| |black patch on tail , |vertical yellow stripe |on each flipper , no jaw|head , broad wings |marking , black muzzles , large |…
* Disruptive - Many fish use their coloration to form strongly contrasting patterns that break up the outline of their body making it difficult for predators to see them at all.…
The Orangespotted Sunfish (Lepomis humilis) is often confused with other sunfishes. This species is classified in the class Actinopterygii, order Perciformes, and family Centrarchidae. One characteristic that makes them stand out from other fishes are their black and orange spots. Also, their operculum is lined with a solid white band. Nine to ten bars can be identified on this fish. The bars on the female have a light center, which is a way of gender identification when the males are outside of the breeding season and not brightly colored. Identification of species and gender is especially important when sampling fishes. During breeding season, males have a bright orange belly and metallic blue body while the females are much duller in color. The males are…
The reservoir's water is so clear, near shore anything cruising is visible. I saw a couple cutthroat cruising near shore and shortly thereafter a musky, about the size of the one I caught the night before, was cruising the shoreline looking for a meal. Very neat to see! Another of the…
Also, they are a hybrid fish that can live in both fresh and salt waters.…
Over the past 10-20 years, some reports indicate that populations have declined 75% or greater and have become dangerously low.The bird also lays eggs and builds nests the nest is the only habitat they have.It looks like a black bird with red eyes.The smallest of all rails, the black rail is slate-colored, with a black bill, red eyes and a white-speckled back.The black rail is an omnivorous…
Have you ever heard of a goblin shark or an angelfish?Well I will tell you about some. There are many different kinds of them.…
To lure prey within range, the Cookiecutter Shark relies on its brilliant luminescence. Complex light-producing organs called “photophores” are scattered over the Cookiecutter’s entire body and are especially richly distributed on its belly and lower surfaces. A main function of this pattern of bioluminescent organs is to eliminate an animal’s shadow as seen from below, a common mesopelagic anti-predatory strategy known as “counter-illumination”. But there is a very curious fact about the distribution of photophores on the Cookiecutter Shark’s undersurfaces: they are completely absent from the region under the throat between the gill slits. It has recently been proposed that this dark patch that is bordered by luminescent organs may mimic the search image of many upward-looking pelagic predators. Thus, when a would-be predator approaches what appear to be a small shadow of a potential prey animal, it is brought within the striking range of the insidious Cookiecutter Shark and the predator has become prey.…
Description: The rainbow parrotfish is the largest fish in the Atlantic to eat plants. Males can grow to lengths of 1.2 meters, or almost 4 feet long. There are two forms of males. “Initial phase” is the phase when males are drab in color and have a similar appearance to females. In the “terminal phase”, males are neon and rainbow colored; this is where their name comes from. The fins are orange with streaks of green branching towards the back and tail. They have teeth that are merged to form a tough parrot-like beak, which is also where they get their name, is used to rake algae and other organic materials from the outside of coral.…
In investigating the agonistic behavior of the Siamese fighting fish, properly known as Betta splendens, we observed male to male B. splendens agonistic behavior, male to female behavior, and we observed the male’s agonistic behavior towards his own reflection. Our hypothesis entailed that the male B.Splendens would exhibit prolonged aggressive behavior towards other males, including flaring of gills and broadside displays. Male to female behavior would be more docile and submissive in nature. We also predicted that self-recognition would be non-existent in that our subject B. splendens would exhibit aggressive behavior towards his reflection. As hypothesized, our subject B. splendens displayed aggressive behavior when confronted with a male of the same species, not ending its gill flaring towards the male in any of our three trials. Broadside displays also occurred for approximately thirty seconds in each of our ninety second trials accompanied by rapid swimming. Male to female behavior proved more docile, with broadside displays occurring but no flaring of the gills or the rapid swimming characteristic of the aggressive behavior towards the male. The subject also exhibited the same aggressive behavior towards his own reflection as towards the live male of the species. Future work will possibly entail the observation B. splendens agonistic directed towards a dead B. splendens and/or a dead B. splendens.…
Catfish live in different places all over the world and share some similarities but as you can see they can be very different. Each one seems to learn to adapt to the area it comes from. As a result there are many different kinds of catfish including the electric, burrowing and walking…
It takes its name from the fact that, well, it looks like a stone. It can blend in well in the shallow tropical waters it inhabits, mostly in the Indian and Pacific oceans. The nasty part of the stonefish is on its dorsal fins. There is where you’ll find a row of spines filled with a toxic venom.…
A view of the Skywater living room, with the requisite dead animal on the wall.…
As Satsuki and Mei explore their new home you will quickly notice the mysteriousness of the home and land around them. They first run into these small, fuzzy-haired, black creatures that live in dark places and scurry at the presence of light, and are referred to as soot sprites. Granny, an elderly lady that lives next door, helps the girls dad while he work, by tending to the girls needs and helping out around the house. Granny says that soot sprites live in abandoned homes and will not leave until they all agree the family is a good one. After just a couple nights the dusty little creatures discover the family is good and happy. So, they wander off into the…
In 2012, using data collected by research volunteer consultant Dr Terry Aquino, marine scientist Dr Will White confirmed that the Manta Rays in Tubbataha are Manta alfredi, a reef based…