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Mertensia ovum producing stripes of rainbow color
2007-11-07 15:00:00
Light refracts off the comb-rows of the ctenophore Mertensia ovum producing stripes of rainbow color. One of the two tentacles with which it feeds is deployed while the other is retracted. (Photos by Kevin Raskoff, MBARI.)Related LinksArctic ExplorationArctic Exploration: August 31 Log
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Free Images-Deep Sea Jellyfish-Deep Sea Photo Gallery
2007-11-07 15:00:00
Where high resolution images are available for download, such images are available for free editorial use by media professionals, provided the copyright / photo credit information given below is reproduced and relevant organisation(s) credited. In all other cases the relevant organisations and individuals must be contacted. More images:More images of deep sea life from underwater photographer, Erling Svensen, such as the Periphylla periphylla, a jellyfish living from 200 to 2500 metres deep.NOAA Ocean Explorer images (and video):Vertebrates: Fish / Skates and Eels / Sharks Invertebrates: Sponges / Jellyfish, sea anemones / Corals / Sea stars, brittle stars, and sea urchins / Molluscs / Crabs and shrimpDeep Sea CreaturesScientists have speculated that as many as 10 million species may inhabit the deep sea - biodiversity comparable to the world's richest tropical rainforests. Because deep-sea species live in rarely disturbed environments and tend to be slow growing, late maturing and...
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"Green" WordPress Blogs Up For Grabs-Support Conservation
2007-11-01 15:42:00
In order to fund our continuing efforts to Educate and Promote Conservation of our Beautiful Planet, Two WordPress Blogs Have been created and will be auctioned off to the Highest Bidder! This is your chance to own a Beautiful "Green " Blog and to support us as we continue our work! We need Sponsors and Benefactors!The Blogs are: The Coral ReefsYou can buy it Here:EBay Item number: 260177522689The Second New WordPress Blog for sale:Natural World SiteYou can buy it here:EBay Item number: 260177170410starting bids are 25.00 (costs of domain name and ebay ad)Please dig deep and support our work!Floyd Craig and William ThomasYou can also help by making a small donation here:">
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What are Corals and Coral Reefs?
2007-10-30 17:44:00
Appearing as solitary forms in the fossil record more than 400 million years ago, corals are extremely ancient animals that evolved into modern reef-building forms over the last 25 million years. Coral reefs are unique (e.g., the largest structures on earth of biological origin) and complex systems. Rivaling old growth forests in longevity of their ecological communities, well-developed reefs reflect thousands of years of history (Turgeon and Asch, in press).Corals and their KindCorals are anthozoans, the largest class of organisms within the phylum Cnidaria. Comprising over 6,000 known species, anthozoans also include sea fans, sea pansies and anemones. Stony corals (scleractinians) make up the largest order of anthozoans, and are the group primarily responsible for laying the foundations of, and building up, reef structures. For the most part, scleractinians are colonial organisms composed of hundreds to hundreds of thousands of individuals, called polyps.
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Underwater Creatures, Photos
2007-10-30 17:44:00
The rush is on for silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis) and yellowtail snappers (Ocyurus chrysurus) to get their share of food tossed out of a dive boat into Cuba's coastal waters. Aggressive and considered dangerous to humans, the silky shark is nevertheless fished for human consumption. Its meat is eaten fresh or salted. Its skin is processed for leather. The fins are sold in the Asian shark-fin trade, and its liver?high in vitamin A?is extracted for medicinal liver oil.Photograph by David DoubiletMoving as one, a school of sweetlips explores the waters of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Sweetlips are often accompanied by the cleaner wrasse, a fish that grooms them and keeps their skin and mouths free of infection-causing parasites.Photograph by David DoubiletA Cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) undulates in rhythm with fronds of kelp in the waters off Gansbaai, South Africa. Although the animals are clubbed during hunts and die when entangled in fishing nets, th...
More About: Photos , Underwater , Creatures

Mekong Giant Catfish-Pangasianodon gigas
2007-10-30 17:44:00
Fast FactsType: FishDiet: HerbivoreAverage lifespan in the wild: More than 60 yearsSize: Up to 10 ft (3 m)Weight: Up to 650 lbs (295 kg)Group name: SchoolDid you know? The largest freshwater fish ever recorded was a Mekong giant catfish caught in northern Thailand in 2005. It was nearly nine feet long (2.7 meters) and weighed 646 pounds (293 kilograms).Mekong Giant Catfish ProfileThe world?s largest scaleless freshwater fish lives a tenuous existence in the murky brown waters of Southeast Asia?s Mekong River. Capable of reaching an almost mythical 10 feet (3 meters) in length and 650 pounds (295 kilograms), Mekong giant catfish live mainly in the lower half of the Mekong River system, in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.Once plentiful throughout the Mekong basin, population numbers have dropped by some 95 percent over the past century, and this critically endangered behemoth now teeters on the brink of extinction. Overfishing is the primary culprit in the giant catfish?s declin...
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Coral Kingdoms
2007-10-30 17:44:00
A Fiji an reef explodes in color as a school of anthias swims past. If a soft coral hosts zooxanthellae (the algae that give coral the nutrients it needs to grow) and the water becomes too warm, the algae leave and the soft coral die. Unlike hard corals, soft corals don?t leave a limestone skeleton behind and cannot regenerate.Photograph by Tim LamanAppearing as flowers of the sea, the tentacles of an orange cup coral reach out in the waters of the Caroline Islands in Micronesia. Known for their brilliant colors, these corals inhabit the shallow areas of coral reefs.Photograph by Heather PerryA diver explores an emerald kingdom in New Zealand?s Wet Jacket Arm marine reserve. Black coral creates an undersea forest for colorful reef fish and can live for 300 years. Aiding its marine ecosystems by creating reserves, New Zealand hopes to protect 10 percent of its waters by 2010.Photograph by Brian J. Skerry Shelves of coral surround the Pacific island of Palau . Coral s, smal...
More About: Reefs

Underwater Pumpkin Carving
2007-10-22 17:38:00
Not content to carve their pumpkins in the traditional way, several divers carved jack-o'-lanterns more than 30 feet below the ocean's surface.Ken and Linda Smith of Sebring, Fla., took top honors Saturday for their "scary pumpkin" at the 10th annual Amoray Dive Resort Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Their prize was a free dive trip.Carving underwater wasn't easy, Ken Smith said."The pumpkins want to float, so that makes it difficult," he said. "So you're working against your own buoyancy and the pumpkin's."Some contestants dropped a weight inside their pumpkinsThen they sliced and pared to create their entries alongside yellowtail snapper and other fish.The contest was staged about five miles off Key Largo.
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Whats That Floating in the Water-video from NRDC
2007-10-22 16:08:00
NRDC is the nation's most effective environmental action organization. With the backing of 1.2 million members, we protect human health and the environment by:1. Taking on corporate polluters and government indifference in court;We sued the U.S. Navy and stopped them from blasting the world's marine mammals with deadly hi-frequency sonar.2. Helping companies and institutions see the 'green' light;We've partnered with Warner Music Group to revolutionize their music label into the greenest on earth.3. Making smart sustainable policies the law of the land;We ensured that a half million kids in California are getting tested for lead poisoning every year.No matter what the method, we do whatever it takes to protect the planet - for all of us. Learn More
More About: Video , Water , Floating

Great Recipes that Help Save Oceans
2007-10-22 14:48:00
Great Recipes that Help Save Oceans Recipes from NRDC's home cooks and a few of our chef friends help you take the guesswork out of serving a healthy, feel-good seafood meal.Buying the right fish these days is no longer as simple as checking for clear eyes and pink gills. You can't eyeball a fish and tell where it comes from, how it was caught or whether it might contain dangerous levels of mercury. Many of the fish we love to eat, and which we're used to seeing on restaurant menus -- orange roughy, bluefin tuna, cod, Chilean sea bass -- are vanishing because of the intense pressure we're putting on our ocean resources. Bottom-trawling boats are sailing farther and fishing deeper than ever before, hauling in hordes of fish with heavy, weighted nets that tear up the ocean bottom. Fish are being caught too young, before they can reproduce. Tons of unwanted fish are scooped up and tossed out in the search for more desirable catch. Pollution in coastal waters is destroying important...
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Pistol Shrimp Video
2007-10-22 04:14:00
amazing underwater video of Pistol Shrimp .
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Free Reef Photos from Malaysia
2007-10-21 16:56:00
Use these photos to jazz up your blog or email them to your friends.Coral Reef Photobank"A picture is worth a thousand words." The Coral Reef Photobank helps educate the public about coral reefs and their amazing inhabitants, and raises awareness of the need for coral reef conservation. These images can be downloaded on a royalty-free basis at no cost for non-commercial use.
More About: Malaysia , Photos , Free , Mala

New Species Found in Remote Asian Sea
2007-10-18 15:39:00
A square jaw and edgy brow give a distinctive profile to this boxfish, one of many exotic marine creatures recently found by scientists exploring Southeast Asia's Celebes Sea. The international team of researchers recently returned from two weeks in the Celebes, a little-explored sea between Malaysia and the Philippines that is home to one of the world's deepest ocean basins. The Celebes's relative isolation and chilly depths make it one of the world's most richly diverse marine habitats, likely hosting species that have lived in seclusion for millions of years, expedition leader Larry Madin told the Associated Press."This is probably the center where many of the species evolved and spread to other parts of the ocean, so it's going back to the source in many ways," said Madin, who is director of research at the Massachusetts-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).The team found several species that are likely new to science, Madin added, including a swimming sea cucu...
More About: Asian , Remote , Mote

How are coral reefs threatened?
2007-10-18 15:39:00
How are coral reefs threatened?In 2001, according to the World Atlas of Coral Reefs published by the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 58% of the world's coral reefs are under threat from human activities.For more information visit:http://www.unep-wcmc.org/http://www .icran.org/http://www.coralreef.org/porta ls.conservation.orgSome of the major threats are:Marine pollution from commercial sea vesselsCommercial shipping illegally dumps waste materials at sea.Ballast and fuel storage tanks are emptied at sea, releasing fuel, oil and other chemicals.Anti-fouling paints leach toxic chemicals.For more information visit: http://www.imo.org/Sewage from land-based developmentsTourist developments have inappropriate water treatment and sanitation systems.Raw sewage is often dumped directly into the sea via outflow pipes that insufficiently long to prevent the sewage from being brought back to shore.Effluent release results in increased levels of nitrogen and phosp...
More About: Coral Reefs , Threat

Coral Reef ecology and facts
2007-10-18 15:39:00
Coral Reef ecology and factsCoral reefs are the most diverse, productive marine communities and create the biggest, most spectacular structures made by living organisms. Local communities exploit their high productivity and tourists admire their beauty and uniqueness.What are coral reefs? Are they plants or animals?A coral reef is a living system comprising of a symbiosis between the animal (polyp) and plant (zooxanthellae). Many polyps aggregate forming colonies that secrete calcium carbonate, creating a collective limestone "skeleton". Successive generations of polyps build on top of previous generations "skeletons" leading to reef formation. Through symbiosis with zooxanthellae, reef-building (hermatypic) corals are the basis of life in reef communities.Where do coral reefs live?Coral reefs are present in the waters of over 100 countries. These are warm (18-29'C), shallow, sunny regions primarily between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. They support over 25% of all known mar...
More About: Ecology , Facts , Coral , Coral Reef

Join a Marine Expedition, Coral Cay Conservation
2007-10-18 15:39:00
Ever dreamt of diving the fish-filled tropical waters of the world plus contributing to conservation? Well if the ocean is your main 'concern', then a CCC marine expedition is perfect for you!You will help survey coral reefs in remote tropical locations, making for an exclusive and worthwhile experience that you will never forget.CCC marine expeditions are for those of you interested in diving, whether you have had no diving experience or you are a fully trained diver. You will gain familiarity with the untainted coral reef habitats which, like many in the world, are threatened ecosystems. Your CCC Skills Development training will teach you how to survey in groups and recognise an array of important species. From learning new skills through to meeting new people, there is no doubt that you will come away with many memories that are uniquely individual...Who knows what marine species you will encounter when diving in the tropical waters of the world...Click on the links below to fi...
More About: Conservation , Coral , Join , Marine , Expedition

Harley Charlie--Scooter Haven Benefit--see the video
2007-10-18 00:32:00
Special Thanks to Turbo Tim
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Wakatobi,Indonesia Underwater Dive Video
2007-10-17 15:11:00
Wakatobi Dive ResortOur intimate, eco-friendly resort is located in the Wakatobi archipelago in remote Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia where we are the only fully licenced dive tourism operator. The resort itself is situated on a small island locally called Onemobaa. Our island is beside Tomia Island, one of four major islands covering an area of 821 sq. km. The beautiful resort is built directly at the seaside, with all bungalows spaced along our exquisite beach.Wakatobi Dive Resort is a destination that caters to divers and nature-lovers looking for world-class diving far from crowds and commercialism -- off the beaten path.
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The Wakatobi Photos and a video
2007-10-16 23:46:00
There has been some interest in the Wakatobi photos(The 2 posts just prior to this) so I dug up a little information for you.I constantly recieve content from various contributers.The Photos were emailed to me from a friend fromThe Wakatobi Dive Resort .See the Photo Galleries at the site and also downloadable videos.Here is one of the Video s:
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Wakatobi--Underwater Reef Photos
2007-10-16 16:56:00
Amazing Underwater Reef Photos .
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Coral
2007-10-16 13:46:00
Coral and sea anemones are in the same family of stinging invertebrates. This close-up of a cavernous star coral shows the individual polyps, which resemble tiny sea anemones.Photograph courtesy Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary/NOAAThe rocky structure that make up coral reefs are actually a build-up of calcium secreted by coral polyps.Photograph by Robert SissonCorals get their vibrant colors from the algae they host.Photograph courtesy The Coral Kingdom Collection/ NOAACoral polyps can reproduce asexually, forming cloned buds that separate from the "parent." They can also release sperm and eggs into the ocean. Fertilized eggs develop into larva, which float off to start a new colony.Photograph courtesy Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary/NOAA
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Tukang Besi Islands, S.E. Sulawesi, Indonesia
2007-10-16 13:46:00
Where the heck is Wakatobi?Wakatobi Resort is in far Southeastern Sulawesi , Indonesia , positioned in the midst of a remote island archipelago group known to adventure travelers as Tukang Besi. Wakatobi is named after the four islands that surround it, Wangi Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko. Yes its location is remote, quite literally on the fringe of "civilization."
More About: Islands , Done , Kang

Fijis Rainbow Reef
2007-10-16 13:46:00
In the South Pacific a spectacular reef system takes an environmental walloping and lives to tell the tale. Scientists are listening closely.Fiji 's reefs can take a punch and come back swinging Expert at being both whomped and resilient, these reefs are prime ground for scientists struggling to understand the catastrophic decline of Earth's coral habitats. Though cyclones, disease, predators, and volcanic eruptions all harm reefs, corals tend to regenerate after such natural blows. But the carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere humanity is brewing, and the resulting rise in sea temperatures, may cripple coral's ability to recover.When water heats up, corals expel the symbiotic algae that provide nutrients and color, leaving the corals "bleached." Some scientists theorize that bleaching evolved to help corals adjust to shifting temperature by swap-ping existing algae for others more heat-hardy. But as global temperatures rise, corals are reaching their upper limits of heat tolerance. In F...
More About: Reef , Rainbow , Rainbo

Colorful World Below the Waves-Photos
2007-10-16 13:46:00
Colorful World Below the WavesPhotograph by Tim LamanFor reasons known only to nature, color explodes across coral reefs, making them Earth's most vivid landscapes. Here in the shallows of a Fijian reef, brilliant soft corals wave in reds, pinks, and yellows as schools of fairy basslets flash orange and violet hues. The basslets' different colors aid in species identification, mate recognition, and even camouflage as individuals mass against the kaleidoscope of the reef. What humans see lighted by a photographer's bright strobe may look altogether different in natural light through the eyes of reef creatures. Scientists are now beginning to learn how wavelengths of light (and therefore color) change through water at different distances, and?more important?how fish see colors and what messages they might communicate.The Stories Stripes Can TellPhotograph by Tim LamanBold horizontal bands of black, white, and yellow pop out on a well-lighted sweetlips (Plectorhinchus polytaenia) in...
More About: Photos , Colorful , Underwater

Sea Turtles
2007-10-16 13:46:00
Largest of the hard-shelled turtles, the endangered loggerhead sea turtle can be found in all but the coldest ocean waters.Photograph by Brian J. SkerryGreen sea turtles are reptiles whose ancestors evolved on land and took to the sea to live about 150 million years ago. They are one of the few species so ancient that they watched the dinosaurs evolve and become extinct.Photograph by Tim LamanA female leatherback sea turtle digs a nest in the sand for her eggs. Only about one of every 1,000 hatchlings survives to adulthood.Photograph courtesy National Park Service/Canaveral National SeashoreA hawksbill turtle swims just above the seafloor with flippers spread like wings. Hawksbills get their name from their tapered heads, which end in a sharp point resembling a bird?s beak.Photograph by Nick Caloyianis
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Is my seahorse pregnant?
2007-10-15 17:39:00
Is My Sea Horse Pregnant ?First we need to know if his pouch is swollen.Most male seahorses' pouches will be enlarged if they're pregnant (although with small broods, it can take a few days and sometimes not show at all). If his pouch is swollen then he COULD be pregnant. There are two other possibilities for a male seahorse to have an enlarged pouch. One would be if he has pouch bloat, a condition with gas in the pouch. If the seahorse has pouch bloat, he will likely float or have problems staying down in the water column when not hitched. If that is not the case, then he may have filled it with water to display to females or show up potential rivals.So how do you tell the difference? It isn't always easy. Males who are displaying will often deflate a short time later. Males carrying eggs will have pouches with a more firm appearence. Sometimes you can "candle" the pouch by shining a light behind the seahorse through the aquarium glass. If its dark or BRIGHT orange, its probably ...

Radiant Reefs, Coral Kingdoms,Photos
2007-10-13 21:38:00
A coral reef near the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean showcases some of the enormous diversity found in the coral realm. Sponges, finger coral, sea fans, and brain coral give shape and color to this reef. One coral wall can hold more phyla than an entire continent.Photograph by Raul Touzon Like dancers in formation, this group of soft coral shines green in the western Pacific. Soft coral polyps differ from hard coral polyps in that they have eight tentacles while hard corals have multiples of six. Soft corals don't leave behind a hard skeleton when they die, as reefmaking hard corals do.Photograph by Wolcott Henry Glowing green fluorescent coral in Palau absorbs light at one wavelength and emits it at another. Scientists have found that corals with fluorescent properties can handle the effects of coral bleaching caused by warmer waters better than other corals. This gives fluorescent corals an edge in protecting the symbiotic algae they host.Photograph by ...
More About: Photos , Coral , Reefs , Adia

Underwater Oddities, Photos
2007-10-13 21:38:00
A crab crawls on the red tentacles of a sea fan in Fiji waters. Sea fans, also known as gorgonians, catch plankton in their polyps, which microscopic zooxanthellae then turn into gorgonian food. Sea fans also provide shelter and camouflage for reef life.Photograph by Tim Laman Majestic in purple, a spotted cleaner shrimp in the waters off Bonaire Island in the Caribbean works hard for its customers. This cleaner shrimp (Periclimenes yucatanicus) associates with a sea anemone and attracts fish from which it cleans and eats detritus such as parasites and algae. Such a symbiotic relationship benefits both the shrimp and the fish.Photograph by Paul Sutherland This close-up of a colony of white-spotted ascidians (Pycnoclavella diminuta) in Indonesian waters resembles aliens ready to feed. Instead, these ascidians, or sea squirts, are filter-feeding animals with one siphon to pull in water and another to discharge it. Adults remain rooted to the same spot their e...
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Photo Gallery: Great White Sharks
2007-10-09 16:01:00
With the tip of its classic dorsal fin protruding through the water's surface, a great white shark swims above a school of fish that are most likely too small for the behemoth to bother chasing down for an afternoon snack.Photo graph by DLILLC/CorbisDespite the widespread fear of these enormous predators, great white shark attacks are rarely fatal. Most of the attacks are "sample bites" from the curious fish as they try to decide whether to go through the effort of a full attack. Luckily, they usually decide against making people their next meal.Photograph by Eric Hanauer/AlamyNear a seal colony in South Africa, a great white shark breaches, leaping for a decoy being pulled across the surface.Photograph by David DoubiletNew Zealand fur seals swim warily above a great white shark, the largest predatory fish in the seas. Unfortunately for them, seals are one of these sharks' favorite meals.
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Sea Dragons -dads have the babies-photos
2007-10-09 15:47:00
Sea dragons are some of the most ornately camouflaged creatures on the planet. Adorned with gossamer, leaf-shaped appendages over their entire bodies, they are perfectly outfitted to blend in with the seaweed and kelp formations they live amongst.Endemic to the waters off south and east Australia, leafy and weedy sea dragons are closely related to seahorses and pipefish. Leafies are generally brown to yellow in body color with spectacular olive-tinted appendages. Weedies have less flamboyant projections and are usually reddish in color with yellow spots.Sea dragons have very long, thin snouts; slender trunks covered in bony rings; and thin tails which, unlike their seahorse cousins, cannot be used for gripping. They have small, transparent dorsal and pectoral fins that propel and steer them awkwardly through the water, but they seem quite content to tumble and drift in the current like seaweed. Leafies grow to a length of about 14 inches (35 centimeters), while the slightly larger w...
More About: Photos , Babies , Have , Babi , Dragons