natural life wonders

Things I see that make me happy

[montereybayaquarium]

Clones! These tiny strawberry anemones (Corynactis californica) literally divide and conquer the rocky reefs they inhabit—they split in half, or bud off pieces of their tissues to reproduce. Explore the rocky shore

[neaq]

Christmas lights are nice and all, but JELLIES!

[wavemotions]

[carbonlocked-blog]

Gorgeous wave action.

[aeonmagazine-deactivated2016101]

Earth’s oceans are beginning to warm and turn acidic, endangering plankton and the entire marine food chain

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So pretty. So nearly dead.

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A beautiful manta ray shot by Ian Lindsey on the Big Island of Hawaii. He takes them with a snorkel mask and an underwater camera, which is pretty much my dream profession.

http://www.ianlindseyphotography.com

[anobservantmermaid]

[explosionsoflife]

© JLambus Photography

[carbonlocked-blog]

Whatchoo looking at?

[biovisual]

[mucholderthen]

Crash in sardine population may explain sick sea lion pups

Colder water in the Pacific beside California may be why we’re seeing more giant squid and different types of whales — the annual gray whale migration toward Baja California is booming this year — but it may also be part of the cascading causes of an alarming crash in the numbers of sardines.

Read more …

SOURCE: Ocean Conservation Society on Facebook Via biovisual

[carbonlocked-blog]

Pew's research is really quite neat, and this article about Pacific sardines highlights the need to understand ocean acidification's effect on phytoplankton and the food web.

[rhamphotheca]

Years After Mating, Eagle Rays Finally Give Birth

by Stephen Messenger

The marine biologists at Australia’s Oceanworld Manly aquarium may be well-versed in the facts of life, but it’s never too late to learn a bit more about how exactly babies are made. Recently, twelve healthy baby rays were birthed at the facility by a pair of females, much to the confusion of aquarium staff. What’s so puzzling about that? Well, the new mothers haven’t had any contact with a male stingray for over two years.

Researchers point out that some female marine animals, like rays and sharks, have been known to store sperm until just the right moment to conceive. But, according to a report from Australia’s Daily Telegraph, never before have biologists observed rays put off starting a family so long after the initial reproductive deed was done. In fact, pregnancy was the last thing on their minds when they noticed two of their rays were starting to plump up…

(read more: TreeHugger)

Photo: chucklepix

[realmonstrosities]

The Electric Eel can reach 8 feet long, but just 20% of that length contains vital organs. The rest is used to produce electricity.

It’s all about priorities…

Images: Josh More/opencage/Wikipedia

[philosophyofvision-blog]

Such a sleepy octopus.

[carbonlocked-blog]

Suckers galore, softly tinted.

[thelovelyseas]

Green Turtle eating Jellyfish - Dimakya Island, Philippines by Ai Angel Gentel

[carbonlocked-blog]

Sea turtles are lovely, mystical, slow-moving beauties. And they mistake plastic bags for their favored prey.

[faunafacts]

[carbonlocked-blog]

Treats! Those eyes say, "Mine."

A seal munches on a crab as animals at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo receive Christmas-themed treats in their enclosures.

Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty Images

[mucholderthen]

Paleo-art by Ken Daud Cambrian Fauna from the Burgess Shale and the Maotianshan Shales

Columnar stromatolites [in the background], formed by algae, shelter a wide range of bizarre creatures from the Burgess shale (505 million years ago)

Early fish-like vertebrates (on the left: Myllokunmingia - approx. 525 million years ago) fall prey to an anomalocarid (an arthropod) [middle]

Another anomalocarid from the Chengjiang fauna of the Maotianshan Shales (525 million years ago)

SOURCE: Ken Doud

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Toothy fish, colorful coral and curious cuttlefish.

Some lovelies from my last Seattle Aquarium visit. Photos are mine. 

[nature-gifs]

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Plankton, all shimmery and full of volition.

[marine-science-deactivated20141]

DSC_8587 by ensio80 on Flickr.

[carbonlocked-blog]

Beautiful sneak. Did you know they have been reported as forty-six feet long? Its mouth can be over four feet wide!

Whale sharks are deities in traditional Vietnamese myth, the name translates as Sir Fish. For more cool whale shark facts, visit the Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center.

[lvnardeath]

www.hornart.tumblr.com