ocean life
DESCRIPTION
Informative magazine on a few of the ocean's live wonders.TRANSCRIPT
Sea Turtles Sea Turtles are found in
warm and temperate oceans
throughout the world. Adults of
most species are usually found in
shallow coastal waters, bays,
lagoons, etc. Sea Turtles are
characterized by a large,
streamlined shell and and non-
retractable head and limbs.
Depending on the species, they may
be olive-green, yellow, greenish-
brown, and even black. Adult
males and females are equal in
size. Due to the variety of species
of the sea turtle, their size comes
in a wide range of lengths and
sizes. The Kemp’s ridley and olive
ridley are the smallest species;
mature individuals will reach 22-
30 inches and range from 66-110
pounds. The leatherback is the
largest of all the living sea turtles.
Adult leatherbacks will reach 4-6
feet in length and weigh 440-1,100
pounds—the largest leatherback
specimen recorded weighed 2,019
pounds!
Unlike tortoises seen on
land, sea turtles have unique non-
retractable limbs which serve as
flippers adapted for swimming.
This attribute makes the turtle
very vulnerable and awkward
while on land. Foreflippers are
used like wings beating in the
water while the hind flippers serve
as rudders, stabilizing and
directing the animal as it swims.
The large, bony shell
provides protection from predators
and abrasion. With the exception
of the leatherback, the shell of all
species is covered with a layer of
horny plates called scutes. These
scutes allow each species to be
correctly identified based on the
number and pattern of the scutes.
The top section of the shell is
called the carapace. The shape of
the carapace ranges in shape from
oval to heart-shaped depending on
the species. Again with the
exception of the leatherback, the
bony shell is composed of
broadened, fused ribs, and the
backbone is attached to the
carapace (shown in figure 3).
Sea turtles are not generally
considered social animals;
however, some species do
congregate offshore. Although they
exhibit this type of behavior, they
do gather together to mate. Little
is known about the individual
behavior of sea turtle species, but
they generally are solitary animals
that can be seen floating on the
surface and will on occasion beach
themselves to bask in the sun.
Diet varies with species may
be carnivorous, herbivorous, or
omnivorous; the jaw structure of
the species indicates their diet.
Green and black sea turtles have
finely serrated jaws adapted for a
vegetarian diet of grasses and
algae. Loggerheads’ and ridleys’
jaws are adapted for crushing and
grinding, so their diet consists
primarily of crabs, mollusks,
shrimp, jellyfish, and vegetation.
The hawksbill species has a
narrow head with jaws meeting at
an acute angle that allows it to
search for feed within crevices and
coral reefs—their diet consists of
sponges, tunicates, shrimp, and
squid.
Like other turtles, sea turtles
lay eggs. Females nest a few weeks
after mating during the warmest
months of the year (with another
exception of the leatherback turtle
which nests in fall and winter).
Relative to the species, the female
will deposit 50 to 200 ping pong
ball-shaped eggs. Incubation time
for most species is 45 to 70 days,
so most sea turtles hatch in
summer. After hatching, the
hatchlings may take three to seven
days to dig their way to the surface
of the sand from which they were
laid. They will usually wait until
night to emerge from the nest so as
to reduce their exposure to daytime
predators. Theoretically, during
the crawl to the sea, the hatchlings
may discriminate light intensities
and head for the greater light
intensity of the open horizon.
During the first year, many
species of sea turtles are rarely
seen. This first year is known as
the "lost year." Researchers
generally agree that most
hatchlings spend their first few
years living an oceanic existence
before appearing in coastal areas.
Although the migratory patterns of
the young turtles during the first
year has long been a puzzle, most
researchers believe that they ride
prevailing surface currents,
situating themselves in floating
seaweed where they are
camouflaged and where they can
find food. Research suggests that
hatchlings of the flatback species
do not go through an oceanic
phase. Evidence shows that they
young turtles remain inshore
following the initial swim frenzy.
Most remain within 9.3 miles of
land.
Ammonite
Ammonites are perhaps the
most widely known fossil,
possessing the typically ribbed
spiral-form shell as pictured above.
These unique creatures lived
during the era of the dinosaurs
and likewise became extinct during
the same period of time. The name
“ammonite” originates from the
Greek Ram-horned god Ammon.
Ammonites belong to a group of
predators known as cephalopods,
which includes their living
relatives the octopus, squid,
cuttlefish, and nautilus.
During the ammonites’
adolescence, ammonites begin life
as tiny planktonic creatures less
than 1 millimeter in diameter.
Although they are very vulnerable
to attack from other predators,
they quickly develop a strong
protective outer shell that shields
their soft interior from damage.
Evidence shows that ammonites
gained size and mass rapidly, with
females growing up to 400% larger
than the males.
Likewise to their nautilus
relatives, ammonites moved by jet
propulsion—expelling water
through a funnel-shaped opening
to propel themselves in the
opposite direction. They typically
lived for two years, but some
species survived beyond this and
grew very large. Evidence of their
short lives is estimated by looking
at their living relatives, the
nautilus. These species exist within
modern day oceans and possess
many attributes similar to
ammonites.
Most ammonite shells are
coiled, and all contain a series of
linked chambers. The body of the
ammonite was contained within
the large final, open-ended section
called the living or head chamber,
from which the tentacles were
extended to catch prey. The
opening of the shell, called the
aperture, was possibly covered by a
protective shield that could shut to
protect the ammonite from As the
animal grew, new chambers were
added behind the head chamber.
The chambered interior of the
shell is referred to as the
phragmocone, and in life this
contained gasses which enabled the
ammonite to regulate its buoyancy
within the water column. A small
tube called the Siphuncle links the
chambers.
Some ammonite fossils bear
intricate patterned details on their
outer surface called Sutures. These
are located beneath the external
shell wall, and are often visible if
the fossil has been subject to
weathering or artificial polishing.
These patterns mark where the
walls of the chambers, Septum,
meet the outer wall of the
ammonite shell. The bulk of the
septum is relatively flat, but
becomes folded where it meets the
outer shell. This method of
construction is thought to have
provided strength to the shell when
diving to deeper depths. Suture
patterns are very useful for
distinguishing different species of
ammonite.
Megalodon
Megalodon was the biggest
prehistoric shark ever to exist,
but it was also the largest marine
predator in the history of the
planet. It’s closest living relative
is the Great White Shark. The
literal translation of Megalodon
is “giant tooth” and it had seven-
inch long heart-shaped teeth
(more than twice as large as that
of the Great White Shark). A
joint research team from
Australia and the U.S. developed
computer simulations to calculate
Megalodon’s biting power. The
results were described as
horrifying—a modern Great
White bites with about 1.8 tons
of force, but Megalodon
annihilated its prey with a force
of between 10.8 and 18.2 tons
which is enough to crush the
skull of a prehistoric whale as
easily as stepping on a grape.
Because Megalodon is
known from thousands of teeth
and a scarce amount of bones, its
precise mass has been a matter of
debate. Over the past century,
paleontologists have come up
with estimates based primarily
on tooth size and comparison
with the modern day Great White
Sharks that the Megalodon could
be anywhere from 40 to 100 feet
in length. The agreement today is
that full-grown adults were on
average 60 feet in length and
weighed as much as 100 tons.
Megalodon had a diet more
befitting of its being an apex
predator, feasting on prehistoric
whales. According to at least one
analysis, Megalodon’s hunting
style differed from that of
modern Great White Sharks.
Great Whites tend to dive
straight toward their prey’s soft
and vulnerable tissue, but
Megalodon’s teeth were adapted
to biting through tough cartilage.
There is some evidence that
indicates that it may have first
sheared off its victim’s fins before
lunging in for the final bite.
Although Megalodon had
utter dominance in the water
during its existence, it was
defeated by extinction. Experts
are unsure as to why the
legendary predator disappeared.
It may have been doomed by
global cooling during the world’s
last Ice Age, or by the gradual
disappearance of the giant whales
that served as a large portion of
their diet. There are a number of
people who continue to believe
that there is a possibility that the
Megalodon still swims the oceans;
however, there is no concrete
evidence so support this hope.
Side effects may vary among the consumer, as individuals often will respond differently to medications depending on a variety of factors such as age, overall health, species, gender and the severity of the condition or disease being treated. The comprehensive side effect pages provided enable fish consumers to better understand the risks associated with certain medications, helping the species to formulate questions for their doctors about new medications or current treatments. Side effects may include acne, high blood pressure, hives, hallucinations agranulocytosis, amnesia, increased appetite, anemia, increased saliva, anxiety, infection, birth defects, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, heart and/or kidney failure, and possible pregnancy.
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Coral Reefs Coral reefs are the most
diverse and beautiful of all marine
habitats. Large wave-resistant
structures have accumulated from
the slow growth of corals. The
developments of these structures is
aided by algae that are symbiotic
with reef-building corals, know as
zooxanthellae. Coralline algae,
sponges, and other organisms,
combined with a number of
cementation processes also
contribute to reef growth.
Corals themselves are tiny
animals which belong to the group
cnidaria. Other cnidarians include
hydras, jellyfish, and sea
anemones. Corals are sessile
animals, meaning they are not
mobile but stay fixed in one place.
They feed by reaching out with
tentacles to catch prey such as
small fish and planktonic animals.
Corals live in colonies consisting of
many individuals, each of which is
called polyp. They secrete a hard
calcium carbonate skeleton, which
serves as a uniform base or
substrate for the colony. The
skeleton also provides protection,
as the polyps can contract into the
structure if predators approach. It
is these hard skeletal structures
that build up coral reefs over time.
The calcium carbonate is secreted
at the base of the polyps, so the
living coral colony occurs at the
surface of the skeletal structure,
adding to the size of the structure.
Growth of these structures varies
greatly, depending on the species of
coral and environmental
conditions—ranging from 0.3 to 10
centimeters annually. Different
species of coral build structures of
various sizes and shapes, creating
amazing diversity and complexity
in the coral reef ecosystem.
Various coral species tend to be
segregated into characteristic zones
on a reef, separated out of
composition with other species and
by environmental conditions.
The reef is topographically
complex. Much like a rain forest, it
has many strata and areas of
strong shade, cast by the towering
coral colonies. Because of the
complexity, thousands of species of
fish and invertebrates live in
association with reefs, which are
by far our richest marine habitats.
In Caribbean reefs, for example,
several hundred species of colonial
invertebrates can be found living
on the undersides of platy corals.
It is not unusual for a reef to have
several hundred species of snails,
sixty species of corals, and several
hundreds species of fish. Of all
ocean habitats, reefs seem to have
the greatest development of
complex symbiotic associations.