Larval Clownfish are able to smell their predators.
Category: Environment
An invasive species of brittle star has the ability to reproduce asexually by self-division.
The Crown of Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci) is one of the few animals that actually eat living coral. Its name derives from the thick poisonous spines that cover their round body and their 21 identical arms.
This species is wide spread around coral reefs all over the world and can cause reef destruction if overpopulated.
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Rising sea temperatures force corals to expel their pigmented algae, causing coral bleeching.
Whale Sharks (Rhincondon typus) are the largest of all living fishes.
Due to an explosion in shark fishing across the globe, shark numbers have declined by a staggering 90% throughout our oceans.
Over millions of years sharks and rays have evolved to become perfectly adapted to the ocean environment. However, some of the traits that have helped them become so successful have also made them vulnerable to human impacts.
Shovelnose Ray © Sophia Volzke
The Giant Shovelnose Ray seems to be the visualisation of the fact that sharks and rays fall into the same class of species.
Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica is loosing melting ice at an alarming rate.
But it is happening far beyond the reach of human eyes: 1 km below the ocean’s surface, beneath a shelf of floating ice as thick as two Empire State Buildings would be tall.
Sea turtle nesting areas are becoming scarce due to beach development and disturbances.
Sea Turtle © Sophia Volzke
→ Trash on the beach can cause female turtles to return to sea instead of nesting.
→ The noise and activity of people may also cause females to disrupt their breeding.
→ Artificial lighting on beaches may indicate daylight and inhibit nocturnal nesting turtles.
→ Also hatchlings can become disoriented by lights when trying to find the surf.
Ocean gyres create large areas of calm water. Debris drifts into these areas and, because of lack of movement, stays there for years.
One such area can be found in the North Pacific Ocean, where plastic and other trash have collected in a massive garbage patch twice the size of the U.S. state of Texas.