Marine Life with Brenda

Starfish  In spite of their famous (and very misleading!) name, starfish are not fish. These belong to a group of animals called invertebrates, which also includes urchins and sponges, because they don't have a backbone. There are about 1,600 different starfish species living in oceans around the world, where they inhabit all types of habitat including tidal pools, rocky beaches, sea grass, kelp beds and coral reefs. Several forms of starfish are found also 9,000 metres deep on sandy seabeds.  Perhaps one of the most useful things a starfish can do is to rebuild its own arms. They can use this trait in several different ways. If a starfish comes into contact with a predator, arms may be lost, or it may be amputated to hide or flee. They also have no blood or brain. Seawater is circulated around their bodies as a substitute for blood, with the water providing the starfish with essential nutrients that allow their organs to function properly. The use water ...

Stone bass  Argyrosomus regius is a member of the Sciaenidae family. It is similar in shape to a European seabass, coloured pearly-silver with a yellow-colored head. Length can range from 40–50 cm to 2 m long, weighing up to 55 kg. Argyrosomus regius has a fairly large head with very tiny eyes, the large mouth is in the terminal position and the body is elongated. Argyrosomus regius is found from Norway to West Africa in the eastern Atlantic including the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. It colonised the Red Sea by migrating through the Suez Canal. The adults prey on grey mullet and clupeids like sardines that are aggressively pursued in open water. The adults gather for spawning in the inshore waters during spring and summer. The juveniles and subadults prefer estuaries and coastal lagoons, and the availability of these habitats can decide the quality of recruitment into the adult population. Such fish are migratory, at all ages, migrating along the shore or in r...

The clownfish The clown fish is among the few animals that can survive the sea anemone's fatal sting. This is done by the tiny orange-and-white fish by slathering themselves in anemone mucus so that the anemone embraces the fish as part of itself and allows the clown fish to live in their tentacles. The clown fish needs the defence of the toxins of the sea anemone as they are unable to swim very fast and are often eaten by predatory fish including barracudas and groupers. In their host anemone the clown fish is hardly ever seen. The clownfish and the anemone live in a mutualistic relationship. Through driving away butterfly fish and other anemone-eating fish, they get bits of food dropped by the clown fish and the aggressive and territorial clown fish defend their host. Author: Brenda Moita 

Giant Pacific octopus  The giant Pacific octopus grows bigger and lives longer than any other species of poultry. A specimen which was 30 feet long and weighed more than 600 pounds holds the size record. Averages more than 16 feet and 110 lbs. Giant Pacific octopuses have large, bulbous heads, and are typically coloured reddish-brown. Nevertheless, like the other members of the octopus family, they use different pigment cells in their skin to change colours and textures, so they can blend in with even the most intricately patterned corals, plants, so rocks. They live to be about four years old, with males and females soon dying after birth. Females live long enough to tend their eggs fastidiously, but during this month-long time of brooding they do not feed, and typically die soon after.  Giant Pacific octopuses, highly intelligent creatures have learned to open bottles, imitate other octopuses and solve labyrinths in laboratory experiments. Its population figur...

Orcas  Did you known that killer whales are not whales? They are actually dolphins. If you look well at them you will notice that they definitely look like dolphins. The orca ( Orcinus orca ) is a dented whale belonging to the family of oceanic dolphins, of which it is the largest member. Killer whales have a varied diet but different types of prey are also selected by individual populations. Many feed solely on fish, while others chase marine animals such as seals and other dolphin species. They were notorious for attacking calves of baleen whales, and even adult whales. Killer whales are apex predators, since they are not preyed upon by mammals.

Red Lionfish  Red lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific reefs and rocky crevices even though they have found a way to warm ocean environments around the world.  Lionfish the largest can grow to approximately 15 inches long, however the average is closer to 1 foot.  Red lionfish are popular as food in some parts of the world but are much more valued in the aquarium trade. Their population numbers are high, and their spread is growing, raising concern in the United States, where some fear that the growth of this non-indigenous species poses human and environmental hazards. So much about the venomous red lionfish,  its red-and-whitestripes of zebra, long, showy pectoral fins, and generally cantankerous demeanour are a give a way that they are dangerous, although  very pretty. 

Sunburst butterflyfish  Chaetodon kleinii, the sunburst butterflyfish, is native to the Indo-Pacific region, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Hawaiian Islands and Samoa, north to southern Japan, southern to Australia and New Caledonia. They are also present in the Eastern Pacific, Galapagos Islands. The sunburst butterflyfish can be found in the wild at depths of 4–61 metres, usually in deeper lagoons and channels and seaward reefs, swimming alone, or (especially during breeding) in pairs.