Marine Life with Brenda

Blue tang  Famous for Finding Dory, this super star took the spot of Nemo and grabbed all the attention to herself, what a Narcissist!  The blue tang ( Paracanthurus hepatus ) is a genus of Surgeonfish from Indo-Pacific. It is the only member of the genus Paracanthurus, and a very common fish in marine aquariums all over the world. One can find the regal blue tang throughout the Indo-Pacific. The blue tang is seen in the coasts of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, New Caledonia, Fiji, East Africa, and Sri Lanka.  The aim of both movies was to make people aware of the damaging effects to the ocean and its creatures that keeping fish as pets have. However, it just got the wrong effect on the public and sales for both the clownfish and the blue tang skyrocketed  after the films were released.  Author: Brenda Moita 

Jellyfish  Jellyfish live mainly in the seas, although I've seen them swimming in the river Tejo in Lisbon several times. They aren't technically fish, they are suprise, suprise...PLANKTON! Yeah, sorry. Such creatures either float in water or possess such restricted swimming forces that their horizontal motions are guided by currents. Some plankton are single-celled, small species while others are enormous. Jellyfish, with tentacles up to 100 feet long, can range in size from less than an inch to nearly 7 feet long. Jellyfish also belong to the phylum Cnidaria, (from the Greek word for "stinging nettle") and the class Scyphozoa (from the Greek word for "cup," referring to the body shape of the jellyfish). Both cnidarians are surrounded by tentacles and have a mouth in the middle of their bodies. Cnidarian relatives of the jellyfish include corals, sea anemones and the man-o'-war from Portugal. Jellyfish are approximately 98% water.    Autho...

The Humpback whale  The humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) is a baleen-whale species. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range 12–16 metres in length and weigh between 25–30 metric tonnes. The body shape of the humpback is unique, with long pectoral fins and a knobbly nose. It is known for breaching and other signature surface activities that make this common with whale watchers. Humpback whales are present in rivers and seas around the world and usually migrate up to 25,000 km each year (just like myself when I backpacking in the summer). These creatures feed in polar waters and migrate to tropical or subtropical waters so they can mate and give birth. Their diet mainly consists of krill and small fish. Humpbacks have a diverse feeding system repertoire including the bubble net technique. Author: Brenda Moita 

Seagrass  Seagrass is a wonder-plant that lives along our shore in sandy, flooded areas. It is important to our sea's safety, and can help address environmental issues. Seagrass traps carbon up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests, and although it occupies just 0.2% of the seabed, it consumes 10% of the ocean's carbon every year, making it an important resource in the fight against climate change. Seagrass is essential to marine life which depends on food and shelter meadows.Seagrass is an important nursery for endangered species including seahorses and many of the fish that we eat, including cod, plaice and pollock.

Copperband Butterflyfish  The Copperband Butterflyfish ( Chelmon rostratus)  is a very notable species, with its elongated snout. It is relatively thin and measures approximately 20 cm. Yet with a sleek form and fluid swimming motions (this wonderful marine creature moves like a bailarina dancing at the sound of the Four Seasons of Vivaldi), it is very attractively coloured and can be found in reefs of the Indian and Pacific Ocean. 

Moorish idol Did you know that Moorish idol have this name because of the Moors of Africa who believed that this beautiful fish could bring happiness. This fish are like my relatives from another ocean (Hahahah).  The Moorish Idol (Zanclus cornutus) is a species of marine fish, the only known example of the Zanclidae family. The Moorish idol, a typical inhabitant of tropical to subtropical reefs and lagoons, is noteworthy for its wide range throughout the Indo-Pacific.

Blueface angelfish Blueface angelfish ( Pomacanthus xanthometopon ) is a ray-finned fish found in freshwater areas of the Indo-Pacific within the Pomacanthidae family Because of its distinctive facial colouration it is commonly known as the blueface angelfish or the yellowface angelfish. In the eastern part of the tropical Indo-Pacific the yellowface angelfish is found on coral reefs. The range includes the Islands of Maldives, Burma, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Northern Australia and Micronesia. It has been observed periodically off the Florida coast. They enjoy living in lagoons, outer reef slopes and channels down to about 25 metres and can be found swimming around minding their business near caves and between rocks (considering their usual habitat, I think their favourite rock/metal band is Nickelback ).