Aquatic Life Appreciation Thread 🐳 🐠 🐙

Today I felt curious about the marine life of the Mediterranean Sea (地中海 ちちゅうかい ). Found some interesting articles and databases. :slight_smile: Sadly, several of these amazing marine species are threatened or endangered today. :slightly_frowning_face:

Read more: Animals in the Mediterranean Sea | Sciencing and Marine Life of the Mediterranean · iNaturalist

Mediterranean monk seal 地中海モンク海豹 or ちちゅうかいモンクアザラシ

Short-beaked common dolphin 真海豚 or まいるか

Zebra Seabream

Giant devil ray 糸巻鱝 or イトマキエイ
giphy

Loggerhead sea turtle 赤海亀 or あかうみがめ

Swallowtail sea perch Anthias anthias*
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Ornate Wrasse ピーコックラス

Mediterranean Cardinalfish

And of course this always happy guy XD European parrotfish

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Chillhop meets underwater footage! :relaxed:

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This guy has it figured out. Just wandering around humming all his favorite tunes, eating random insects, etc.

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Seriously, this Aquarium is creating a LOT of video content. Much more than I realized. They even have live feeds of some of the tank setups! :astonished:

(thought it seems it’s night over there, if you find the earlier parts of the feed, there’s lots to watch. ^>^ )

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Time for more aquatic creatures pictures! ^>^ This time, I’ve been looking up Japanese fishies!

Japanese swallowtail angelfish

Dark sleeper ドンコ
donko

Japanese rice fish ミナミメダカ

Japanese dragon moray eel

Japanese spotted anthias

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:tofugu:

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Humpback whale (座頭鯨 ざとうくじら ) mother and calf :whale2:

And Saddleback Clownfish doing some parenting, keeping their eggs well oxygenated.

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Tbh, I’m not a big fan of the “Free Documentary” channel on YT since the narration tend to be lackluster (just not well researched and lacking in depth of knowledge overall).

That being said, it does allow for more documentary content on the web, and sometimes with a different subject matter than the big documentaries. This is such a case.

This is first time I’m seeing a documentary about Skagerrak, the sea between Denmark, Norway and Sweden. :slight_smile:

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I think this was an interesting documentary all in all. Never new of this island’s existence. :desert_island:

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Frilled shark 羅鱶 らぶか also フリルドシャーク

Ah, frilled sharks

ラブか?
It certainly can be if you like frilled sharks!

(I’m sorry this is my favourite pun, I couldn’t resist)
Obligatory song plug

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We need more kind souls in this world! Tiny :dolphin: is super cute! :3 Stay safe, dolphin fren! :wave:

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There was a poor beluga that got lost swimming up the Seine this summer Beluga whale that strayed into River Seine dies during rescue operation | Whales | The Guardian Sadly, they couldn’t save it.

In memory of this brave lost soul, here’s some facts about belugas. :slight_smile:

We-Regret-To-Inform-You-the-Footage-of-a-Beluga-Playing-Catch-Is-Not-Cute-At-All

Found in and around the freezing polar regions of the Arctic Ocean, there are more than 200,000 belugas in the wild today - they’re abundant in parts of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Russia. These whales are, however, more than just cute marine animals. These have plenty of fascinating and impressive qualities that might leave you surprised. Here are a few things you might not know about the magnificent beluga whale.

1. They are called “The Canary of the Sea”
Beluga whales are sometimes called “canaries of the sea”. This is because they make noises such as a series of chirps, clicks, whistles, buzzes, and squeals, which makes it feel like they are singing. A 2015 study of a beluga population in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea documented 34 distinct calls from the animals, including bell-like tones. These rich and varied vocalizations are sometimes so loud that they can often be heard through the hulls of ships. But why do belugas make such distinct noises? Experts believe that these vocalizations are used to convey important information in the large open water. The noises are also said to be used for echolocation (a process in which animals use echoes of their calls to locate and identify objects) by these marine animals as they navigate the dark waters of the ocean. Bats use the exact same process to hunt for insects on land.

2. Belugas are closely related to narwhals
Belugas are toothed whales and are classified under the Monodontidae family. Apart from belugas, this family consists of only one other species – narwhals. Narwhals, much like belugas, are medium-sized whales and mainly live in the Arctic and North Atlantic. They are known as the unicorn of the sea for the long tusks protruding from their heads. The two species do coexist in some areas and there’s even been a beluga-narwhal hybrid spotted in the wild.

3. About 40% of their body weight is blubber
To adapt to the incredibly cold waters of their Arctic habitat, where temperatures can reach 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 Celsius), belugas have developed a particularly thick layer of blubber. This thick layer of body fat insulates marine mammals from cold environments and in belugas, blubber accounts for almost 40% of their body weight, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

4. They can mimic human speech
Beluga whales have been reported to have the ability to imitate human speech. A beluga named NOC, captured by the U.S. Navy, was said to have produced unusually low-frequency sounds similar to human speech. NOC, who lived at the National Marine Mammal Foundation in San Diego for 30 years, even confused a diver once to climb out of the whale’s tank when he thought he heard another person asking him to leave. As it turned out, the sound was actually made by the playful beluga who was mimicking the word “out”.

5. Their “melons” help them communicate
Belugas have distinctively large melons - a rounded structure on the dorsal surface of a whale’s head. Composed of lipids (fats), a beluga’s melon is used to make a range of different communication sounds and facial expressions. It also helps transmit sound waves from their head into the water. While all toothed whales have a melon, the beluga’s version of this organ is quite bulbous and is squishy with the ability to change shapes during vocalizations.

6. Their white color helps them survive
The word beluga comes from the Russian word “bielo” meaning white. Adult belugas are mostly pure white, which is why they are also known as white whales. At birth, beluga calves are generally dark gray and take about eight years before they turn completely white. Interestingly, the white coloration helps protect these sea animals from predators like polar bears and orcas by camouflaging them among the icebergs and ice floes of the northern seas.

7. Their necks are super flexible
Belugas have unfused cervical neck vertebrae, unlike most whales and dolphins whose seven neck vertebrae are fused together. This feature provides them with a lot of flexibility and allows them to turn their heads from side to side and nod up and down. Experts believe that this adaptation helps them maneuver their bodies smoothly in shallow waters to hunt as well as to escape from predators.

8. Belugas can swim backward
Unlike most other whales, belugas can swim both forward and backward. This adaptation is useful in an environment where sea ice can change rapidly. Moreover, this skill also makes up for their languid speeds of about 2 to 6 mph (3 – 9 km/h).

9. They form intricate societies
Belugas are highly social creatures and live in small groups known as pods. The size of their pods varies and even numbers in the hundreds at times.

Scientists believe that belugas spend more time interacting with each other than any other type of cetaceans. In fact, research suggests that apart from bonding with their own family, belugas socialize with other whales and may even branch off and join other pods. According to Florida Atlantic University research professor Greg O’Corry-Crowe, lead author of a 2020 study published in Scientific Reports, belugas might be forming fission-fusion societies as well, where the size and makeup of social groups depend largely on context.

“Unlike killer and pilot whales, and like some human societies, beluga whales don’t solely or even primarily interact and associate with close kin. Across a wide variety of habitats and among both migratory and resident populations, they form communities of individuals of all ages and both sexes that regularly number in the hundreds and possibly the thousands,” said O’Corry-Crowe in a statement. “It may be that their highly developed vocal communication enables them to remain in regular acoustic contact with close relatives even when not associating together.”

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Okay, another vid, because these animals are adorable! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

This is a really interesting story of a trained beluga whale that appearing on the coast of Norway. A bit sad, but still lovely footage.

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Not strictly an aquatic life, but very related video:

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I found this an interesting read. :slight_smile: :fish:

There are lots of freshwater species out there. The article claims nearly half of all fish species are found in fresh water, even as fresh water only accounts for 0.01% of the world’s waters. It says a lot about the diversity around the world.

Still I assume it has also to do humans being there so see and study them? Comparatively, we still don’t know much about the open sea or about deep sea creatures dwelling far out of sight. :eyes: It’s huge work-in-progress for science to find and describe deep sea animals. :man_scientist:

Even more info: Freshwater Fish Species | Canal & River Trust

Anyway, here’s some lovely fresh water fishies! ^>^

Roach not the bug kind XD ローチ

Chain pickerel

Chiselmouth (different variety from the article), this one from South Africa

Bigmouth buffalo

European whitefish or Lake whitefish (we call it Sik in Swedish) ホワイトフィッシュ

Zander パイクパーチ

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I didn’t want to get petted, I was trying to ask if they were holding

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Since I learnt about the Saimaa ring seals in the TIL thread I though I’d look up these rare and threatened seals. For anyone curious, they’re called Saimaannorppa in Finnish! :finland:

Apparently they are a type of ring seal isolated from other populations for over 9000 years, living only in Saimaa lake in Finland. These 400 individual seals are easily threatened by human interference. Seems like there’s been fishing regulations introduced regarding net fishing (as seals can get caught up in them, eat and choke on them), along with other ways to let the seals live in peace. Though, I assume there is still more to be done.

More info: Saimaa ringed seal – Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto

Some pics of these quite stunning seals with a lovely pattern! ^>^

saimaa-3

“Hei” :wave:

Seal vs Mushi (1-0)
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