly and grunt, than swim.

This unusual benthic creature, the tub gurnard (Chelidonicthys lucerna), is well adapted to life on the sea floor. While on the hunt, it appears to take a stroll over the surface using three elongated spines. These appendages are modified from the front of the pectoral fins and are used to probe the sand for hiding prey-animals. When more in a hurry, the fish spreads its fins out into magnificent gliding “wings” with which it has earned the title of “sea robin”.

Aside from these adaptations, the tub gurnard has a flair for acoustics. It’s swimbladder - the organ that controls buoyancy - contains a set of muscles that beat against the structure’s walls when contracted, producing sounds such as knocks, growls and grunts. 

From research we know that gurnard’s use their grunts to chat about whichever pressing topic is at hand ranging from “oi, that is my food, please leave >:c” to “ay bby u come here often ;)” 

Photo Credit: Robert Patzner Jeff Dubosc

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Terrestrial life during the Cretaceous period saw a time ruled by great lizard predators. You’d therefore be forgiven if by chance having found yourself stranded in the time of the dinosaurs, your instinct was to get yourself as far away from land as possible.  

Regrettably, this decision would quite likely see you into the jaws of one of history’s most voracious sea-faring beasties (assuming a Mosasaur doesn’t find you first).

Xiphactinus was a genus of massive, predatory fish that bears resemblance to the modern day Tarpon. This fierce hunter enjoyed a diet of mostly other large fish, while it is thought that larger individuals took on the aquatic reptiles of the era.  A 4m (13ft) fossil Xiphactinus audax was discovered containing an excellently preserved 1.8m (6ft) Gillicus arcuatus fish. Although, in this case it seems the latter was successful in rupturing the organs of the former as it attempted to swallow its dinner.

Any readers of this post considering a holiday in the cretaceous period will doubtlessly take comfort in the knowledge that with enough of a fight they could at least make a large Xiphactinus regret it’s dietary choices.

Photo Source: Myself (taken at National Museum Cardiff), prehistoric-wildlife.com

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When we imagine a spider’s diet, the seemingly infinite buffet of the class Insecta is what leaps to mind. But, in a natural world full of surprises, of course, there are exceptions to the rule. Bagheera kiplingi, a species of jumping spider seemingly desperate to be unique, has ditched its carnivorous diet for a (mostly) vegetarian lifestyle.

This animal’s selected treats are “Beltian bodies”, swollen masses rich in sugars, proteins and lipids, readily available on the tips of the Acacia tree leaves that the veggie jumping spider calls home. The meals are by no means a freebie however, certain ant species have developed a symbiotic relationship with the Acacia and will fiercely defend their beltian banquet. Fortunately, Bagheera’s nimble acrobatic leaps means it mostly cares not for it’s annoying nibbly rivals.

On vegetarianism, Bagheera kiplingi sees no point to absolutism, and will happily make a snack of any ant larvae it stumbles across. Faced with harsh times these critters will go as far as cannibalising each other.

Photograph by Carol Farneti Foster © Casado Internet Group, Belize

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En garde! The Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) is among the ocean’s most uniquely armed predators. Contrary to popular belief however, this fearsome weapon is not used to spear unfortunate small fish. The swordfish is more than happy to eat these smaller morsels whole. When it comes to more challenging prey such as larger fish or squid, the swordfish uses burst acceleration up to a maximum of 25mph, slashing with it’s bill to mortally wound the desired dinner.

They can achieve impressive sizes, commonly reaching 9.8ft (3m) in length. The largest individual ever observed would dwarf a human swimmer, at 14.9ft (4.55m) from sword to tail.  It’s hard to imagine that this great animal was at some point no larger than a fingertip, with it’s sword distinguishable at just a couple of millimetres long.

The largest and greatest swordfish use their weapons in defense of their lives in fierce duels against attacking Mako sharks. The Mako shark’s ferocity is also in its speed, and while sometimes successful in its battles, numerous deceased Mako’s have been discovered with Swordfish bills embedded deeply in their carcasses.

Swordfish exhibit “cranial endothermy”, the ability to warm the blood around their eyes and brain, reducing the effects of changing water temperature on eyesight and brain function. Essential as strong vision gives pelagic ocean dwelling predators the edge in survival. 

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Horrifying! Repulsive! Downright stomach churning...

For our daft monkey brains, the sight of a the tailless whip scorpion of the order amblypygi certainly isn’t a pleasant one. But fear not! These critters are completely harmless and fascinating. 

Lacking venom, they pose absolutely no threat to humans. However, arthropods and even the small vertebrates that occupy the leaf litter and fallen logs of the world’s tropics should certainly fear the mantis-like grabbing appendages of this predator.

Similar to its other arachnid relatives, including spiders and true scorpions, amblypygi have eight legs. Only six of these are grown for walking though, the anterior pair have become specialised whip-like sensory organs that act as antennae, and are the structures that give these animals their name.

Most interestingly, these creatures are among the few arachnids to exhibit social behaviour. A female and her backpack nest of tiny young riding along for the adventure communicate through their antennae-like front legs, although for now the exact purpose of this is a mystery. Perhaps they just enjoy a nice chat?

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As you blitz down your tumblr feed, Deinotherium really might not catch your eye as anything other than an odd-looking modern day Elephant. Of course if you stop for a second the differences become clear. Its great stocky body is a stark contrast to it’s flattened, relatively small head, and bizarrely angled tusks distinguish it from its present day relatives.

A distant cousin of today’s largest land animal, Deinotherium species roamed the plains of Europe, Asia and Africa during the Miocene and Pleistocene, before disappearing from our planet approximately 4 million years before the present day.

So what could be the function of such strange facial features? An excellent question, and one that scientists still squabble over today. Leading theories include the tearing of bark or branches from trees, or digging through plant matter and soil for food. However, short of time-travel or Jurassic Park levels of scientific advancement, we may never know for sure.

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No matter how scary, every beastie fears their own monster under the bed. For the Portuguese man’o’war, the nightmare is a rather fancy looking sea-slug.

The sea swallow (Glaucus atlanticus) is a pelagic nudibranch, that much like it’s Siphonophore prey, spends its life suspended at the ocean surface.

When Glaucus stumbles upon a man’o’war it wastes no time in tucking in. Unlike fish and crustaceans, it has developed immunity to the sting, and has nothing to fear. To add insult to injury, the sea swallow has learnt to harness the man’o’war’s greatest weapon as its own. It consumes the siphonophore’s nematocysts (stinging cells), concentrating them in sacks at the end of it’s elegant appendages.

If you happen across this beautiful critter at the beach, DO NOT give into the temptation to pick it up, unless you’d quite like delightful dose of second-hand venom, and a few days in the ER.... or perhaps even a one-way ticket to the morgue.

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The Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia physalis) sails the seas with its gas-filled sail, forever on the hunt for prey.

But are we looking at a single “man”, or perhaps many? The man o’ war is no jellyfish, nor in fact is it even a single organism. It is a Siphonophore, a colonial organism comprised of thousands of smaller individuals.

These smaller individuals (zooids) each have their own specialised role. For example, dactylzooids paralyse any particularly unfortunate plankton or fish that happen to pass too close, while gonozooids handle the friskier aspects of the man o’ war’s lifestyle.

Like many other particularly potent sea-faring species, the colonies are frequently found off the coast of Australia, where they bring trouble for swimmers. The stings cause terrifically intense pain, and can potentially be lethal, although this risk is thankfully limited to very small children.

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At a glance the yeti crab (Kiwa hirsuta) looks far more suited to a day in the snow than it’s regular home in the waters surrounding deep sea hydrothermal vents.

Its claws, legs and carapace are not covered in hairs, but rather by colonies of filamentous bacteria that use the mineral-rich water to fuel their metabolism. The exact usage of the bacteria remains a curiosity. Similar bacteria are often a carbon-source for other deep sea crustaceans such as shrimp, but the yeti crab is not thought to graze on its glamorous forelimbs. The crab may utilise the bacteria to purify the water surrounding its body. 

Image Credit - CHESSO Consortium

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Dunkleosteus is a genus of placoderm (plate-skinned) fish that lived during the late devonian era, 382-358 million years ago.

Their two-part armour plating covered the head and upper body regions, acting as the ultimate offensive and defensive weaponry of the period. Instead of teeth, Dunkleosteus’s bony plates formed a beak structure, which with tremendous bite strength could easily crush ammonite shells and the plating of smaller, more unfortunate placoderms.

The largest species, D.tirelli, could grow to 6m (20ft) in length, and is regarded as the first true superpredator by some palaeontologists.

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A life lived in the boiling waters near deep-sea hydrothermal vents is certainly a challenging one. Only the toughest animals may thrive here, a statement that the scaly-foot gastropod (Chrysomallon squamiferum) takes quite literally.

The snail incorporates iron-sulfides from the mineral rich water into a triple-layered shell, and scaly sclerites that coat its fleshy body. As is common in hydrothermal vent life, the animal relies on endosymbiotic bacteria to survive. It is speculated that the sclerites may be a novel usage of the toxic bacterial waste products that build up in the snail’s body, although nobody is certain of their true purpose.

Photo Credit: David Shale

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Undoubtedly the most stylish species in the caterpillar kingdom, the headwear of the Mad Hatterpillar (Uraba lugens) sets it apart from the rest.

Like many other caterpillars, as the Mad Hatterpillar grows, it must repeatedly shed its tough outer exoskeleton. But bizarrely, it holds onto the head portion of each shed. Over time they accumulate to form a fabulous hat.

Such iconic decoration is not only for show. Studies have shown that when under threat the Hatterpillar will use its headgear as a sword to fend off an attacker.

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Aliens amongst the depths - Barreleyes are moderate depth (450-2500m) fish of the family Opisthoproctidae.

In a world almost devoid of light, locating food requires specialisation. The Barreleye’s solution to this challenge is two upward-facing telescopic eyes enclosed in a transparent dome of tissue, used to detect the above silhouettes of zooplankton and crustacean prey.

The Barreleye also enjoys a life of crime, stealing food items from the stinging tentacles of Hydrozoan Siphonophores, from which the fish’s precious eyes are protected.

Image Credit - Monterey Bay Aquarium.

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A classic case of strange biology, the Axolotl is famous for its permanent juvenile appearance. They exhibit ‘neoteny’ - the delaying of the development of an organism - in this case, metamorphosis.

Axolotl’s belong to the order of Salamanders (Urodela), and are not the only member of this group to delay development. In response to stressful environmental conditions, other Salamander species will facultatively retain the smaller aquatic form to sexual maturity, requiring less food to survive than the adult terrestrial form. It is therefore unsurprising that the axolotl is found exclusively in water bodies surrounded by a challenging terrestrial environment, where obligate neoteny may be favoured by natural selection.

While a staple research animal and pet, the status of the axolotl in the wild is precarious due to loss of its already limited habitat and introduction of invasive predators/competitors. The axolotl has held a spot on the IUCN red list of critically endangered species since 2001.

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Suffering the same fate as the Dodo and many Galapagos Tortoises, the docile and terrifically edible nature of the Steller’s Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) brought this gentle giant to it’s end at the hands of humans, in 1768.

On a diet of mostly kelp, individuals could attain a length of 9m (30ft), weighing in at ~10 metric tons. Strong social and parental bonds meant these animals were highly gregarious, accumulating in the island shallows of the north Pacific. Reports exist of sea cow groups attempting to ram hunting boats after the capture of an individual.

The closest relative of Steller’s sea cow - the Dugong - lives on in warmer Pacific waters.

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Gorgonopsids were a sub-order of theriodonts (meaning beast-tooth), a group of therapsid animals. Species varied greatly in size, with the largest such as Inostrancevia among the fiercest Paleozoic predators, growing to 3.5m in length. They likely would’ve actively hunted or ambushed prey, including smaller therapsids such as Dicynodonts as well as Paleozoic reptiles, using 15cm canines to wound and kill.

Ultimately Gorgonopsids would succumb to the Permian mass extinction event 252mya (the largest % loss of species of all time), leaving other theriodont groups to diversify into animals including our earliest mammal ancestors.

Image Credits - prehistoric-wildlife.com, Ghedoghedo.

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The Chambered Nautilus (Nautilus pompilius) inhabits the depths of the South Pacific. ~1000 feet below the waves, they enjoy a diet of shellfish and carrion.

While data to estimate the conservation status of these animals is lacking, the huge demand for Nautilus shells resulted in legislation blocking or limiting trade.

After an 8-12 month development period, a freshly emerged tiny Nautilus is among the ocean’s most adorable beasties!

Image Credit - Monterey Bay Aquarium, otlibrary.com