4482
Channel for lovers of rivers, seas and oceans. Dive with us!
Amblyglyphidodon curacao 🐠
Species of marine fish from the Pomacentridae family, including damselfish and clownfish. Widely distributed in the tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean. This species is a small-sized fish that can reach a maximum length of 11 cm.
🌊 Interesting fact: The vibrant colors of these fish serve as camouflage and communication in their coral reef habitats. They are popular in the aquarium trade due to their striking appearance and relatively easy care requirements.
Pinagor 🥰🔥
A species of marine ray-finned fish, the only member of the genus Pinagor in the family Pinagorids. They inhabit the northern parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the seas of the Arctic Ocean.
🐟 Fun fact: Pinagors are known for their distinctive elongated bodies and their ability to produce light through bioluminescence! They use this to communicate with each other in the deep, dark waters they call home. 🌊✨
🍋 Sea Lemon Slug
This is a sea slug that lives in salty waters. Its scientific name is Doris pseudoargus. The second word translates to "lemon," which is also its common name. However, it has not yet become well-known among the general public. For now, only experts are familiar with this fascinating creature.
The octopus possesses the ability to hypnotize 🥺
Its skin contains millions of pigment cells, which the octopus uses to create these constant color changes.
A hypnotized crab becomes an easy prey.
Fun fact: Octopuses are highly intelligent and can even use tools! 🐙🧠
Dwarf Blenny (Ecsenius namiyei) is a beautiful and cute fish 🥰
When it senses danger, it quickly swims away but soon returns to its original spot. 🐠
These colorful reef fish are found in the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. They are known for their unique "hopping" swimming style and can change color based on their mood. 🌈
🐠 Clownfish
An interesting fact about clownfish is that they are all born male. As they mature, the largest male will change sex and become female. This unique ability allows clownfish populations to maintain a healthy balance of males and females.
Munida quadrispina 🦀
A variety of the squat lobster. It was first described by James E. Benedict in 1902. This and other squat lobster species are sometimes called "pinchers".
🦀 Fun fact: Despite their name, squat lobsters are not true lobsters, but are more closely related to crabs and hermit crabs. They are found in various marine habitats worldwide.
🌸 Sea Anemone 🌸
Despite its exotic flower-like appearance, the sea anemone is actually a unique animal. Just like any other animal, it needs to be fed.
🍽️ Sea anemones are carnivorous and use their tentacles to capture prey. They can consume fish, crabs, and even other anemones!
Is it a spaceship or a sea creature? 🪼
This charming animal is Beroe abyssicola, a pelagic comb jelly. Unlike other jellyfish, this translucent beauty has no tentacles. Instead, it uses its flexible body to swallow prey whole! 🌊✨
Marvel at nature's intricacies! 🦀
Take a closer look at the complexity and precision of this reef crab as it enjoys a snack. Did you know that crabs have over 60 different muscles in their claws alone, allowing them to manipulate objects with incredible dexterity? 🤯
Strombus 🐌
This strombus is also called the Florida Fighting Conch because when threatened, it waves its foot, which has a claw like a fencer's sword.
The mollusk's shell has special notches through which the Strombus can conveniently look at the world with its little eyes.
The size of the mollusk can reach 12 cm. They choose sandy bottoms or seaweed beds at depths of up to 25 meters for their habitat.
The snails feed on algae and their lifespan is 5 to 7 years.
🦀 Boxer Crab or Pom-Pom Crab
These tiny creatures have a soft shell that is no wider than 13 millimeters. Despite their small size and lack of hard "armor," they are incredibly feisty. What's even more fascinating is that to defend themselves against predators and rivals, they use "weapons" - poisonous anemones.
Coryphaena hippurus. The common names are mahi-mahi, dolphinfish, or dorado.
They are pelagic, meaning they live in the open sea, and maybe note their preference for warm surface waters. Also, they are often found near floating debris or seaweed, which is a key ecological point.
Physical characteristics: They have a compressed body, vibrant colors—blue, green, gold. Males have a prominent forehead, while females are more rounded.
Jellyfish: Bizarre Creatures of the Deep 🪼
Jellyfish are some of the most unusual animals found in every ocean and sea. Some are beautiful, while others look frightening. Among them are harmless creatures and deadly dangerous species. Jellyfish are among the oldest living beings on Earth. Scientists believe that the first jellyfish appeared on our planet long before the dinosaurs, about 650 million years ago. They have survived multiple mass extinctions and continue to thrive in the world's oceans today. With their gelatinous bodies and stinging tentacles, these ancient creatures never cease to fascinate and mystify us.
🐠 Rhinogobius vermiculatus
The body is elongated with a large, slightly flattened head. Females are smaller and paler than males. Coloration: the body is gray-blue with reddish-brown markings. Cheeks are pink with white spots. Lower jaw is blue. Grows up to 3.5 cm SL.
Did you know? Rhinogobius vermiculatus is a small freshwater fish native to East Asia. It inhabits rivers and streams with sandy or gravelly bottoms. This colorful goby is popular in the aquarium trade due to its vibrant colors and peaceful nature. 🎨🌊
Squids 🦑
Previously, a separate order of ten-armed cephalopod mollusks. The body of the representatives of the group is streamlined, cylindrical in shape with two triangular side fins, usually pointed at the rear end.
The head is clearly separated from the torso, with tentacles equipped with suckers and hooks. Eight of them are usually short and conical in shape, and two are long with expansions at the end.
Fun fact: Squids are known for their ability to change color rapidly for camouflage and communication. They have special cells called chromatophores in their skin that contain pigments.
Axolotl - a unique amphibian known as the "walking fish" or "Mexican walking fish" 🐾
These cute creatures are popular pets among aquarists. They are friendly to humans and fascinating to observe.
Fun fact:
Axolotls have the ability to regenerate lost body parts, including limbs, spine, heart, and other organs. This makes them a valuable model organism in scientific research on regeneration.
Janolus fuscus 🐾
This is a species of sea slug, more specifically a nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk belonging to the family Proctonotidae.
Did you know that nudibranchs are known for their vibrant colors and intricate patterns? They use their bright appearance to warn predators of their toxicity. 🌈🐌
Bathysaurus 🐟
The Bathysaurus is considered the deepest living super predator in the world. It can swallow prey up to twice its size in one bite! 🤯 This rare deep-sea fish lives at depths of 2,000 to 6,000 meters. Its unusual appearance and predatory behavior make it a fascinating creature of the abyss. 🌊
🐠 Spotted Hawkfish
The spotted hawkfish is a species of hawkfish found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It inhabits reefs at depths of up to 20 meters. This species grows up to 25 cm in length. Males and females differ in coloration: males are dark on the back with white spots, while females are reddish with white spots.
Fun fact: Hawkfish are known for their ability to perch on coral branches using their pectoral fins, waiting patiently for prey to come within striking distance.
The Marbled Catshark 💙
A species of the Indo-Australian catshark genus, belonging to the Asian catshark family within the order Orectolobiformes. They inhabit the western Pacific Ocean at depths of up to 50 meters. The maximum recorded size is 107 cm. These sharks have an elongated body of yellow-brown color, covered with numerous dark spots. 🦈
Did you know that catsharks are named for their cat-like eyes? They are also known as marble catsharks due to their unique marbled color pattern. 🎨
Blue-throat Triggerfish 🐠
Thanks to its vibrant colors and relatively small size, the blue-throat triggerfish is the most popular species of triggerfish among aquarium enthusiasts. In captivity, they typically do not grow larger than 20 centimeters. Younger specimens adapt better and can often be transitioned to alternative foods. In such cases, blue-throat triggerfish can live in captivity for extended periods, up to 25 years.
The skin of a squid 🦑 is not the only part of its body that undergoes changes. The pupil will change shape in different lighting conditions.
Did you know that squids have the ability to change the color and pattern of their skin in a fraction of a second? This is due to the presence of special cells called chromatophores, which contain pigments. By expanding or contracting these cells, the squid can create a wide range of colors and patterns on its skin, allowing it to camouflage itself or communicate with other squids.
Yellow-lipped Sea Krait 🐍
An extremely venomous marine reptile, the yellow-lipped sea krait belongs to the Elapidae family. It's also widely known as the banded sea krait. This snake can be found in the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean, as well as on land. 🌊🏖️
Fun fact: Despite its potent venom, the yellow-lipped sea krait is quite shy and rarely attacks humans unless provoked. It spends much of its time underwater hunting fish and eels, but must return to land to digest its food and lay its eggs. 🥚🐟
This unusual creature is the Stalked Jellyfish 🦠
The stalked jellyfish has a sticky disk that it uses to attach itself to rocks, coral reefs, seaweed, and other surfaces where it lives a sedentary life. It's crucial for them to inhabit areas with a good water flow because they rely on currents to capture their prey.
Fun fact: Despite their delicate appearance, stalked jellyfish are actually quite resilient and can survive in a variety of aquatic environments! 🌊
Here are some interesting facts about tiger sharks:
🦈 Tiger sharks can grow, use, and shed up to 24,000 teeth in their 10-year lifespan. These sharks reproduce through live birth, with litters of up to 80 newborns. They are prolific breeders and pose a significant threat to humans.
Tiger sharks are known for their distinctive striped pattern, which fades as they mature. They are apex predators and play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems.
Hypselodoris confetti 🐌
This is a species of brightly colored sea slug from the family Chromodorididae in the order of nudibranchs. They inhabit the Pacific region.
🌊 Did you know that Hypselodoris confetti is a type of nudibranch, which means "naked gills" in Latin? These fascinating creatures are known for their vibrant colors and intricate patterns on their bodies. They use their bright appearance to warn predators of their toxicity. Nudibranchs are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female reproductive organs. 🐚
Is a lettuce leaf escaping from the salad? 😁
No, it's just the gastropod mollusk elysia grazing in the algal meadows. Elysia is a mollusk capable of photosynthesis, like plants. To do this, he uses chloroplasts from his favorite kelp.
Pugettia producta 🦀
Known as the northern kelp crab or shield-backed kelp crab, this species belongs to the family Epialtidae. These crabs are commonly found in kelp forests along the Pacific coast of North America. They are an important part of the ecosystem, helping to control sea urchin populations. 🌿🦀
Pugettia producta is a colorful crab species that comes in various shades of red, purple, and brown. They have a distinctive shield-like carapace and long, slender legs adapted for climbing on kelp fronds. 🌊🌿
Interestingly, these crabs are known to engage in a unique behavior called "kelp surfing." They climb to the top of kelp fronds and ride the waves, allowing them to disperse to new kelp beds and find food. 🏄♂️🌊
Crocodiles 🐊
They swallow small stones to improve digestion
Swallowing stones, known as "gastroliths", is beneficial for crocodiles that eat their prey whole, or for animals with shells and bones. Gastroliths help grind up food in the stomach. These stones can remain in a crocodile's stomach for years.
Fun fact: Some ancient fossils of crocodiles have been found with gastroliths still inside their stomachs! This shows that the practice of swallowing stones for digestion goes back millions of years in the crocodile family tree. 🌿🦴