Ocean Posting - Tumblr Posts
Sunlight Illuminates Undulating Kelp Forests in Underwater Photographs by Douglas Klug
low intertidal macro! i still get so excited seeing macrocystis in the wild - it's so beautiful
the lack of local kelps for me to reblob is making me sad. Motivation to burn all my money on an underwater camera to provide some
I'm a South African marine bio masters student and TA and the discovery of Coelacanths is my supervising professor's favourite to tell the undergrads, and he does so at every available opportunity. When Marjorie Courtney-Latimer recieved a call about a strange fish, she went to examine it and immediately knew this was something important. She wrote a letter to JLB Smith at Grahamstown, including this drawing.
Unfortunately, Smith was on holiday at the time, so the letter had to be rerouted, which resulted in significant delays. But the moment he saw the drawing, Smith knew that what had been discovered was important enough to pack up his holiday. Because of the delay, by the time he arrived, the fish had had to be taxidermied for preservation (cold storage was not as effective at the time). But Smith immediately recognised the Coelacanth from fossil records. This kicked off a wave of fishing as people tried to find more of these awesome fish, but it was a long time before any more were caught. Prof likes to use this story to illustrate the importance of being able to pick the most important features of a fish when drawing. I just think its a cool story.
J.L.B. Smith – Scientist of the Day
James Leonard Brierley Smith, a South African ichthyologist usually referred to as J. L.B. Smith, was born Sep. 26, 1897.
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siphonophores will never not freak me out. stop doing that its SCARY but also please don't ever stop doing that you ethereal marine cryptid
what are your thoughts on ocean sunfish? as per a post you'd made about the ocean sunfish accounts
Well! I used to not think about them much, but I've grown quite attached to them! I think they're marvelous fish. The fact that they've evolved to be able to make several diving trips to over 200 meters deep is so cool to me. So many people wrongfully underestimate that fish just because of some stupid copypasta when so much about them makes so much sense when you consider their lifestyle! Why do they bask in the sun? To warm up for their dives and to have parasites picked off their skin, of course. Why do they lack a swim bladder? So that it doesn't burst or collapse during their frequent dives, of course.
I like many things about them. I like their unique bodyplan. I like their sheer size. I like their silly faces and their flipper-like fins. I like their unexpected hunting prowess, feeding on fish, squid, crustaceans and jellyfish (the last most often when they grow older ang big). I like them lots :)
OSTEICHTHYES ARE ALSO KNOWN AS THE BONY FISH. We think they could be friends.
Bruh I've eaten those. Nothing happened. This is unfair.
1 dreamfish down the gullet and im seeing christ's passion unfold in real time right before my eyes
cool
There are three morphologies of dorsal fins: nearly divided, continuous, and clearly divided.