Interesting facts about marine life. Marine life: photos with names and interesting facts about them. Sea anemone and clown fish - a house protected by poison

The underwater world is mysterious and unique. He keeps secrets that have not yet been unraveled by man. We offer you to get acquainted with the most unusual sea creatures, plunge into the unknown thickness of the water world and see its beauty.

1. Atoll Jellyfish (Atolla vanhoeffeni)

The unusually beautiful Atoll jellyfish lives at a depth where sunlight does not penetrate. In times of danger, it is able to glow, attracting large predators. Jellyfish do not seem tasty to them, and predators eat their enemies with pleasure.

This jellyfish is capable of emitting a bright red glow, which is a consequence of the breakdown of proteins in its body. As a rule, large jellyfish are dangerous creatures, but you should not be afraid of the Atoll, because its habitat is where no swimmer can reach.

2. Blue angel (Glaucus atlanticus)

A very tiny mollusk rightfully deserves its name, it seems to be floating on the water surface. To become lighter and stay at the very edge of the water, he swallows air bubbles from time to time.

These unusual creatures have an outlandish body shape. They are blue above and silver below. It is not in vain that nature provided for such a disguise - the Blue Angel goes unnoticed by birds and marine predators. A thick layer of mucus around the mouth allows it to feed on small, poisonous sea creatures.

3. Sponge-harp (Сhondrocladia lyra)

This mysterious marine predator is still not well understood. The structure of his body resembles a harp, hence the name. The sponge is immobile. She clings to the sediment of the seabed and hunts, gluing small underwater inhabitants to her sticky tips.

The harp sponge covers its prey with a bactericidal film and gradually digests it. There are individuals with two or more lobes, which are connected in the center of the body. The more blades, the more food the sponge will catch.

4 Dumbo Octopus (Grimpoteuthis)

The octopus got its name because of the resemblance to the Disney hero Dumbo the elephant, although it has a semi-gelatinous body of a rather modest size. Its fins resemble elephant ears. He swings them when he swims, which looks quite funny.

Not only the "ears" help to move, but also the peculiar funnels located on the body of the octopus, through which it releases water under pressure. Dumbo lives at a very great depth, so we know very little about him. Its diet consists of all kinds of mollusks and worms.

Octopus Dumbo

5. Yeti Crab (Kiwa hirsuta)

The name of this animal speaks for itself. The crab, covered with white shaggy fur, really resembles a bigfoot. He lives in cold waters at such a depth where there is no access to light, so he is completely blind.

These amazing animals grow microorganisms on their claws. Some scientists believe that the crab needs these bacteria to purify water from toxic substances, others suggest that crabs grow food for themselves on bristles.

6. Short-nosed bat (Ogcocephalus)

This fashionista fish with bright red lips can't swim at all. Living at a depth of more than two hundred meters, it has a flat body covered with a shell, and legs-fins, thanks to which the short-nosed Bat slowly walks along the bottom.

It gets food with the help of a special growth - a kind of retractable fishing rod with an odorous bait that attracts prey. Inconspicuous coloration and a shell with spikes help the fish hide from predators. Perhaps this is the funniest animal among the inhabitants of the oceans.

7. Felimare Picta sea slug

Felimare Picta is one of the species of sea slugs that lives in the waters of the Mediterranean. He looks very extravagant. The yellow-blue body seems to be surrounded by a delicate airy frill.

Felimare Picta, although it is a mollusk, does without a shell. And why should he? In case of danger, the sea slug has something much more interesting. For example, acidic sweat that is released on the surface of the body. It’s not good for anyone who wants to treat himself to this mysterious mollusk!

8. Flamingo Tongue Clam (Cyphoma gibbosum)

This creature is found on the western coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Having a brightly colored mantle, the mollusk completely covers its plain shell with it and thus protects it from the negative influence of marine organisms.

Like an ordinary snail, the "Flamingo Tongue" hides in its shell in case of impending danger. By the way, the mollusk got its name due to its bright color with characteristic spots. In nutrition, it prefers poisonous gogonaria. In the process of eating, the snail absorbs the poison of its prey, after which it becomes poisonous itself.

9. Leafy Sea Dragon (Phycodurus eques)

The sea dragon is a true virtuoso of mimicry. It is covered with "leaves" that help it to appear inconspicuous against the backdrop of the underwater landscape. Interestingly, such abundant vegetation does not help the dragon to move at all. Only two tiny fins located on its chest and back are responsible for speed. The leaf dragon is a predator. It feeds by sucking prey into itself.

Whelps feel comfortable in the shallow waters of warm seas. And these marine inhabitants are also known as excellent fathers, because it is the males who bear offspring and take care of him.

10. Salps (Salpidae)

Salps are invertebrate marine inhabitants that have a barrel-shaped body, through the transparent shell of which one can see internal organs.

In the ocean depths, animals form long chains-colonies that are easily torn apart even by a slight wave impact. Salps reproduce by budding.

11. Piglet squid (Helicocranchia pfefferi)

The outlandish and little-studied underwater creature resembles Piglet from the famous cartoon. The completely transparent body of the piglet squid is covered with age spots, the combination of which sometimes gives it a cheerful look. Around the eyes are the so-called photophores - organs of luminescence.

This clam is slow. It's funny that the squid-pig moves upside down, because of which its tentacles look like a forelock. He lives at a depth of 100 meters.

12. Ribbon Moray (Rhinomuraena guaesita)

This underwater inhabitant is rather unusual. Throughout life, the tape moray eel is able to change sex and color three times, depending on the stages of its development. So, when the individual is still immature, it is painted black or dark blue.

Growing up to a hundred centimeters, the moray eel turns into a male and turns blue, and at the peak of maturation, a unique fish turns out to be a female and acquires a bright yellow color. Her body does not have scales and is covered with bactericidal mucus, her nose resembles two delicate petals, and her mouth is always wide open, which gives the fish a formidable look. In fact, the moray eel is not at all aggressive, and keeps its mouth open due to underdeveloped gills.

13. Drop fish (Psychrolutes marcidus)

Drop fish - pretty

14. Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus giganteus)

Is it possible to think that these unusual Christmas trees are worms, although not simple, but marine polychaetes? Their shape and bright colors make these creatures elegant and unique.

The bristles are very similar to feathers, but these are just the digestive and respiratory organs, and the body is a calcareous tube. Worm " Christmas tree» homebody. He spends his whole life in a coral hole, where he once sucks, considering it the most suitable place for his existence.

The editors of the site invite you to get acquainted with the most unusual natural phenomena.
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Seas and oceans are the cradle of life on Earth. According to some theories, all life on the planet originated in water. The sea resembles a huge metropolis, where everything lives according to its own laws, everyone takes his place and performs a very important function. If this order, which has developed into a harmonious mosaic, is violated, then this city will cease to exist. Therefore, it is important to know about the wealth of the animal world. You can find out who the marine inhabitants are, photos with the names of the most common species and interesting facts about their life.

All living creatures that inhabit the sea are conditionally divided into several categories:

animals (mammals);
fishes;
algae and plankton;
deep sea fauna;
snakes and turtles.

There are some animals that are difficult to attribute to a particular group. For example, spongy or sponges.

marine mammals

Scientists have discovered more than 125 species of mammals - the inhabitants of the sea. They can be divided into three main groups:

Walruses, fur seals and seals (pinnipeds order).
Dolphins and whales (a detachment of cetaceans).
Manatees and dugongs (a detachment of herbivores).
Sea otters (or otters).

The first group is one of the largest (more than 600 million individuals). They are all carnivores and feed on fish. Walruses are very large animals. Some individuals reach 1.5 tons in weight and grow up to 4 m in length. The dexterity and flexibility of walruses are amazing with such sizes, they easily move on land and in water. Due to the special structure of the pharynx, they can spend a long time in the sea and will not drown, even if they fall asleep. Thick brown skin becomes lighter with age, and if you manage to see a pink, even almost white, walrus, you know that he is about 35 years old. For these individuals, this is already old age. The walrus is not confused with the seal only because of their distinctive feature - tusks. Measurement of one of the largest tusks showed almost 80 cm in length, and weight - about 5 kg. The front fins of the walrus end with fingers - five on each paw.

Seals live in the Arctic and Antarctic, so they can withstand extremely low temperatures (down to -80˚C). Most of them do not have external auricles, but they hear very well. Seal fur is short but thick, which helps the animal move underwater. It seems that seals on land are clumsy and defenseless. They move with the help of the forelimbs and abdomen, their hind legs are poorly developed. However, they move briskly in the water and swim excellently.

Sea lions are very voracious. They eat 4-5 kg of fish per day. The leopard seal is a subspecies of seals that can catch and eat other small seals or penguins. Appearance typical of most pinnipeds. The fur seals are much smaller than their fellows in the detachment, so they crawl on land with the help of all four limbs. The eyes of these inhabitants of the sea are beautiful, but it is known that they see poorly - myopia.

Dolphins and whales are related to each other. Dolphins are one of the most unusual creatures on the planet. Their distinctive features:

The absence of ears, nose, small eyes and at the same time a unique echolocation that allows you to accurately determine the location of objects in the water.
Bare, streamlined body, without signs of wool or scales, the surface of which is constantly renewed.
Voice and the beginnings of speech, allowing dolphins to communicate with each other in a flock.

Whales are giants among mammals. They feed on plankton or small fish, breathe through a special hole called a “blowhole”. During exhalation, a fountain of moist air from the lungs passes through it. Whales move in the water with the help of fins, the size of which differs from different types. The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived on Earth.

The most popular types of sea fish

The second largest group of marine inhabitants includes the following species:

Cod (blue whiting, cod, saffron cod, hake, pollock, saithe and others).
Mackerel (mackerel, tuna, mackerel and other fish).
Flounders (flounder, halibut, dexist, embassicht, etc.).

Herring (Atlantic menhaden, Atlantic herring, Baltic herring, Pacific herring, European sardine, European sprat).

Garfish (garfish, medaka, saury, etc.).
Sea sharks.

The first species lives in the seas of the Atlantic Ocean, comfortable conditions for them are 0 ˚ C. Its main external difference is the mustache on the chin. They live mainly on the bottom, feed on plankton, but there are also predatory species. Cod is the most numerous representative of this subspecies. It breeds in large numbers - about 9 million eggs per spawning. It is of great commercial importance, since meat and liver have a high fat content. Pollock is a long-liver in the cod family (lives 16 - 20 years). Lives in cold waters, is a semi-deep water fish. Pollock is caught everywhere.

Mackerels do not lead a bottom lifestyle. Their meat is valued for its high nutritional value, fat content and a large amount of vitamins.

In flounders, the eyes are located on one side of the head: right or left. They have symmetrical fins and a flattened body.

Herring fish is a pioneer among commercial fish. Distinctive features - no or very small teeth, and almost all lack scales.

Garfish-shaped elongated fish with long, sometimes asymmetrical jaws.

The shark is one of the largest marine predators. The whale shark is the only one that feeds on plankton. The unique abilities of sharks are sense of smell and hearing. They can smell the smell for several hundred kilometers, and the inner ear is able to pick up ultrasounds. The shark's powerful weapon is its sharp teeth, with which it tears the victim's body to pieces. One of the main misconceptions is the opinion that all sharks are dangerous to humans. Only 4 species are dangerous to people - bull shark, white, tiger, long-winged.

Moray eels are marine predators from the eel family, whose body is covered with poisonous mucus. Outwardly, they are very similar to snakes. They practically do not see, they navigate in space by smell.

Algae and plankton

It is the most numerous form of life. There are two types of plankton:

Phytoplankton. It feeds on photosynthesis. Basically, it's algae.
Zooplankton (tiny animals and fish larvae). Eats phytoplankton.

Plankton includes algae, bacteria, protozoa, crustacean larvae, and jellyfish.

Jellyfish are one of the oldest creatures on Earth. Their exact species composition is unknown. One of the largest representatives is the Lion's Mane jellyfish (tentacle length 30 m). The "Australian wasp" is especially dangerous. It is small in size and looks like transparent jellyfish - about 2.5 cm. When a jellyfish dies, its tentacles can sting for a few more days.

deep sea fauna

The inhabitants of the seabed are a great many, but their sizes are microscopic. These are mainly the simplest unicellular organisms, coelenterates, worms, crustaceans and molluscs. However, in deep water there are both fish and jellyfish, which have the ability to glow. Therefore, we can say that under the water column is not absolute darkness. The fish living there are predatory, they use light to attract prey. One of the most unusual and terrifying, at first glance, is howliod. This is a small black fish with a long mustache. lower lip, with which she moves, and with terrible long teeth.

One of the most recognizable representatives of the order of mollusks is the squid. It lives in both warm and cold seas. The colder the water, the paler the color of the squid. The change in color saturation also depends on the electrical impulse. Some individuals have three hearts, so they have the ability to regenerate. Squids are predators, they feed on small crustaceans and plankton.

Clams also include oysters, mussels, and scallops. These representatives have a soft body, closed in a shell of two valves. They practically do not move, burrow into silt or live in large colonies, located on rocks and underwater reefs.

snakes and turtles

Sea turtles are large animals. They reach 1.5 m in length and can weigh up to 300 kg. Ridley is the smallest among all turtles, weighing no more than 50 kg. The front paws of turtles are better developed than the hind ones. This helps them swim long distances. It is known that sea turtles appear on land only for procreation. The shell is a bony formation with thick shields. Its color is light brown to dark green.

To get their own food, turtles swim to a depth of 10 meters. Basically, they feed on mollusks, algae and sometimes small jellyfish.

Sea snakes exist in 56 species, united in 16 genera. They are found off the coast of Africa and Central America, in the Red Sea and off the coast of Japan. A large population lives in the South China Sea.

The snakes do not dive deeper than 200 meters, but without air they can stay for 2 hours. Therefore, these underwater inhabitants do not swim further than 5 - 6 km from land. Crustaceans, shrimps, eels became food for them. The most famous representatives of sea snakes:

The ringed emidocephalus is a snake with poisonous teeth.

Marine life, their photos with names, habitats and unusual facts lives are of great interest to both scientists and amateurs. The sea is a whole universe, the secrets of which people will have to learn for more than one millennium.

We all know something about the oceans and seas. This amazing water shell that wraps the Earth makes up almost 71% of the surface of our planet! The seas and oceans are full of life, with plankton, crustaceans, dolphins, sharks and many other creatures of all sizes and colors. But what do we know about the world's oceans from personal experience and in the cinema - far from all that is concealed by its depths. We know much less about the seas than even about the Moon, if you think about it. Scientists are still making amazing discoveries and are still asking questions that have not yet been answered. Perhaps shocking news awaits you right now ...

10. The ocean is the richest reservoir of carbon on Earth

Carbon is the most abundant substance on Earth and forms the basis of all life on our planet. From time immemorial, it has been underground and in water, but from the moment the industrial revolution started in the world, and people began to get rid of industrial waste, dumping tons of carbon derivatives into the natural environment, the world ecology began to face a terrible danger. Where do all the surpluses and garbage go, which we are getting rid of with increasing rates and volumes?

Carbon dioxide, which we also call greenhouse gas, undoubtedly affects climate change on a planetary scale. Emissions accumulate in our atmosphere, and this inevitably entails global warming. And the world's oceans are the largest garbage sink, where a significant part of the recycled carbon ends up, and it is stored there for a very long time. Carbon dioxide dissolves in the ocean, sinking deeper and deeper into its deepest depths, and can be there for years until nature returns all this waste. Industrial emissions have a detrimental effect on the global climate, and everything in nature has a cyclical property. So, for example, the ocean absorbs about 37 gigatons (37 * 1012 kg) of carbon waste every year, but also releases ... 88 gigatons! Moreover, the current level of environmental pollution is much worse than the worst scenarios for the development of events that environmental government agencies could only assume as recently as the 1990s.

9 Irukandji Jellyfish Are More Dangerous Than Sharks

Photo: GondwanaGirl

What sea animal seems to you the most terrible and dangerous? Who is most often represented in the movies as a real monster and the main killer of the seas? Most people think about sharks. However, do not rush to nod, because there is something more terrifying and deadly in the ocean. For example, jellyfish...

Most jellyfish are poisonous, but their bite is still not fatal. They sting with a simple touch and do not control their bites, and sometimes burns can be obtained even from contact with a dead jellyfish. The Irukandji jellyfish is the smallest and deadliest species of animal on the planet. They are almost the size of a fingernail and outwardly almost transparent. Innocent in appearance, these creatures can bring a lot of pain. Just 5 to 10 minutes after the bite, a person experiences such severe pain that even morphine can not immediately cope with it. In addition, a number of paralytic effects will await the unfortunate, including vomiting, muscle spasms, sweating, hypertension, tachycardia, pulmonary edema and cerebral hemorrhage. The agony can last for days and often leads to the death of the stung. Approximately 30% of victims die of toxic cardiomyopathy (heart failure) or spend the rest of their days on life support machines due to severe complications.

Most of the stings of these jellyfish have been reported in Australia. For many years, no one could understand the cause of terrible deaths and ailments, and as a result, as a precaution, the authorities stretched nets around the most visited beaches, which were forbidden to swim due to health risks. However, tiny Irukandji jellyfish seeped through these fences, and the deadly stings continued. This forced for a time to completely close the coasts, especially those where mysterious accidents occurred. Researchers eventually found out the cause of the disaster, but an effective antidote is still in the process of being developed.

8. Why do so many sea creatures swim off the coast?

Photo: NOAA

Have you ever wondered why marine life loves to scurry around the coast so much, and why they don’t swim somewhere far away from the beaches? The answer lies in one word - upwelling. Upwelling is a natural process in which cold, biogen-rich (nutrient) water constantly rises to the surface and exchanges places with heated water. Nutrients usually feed algae and also attract the attention of plankton and other marine micro-fauna that live near the surface of the water under the sun's rays. This whole process also serves larger species of living creatures. For example, whales and sea lions swim closer to the shore precisely in order to feast on smaller inhabitants of the seas.

Upwelling occurs due to strong winds, which help the water layers to rotate in accordance with their temperature - the cold deep water column rises to the surface, replacing the heated water. It occurs all over the world, especially in the most fauna rich regions. One of the most successful places to observe this cycle is Monterey Bay in the US state of California (California, Monterey Bay), where the spring rise of the waters provides optimal conditions for the life of a huge number of marine life. In general, if you are an avid fisherman, you will really like it here in the spring.

7. The highest mountain

Photo: Vadim Kurland

If you think that the highest mountain on Earth is Everest, you are wrong. Above it is the peak of Mauna Kea (Mauna Kea), located on the island of Hawaii (Hawaii). This giant volcano is taller than Everest by as much as 1200 meters, and its height from the foot to the highest point is estimated to be 9750 meters, although other sources claim that the Hawaiian landmark rises to the full 10,203 meters! Most of the mountain is under water - about 6,000 meters are hidden under the surface of the ocean. So if you're already thinking about going to Hawaii to see the incredible giant, don't expect to see all 10,000 meters at once. But on the other hand, upon your return, you will be able to boast that you walked along the slopes of the highest mountain in the world, and it was much easier and more pleasant than climbing Everest, whose slopes sheltered many corpses on the way to the top.

Mauna Kea is a great proof of how big the ocean is, as it has managed to disguise the highest peak on Earth. Everest, of course, is not without reason called the highest peak, because it is higher than other mountains in relation to world sea level. But the phenomenon of Mauna Kea perfectly illustrates that most of our planet is hidden under the waters of the oceans. There are so many wonderful discoveries ahead of us!

6. Ocean acidification

Photo: Plumbago

To understand what ocean acidification is, you first need to remember what a pH or pH scale is. A measure of the activity of hydrogen ions in a solution, quantitatively expressing its acidity, varies from 0 to 14, where 0 is acidic, 14 is alkaline, and 7 is neutral. Pure water has a pH value of just seven. Lemon has a pH of 2, while bleach is most commonly 11. The pH of ocean water is more alkaline, averaging 8.1–8.2. But since this is the case, where will the acidification of the seas come from?

Oxidation caused in the ocean by the dissolution of carbon dioxide forms chemical compound called carbonic acid. Acidic liquids have a lot of free-floating hydrogen atoms, which is very bad for marine life, because hydrogen likes to form bonds with other elements, most often creating formations with calcium carbonate (CaCO3, a salt of carbonic acid). This substance is involved in the formation of shells of crustaceans and many other species of fauna. Over time, ocean acidification not only destroys existing calcite shells, but also prevents new ones from forming.

In general, acidification caused by industrial emissions is serious for the inhabitants of the world's oceans, since most marine species are extremely sensitive to changes in pH. Since the start of the Industrial Revolution, ocean pH has changed by 0.1, which may sound like a pretty small jump, but it's actually a 30% change.

5. Humpback whale fins are real hydrofoils

Whales are amazing creatures for many reasons, and each species of this animal has its own special features. For example, blue whales are not only the largest creatures on the planet, but also the largest animals that have ever existed on Earth, even considering the size of dinosaurs that lived many millions of years ago. Humpback whales are smaller than blue whales, but they also have something to be proud of. The fins of long-armed minke whales (another name for the humpback whale) have evolved over time in such an amazing way that now even design engineers are turning their attention to their anatomy. Everything to create artificial mechanisms.

The humpback whale, on average, weighs about 40 tons, but at the same time it manages to remain incredibly “light”, agile and mobile. Otherwise, there is no way, because they need to be maneuverable and nimble to hunt their prey, which most often become tiny shrimps and schooling fish. All this is possible thanks to the incredible humpback fins. They are specifically designed to allow this giant to glide under and over water with little to no effort.

There are ridges along the back of the fin to allow water to seep through the fin gently and not cause turbulent eddies. In addition, the fin is angled, which is ideal for good acceleration and does not create unwanted drag during powerful movements. To better understand how it all works, just remember what it felt like to stick your hand out the car window. As children, we all loved to put our fingers together and imagine that the hand was a fin swimming against the wind. Remember its resistance to the plane of your palm? When it is at the perfect angle, the air glides along its surface unhindered, and when the hand turns around, it is literally knocked down by the air flow. In the case of fins in water, everything happens in much the same way.

Everything in the anatomy of humpback whales is designed and developed so that they can make sharp turns and move as quickly as possible despite their immense size and weight. In addition, humpbacks have ideal appendages to reduce water resistance. The fins of long-armed minke whales are constantly being studied for applications in human technologies such as airplane wings, wind turbines, and even tiny laptop coolers.

4. Eyeworms

Photo: Michael Wunderli

3. Dead zones

Dead zones are exactly what you think. Dead zones in the ocean are usually the result of nutrient overload caused by human intervention. These nutrients (most often nitrogen and phosphorus) cause strong algae blooms, which will then return to their normal state when the excess nutrients are consumed. But while this bloom is fading away, as it fades, the oxygen content in the water is greatly depleted, which leads to a hypoxic state of the oxygen environment. Hypoxia is a reduced oxygen content in the habitable environment or living tissue, and in the case of dead zones it is defined by an oxygen level of 2 parts per million. This means that there are only 2 units of oxygen per 1 million particles.

Any species of marine life that can move (fish, for example) leave the dead zones, but immobile organisms (corals, starfish, sea urchins) are unable to migrate from uninhabitable terrain and die. The region is literally turning into a dead zone. This most often occurs along the coasts of farmlands, where producers prefer to dump their waste directly into the water. The largest dead zone in the world's oceans is located in the Gulf of Mexico, and the agricultural industry was the reason for its formation.

2. "Self Gutting"

Many people know that starfish and crustaceans (crabs and lobsters, for example) can drop a limb if they are frightened and feel threatened. Later, these beasts can regrow the lost organ again thanks to their incredible regenerative abilities. Sounds cool, but some might surprise even more. This is a sea cucumber, otherwise called holothuria (Holothuroidea).

Sea cucumbers are echinoderms of the class of invertebrates. In fact, the holothurian is a small slug that lives underwater. Most of them feel very similar to rough and wrinkled skin. They move slowly turning around themselves and only along the bottom, which makes these creatures a rather attractive target for marine predators. But the slugs are not as defenseless as they seem, and their defensive tactics can amaze you. Holothurians have evolved the ability to regurgitate their internal organs out of the anus. In this way, they scare and distract the predator, which decides that its prey is either sick or already dead, and swims away in search of something more tempting. During next months sea cucumber grows internal organs again and is fully restored. It's amazing that a creature that eviscerated itself inside out is able to survive!

Such "self-gutting" is used only in extreme cases, and at first the holothurian resorts to another trick. The slug takes in more water to swell up and let the predator know that the opponent is too large. Sea cucumbers are commonly preyed upon by small fish, crustaceans, gastropods, and starfish.

1. Amazonian molly fish

Photo: PA

It is incredible what evolution is capable of for the survival of animal species. For example, Amazonian molly fish (or mollies), rightly named after the most severe Amazonian warrior, are only females and are viviparous fish (the embryo develops in the mother's body).

Molly breeds by tricking males of other species. They don’t even need to approach the selection of a candidate in any special way, mollies simply converge with everyone in a row, and as a result, practically clones of mothers are born.

Of course, reproduction by "cloning" is inferior to sexual reproduction within the same species. For example, mollies sometimes give birth to offspring with three sets of chromosomes, which makes the new generation quite vulnerable in comparison with other fish. Trichromosomal mollies live much less than their other relatives. And yet, despite such a gap in the system, the extinction of this species of females does not yet threaten, and the Amazons are doing great.

MUNICIPAL BUDGET INSTITUTION

ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

STATION OF YOUNG NATURALISTS

VYAZMA, SMOLENSK REGION

"INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT MARINE DIVISIONS"

additional education teacher

Vyazma

Smolensk region

Interesting Facts about marine life.

Everyone knows that about 70% of the Earth's surface is covered with water. Ultimately, about 1.3 billion cubic kilometers of water on the planet in the seas, rivers and oceans are still poorly understood on Earth, as are the creatures that live in them.

Everything inaccessible enchants. And what could be farther from a person than the ocean floor? Sea creatures are so unlike earthly creatures. I really want to know more about them. What do they eat? How do they live and protect themselves? So many things that you really want to know. Looking at the surface of the water, it is difficult to imagine the diversity of life that is hidden below.

Atoll Jellyfish (Atolla vanhoeffeni)

The Atoll jellyfish lives at a depth of over 700 meters.

Blue Angel (Glaucus atlanticus)

A very tiny mollusk rightfully deserves its name, it seems to be floating on the water surface. To become lighter and stay at the very edge of the water, he swallows air bubbles from time to time.

The blue angel grows no more than 3 cm.

These unusual creatures have an outlandish body shape. They are blue above and silver below. Nature knowingly provided for such a disguise - the Blue Angel goes unnoticed by birds and marine predators. A thick layer of mucus around the mouth allows it to feed on small, poisonous sea creatures.

The blue angel is also called the commander in chief or the dragon.

Harp Sponge (Сhondrocladia lyra)

Sponge-harp is a predator.

Sponge-harp lives at a depth of 3-3.5 km.

Octopus Dumbo (Grimpoteuthis)

Octopus Dumbo looks like an elephant.

Yeti Crab (Kiwa hirsuta)

Yeti crab.

Short-nosed bat (Ogcocephalus)

The bat lives at a depth of 200 to 1000 meters.

The bat can lie motionless for a long time, lying in wait for prey.

Sea Slug Felimare Picta Felimare Picta- one of the species of sea slugs that lives in the waters of the Mediterranean. He looks very extravagant. The yellow-blue body seems to be surrounded by a delicate airy frill.

The sea slug Felimare Picta grows up to 20 centimeters.

The bright slug looks funny.

Flamingo Tongue Clam (Cyphoma gibbosum)

The mollusk carries a fungus that leads to the death of the coral.

Leafy Sea Dragon (Phycodurus eques)

Whelps feel comfortable in the shallow waters of the warm seas. And these marine inhabitants are also known as excellent fathers, because it is the males who bear offspring and take care of him.

The sea dragon is the official emblem of the state of South Australia.

Salps (Salpidae)

Salps are invertebrate marine inhabitants that have a barrel-shaped body, through the transparent shell of which internal organs are visible.

Salps can form chains up to a meter long.

In the ocean depths, animals form long chains-colonies that are easily torn apart even by a slight wave impact. Salps reproduce by budding.

Salps are found in all oceans except the Arctic Ocean.

Piglet squid (Helicocranchia pfefferi)

Squid-pig does not grow more than 10 cm.

This clam is slow. It's funny that the squid-pig moves upside down, because of which its tentacles look like a forelock. He lives at a depth of 100 meters.

The piggy squid looks like a cartoon character.

Ribbon Moray (Rhinomuraena guaesita)

Ribbon moray is a hermaphrodite.

Moray eels feed on small fish.

Drop fish (Psychrolutes marcidus)

The blob fish is a rather unusual creature. The body completely devoid of scales looks like jelly, and the flattened nose, large mouth and bulging eyes make the fish sad and unsympathetic.

The drop fish lives at depths of more than 200 m.

Being an inhabitant of deep water, a strange fish does not need a swim bladder and fins. The gel-like structure of the body helps it stay on the surface. The drop fish feeds on those marine inhabitants that, through negligence, swam into her mouth.

Christmas tree worm (Spirobranchus giganteus)

Is it possible to think that these unusual Christmas trees are worms, although not simple, but marine polychaetes? Their shape and bright colors make these creatures elegant and unique.

"Christmas tree" is a very unusual worm.

The bristles are very similar to feathers, but these are just the digestive and respiratory organs, and the body is a calcareous tube. Worm "Christmas tree" homebody. He spends his whole life in a coral hole, where he once sucks, considering it the most suitable place for his existence.

The worm became the prototype of Pandora's plants.

Australian sea wasp (Chironex fleckeri)

The beautiful but deadly Australian sea wasp (Chironex fleckeri) is the world's most venomous jellyfish. Since 1880, 66 people have died from its heart-paralytic poison off the coast of Queensland, in the absence of medical care the victims died within 1-5 minutes. One of the effective means of protection are women's tights. Lifeguards in Queensland now wear oversized pantyhose while surfing.

Interesting facts about marine animals

River dolphins are found in Brazil, China and India, but only dolphins living in the Amazon are Pink colour.

Only 6 species of lungfish have survived on earth, 4 of which, protopters, live in Africa. When the water in rivers and lakes dries up, protopteres are saved by the fact that they have lungs. They dig their nests in the soft muddy bottom and sleep in them until the start of the next rainy season, sometimes longer than a year. At the same time, they breathe air that enters through the top of the nest. And local fishermen, instead of fishing rods and nets, go fishing with hoes and shovels.

The longest animal on Earth is not a blue whale, but a lion's mane jellyfish. Its tentacles reach 37 meters in length.

The heart of a blue whale beats 9 times per minute and is about the size of an average car.

The largest blue whale in history was caught by Norwegian whalers in 1926. With a length of 34 m, the whale weighed 177 tons.

The length of the giant squid reaches 18 m. Whalers often observed deep scars from suckers on the bodies of sperm whales.

The noisiest creature in the ocean is the shrimp. The noise of a large flock of shrimp can "blind" the sonar of a submarine.

The whale does not start fountains, he exhales a jet of carbon dioxide wrapped in spray. The fat content of whale milk is 50%.

The largest mollusk - tridacna - lives in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Its shell can reach 2 m in diameter and 250 kg of weight.

Dallia is the most tenacious fish in the world. In fresh water bodies of Chukotka and Alaska, it survives by freezing into ice for several months.

The fish Abyssobrotula galatheae was found in the Puerto Rico trench at a depth of 8370 m. The pressure at such a depth exceeds 800 atmospheres, or 800 kg per 1 square centimeter.

Fish species such as salmon and trout do not exist. This is the collective name for more than three dozen species of fish of the salmon family.

The communication system of dolphins is so developed that each dolphin has its own name, to which it responds when relatives address it.

An octopus has two legs instead of eight. The other six tentacles are essentially hands. So it’s more correct to call the octopus “two-legged six-handed.” If an octopus loses a tentacle in a fight, it will grow a new one.

The predatory mollusk rapana was introduced into the Black Sea in 1947 from the Sea of Japan and by now has eaten almost all oysters, mussels and scallops. Rapana could breed so much because its natural enemies, starfish, are absent in the Black Sea.

Whales that can dive to depths of hundreds of meters do not suffer from decompression sickness, because before diving they do not inhale, but exhale, almost completely emptying their lungs. The oxygen dissolved in the blood is enough for them to stay at a depth for 40 minutes or more.

The only cephalopod known to science that can live at depths of more than 1000 meters looks terrifying and is called accordingly - the hellish vampire squid.

When fish swim against the current, they expend less energy than swimming in calm water. This is due to the ability of fish to catch the emerging whirlpools, tacking with minimal muscle tension. This way of sailing can be compared to the movement of a sailing yacht against the wind.

Fish can get hurt seasick, which manifests itself in the form of dizziness and loss of orientation.

Despite their creepy reputation, piranhas rarely attack humans. However, in September 1981, when a ship capsized near the city of Obidus on the Amazon. And, according to eyewitnesses, many of the 310 dead did not drown, but were torn apart by piranhas.

If an aquarium with goldfish is kept in the dark, the fish will turn white.

Sea turtles cry all the time. In this way, they get rid of excess salt in the body - their lacrimal glands perform the function of the kidneys.

If you cut a starfish into pieces, then over time, each of the parts will grow into a full-fledged star.

Coelacanth fish or coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) was considered extinct tens of millions of years ago. When the locals told the scientists that such a fish exists and is often sold in the local market, the scientists only brushed it off with annoyance. Well, what to take from uneducated fishermen? What was their surprise when, in 1938, in the market in the Comoros, scientists saw ... coelacanth!

But imagine that pundits did not calm down and declared that this was an isolated case, the last one and generally not true. In 1997, the coelacanth was found again in a fish market in Indonesia!

Amazing unicellular organisms live in warm seas - radiolarians (Radiolaria), one of the oldest living creatures on earth. And they are amazing in that, being unicellular, they have ... a skeleton of silicon oxide or strontium salts. Their skeletons are so beautiful that they have inspired many artists.

But… how do they reproduce then? After all, unicellular organisms usually reproduce by division! Radiolarians have found an interesting way to reproduce - through holes in the skeleton they release embryos - amoeboid flagella, which then grow into an adult. But it has not yet been possible to investigate this in detail ...

The top of the food pyramid in nature is crowned by predators that eat more numerous prey. Biologists exploring one of the last untouched ecosystems in the world - Kingman Reef in Oceania, have discovered a stunning fact - 85% of the biomass at Kingman Reef is ... predators! Of these, 3/4 - different kinds sharks How is this possible? After all, if there are more lions than antelopes, then they will simply die out!

The answer is quite simple: the fecundity of fish, eaters of algae and plankton, is so high that there is always prey for so many predators. And what happens if you exterminate the predators? Alas, this has already happened on some coral reefs in neighboring Kiribati, where sharks were caught en masse. The number of non-predatory fish has exploded, the number of microbes in a cube of water has increased 10 times. And at first the corals began to die, and then the epidemic killed the fish as well. As a result, the biomass also explosively decreased by 4 times! Alas! So nature suffers from the stupidity of man ...

Did you know that in most species of cetaceans, newborn cubs are so weak that ... they cannot swim? That is why mothers with children are very vulnerable at first - mothers have to constantly support the cub with flippers so that it does not drown. Breast-feeding A whale cub lasts on average up to one year, and the surface tension of mother's milk is 30 times stronger than that of water, so the stream of milk does not blur in water.

According to the World Register of Sea Creatures (WoRMS), there are currently 199,146 named sea creatures. There are probably at least 750,000 sea creatures still in existence (50% of the 1.5 million) and possibly 25 million sea creatures (50% of the 25 million).

Swordfish and marlin are the fastest fish in the ocean, reaching speeds of up to 121 km/h in bursts. And bluefin tuna can reach and maintain speeds of up to 90 km/h for a long time.

The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived on our planet (larger than known dinosaurs) and has a heart the size of a car.

The oarfish is the longest bony fish in the world. It has a snake-like body with an amazing red fin running its entire body length of 15.25 m, a horse-like muzzle and blue gills.

Many fish can change sex during their lifetime. Others, especially rare deep-sea fish, have both male and female reproductive organs.

A study of the deep sea community has discovered 898 species from more than 100 families and a dozen phyla in an area about half the size of a tennis field. More than half of these organisms were new to science.

The gray whale travels over 10,000 miles a year, which is the longest migration of any animal.

Interesting facts about sharks

Sharks attack about 50-75 people a year worldwide, of which 8-12 are fatal, according to data from the International Shark Attack Base (ISAF). Although shark attacks attract quite a bit of attention, they are much less than the number of people killed each year by elephants, bees, crocodiles, lightning and many other natural hazards. On the other hand, we kill about 20 million sharks a year as a result of fishing.

Of the 350 species of sharks, about 80% grow to less than 1.6 m and are not capable of harming humans, and are also rarely seen. Only 32 species have been recorded attacking humans, and another 36 species are considered potentially dangerous.

Almost any shark 1.8m or more is potentially dangerous, but the three species most commonly attack humans are the great white shark, tiger shark, and bull shark. All three species are found throughout the world, reaching large sizes and feeding on large prey such as marine mammals and sea turtles. It is white sharks that most often attack swimmers, divers, surfers and boats than any other species. However, about 80% of shark attacks occur in the tropics and subtropics, where other types of sharks predominate, and white sharks are quite rare.

Sharks eat EVERYTHING. The wreckage of boats, car tires and even knightly armor were found in the stomachs of these predators.

The blunt shark, or bull shark, reaching 3.5 m in length and 300 kg in weight, can swim far into the rivers. They have been observed in the Mississippi River in the St. Louis area, in Lake Michigan, in the Ganges and the Amazon. The bull shark is very aggressive, there are cases of its attacks on people.

Sharks can reproduce by parthenogenesis, that is, without the participation of males. In 2007, a DNA study of the cub was carried out, which showed that only the mother's genes were present in it. Thus, it has been proven that sharks can breed "virtually".

Sharks are unable to pump water through their gills on their own, therefore, in order not to die from a lack of oxygen, they must constantly be in motion.

The largest fish on the planet is the whale shark. Its length reaches 12 m, and its weight is 14 tons. The smallest - Schindleria - weighs only 2 mg with a length of 11 mm. And the most prolific - moon fish - in one season is capable of sweeping 300 million eggs.

A 55 kg tuna was found in the stomach of a 330 kg mako shark, swallowed whole.

Tiger shark embryos fight each other in their mother's womb. Only one is born, having eaten all the others.

There are squids that fly

In addition to the well-known flying fish, there are also flying squids that live in the Pacific Ocean. But the way they fly is completely different. Fish use quick and strong tail strokes to jump out of the water, and then soar with the help of wide fins. While squids both in the water and above its surface move due to jet thrust, that is, in the direction opposite to the ejected water jet.

However, in terms of flight range, squids are much inferior: their maximum distance, according to observations, does not exceed 30 meters, while the flying fish record is 400 meters.

Let's start with lobsters, they really feel pain when they are thrown into boiling water. However, by immersing them in salt water before cooking, you can give them anesthesia.

2. The starfish is the only animal that can turn its stomach inside out. When it approaches its prey (usually representatives of molluscs), the star sticks out its stomach through its mouth and covers the victim's shell with it. It then slowly digests the fleshy parts of the mollusk outside its body.

3. Newborn barnacle crayfish balyanus (barnacle) is similar to daphnia (water flea). It is also called sea acorn or sea tulip. At the next stage of development, he has three eyes and twelve legs. In the third stage of development, it has twenty-four legs and no eyes. Balanuses are attached to a solid object and remain there for life.

4. When abalone clams feed on red algae, their shell turns red.
A 10 cm long abalone can hold on to a stone so tightly that two strong people cannot tear it off.

5. Sea worms mate as follows: during the mating season, females and males gather in a swarm. Suddenly, the females pounce on the males and bite off their tails. The tails contain sperm. When swallowed, it moves through the digestive tract and fertilizes the eggs of the female.

6. Snails only mate once in their lives. Mating can last up to twelve hours.

7. When mating, a male leech (leeches are hermaphrodites and can play the role of either sex) clings to the body of the female and places a bag of sperm on her skin. This sac secretes a strong, tissue-damaging enzyme that eats a hole in her body and fertilizes the eggs inside her.

8. Leeches belong to the class of animals. They are considered centenarians, tk. can live over 20 years. Leeches can go without food for a very long time - up to two (!) years. After each meal, they grow right before our eyes.
Leeches are big clean and live only in the cleanest water bodies of the planet, especially there are a lot of them in ecologically clean places. Unfortunately, due to the pollution of the atmosphere, leeches are becoming less and less with each code. As a result, the leech was listed in the Red Book and now it is protected by law.
Those leeches that are grown in captivity treat various diseases much worse, unlike their fellow leeches that live in the wild. Therefore, it is more effective to use special wild leeches for the treatment.

9. The breath of a jellyfish is very different from the breath of a person or even a fish. The jellyfish does not have lungs and gills, as well as any other respiratory organ. The walls of its gelatinous body and tentacles are so thin that oxygen molecules freely penetrate through the jelly-like "skin" straight into the internal organs. Thus, the jellyfish breathes the entire surface of its body.

10. Farmers in the Caribbean use the poison of a certain type of jellyfish as poison for rats.

11. The beautiful but deadly Australian sea wasp (Chironex fleckeri) is the most poisonous jellyfish in the world. Since 1880, 66 people have died from its heart-paralytic poison near the coast of Queensland; in the absence of medical care, the victims died within 1-5 minutes. One of the effective means of protection are women's tights. Lifeguards in Queensland now wear oversized pantyhose when surfing

12. Heikegani crabs live off the coast of Japan, the pattern on the shell of which resembles the face of an angry samurai. According to the popularizer of science Carl Sagan, this species owes its appearance to unintentional artificial selection. Many generations of Japanese fishermen, catching these crabs, released them back into the sea, as they considered them to be reincarnations of samurai who died in battle. By doing this, fishermen increased the chances of heikegani to reproduce and increase their number among other crabs.

13. In male fiddler crabs, one claw is significantly larger than the other. These crabs got their name because, as it were, they call females to themselves by moving this claw. Males of one of the types of attracting crab Uca mjobergi went further - if they lose a large claw in a fight with another male, then they grow it back bigger size, although much weaker. However, for females, its appearance becomes more significant, and other males are afraid to engage in battle with the owner of such a claw.

14. A new species of large squid was discovered by scientists in the Indian Ocean in 2009. Representatives of this species reach a length of 70 cm. They belong to the Chiroteuthid family - deep-sea squids with a long narrow body.

15. Deep sea tunicates are one of the strangest prehistoric animals. They are found when ice breaks in Antarctica. These meter-long worms are considered the first life forms to inhabit the bottom of the Antarctic Ocean.

16. Barreleye Fish - the fish can rotate its eyes in all directions, and since the head of the fish is transparent, it can also try to see its brain, if any. (The black dots above the mouth are not the eyes. The eyes are the green hemispheres in the head.)

17. Needlefish hunt in a completely unique way: it approaches the prey, often hiding behind other fish, and sucks it with lightning speed into its long "beak". According to its characteristics, the needlefish is very similar to the seahorse.

18. For centuries, scientists since the Greek philosopher Aristotle have tried to understand how eels reproduce. Today, the female is known to spawn in the Sargasso Sea, between Bermuda and the Caribbean. The little larvae travel many thousands of kilometers to return to the rivers where their parents come from.

19. Not only stingrays have electric organs. The body of the African river catfish malapterurus is wrapped like a fur coat with a gelatinous layer in which an electric current is generated. Electric organs account for about a quarter of the weight of the entire catfish. Its discharge voltage reaches 360 V, it is dangerous even for humans and, of course, fatal for fish.

20. A species of starfish called Lunckia columbiae can completely reproduce its body from a particle 1 centimeter long.