amezon river

8/9/2019 Amezon River

1/28

How Great is the Amazon River?

The Amazon is the greatest river in the world by so many measures; the volume of water

it carries to the sea (approximately 20% of all the freshwater discharge into the oceans),

the area of land that drains into it, and its length and width. It is one of the longest rivers

in the world and, depending upon who you talk to, is anywhere between6,259km/3,903mi and 6,712km/4,195mi long.

For the last century the length of the Amazon and the Nile Rivers have been in a tight

battle for title of world's longest river. The exact length of the two rivers varies over timeand reputable sources disagree as to their actual length. The Nile River in Africa is

reported to be anywhere from at 5,499km/3,437mi to 6,690km/4,180mi long. But there is

no question as to which of the two great rivers carries the greater volume of water - theAmazon River.

Buy this Photographic Print at AllPosters.com

At its widest point the Amazon River can be 11km/6.8 mi wide during the dry season.The area covered by the Amazon River and its tributaries more than triples over the

course of a year. In an average dry season 110,000 square km of land are water-covered,

while in the wet season the flooded area of the Amazon Basin rises to 350,000 square km.When the flood plains and the Amazon River Basin flood during the rainy season the

Amazon River can be up to 40km/24.8 mi wide. Where the Amazon opens at its estuary

the river is over 325km/202 mi wide!

Because the Amazon drains the entire Northern half of the South American continent(approx. 40% landmass), including all the torrential tropical rains that deluge the

rainforests, it carries an enormous amount of water. The mouth of the Amazon River,

where it meets the sea, is so wide and deep that ocean-going ships have navigated itswaters and traveled as far inland as two-thirds the way up the entire length of the river.

The Amazon - Home of Extremes

The Amazon River is not only the greatest in the world, it is home to many other

"Extremes" of the natural world. Have you ever seen a catfish? They're usually found inwarm, slow moving waters of lakes and streams, and some people keep them as pets in

aquariums. Catfish are pretty creepy looking fish with big flat heads and "whiskers" on

either side of their heads (hence the name, catfish). Most catfish that we're familiar withhere in the U.S. are anywhere from eight inches long to about five feet, weighing in at up

to 60 pounds. But the catfish that live in the world's greatest river have all the room in the

world to grow as big as nature will allow - they have been captured weighing over 200

pounds! One of the largest freshwater fish in the world is found living in the waters of theAmazon River. Arapaima, also known locally as Pirarucu, Arapaima gigas are the largest,

exclusively fresh water fish in the world. They have been found to reach a length of 15


2/28

ft/4m and can weigh up to 440lbs/200kg. And yes, for you smartypants out there,

sturgeon are even larger than this, but they are not exclusively freshwater fish. Sturgeonspend most of their lives at sea, or in brackish water, and only swim into freshwater rivers

to spawn. (Read about the biggest freshwater fish in the world.)

(Buy this Photographic Print at AllPosters.com)The Amazon is also home to some other extreme creatures, featured here in "Extreme

Science"; the Anaconda (biggest snake), and Piranha (most ferocious). Check it out!

Amazon River Facts

So, how did the Amazon get to be so big? The first reason has to do with its location -

right at the equator. Around the "belt line" of the earth lies a warm, tropical zone whereover 400 in/1016cm of rain fall every year. That averages out to more than an inch (3cm)

of rain, everyday! A lot of water falls onto the land surrounding the river, what is called

the "Amazon River drainage basin". A good way to understand what a drainage basin isto think of the whole northern half of the continent of South America as a shallow dish,

or saucer. Whenever rain falls and lands anywhere in the river basin it all runs into thelowest place in the pan, which happens to be the Amazon River. The sheer volume of rain

in the Amazon jungle, as well as the slope of the surrounding land, combine to create theenormous river known as the Amazon.

MEKONG CATFISH

Location: Hard to say.Scientists are still researching

which species of freshwaterfish grow the largest

specimens. The NationalGeographic is funding a

worldwide study to investigatethe "maximum" species. Could

be the Arapaima, Mekong

Catfish, or Chinese Paddlefish.

Facts: The largest

(authenticated) freshwater fishon record seems to be a giant

Mekong Catfish captured in Mayof 2005 in Thailand. It was nine

feet long and weighed 646 lbs.

The Scientists Who Study thisCool Stuff?

Biologists, Ichthyologists.

Links:National Geographic News

Freshwater F

It is said that the largest fresworld lives, of course, in theriver in the world - the AmazAmerica.Arapaima, also knPirarucu,Arapaima gigas alargest, exclusively fresh waThey have been found to reft/4m and can weigh up to 4yes, for you smartypants oueven larger than this, but thfreshwater fish. Sturgeon splives at sea, or in brackish winto freshwater rivers to spalike sturgeon, a very primitivcovered in very large, bony-members of the Osteoglosstongue", that has a second embedded into it. This allow

catfish that are protected by armoured plates.


3/28

CNN Story on Mekong CatfishWiki Page on Mekong Catfish

Giant Catfish

Anotherimpressively large freshwater fish that was recently caught seemArapaima record out of the water - the Giant Mekong catfish (Pafish in the photo below was captured by some fisherman in Thaspecies is considered endangered, but can still be caught with sfish was turned in to the Department of Fisheries where the eggcollected from these rare giants and harvested for a captive brekeep the species alive.

This giant catfish caught in May of 2005 was 9 feet long and weigmore than 5 times bigger than the 'world record' catfish caught


4/28

This giant catfish inhabits the wRiver in China, which flows souSoutheast Asia. This fish is founCambodia and Thailand where

Buk, which means simply "hugedimensions of these catfish arethe largest supposedly growingweighing up to 660lbs/300kg.

The European wels (Silurus glathe catfish family, growing to 16weighing as much as 726lbs/33Science has been unable to ve

ANACONDAEunectes murinus

Location: In rivers that feedinto the Amazon River in South

America.

Facts: The largest anacondaever measured was almost 28

feet long with a girth of 44inches. She wasn't weighed atthe time she was caught, but

scientists estimate that shemust have weighed over 500

lbs.

The Scientists Who Study thisCool Stuff?Biologists, Herpetologists,Zoologists. Meet one here on

Extreme Science; Dr. JesusRivas...

Links:

Which is the

If you look in the recontroversy over wworld's record for mdimensions that haanaconda the title obody massor its wphysical bulk of it). competes with the

Asiatic Reticulated reticulatus). The python holds the world's record for length of a slongest ever measured at 33 feet. Even though the longest pythrecord-holding anaconda, the girth of the anaconda is far bigger

jungles of South America can grow as big around as a grown m

The Secret Life of an Anaconda


5/28

Nashville ZooDr. Rivas' Anaconda site

Anacondas in the wild spend most of their time hanging out in rifood. They are solitary creatures that are somewhat shy and noeasily seen. They are very well camouflaged in the swamps andthrive. There are some historical reports of early European explAmerican jungles seeing giant anacondas up to 100 feet long an

of the native peoples of the SouthAmerican jungle have reportedseeing anacondas up to 50 feet long. No one has caught and manaconda anywhere nearthat size. It is important to note that wanaconda's hide or skin is laid out it can be stretched very easillonger lengths than the snake exhibited when alive. Reports of othat cannot be verified are usually due to distortions in perceptiobeing disproportionately stretched and inaccurately measured. Preally bad at estimating length, especially for larger snakes. In fasnake, the larger the margin of error.

Anacondas lrivers so it westimate the swimming, wentire snakeability to remthe water thaaccurately finspecimen tha

current worldyouwant to jafter a giant measure a skill you?)Read about does wade icapture gianwild and stu

K

Anacondas are members of the boa constrictor family of snakesthey kill their prey by coiling their large, powerful bodies around squeezing until their prey suffocates or is crushed to death and bleeding. Then the snake unhinges its jaw and swallows the vicAnacondas are much more likely to eat aquatic creatures, such they have been known to eat: caimans (a relative of the alligatodeer, and even jaguars. Anacondas are rather slow-moving snarely on stealth and the element of surprise to catch their unsusp

Read about the world's Deadliest Creature | Most Ferocious CreCreature

Close view of the head of an anacondaswimming in a river

Buy this Framed Art Print


6/28

Hardworking HerpetologistDr. Jesus Rivas makes a living wrestling some

of the biggest snakes in the world in the llanos

of Venezuela, where some of these huge

snakes live. The work involves long hoursenduring the heat of the tropics slogging

through the marsh weeds (riddled with

leeches) in bare feet "feeling" for theunmistakable shape and texture of an

anaconda with the sensitive skin of his feet

and toes. Using primitive, but effective toolslike cotton socks and plastic electricians' tape,

he captures and restrains them to gather blood

and tissue samples so we can all understandmore about them.

Dr. Rivas has always been fascinated bysnakes and other wildlife, ever since he was a

boy growing up in Venezuela. While otherboys were playing superhero he was

captivated by the beautiful and exotic

creatures that lived in the wild near hischildhood home, even keeping a 'nature diary'

with drawings of the creatures he admired. As

a youngster he had been repeatedly warned by his parents not to touch snakes and otherwild creatures because many of them in that part of the world are dangerous, even

poisonous. He didn't really get an opportunity to get up close and personal with snakesuntil he was a teenager and eagerly

volunteered his time at a local zoo.

Part of his responsibilities at the zoo were to clean the animals'pens and cages as well as

feed them, which is where he got his first opportunity to observe large anacondas killing

and devouring their prey. This early exposure to the captive reptiles inspired him to want

to learn more about the way these creatures lived in the wild. When he later enteredcollege at the Universidad Central de Venezuela he chose to studybiology.

Dr. Rivas got his first real opportunity to do field research on the giant green anaconda

when a project 'fell into his lap'. Because of the creative and pioneering work that he haddone studying green iguanas in the field he was the first person to come to mind when the

Wildlife Conservation Society began to round up some people to conduct a field study of

anacondas.His research would be the first of its kind ever performed on the green anaconda, as no

one had carried out any field studies of this species before. Very little was known about

the elusive green anaconda and the Wildlife Conservation Society, together with the

Convention for the International Trade of endangered Species (CITES), and Profauna(the Venezuelan Fish and Wildlife Service), funded a project to study this species to

understand more about it and try to develop a management plan.

Dr. Rivas carrying a female anaconda he

captured for studying in the field. All ofthe snakes captured and measured were

later released back into the wild.


7/28

Dr. Rivas and his wife and research partner Renee

carrying a tired snake in to collectdata.During his years of field research on the anaconda, Dr. Rivas and his research team

developed practical and pioneering ways to capture, subdue and measure some of the

biggest snakes in the world without endangering themselves or harming the snakes.

Dr. Rivas has since spent 11 years on the llanos capturing and studying anacondas in thewild to understand more about them. Here some of the cool things he did learn from his

research so far:

Anacondas have the largestsexual size dimorphism (difference in

size between the males and the females) of any vertebrate species

(males are 1/5th the size of females!)

when anacondas mate a large number of much smaller males willwrap themselves around one large female, forming a "breeding

ball", where the males compete in very close quarters for the

opportunity to mate

anacondas also present a surprising ontogenetic change inbiomass from birth to adulthood, with a 500-fold increase it is

much higher than the increase found in any other species of

snake

In his years of field research on the green anaconda, Dr. Rivashas captured and 'processed' over 900 anacondas!

What's it Like to Handle a Huge

Green Anaconda?According to Dr. Rivas, "It takes an average of about 15-20 minutes of fighting with a

snake before it tires to the point of exhaustion. Then it becomes easier to handle and more

compliant." Because of the large difference in size between males and females, all of thereally large snakes he has captured are females (the "big girls" he calls them). Many of

the large snakes he has captured weigh between 80 and 100 lbs. (36-45kgs). Can you

imagine trying to wrestle with 100lbs/45kgs of writhing snake? And then multiply that

over 900 times!There's still a lot that is not known about them that can only be learned from long-term

studies conducted by continually tracking and observing them in their native habitat. Dr.

Rivas is currently looking to fund continuing research of these fascinating and enigmatic


8/28

creatures by offering eco-tours of Venezuela and an "Adopt-a-snake" program. You can

read about his research, see lots ofgreatphotos of anacondas, andsupport his researchby visiting his website at:anacondas.org. Check it out!!

LITUYA BAY TSUNAMI


9/28

Location: Lituya Bay, on thesouthern coast of Alaska, just

north of Glacier Bay.

Facts: On July 9, 1958 a HUGEearthquake (8.3 magnitude)triggered a HUGE landslide atthe head of Lituya Bay. The

first (and biggest) wave was anincredible 1,720ft./516m high!

The Scientists Who Study thisCool Stuff?Seisomologists, Geologists,

Geophysicists.

Links:

The Tsunami PageNOAA Center for TsunamiResearchUSGS Tsunami Research

Pacific Tsunami Warning Center

World Reco

Whoa! You're thinkingtsunamiand I don't sthe picture, anywhere

actually a Japanese wscientists use to descwave (or series of wawhen an enormous areleased into the watecreating a ripple effec

something in the bathtub or throw a rock into a lake. Only the "ri

1) an earthquake (movement of the sea floor)2) a volcanic eruption (lava and rock going "kersploosh" into the3) a huge landslide, as was the case in Lituya Bay

The incredibly massive size of thematerial 'plopping' into the ocean (orthe shifting of the sea floor) creates MAJOR ripples that are so waves traveling at speeds of up to 200 mph/320kph over really open sea. But, when the waves reach the beach they are incredwayinland causing major damage and sometimes loss of life.

SO, you're asking, why no wave in the picture? Well, close up sactually happening are pretty rare and hard to get, as you can imstand on the shore with a camera to take a picture of a ten-story

right at you? Most people turn and run for the hills because theidanger.

Enormous Earthquake

What happened at Lituya was movement along the fault that runthe above picture. If you pretend you're actually standing on theover the Bay (like the view in the above picture) the fault would behind you. The "movement in the fault", of course, is called anmagnitude of the quake was about 8.3, although some

This photo


10/28

Photos courtesy of SteinbruggeCollection,

Earthquake EngineeringResearch Center,

UC Berkeley.

sources say it was a 7.9, on the Richter Scale(a scalefor measuring the magnitude, or amount of energyreleased, from an earthquake). Pretty awesomeshaker. Well, shaker it was...it "shook" loose an estimated 40 mdirt and glacier from a mountainside at the head of the Bay, abo

standing in the above picture. When the stuff went "kersploosh"created a massive wave that washed 1,720 ft/524m high over thright side of the above picture. The tsunami inundated approximof land along the shores of Lityua Bay, sending water as far as 3clearing millions of trees.You can see the damage to the trees tthe headland when the wave washed over the top of it - there wleft...wiped 'em clean off. The picture above gives you a closer vto the headland that the tidal waves caused.

Human Witnesses

There were three fishing boats anchored at the mouth of Lituya awesome waves

basin. The boaters watched in horror as the first enormous wavefishing boat and wiped everything in its path off the land. If therecity on the shores of the bay everyone in it would have been killbecause it was an unpopulated area, the loss of life was minimafamily of the victims hardly think that it was good fortune).

headland; completelywave struc

U.S.G.S. Aerial photo of Lituya Bay taken after July 9, 1958 event. Note the extent of

the non-forested areas of land lining the shore of the bay, which marks theapproximate reach of the tsunami's runup.


11/28

How Do They Know?

To measure the height of the biggest wave, all scientists had to high water mark- that's the line where the water reached its hignearby land. It's real easy to find you just look for the uppermos

damaged area (see photo at left).

Then, they measured the elevation of the highest point on the ha measurement of 1,720 ft/524 high - the biggest wave ever me

Other Big Waves

There are waves out on the ocean all the time, whichare created by the friction, or the dragging motion, of

the wind over the vast surface of the sea. When bigstorms develop out at sea creating fast winds it causesreally big waves, called storm waves. Ships out at seaduring these really big storms have experienced somepretty big waves, some as much as 100 ft/31m high, but that's awaves get out on the open sea. Nothing like the "big one" at Litu

Here's something to think about...There happened to be peopleday that the landslide and resulting tidal wave occurred. That pa

populated, but people come to that area for many reasons. Theearth that are so inhospitable (really bad) that few people ever vArctic, or the Antarctic, in winter are some pretty nasty, cold plathey not fun places to visit, but they're virtually inaccessible to htotally possible that in early spring, when the ice starts to melt, ainto the ocean (break off HUGE chunks) that really big waves ocbigger than the massive one at Lituya Bay! The wave may washcovered land, but the evidence melts away so that no human evhappened.

We say that the tsunami at Lituya Bay was thebiggest wave ever, but that's just the ones humanshave witnessed and have been able to record. Therehave probably been even BIGGER waves that have happened ihuman witnesses didn't even exist. And you never know, there mwave to happen yet!

The yellowheight the the headla

Ge


12/28

Blue Whales are True Giants

Imagine if you were sailing the oceanfor the first time, venturing into aplace you'd never seen before, andyou look over the side of your boatinto the water and see the creature inthe photo at left. Imagine that youknow almost nothing about what livesin the sea, or what to expect from anycreatures you might see. This strangecreature swimming near the surfaceis longer than the ship you are sailing

on. You might be a little scared,especially having never seen it beforeand not knowing what it is capable of.

You might even be worrying about whether this creature eats humans. The sheersize of it makes you wonder if it can capsize your ship in pursuit of a meal. Butyou have nothing to fear for this enormous animal is merely a whale.

For many, many years ancientsailors had rare encounters with these with these gigantic ocean mammals and

were terrified by their overwhelming size and powerful tails. You can understanda little of the fear and trepidation they might have felt upon seeing these huge,mysterious creatures for the first time. Today we know them to be virtuallyharmless to humans and that they have quite a bit in common with us they, tooare warm-blooded mammals that must breathe air. They are highly socialanimals with complex languages and intelligence. Most importantly, they are notmonsters at all, but gentle giants weve come to respect, admire and protect.

Gentle Giants

In scary movies the gigantic creature that swims in the ocean, or the huge beast

that roams the streets, are evil monsters bent on harm and destruction. But innature (in real life), the very largest of the large creatures have been virtuallyharmless to humans. In fact, magnificent creatures such as the great blue whalehave suffered most at the hands ofhumans bent on destruction. Blue whales, aswell as many other whale species, have been hunted to the brink of extinction bypeople from all over the world for centuries. It's only recently, in this century, thatwe as a species have begun to appreciate the value of all living creatures. Wehave come to feel that wiping any species of animal off the face of the earth

See more beautiful photos of blue whaleshere.


13/28

forever is an evil thing for humans to do. Blue whaleshave been put on the United States' endangeredspecies list. Whalers in the 19th and 20th centurieshunted this giant nearly to extinction, killing as manyas 29,000 in 1931, probably the peak year.

Big in Every Way

Blue whales diet consists mainly of krill, a tiny shrimp that lives in tremendouslylarge schools in almost every ocean of the world. Krill is probably one of the mostplentiful food species (outside of insects) anywhere on earth. It's gotta be to keepup with the blue whales' big appetite. A big blue can eat over a thousand krill atone time swallowing them with a tongue that weighs as much as an elephant!Blue whales eat the krill using a special type of filter on their mouths called abaleen. By gulping enormous amounts of sea water containing the live krill theblue whale closes its mouth and flushes the sea water back out through the filter

leaving the krill behind for it to swallow. Small fish and plankton are also favoritefood items of the whale. It takes about 8,000 lbs/3600kg of fresh seafood a dayto keep the blue whale well fed.

Probably the most spectacular thing about blue whales that's bigger than big isthe sounds they make. If you have speakers on your computer you should hear arecording of "blue whale speech" playing in the background. Scientists havemeasured the low-frequency (deep rumbling) sounds they make when theycommunicate with each other by using a decibel meter. Some of theirvocalizations have been recorded as loud as 188 decibels and can be heard asfar as 530 mi/848km away. To give you an idea of just how loud 188 decibels is a

commercial jet taking off makes a sound of 120 decibels. That makes whales, byfar, the loudest living thinganywhere on earth!

Why is the Blue Whale So Big?

Scientist don't really know for sure, but they are sure of one thing - as big as theancient dinosaurs were they were NEVER as big as the blue whale is. The bluewhale is the largest creature to have ever lived on earth! One of the most

important reasons that whales have become so large is they have more SPACE -more room to roam. Remember: over 70% of the earth is covered in oceanwater.

Another nice thing about living in the oceans, besides all the real estate, is theweightlessness effect of water. If you like to swim or SCUBA dive you know howit feels to be in the water - almost like floating in


14/28

space. (In fact, NASA sometimes trains theirastronauts inside huge tanks of water to get familiarwith working in a zero-gravity environment.) It's theweightlessness of the ocean environment that allowsa whale to maintain such huge proportions. Instead

of relying on a skeleton to support the weight of itsmassive bulk the buoyancy of the surrounding oceanwater supports the weight of the whale's bodytissues. If a blue whale were to be removed from the ocean it would smotherunder its own weight - a result of the effects of gravity.

A Really "Cool" Place to Be a Scientist

Animal KingdomBiggest Fish

Biggest Freshwater FishBiggest Ocean Carnivore

Fastest in the SeaGiant Jellyfish

Deadliest CreatureWorld Records

Buy this Antarctica Print at AllPosters.com


15/28

You want to talk about world records, Antarctica is the land of extremes. It is thecoldest, windiest, and highest continentanywhere on earth. With an averageelevation about 7,544ft/2,300 meters above sea level it is the highest continent.Even though it is covered in ice it receives some of the least amount of rainfall,getting just slightly more rainfall than the Sahara Desert, making it the largest

deserton earth. Most people have the misconception that a desert is a hot, dry,sandy, lifeless place, but the true definition of a desert is any geographicallocation that receives very, very little rainfall. Even though there's ice on theground in Antarctica, that ice has been there for a very long time.

Antarctica is the only continent that has never had an indigenous population ofhumans because it has always been such an extreme environment. Just the boatride getting to the continent is over the most treacherous seas anywhere in theworld. The inaccessibility of the place and the lack of reliable food and means for

constructing shelter has kept humans away for thousands of years. But the newtechnologies developed over the last 200 years made it possible for people toreach these icy shores to explore and study the Antarctic for the first time inhuman history.

Since there are no people who claim Antarctica as their homeland, exploration ofthe continent has been shared by all nations of the world. Scientists from all overthe world - Russia, Japan, the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, NewZealand, South America, and many others - come to this place in aninternationally cooperative agreement to study the truly unique qualities ofAntarctica. Many scientific stations have been constructed on Antarctica to

provide shelter and supplies for scientists doing field work there.

Meet a scientist who's been to Antarctica - even went diving under the ice!

Some scientists actually live on Antarctica for part of the year to conduct theirresearch. Very few scientists stay there more than six months at a time. The sunrises and sets only once a year at the South Pole, which means there are sixmonths of daylight, followed by six months of darkness. During the winter whenthere is no sun, the Antarctic becomes an even more hostile place to be - colderthan cold, BONE-CHILLING cold, and no daylight. Can you imagine living indarkness 24 hours a day? That would almost be likeliving out in space! Hey.....

The World's Biggest Laboratory

At first, the scientific value of studying the Antarcticwas just for the sake of understanding this strangeplace. Recently, scientists have theorized that the

About Planet EarthEarth ScienceWorld Records

Giant Arctic JellyfishHottest Place on Earth

Driest PlaceWettest Place

Extreme Weather


16/28


17/28

Antarctic Ice - The UltimateCool

Many scientists studyAntarctic ice because it is

more than just ice. It hasaccumulated over time, layerupon layer, building up overthe millennia to create a typeof sedimentary rock. Yes,rock. Ice crystals can beconsidered a type of mineral,and glacial ice is composedof crystals of the "mineral"water. Just like sedimentaryrock is created over time by

the repeated layering ofparticles of clay or sand,glacial ice builds up overmillions of years by the buildup of snow that never melts.

Scientists drill down deep intothe ice with a drill that workskind of like a cookie cutter, only it cuts out some really deep cookies of ice.These core samples contain many layers of ice that represent what the earth'satmosphere was like at the time each layer of ice was formed. By studying the

layers of ice in the core samples scientists can learn about how the earth'satmosphere has changed over geologic time.

In the winter time the ocean around Antarctica freezes for thousands of miles inall directions. This vast expanse of ice surrounding the already immenseAntarctic ice sheet covers over eleven million square kilometers. The annualfreezing of the ocean around Antarctica generates deep ocean currentsworldwide. Differences in ocean temperature are what cause weather all over theglobe. Some scientists fear that if the global climate gets too warm or too cold itcould affect the formation of Antarctic ice, changing the climate as we know it allover the world.

Buy this beautiful Emperor Penguin print at AllPosters.com


18/28

Buy this Photographic Print at AllPosters.com

Like this page? Tell a friend!

Your friend's e-mail:

Read about the Deepest Place in the Ocean

See our Creature Gallery for more

fascinating world records.

(photo courtesy of Paul Yancey,

Biology Dept., Whitman College, Walla Walla

Washington)

Here's an up close and personal view of the

wicked-looking Viper fish (Chauliodusmacouni). Check out the teeth and the bug

eyes on this guy! Click on the photo to see a

much larger picture...

These are the cr

of the deep you'

Starting with th

- theMesopelagi

Life in the Deep

Many species of deep ocean fish have special adap

high pressure, low light conditions. Viper fish (M

meters - about a mile down) are some of the most

up from the depths. Some of them are black as ni(calledphotophores) in strategic places on their b

dorsal fin that serves as a lure for the fish it preys

many other deep ocean fish species) don't have an

they're "see through". They also have enlarged e

as much light as possible where there is little or n

create lights by using a chemical process called bi

ocean fish, such as the the gulper eel have a hinge


19/28

A Fangtooth - scientists still aren't exactly sure

why so many bony fishes of the deep have such

enlarged, daggerlike teeth. See many more

hotos of creeps from the deep on

ExploretheAbyss.com!

upward to swallow large prey. They also have lar

stretch to accommodate a fish much larger than i

particularly well-known for its impossibly large m

mouth around (and swallow!) creatures much big

down here must adapt to a very low food supply,

sink down from above, or sometimes eating each Go to the next page to see more creeps from the d

Benthopelagic Species

Rattail or grenadier fish. These fish were a common

sight around the remains of the Titanic when Bob


20/28

These fish are found at the

benthopelagic level, in the bathyalzones. Scientists have discovered

that this type of fish has high levels

of a chemical called TMAO in its

body. All ocean creatures have this chemical in their systems. Its presence helps tomaintain hydration levels of the body tissues while living in all that salt water. Otherwise,

water would move from areas of low salinity (the fish's body) to areas of high salinity

(the surrounding ocean water). Without this chemical fish would be dehydrated by thesurrounding ocean water. TMAO, and its breakdown product TMA, are the chemicals

that make marine animals smell fishy.

This guy with the big, creepy mouth

is a giant grenadier fish. This species is usually found living just above the bottom of the

ocean. They swim slowly over the sea bed searching for live prey, as well as carcasses toeat. Having really high levels of the smelly chemical compound TMAO must make the

rattail not only ugly, but really stinky, too!Go to the NEXT PAGE to see more creeps from the deep...

Read about the Deepest Place in the OceanSee ourCreature Gallery for more fascinating world records.

Life on the Sea Floor

These creatures live on or just underneath thesurface of the very bottom of the ocean, on the

abyssal plain. Called "sea pigs", they are a type of

sea cucumber, which is a member of the samephylum as starfish and sea urchins (Echinoderms).

They look and act kind of like slugs do up here on

land. They feed on the mud of the sea floor,

benefiting from the organic materials that settle tothe ocean bottom. Sea cucumbers, starfish and sea

urchins can be found in all depths of the ocean.

For reasons scientists don't yet understand,members of the phylum Echinodermata (like the

sea pigs) are extremely successful down in the

ocean depths. They are the most plentiful species of sea creature down there. The seafloor must be "hog heaven" for these sea pigs! This guy does look kinda like a pig,

doesn't he?

Gigantism

Ballard's expedition filmed the wreckage usingROVtechnology. (Photo courtesy of Paul Yancey,Biology Dept., Whitman College, Walla Walla

Washington)

Sea Pig.(Photo courtesy of PaulYancey, Biology Dept.,

Whitman College, Walla Walla

Washington)


21/28

A characteristic of many deep ocean

creatures which baffles scientists isthe incidence ofgigantism - ocean

creatures that exist in shallower

waters take on gigantic proportions

when they take up residence down indeep ocean water.

Giant Tube Worms: On the bottom of

the ocean around deep-seahydrothermal vents, there is a

profusion of life that thrives on the

hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas released

from the vents. Some of the mostimpressive of the creatures that livehere are the giant tube worms, which

can grow up to eight feet long. Thesetube worms grow in large clusters

around the vents and live inside hard,shell-like protective tubes that attach

to the rocks. They live in asymbiotic relationship with a bacteria that may hold clues as

to how life on earth began billions of years ago. These worms lack mouths, anuses,intestines and stomachs, and scientists were at a loss to explain how these tube worms

were getting nutrients to survive and grow. It turns out their insides are lined with

bacteria that oxidize the H2S, turning it into usable nutrients for the worms. The bacteria,in turn, benefit from the relationship because the worms deliver blood containing

hemoglobin which helps the bacteria

to break down the sulfides.

Up until the discovery of these incredible bacteria (able to withstand the hottesttemperatures of any other living thing on earth), scientists didn't believe it was possible

for anything to survive in the extreme environment around deep ocean vents (extreme

pressure, high temperature, no sunlight). The discovery of the deep-sea thermal vents andthe communities of life they support has completely changed the way we define life,

perhaps going a long way to explain how life on earth first began.

The Colossal Squid

BREAKING NEWS - February, 2007. Scientists have known about the existence of aspecies of squid that is reported to be significantly larger than the giant squid, but had not

seen or collected a complete specimen of the Colossal squid, named Mesonychoteuthishamiltoni. This species of squid was first identified in 1925 after two arms were

recovered from a sperm whale's stomach. In 2003 a virtually intact specimen of thisnever-before-seen squid had been brought up in Antarctic waters from an estimated depth

of 2,000 to 2,200 meters. And recently, in February of 2007 a live colossal squid was

brought to the surface in Antarctic waters by a New Zealand fishing boat. This time videowas taken and the squid was captured for scientific study. This enormous squid, which

Giant tubeworms that live around hydrothermalvents on the sea floor. These creatures are about

the size of your hand in shallower waters, but inthe ocean's deep they have been found as big as

eight feet long!


22/28

was determined to be a male of the species, was 10 meters (32.8 feet), and weighed 450

kilograms (992 pounds). , making it the largest squid (the largest invertebrate) evercaptured. What was even more astonishing is that, from what scientists know about squid

species in general, there is greatsexual dimorphism in squids, with females being

significantly larger than the males. If that holds true for the Colossal squid, this male

specimen that was captured could very well be dwarfed by a much larger female of thespecies. See the video...

Colossal squid are known to inhabit the abyssal depths of the ocean primarily in theSouthern Ocean that circumnavigates Antarctica. Evidence of their existence has been

obtained from the stomachs of the largest predatory carnivore in the sea - the mighty

sperm whale. Many Sperm whales carry scars on their backs believed to be caused bythe hooks of Colossal Squid. One of the significant morphological differences between

the giant squid and the colossal squid is the existence of swiveling hooks on each of the

sucker discs in the clubs at the ends of the colossal squids' feeding tentacles. The giantsquid merely have a circular, serrated row of 'teeth' inside each of their sucker discs.

Either way, both of these species of squid make for formidable and terrifying predators ofthe deep.

Colossal Squid are a major prey item for Antarctic sperm whales feeding in the SouthernOcean; 14% of the squid beaks found in the stomachs of these sperm whales are those of

the Colossal Squid, which indicates that Colossal Squid make up 77% of the prey

consumed by these whales.Not only are the Colossal squid the largest invertebrates in the world, they have the

largest eyes of any living on earth - even bigger than the blue whale. Much of the

evidence of these squids that has been gathered from the stomachs of sperm whales havebeen the enormous beaks of the colossal squid.

Here is an excellent page on the colossal squid, including close-up photos showing thewicked, lethal swiveling hooks of the colossal squid Giant Squid and Colossal Squid

Fact Sheet

Giant Squid

Architeuthis dux

Close View of a Reddish Colored Giant Or


23/28

Another species of deep ocean creature that has been

world famous for centuries has just recently come

into the spotlight. Ancient stories from men who

traveled the seas exploring the world

told of giant monsters of the deepthat rivaled the size of the ship. These stories were ridiculed as nonsense recently as

humans began to explore the ocean depths because no such creature had ever been

spotted.However, scientists have slowly been piecing together evidence of the elusive giants and

recently began finding some very large specimens washed up on shore. The stomach

contents of sperm whales have revealed body parts of these huge creatures and suckermarks on some whales' skin stand as evidence of goliath battles in the deep between the

whale and the giant squid. The largest squid found so far had an overall length of about

32 feet, including the two long feeding tentacles. There may be other squids out there

even larger. Maybe YOU could be a

Teuthologist(a scientist who studies

squids) and be the first to discover a live specimen ofArchiteuthis dux!

Read about the Deepest Place in the OceanSee the World Record Index to see allthe records featured on Extreme Science.

In October of 2001 the remains of an enormous octopus were netted by the research ship

of New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in thewaters off New Zealand.

At first, Marine biologist Dr. Steve O'Shea dismissed the specimen as another carcass of

a giant squid and it was put into storage in a freezer. But later on, when he cleaned out his

freezer and began to carefully examine the specimen he realized that it was not a giant

squid, but a huge specimen of octopus, a species not native to the South Pacific. Dr.O'Shea has preliminarily identified the species as belonging toHaliphron atlanticus, but

qualifies that as only an educated guess. Further studies will be necessary to confirm thespecies of giant. He conservatively estimated the full size of the living specimen to be

roughly 13 ft/4 meters long, or up to 26 ft/8m across.

CHALLENGER DEEP

Humboldt Squid at NightBuy this Photographic Print


24/28

Location: Off the MarianasIslands in the South Pacific

Ocean. Also called the Marianas

Trench.

Facts: 35,838 ft. or 10,923 mstraight down. It takes almost5 hours to freefall all the way

to the very bottom.

The Scientists Who Study this

Cool Stuff?Biologists. Marine Biologists,Zoologists, Geologists,

Geoscientists.

Links:

Woodshole OceanographicInstituteAlvin HomepageMarinebio.com

Challenger Deep got itsChallenger II, whichpinIslands in 1951. Then insubmersible - a mini-sdown into the depths of

they would go (read thebottom at 35,838 ft/10,9parked on the bottom inseven miles/11km of w

If you cut Mount Everest off at sea level and put it on theocean bottom in the Challenger Deep, there would still beover a mile of water over the top of it!

Hydrostatic Pressure

When you get into the ocean (or any body of water) and you stadeeper you dive the more water is over the top of you. The moreand the surface of the ocean, the greater the pressure is on youover the top of you. This pressure is called hydrostatic pressu

You can really get a sense of hydrostatic pressure when you goway to the bottom of the deep end. You'll feel the hydrostatic prthey're being squeezed or pushed in. Well, you can imagine howChallenger Deep with almost seven miles of water overhead - it

Plate Tectonics and the Subduction Zone

See a 3-D virtual 'flyover tour' of the deepest place in theocean! (You must have the Quicktime plug-in to view this)


25/28

made up ofhmolten rock oaround on thpast each otheven

crash. The oceanic crust is much heavier than thecontinental crust so when the plates crash into each other, the o

the molten mantle, while the lighter, continental plate rides up oplates together are really intense so the underlying oceanic platwhere it drags the edge of the continental crust down as it descleft).

This is what's happening on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean off part of the ocean is in the bottom of the trench created by the s

So, How Do They Know

In 1984 the Japanese sent a highly specialized survey vessel o

some data using a piece of equipment called a narrow, multi-be

What an echo sounder does is send high frequency sound wavethrough the water down to the ocean bottom. Sound waves will they travel through the air, and bounce off solid objects, such asmeasures precisely how long it takes for the sound waves to bethe depth based on the rate of return. These soundings are plot"echo map" of the ocean bottom.

The deepest measurement of the Challenger Deep currently avwas found to be 35,838 feet.

See the different ways scientists study the oceanFind out what creatures live in the ocean depths, visit the Deep Ocean CreaLearn about life zones of the ocean.Meet a scientist who studies the ocean's deep, right here at Extreme SciencSee the World Record Index to see allthe records featured on Extreme Scie


26/28

SailfishIstiophorus platypterus

Location: Sailfish live in boththe Pacific and Atlantic Oceans

in warm waters.

Facts: The sailfish is related to

other "billed" fish, such asMarlin and Swordfish, which

are all very fast. But the sailfish

has them all beat by clocking inat speeds up to 68mph.

The Scientists Who Study thisCool Stuff?Marine Biologists,Ichthyologists.

Mys

Sailfish speciesheard oseen onpopularThey ar

challenge they provide even the most experienced anglers. In faknows about this species of fish, except what observations fisheencounters with it. Over fishing of this magnificent fish has led tonumbers, so that many people who fish for them are putting thethem (called "catch and release"). Even as well known as they aspecies to study because they are highly migratory and are typiof miles from shore. These two factors make it very difficult for scollect data on specimens. Cooperation from sport fisherman wessential for scientists to learn more about the sailfishes' range

What little we do know about the sailfish islimited to its range, habitat, growth, and diet.

Range and Habitat: Sailfish are found in both the Atlantic and scientific names assigned to the fish in either ocean (Pacific - IsIstiophorus platypterus). However, scientists now believe that thsame species, the only difference being the ocean in which theyPacific ocean sailfish tend to grow significantly larger (up to 10 fand water temperature, it has been determined that sailfish pref(approximately 79 degrees F), although they have been caught Cape Cod.

www.robinhughes.net

A sailfish leaping from tretracted against its bod


27/28

Growth: Some studies have been done to examine the growth pretty amazing findings. After a female sailfish lays her eggs theare also a fast growing species, where a hatchling can grow up

time. How big do they get? The average length is 6 to 8 feet, bucaught in 1994 weighed 141 pounds and was over ten feet long

Diet: Flying fish and squid, preferring tunas, mackerels, jacks athe oceans surface. Divers have reported seeing several sailfistheir prey, using their high fins to create a wall that keeps the sm

Why Study this Fish?

When you first look at a picture of this fish there are lots of ques"Why the tall fin? Tell us all about that big fin!"; "Why the long be

so fast and why is it so fast?". If scientists can study this fish moquestions can be answered. Most importantly, we study this fishlearn more about their contribution to their ecosystem (the oceaaffect all other creatures, including humans. Since we put signifparticular species of fish by fishing for them for sport and for fooas we can about them to protect their numbers. Once we have ahow sailfish live, how often they breed, how quickly they grow, tin the ocean, what they need to eat to stay healthy and robust, wthe numbers of sailfish we take from the oceans isn't more than without a decline in population.

Buy this Sailfish poster at AllPosters.com

are excited or swimming


28/28

Scientists learn about deep oceThe easiest (and least dangerospecimens from the ocean usin

of old-fashioned fishing where lowered into the water and dratakes hours to lower the net to bring it back up, depending on

The specimens that were gathimmediately upon reaching themeasured, dissected, and pres

creatures that live in the deep ocean are specially adapted to livpressure of the ocean depths. As they are raised to the surface the creatures experience during ascent usually kills them. Some

completely disintegrate

See the

The photo at left is an edepressurization duringbrought up to the surfacfisherman at great deptthe external pressure arbubbles to form inside tbladders expand. These

throughout the fish resuinflation, pop-eye, and ithe fish does not survivereasons that fish (vertebcannot be brought to th(like the Monterey Bay A

Other methods scientists use to study the ocean;

This is a midwater trawl, or net, thatis dragged behind the research

vessel to collect specimens frommesopelagic zones in the sea.

Photo courtesy of Paul Yancey,Biology Dept., Whitman College, Walla

Walla Washington

amezon river

Documents