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The Deadly Siphonophores

Considered some of the longest animals in the world, the Siphonophores are impeccable creatures of the deep sea. Observing them underwater, you may be illuded into thinking they're a string of fireworks - they are known to emit red fluorescent light, which scientists believe is uncommon in deep-sea creatures. Although bioluminescence is often utilized by bioluminescent creatures as a tool to evade and escape predators, the Siphonophores seem to be using them to capture prey -

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The Blue Beak: Baer's Pochard

Introduction & Physical Appearance The Baer's pochard (Aythya baeri), a migratory duck, used to be widespread in northeast China and eastern Russia, where it would breed, and in central and southeast Asia, where it would migrate for the winter. Both sexes have a dark head that has a green gloss in good lighting, but which usually appears dark brown or black. Boldly patterned chestnut-and-white sides unique among ducks; compare the brown sides of Ferruginous Duck and pale side

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The Lungfish Legend

Have you ever imagined a fish that breathes through a pair of lungs instead of gills? The funny thing is, they actually exist! Lungfish have been around for about 400 million years, inhabiting freshwater swamps, swimming in backwaters, and creeping in small rivers located in the West and South of Africa as well as parts of South America. Throughout their 400 million year existence, they have remained unchanged and unevolved. And yet, their physical adaptations have allowed th

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What Makes Seahorses So Special?

Overview Seahorses are a unique fish that mainly reside in grassy areas in the shallow ocean. They are unusual in many ways, not just because of their equine shape. They mate for life, and are among the rare few species on Earth where the male gives birth. They mainly live in tropical and temperate climates, where the most coral reefs are found. Lifestyle and Adaptations A small animal like a seahorse, only about 0.6 to 14 inches long, they face many predators. To evade preda

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A Sarcastic Nightmare

Sarcastic fringehead (Neoclinus blanchardi), a small but extremely aggressive animal is mostly known for its name. With a large mouth, they are proclaimed as spectacularly ugly in the scientific literature. Fringeheads are usually 30 cms long, slender, elongate, and moderately compressed. They are generally brown in color with tinges of red and green or pale blotches. Their long dorsal fin extends from the rear of the head almost to the rounded caudal fin. Heads are very larg

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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch: A Growing Problem for Humanity

What is it? The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a growing collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. Marine debris is composed of man-made trash that ends up in the oceans and other large bodies of water. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific trash vortex, spans waters from the West Coast of North America to Japan. These areas of spinning debris are linked together by the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone, located a few hundred kilome

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The Infamous Cape May

Introduction The Infamous Cape May. You feel a mild breeze push against your body as you walk on the endless shore. The limitless waves are interrupted by the large rigid rocks that lay beside the shore, causing large turbulences through the fluidity of the waves. Masses of seagulls flap above you, cutting the through the human interactions on the beach. As you end your walk on the shore, you feel the weight of the coarse sand building on top of your feet. The salty and briny

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Halloween Special - The Spook Fish!

The Barrel-eye Fish (from the family Opisthoproctidae) also know as the Spook Fish lives in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It is a small deep sea fish but its most interesting features are... its transparent head and tubular eyes. Now looking at this picture you might think this it looks like a normal dolphin-like fish, just with a transparent head, but it gets weirder! You also might assume those two small black spots above its mouth are its eyes, but really, those

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The Electric Blue

The Blue Crayfish Source: mikeshouts.com Known by many names, such as the electric blue crayfish, the Florida crayfish, and the sapphire crayfish, the wild blue crayfish, Procambarus alleni, resides mainly in the peninsular region of Florida. Often thought of as a pet (for the household fish tank), the electric blue crayfish is very active, although they are only about 4-6 inches long! Also, they generally only live for 5-6 years at most! Why is it blue? A sapphire crayfish i

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A Devil Fish- The Atlantic Wolffish

Source- Wikidata Anarhichas lupus has many names, such as seawolf, Atlantic catfish, ocean catfish, devil fish, wolf eel, woof or sea cat and the most famous one Atlantic wolffish. Usually found in North Atlantic ocean Wolffish are known for their unique appearance. With tapered body with large round head and slender tail, it may look like any other fish in the ocean. But it is their teeth which gives them deadly, many who have seen it, proclaim that they look like those of w

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Whale Shark: A Whale or a Shark?

Whale sharks are considered the largest fish (and shark) in the sea, weighing up to 60 tons and reaching lengths of 40 feet or more. Despite their large, intimidating size, whale sharks are usually docile and gentle, sometimes even allowing divers to latch on for a ride. They generally roam the ocean alone, but can sometimes be found gathered in large numbers in areas with abundant plankton food. Because of this, the distribution of whale sharks indicates the presence of plan

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Nearing Extinction: The Dying Vaquita

introduction & Physical Features The Vaquita is a shy member of the porpoise family. Vaquitas are the most endangered of the world’s marine mammals. Less than 30 Vaquitas remain in the wild, and entanglement in Gillnets is driving the species toward extinction. Vaquitas have the smallest range of any whale, dolphin, or porpoise. They only live in the northern part of the Gulf of California (picture below), an area that is rich in fish and shrimp. Fishing is thus a major sourc

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What Lies Out of the Sun’s Reach?

A layer of water that reaches all around the globe is called the ocean’s twilight zone. It spans 200-1,000 meters below the ocean’s surface. The twilight zone is just out of light’s reach. It is full of bioluminescent organisms that light up the darkness. At night creatures from the twilight zone rise to the surface to dine on plants and plant eaters. At dawn they retreat back to the twilight zone. This migration brings mass amounts of carbon down to the ocean. This process i

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Behold the Axolotl!

People often refer to the axolotl as “Mexican Walking Fish” even though they aren't fish at all, they are amphibians! You may be unfamiliar with the axolotl, and that is because they are rather uncommon. In fact, they are really only found in the waters of Mexico. Background Info: In the 13th century, when the Aztecs settled into the Valley of Mexico, they found a large salamander living in one of the lakes surrounding their island. They decided to call it "axolotl" after Xol

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Kiwaidae: The Yeti Crabs

Named after a mythical monstrous creature, the yeti crab was first distinguished by its "hairy" filamentous-bacteria containing pincers (a hinged and sharply pointed organ used by an arthropod for feeding or defence, as the mandibles of an insect, or each of the chelae of a crab, lobster, or scorpion), and strongly reduced, pigment-less eyes. Due to this, it is thought to be blind. Source: https://www.wired.com/2011/12/yeti-crab-arms-food/ Discovered back in 2005 in the floor

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The Aquatic Furry Mammal: Steller Sea Lion

Introduction & Physical Appearance Steller or northern sea lions are sometimes confused with California sea lions, but are much larger and lighter in color. Males may grow to 11 feet (3.25 m) in length and weigh almost 2,500 pounds (1120 kg). Females are much smaller and may grow to nine feet (2.9 m) in length and weigh 1,000 pounds (350 kg). Steller sea lions are light tan to reddish brown in color. They have a blunt face and a boxy, bear-like head. Adult males do not have a

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Behold The Blobfish

Their Reputation In an online poll, the Blobfish was voted the ugliest creature on the planet, in a contest focused on bringing attention to ugly but endangered animals. However, despite its place in pop culture, the blobfish is still a mysterious creature. While endangered due to human activity, not that much is known about their activities and way of life. As an endangered species, many are killed every year from fishing nets dragging across the ocean floor. To give the blo

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The Gladiators of the Ocean

Xiphias gladius, otherwise known as the swordfish, is the only species of the Xiphiidae family. Often regarded as prized food and game fish, the swordfish is not currently an endangered species, however its population is declining. Around 2014, it was being overfished. Overfishing caused swordfish numbers to decline considerably since the 1980s and the population was 70% lower than what was considered sustainable (Oceana, conservation charity). However, as of 2019, the US has

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NEWS

Beachlex Blog

The Deadly Siphonophores

The Blue Beak: Baer's Pochard

The Lungfish Legend

What Makes Seahorses So Special?

A Sarcastic Nightmare

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch: A Growing Problem for Humanity

The Infamous Cape May

Halloween Special - The Spook Fish!

The Electric Blue

A Devil Fish- The Atlantic Wolffish

Whale Shark: A Whale or a Shark?

Nearing Extinction: The Dying Vaquita

What Lies Out of the Sun’s Reach?

Behold the Axolotl!

Finning. Finished. Now!

Kiwaidae: The Yeti Crabs

The Aquatic Furry Mammal: Steller Sea Lion

Behold The Blobfish

'Shark Girl' Madison Stewart

The Gladiators of the Ocean