Creature Feature: Ribbon Eel.

Eels seem to have a really bad reputation. Any and all eels suddenly become electrified. They're naturally slimy, not scaly, making them even less appealing than snakes to most people. Eels pretty much snakes of the sea, even though seasnakes are things.

Well, this is an eel that breaks that stereotype into a million little pieces. The ribbon or Bernis eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita) is a colorful creature that can be found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It feeds on crustaceans - i.e. crabs, shrimp, and other little armored things.  As one can imagine, it has been introduced into the aquarium trade...but more on that later.

This is one impressive-looking eel. The  ribbon eel comes in a variety of colors, but by far the most shocking is a bright blue and yellow palette found on some of the males. They also have distinctive nostril flares that look almost like little flowers. Need any more reasons for Asian cultures to think that dragons come from fish?

RAWR! (Actually, it's just breathing.)

The ribbon eel is exceptional in another way: It's a sequential, protandric hermaphrodite. A ribbon eel starts as a male, then becomes a female later in life. This is not unusual for fish, but most moray eels do it the opposite way! In fact, most fish prefer to start female. The ribbon eel just keeps getting weirder.

Supposedly, healthy ribbon eels will live up to twenty years in captivity. Very few individuals have been able to keep them for that long. They don't even have a truly functional care sheet on fishchannel.com, meaning that nobody knows enough about these eels to write a thorough guide. From what we could gather, it's a miracle for ribbon eels to live over 5 years in an aquarium. Anyone have an experience to prove us wrong?

This creates a problem. A lot of people really love these eels, but captive breeding is almost unheard of. There is a good chance that overfishing could lead to these creatures becoming endangered. Please be sure to check where such specimens come from so as to preserve the wild little dragons.

Creature Feature: Scooter Blenny.

Much to one's surprise, Petco can be a learning experience. Most of their exotics are beginner-friendly and can hardly be considered exotic to people who really know the trade. Every now and again, though, they'll have something that is not beginner-level and probably should not be in the hands of the next kid who thinks it looks awesome.

This is a clear exception to the "beginners" rule. It was labeled as a "scooter blenny," but the more proper name is ocellated dragonet (Synchiropus ocellatus). It is native to the southern waters around Japan and an island chain called the Marquesan Islands- good luck finding that obscure chain of Pacific islands on a globe. We had not even heard of them until covering this little fish. It feeds mostly on copepods - a sort of zooplankton.

Names can be very deceiving. This is not a blenny; it is an entirely different type of fish called a dragonet. Dragonets are all minor predatory fish with flashy fins and a taste for small sea life. They generally prefer the bottom of the reef or tank, and the scooter/ocellated dragonet is no exception. After seeing one of these in action, it appears to be walking on the bottom of the tank (thus "scooter"). Not as awesome as a batfish, but still pretty neat.

Source. Gorgeous.

As one might expect of such a flashy fish, the ocellated dragonet exhibits sexual dimorphism. The males have larger dorsal fins with a patch of bright orange at the base. The word "ocellated" refers to the eyespots on the fin up there. The females are much less colorful, blending right in with the gravel in the aquarium. Still a treat to watch "walk," in any case.

Contrary to their presence at Petco, dragonets of any sort are not beginner's fish. As one might imagine, live copepods are hard to come by, and these guys are picky eaters. Most draconets die shortly after purchase because they won't eat. They also live longer in established reef settings. Read: You must already be able to handle a saltwater tank, which in itself is not as easy as it sounds. To be fair, Petco has several other saltwater things, so if it's a tank you're after? Do your own homework before going there, then start away.

Mollusc Week: Japanese Flying Squid.

You knewJapan was going to make it on here. Somehow, somewhere, the oceans around Japan, AKA the Weirdness Archipelago, would turn up a mollusc so weird that this blog would have to cover it. Remember, the Japanese culture eats everything it possibly can from the sea; weird is on the menu. One could not expect, however, that Japan would be weird enough to yield baby eldritch overlords.

Baby Cthulhu, AKA the Japanese/Pacific Flying Squid (Todarodes pacificus), is exactly what it says on the label: A squid native to the Pacific Ocean around Japan down to Vietnam that, of all things, flies. All squid are predatory, so if you happen to see one of these hovering above you, your brains may not be safe. Squid have never been known to eat human organs, but there's always a first time. 

Now, like many "flying" animals, flying squid do not actually fly. The extended fins on their mantles are not capable of powered flight. They can glide up to 50 meters to avoid predators; while not impressive compared to arboreal creatures, that's still pretty far for whatever was trying to eat the squid. They also glide looking backwards, a feat that mammals and fish have only thought of in their wildest dreams. Wildest, stoned dreams.

They are, however, jet-powered gliders. The squid gets in the air via the same mechanic that it shoots out ink: jet propulsion. These squid simply get the eff out of the area instead of shooting ink. While this squid may not actually be able to fly, it's closer than most gliding animals simply by having a built-in engine. Rocky the flying squirrel doesn't count.

Worry not. These are small squid that are easily confused for flying fish. They only fly to escape...as far as we know. The cephalopod apocalypse is not near, but if we see bigger squid flying? Godzilla might be necessary. Also, get all the sushi chefs on this, pronto.

Mollusc Week: Giant Octopus + Octopus Wonders.

In the interests of givig xhitons and their squishy brethren their due, this blog proudly presents Mollusc Week! Yes, molluscs are weird, wonderful creatures that inhabit most types of water. They have soft bodies and have shells, not exoskeletons: (Fun fact: If you get a whole squid at a restaurant near a port, they might leave the small, iridescent, internal shell in for you.) Of course, not all of them have apparent shells, like today's number:

The Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) is exactly what it says on the can: a big octopus found in the Pacific Ocean. These particular octopuses prefer temperate waters. Like all octopuses, it is carnivorous, using a sharp beak to snatch and tear fish. The main distinguishing trait of these octopuses is their odd skin, which looks almost like leaves.

So, how giant is giant? The legs on a giant octopus can get 30 feet (9.1 meters) across. They could easily tentacle rape somebody with their arms (which is the correct term), but are by no means the krakens that people love marketing. They are, however, still impressive enough to be among the most filmed octopuses in the world. They never reach the massive sizes of giant squids...as far as we know.

More importantly, however, octopuses (in general)  are the magicians of the sea creature world. They can disappear into the background, escape from almost any prison that isn't entirely enclosed, and, of course, use the classic ink vanishing act. They can also solve mazes and open jars. A lot of octopus feats are better witnessed than described; how does that amazing brain fit through a tiny hole?!


Probably not a giant. Still impressive.

The only limit to an octopus's awesomeness is how big its beak is. In general, they are intelligent creatures who manage to do things that we thought only vertebrates could do. Yeah, chimps suddenly look really boring by comparison, don't they?

By the way, in case you were curious, octopuses make horrible pets. They are very sensitive to their environments, making them strongly affected by climate change and pollution. Also, they are escape artists. Please leave them either in the ocean or to real aquarium experts. 

Creature Feature: Yeti Crab.

Every year, more and more new species are found. Some of these are in unexpected places, like those frogs recently discovered in the Himalayas; others are in places that mankind simply has not poked around in, yet. The deepsea abyss is one of those places.

In our narrow-minded perception, life cannot exist without sunlight. Plants need sunlight, and plants feed everything else; therefore, all life needs sunlight. It makes sense to us on the surface world, therefore we make the sun a god and all that jazz. There's no way that anything else could be the case...right?

WRONG!

It turns out there there is a whole ecosystem that gets along just fine without any hint of sunlight. New organisms are discovered every time we take another look down there. The yeti crab (Kiwa hirsuta) is one of the more recent ones.

The yeti crab was discovered in the South Pacific by Monterey Bay Aquarium specialists in 2005. Seen via submarine (the pressure down there kills humans), this crustacean was found along the Pacific-Antarctic ridge near geothermal vents. In surface world terms, this is a couple thousand miles away from Easter Island. The discovery was officially announced on March 7th, 2006. 

Yeti crabs get their name from the furry setae on their legs and pincers. The fuzz contains bacteria that may help detoxify the water around geothermal vents. It is assumed that this crab is carnivorous, perhaps feeding on other geothermal-friendly bacteria, but more likely eating bigger prey.


Just like a real yeti!

Other than that, nobody really knows much about this fuzzy crab; it has only been known to science for a little over four years. Sheldon knows that they will be around for a long, long time to come, so we'll have plenty of chances to learn more. Our surface world seems pretty insignificant now, doesn't it?


Tomorrow: Giant blue earthworms? That sounds like a bad porno.

Creature Feature: Clownfish.

There are few fish cuter than the clownfish. For those of you not fish savvy, clownfish are the little orange and white fish that you may have seen in a saltwater aquarium at some point. If you have not seen them there, you probably know them from Disney-Pixar's film Finding Nemo.


Finding Nemo is, for the most part, a OK portrayal of how clownfish live (if a little bit too anthropomorphized). Clownfish (which come in two genera; the kind most know are from Amphiprion) are native to the warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, including Australia's Great Barrier Reef. They also live in...



...anemones. Clownfish are also called 'anemonefish' for a reason: Those cute little fish live in fleshy pillars tipped with tentacles. Stinging tentacles, in case your mind got the wrong idea.



Anemone stings hurt. A lot. They look like alien flowers, but are closer to (real) hydras than any pansy. Like all cnidarians, the anemones' tentacles are tipped with nasty little hooks called cnidocytes. Given that one hit is usually fatal in a natural environment, it's amazing that something evolved to not only become immune to the anemone's venom, but live in it.

Clownfish and certain damselfish are the only fish immune to the anemone's stinging venom. The fish is protected by a (possibly sugar-based) mucous coating developed from frequent, brief contact with its anemone. Clownfish coevolved with the anemones, and the anemones, being picked clean of all sorts of debris by the clownfish, are cool with that. The clownfish basically eat anything the anemone does not, sort of like the cat and/or dog cleaning your dishes. They even eat the anemone's dead tentacles.



The benefits of cnidarians keeping colorful fish go beyond trash disposal. A clownfish's bright colors may lure other fish to the anemone's stinging tentacles. If something chases the clownfish, BAM, face full of poison as soon as it gets back to home base. The anemone gets food and the clownfish gets a house; a win-win situation like this is called symbiosis.

AND STAY OUT!

 The clownfish are weird in their own right. Besides evolving to resist anemone venom, they live with two fish per anemone in a much larger group. This group is headed by a single mating male-female pair (with the female being larger and more aggressive than the male). These two are the only clownfish that really have sex and the only two to mate. If the highest female of the much big group dies, the highest male replaces her...by changing his sex. Clownfish are born hermaphrodites, which is uncommon in fish, but definitely not child-friendly enough for Finding Nemo.

"Hey, dad? Why have those guys been comin' to the anemone every night? Is there something you're not telling me?" 

The movie was also right about clownfish being very popular in the exotic pet trade. Clownfish are easily bred in captivity, and are one of the few decorative fish to have a well-recorded life cycle in captivity. Good thing, too- it means less need for taking Nemo away from his habitat and damaging an already-fragile ecosystem.

Creature Feature: Spanish Dancer.

Did you know that you can get cold sores from stress? Well, you can, and I have two now. Enjoy this lava lamp in sea slug form while I collapse; I will be commuting a LOT in these next couple of weeks.



Soooo yeah, that's a Spanish Dancer (Hexabranchus sanguinus - what an awesome name!) is a carnivorous sea slug native to the Red Sea and Indo-Pacific Ocean. It is one of the largest nudibranchs around at over 40 cms long. Take out a ruler with centimeters and inches if you have to.

Besides floating around like it does above, it can move like a normal slug...but that swimming is so damn cool that nobody really cares. It was named, of course, due to its unique locomotion resembling a flamenco dancer's big, flowing skirt.

Night.

Creature Feature: Giant Clam.

Bivalves are cool. They make pearls. They look good and they taste good (well, to some people). Their shells are darn awesome, but not quite as awesome as some snails. Never has a bivalve seen the light of this blog...until now.



Meet the giant clam (Tridacna gigas). Its name says it all: This clam is the largest extant bivalve known to man. It is native to the South Pacific (they have more awesome fauna where this came from), and, owing to its great size, often carries a lot of stories with it. It is one of the most endangered clam species.


That's not an eye, it's a siphon. Really.

A little primer on bivalves: All bivalves, clams included, start their lives as little larvae called glochidia. These are mobile little critters that look an awful lot like Pac-Man would if he ever made a heavy metal album:


Those teeth are for latching onto fish, not eating your soul.

The giant clam goes from being a motile little Pac-Man larva to a sessile, gigantic clam. How big are we talking? The shell of the largest giant clam was 115 cm long, and it is estimated that the live weight was around 734 pounds (340 kg).


It's a clam and it's giant!

Along with being the world's largest clam, the giant clam produces the world's largest pearls. The largest pearl on record, the Pearl of Lao Tzu, was given to Wilburn Cobb by a Philippine chief in 1939. This pearl is 24 cm's in diameter and weighs 6.4 kg (9.45 pounds). Later, Cobb told a story about how the pearl was cultivated in successively larger clams until it reached this massive size. Since its discovery, it has been dubbed "the Pearl of Lao Tze" and "the Pearl of Allah." It currently resides in the private collection of Victor M. Barbish, so should you ever desire a giant calcified bird dropping, you know who to go after.


You would have to be an eccentric billionaire to want it to begin with, really.

The giant clam gets its food from the algae growing in its shell. Every so often, it opens its shell to let the algae photosynthesize. These algae are what allow it to get so big; hey, if Popeye could not convince you that veggies were a good thing, perhaps a giant clam can.

Creature Feature: Crown-of-Thorns Starfish.

OK, what the hell is that? Whatever it is, it fell off of Lady Gaga's head, didn't it?

That is a crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci). Though treated as a single species, there are many varieties that are not as psychedelic as the one above; these might be considered subspecies by location (Red Sea, Pacific or Indian Ocean). They are all many-armed, carnivorous echinoderms with nasty spines. Those spines are venomous, not just intimidating.

These starfish, unlike many other weird-looking animals, actually are a threat. Their population has been blossoming recently, most noticeably in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. A single crown-of-thorns can eat up to 6 square meters of reef per year. Whenever they feed, they call their friends to come join them at the buffet. These starfish mean business.


Om nom nom.

If their population is left unchecked -yes, this nasty sea star does have some predators, especially as little larvae - the whole reef could be gone before we know it. Then it's only a matter of time before they move onto land...

On second thought, the reef disappearing is bad enough.

(Lady Gaga, please make a hat out of this. Do us all a favor and kill the overpopulated, reef-eating starfish. Even Greenpeace won't bitch.)