#861: Yellow-eyed Penguin

The Yellow-eyed Penguin is native to New Zealand and nearby islands. He follows a piscivorous diet, foraging off the coast and on the ocean floor. The largest mainland populations are on the Otago Peninsula - where he is a tourist attraction - and in the Catlins. He is under threat from habitat degradation and predation, as well as disease.  After breeding season, when the chicks have gone to sea (survival rates are as low as 20%), the adults begin their annual moult. Penguins moult all of their feathers at once, shedding the old for a new, sleek plumage. During this time they cannot enter the water, and are extremely vulnerable to predation or starvation.

#847: Wrasse

There are over 600 species of Wrasse, a Family of marine fishes.  Their mouths are protractile, with separate jaw teeth that jut outwards. Their lips are particularly well-formed, giving them the name Lippfische in German. Many species are capable of changing sex, with the larger females switching gender to male if the situation permits it. More rarely, some males become females. This fine specimen is a Mystery Wrasse. He can be found in the pet trade.

#831: Whelk

Whelk is a term given to various species of sea snail, generally those that are consumed by humans and other animals.This fellow is an ivory whelk. Unlike their terrestrial kin, marine snails are not hermaphrodites and have distinct genders. True whelks prey on other molluscs, such as other snails, and clams, as well as carrion. For this, he has a very well developed sense of smell and can sense chemical signals from their prey. Once the prey has been located, the Whelk will bore through the shell.  

#830: Whale Shark

Like the largest mammal, the largest fish also dines upon the smallest of creatures - plankton*. Whale Sharks can grow over 12m in length, weighing in at around 20 tons, and may grow significantly larger.He is a slow-moving shark, swimming through the water with his huge mouth open. Water is filtered through his 300 rows of tiny teeth and over his sieve-like filter pads. Crustaceans and other plankton is then swallowed, with excess water expelled through his gills. Whale Sharks are docile fish, and Vulnerable to extinction due to their long life and slow maturation.

* Not that plankton is exactly one creature. It is considered an ecological niche and can be divided into four trophic groups: Zoo- (crustaceans, larvae and any small lifeform ranging in size from microscopic to jellyfish); phyto- (lifeforms that require photosynthesis); myco- (fungi etc) and bacterio- (bacteria and archea).

I suspect the Whale Sharks diet consists predominantly of zooplankton.

#829: Whale

The Whales are a diverse group of marine mammals, ranging in size from the 2.6 m dwarf sperm whale to the largest living mammal on Earth, the blue whale (30 m). The diet of whales is varied, this humpback and the blue are baleen whales, filter feeders. The smaller species, like the sperm whales, are toothed whales, and hunt their prey, singling out individuals for pursuit. Baleen whales favour a more indirect technique, either swimming forward, mouth agape, or gulping in great mouthfuls, filtering out the edible contents and expelling the water. Many whale species are threatened with extinction; they are long-lived, slow to mature and rarely bear more than one calf every few years. Some species have been actively hunted to the brink of extinction, and all suffer from deep-sea trawling and other human interference.

#827: Weedy Seadragon

The Weedy Seadragon is a member of the seahorse Family. He inhabits coastal reefs, to depths of around 50 m. Slow moving, he relies on camouflage for protection and will generally be found amongst swaying seaweed, where his various leaf-like appendages blend in. His tail is not prehensile. His long, slender snout is used to suction up zooplankton. Like his hippocampus cousins, the male Weedy Seadragon carries the eggs in a pouch on the underside of his tail. Here he fertilised them, then carries them until they hatch into tiny, independent dragons.

The Weedy Seadragon is Near Threatened. Whilst there is some popularity for his species in the pet trade, survival rates are low and reproduction rare. However, it is mainly habitat disruption and destruction that is reponsible for his decline.

#816: Walrus

I am the walrus!
Coo coo cachoo!

The Walrus is a large marine mammal, characterised by the long tusks displayed by both male and female. The males' tusks are longer and used in fighting and territorial displays. They are also used to form and maintain holes in the ice, and to help the animal drag himself out of the water. He feeds on the ocean floor, dragging his tusks through the sediment and using his snout to dig up prey. For such a large animal, his prey is fairly small and generally sessile: tunicates, molluscs, soft corals, clams, although he will also eat crabs and, more rarely, other seals or sea birds.

#803: Violet Sea Snail

I confess, I initially chose the Violet Sea Snail merely for its name and because I never have enough invertebrates for this alphabet. But once I started learning about it, I realised that here was another awesome animal I had never heard of before.

The Violet Sea Snail is a marine mollusc with an unusual hunting technique. He excudes mucus, trapping bubbles of air to create a "raft", to which it clings, upside down. He then travels with the waves and the wind, preying on - get this! - free-floating hydrozoans, such as the Portugese man o' war. All Violet Sea Snails begin life as a male, changing to a female as she ages. Eggs are retained by the female until the larvae hatch.

#793: Velvet Leatherjacket

The Velvet Leatherjacket is a filefish found in the waters of eastern Australia and New Zealand.Generally solitary in nature, he feeds mainly on sessile and encrusting organisms, such as sponges. He is also known to occasionally nibble at the fingers of divers. His scales are covered in tiny spinules, which give him a velvety appearance. Eggs are laid and fertilised in rocky nests, where they are left to hatch without parental attention.

#788: Vaquita

The Vaquita is found in the Gulf of California, where less than 100 individuals remain.This diminutive dolphin is one of the smallest Cetacean species, growing about 140 cm long. She is generally solitary in nature and favours lagoons and shallow water. Here she preys on small fish, crustaceans and squid, which she locates using echolocation. Her greatest threat comes from illegal trawl-netting, especially around the critically endangered totoaba. This large fish is famed (and now farmed) for its swim bladder, a delicacy in Chinese cuisine. Sadly, demand for this has pushed not only the totoaba to the brink of extinction, but Vaquita also become entangled in the nets and drown.

#783: Urchin

The Urchins are around 950 species of marine echinoderms. He is characterised by his symmetry and spines, which protect him from predation. They are dioecious, with individuals being either male or female. Males tend to live in more elevated and exposed positions, whereas females favour low-lying locations. Urchins feed on algae, which is consumed through an orifice in his lower half - this acts as both mouth and anus. It is studded with calcium carbonate "jaws" and features a fleshy tongue-like structure. Whilst Urchins have no apparent eyes, his entire body is a sensory organ and sensitive to touch, light and chemicals. Locomotion is slow, but achieved by adhesive tube feet.

#782: Unicornfish

Unicornfish are a number of Naso species, related to tangs and surgeonfish. He is named for the horn-like appendage between his eyes, which tends to be longer in males. He grazes on algae, shifting to zooplankton if his horn gets too long for him to successfully scrape algae from the substrate. Generally fairly drab in colour, some species will change their colouration in response to stimuli - such as when he is courting a female, or seeking the assistance of cleaner wrasse.

This is a Bluespine Unicornfish.

#767: Tropicbird

Tropicbirds are pelagic seabirds, spending most of their life airborne, hovering and diving for fish. With only small, weak feet, she is clumsy on land, and only comes ashore to breed. For this she favours rocky cliffs with some shelter. Elaborate, aerial courtship dances help her to determine her choice of mate. Once paired, the two form a monogamous bond that often last several breeding seasons. Both male and female have elongated central tail feathers, making the Tropicbird unmistakable in flight. Like many seabirds, she has suffered from rising temperatures and el nino weather fluctuations, with recent breeding seasons becoming decreasingly succesful.

This is a Red-billed Tropicbird.

#752: Tern

Terns are various species of seabird, specialised for an aerial lifestyle. In flight, he can be differentiated from a gull by his long, tapered wings. Many species also have a forked tail. Species are spread across the world, with one - the Arctic Tern - flying annually from the Arctic to the Antarctic, thus never experiencing a polar winter. Terns spend much of their time on the wing, scouting the water for appropriate prey and diving to catch it. They are known to follow dolphins and other large predators, as these drive prey close to the surface. Breeding colonies are large and noisy, sometimes neighbouring those of other seabirds. In most species, the eggs are laid on the bare ground. The White Tern, however, lays her egg on a tree branch.

This fellow, the Chinese Crested Tern, is Critically Endangered. and was actually considered extinct until four pairs were found in 2000. With less than 50 individuals currently surviving, his future seems pretty grim.

#725: Steller's Sea Cow

Steller's Sea Cow was a large member of the Dugong Family, measuring up to 9m in length. Slow-moving and docile, she fed on kelp. Her lips were large and flexible, used to grip the vegetation. Instead of teeth, she had an array of long bristles with which to tear the kelp, and bony ridges along her jawline, which ground it to a pulp. With her large size and passive nature, Steller's Sea Cow easily attracted the attentions of sailors, sealers and fur traders. In 1768, 27 years after her being described (and named) by the European naturalist, Georg Wilhelm Steller, she was extinct.

#722: Starfish

Starfish are echidnaderms, named for their star-like shape. About 1,500 species can be found worldwide, living on oceanbeds ranging from the frigid polar waters to the tropics. Starfish are predators, feeding on benthic invertebrates. The more primitive species swallow their prey whole, digesting it internally and ejecting out the inedible parts. Advanced species actually evert part of their stomach, forcing it into the bivalve prey, and digesting it from the inside-out, outside its body. In many species, gender is a fluid concept, with some being gendered, others simultaneous hermaphrodites and some being sequential hermaphrodites and changing gender as they age. Like many relatively sessile invertebrates, larvae are free-swimming. Their diet consists of phytoplankton. They are also able to reproduce asexually, by losing one of thier arms, which then sprouts into a new Starfish.

The Northern Pacific seastar (which I might have to draw instead of this one) has been introduced to Australian waters, where it is a voracious predator doing significant damage to the marine environment. It is ranked on the list of Invasive Pests.

#719: Squid

The Squids are around 304 cephalapod species, characterised by their elongated mantles. Squids range in size from 60 cm, to the 14 m Colossal Squid - the largest invertebrate in the world. Like their cousins, the Cuttlefish, Squid have four pairs of legs and two tentacles. In the males of many shallow-water species, two of these legs are modified into reproductive organs. Deep-water Squid, on the other hand, have the longest penis in relation to body size of any moblie animal (the only one longer belongs to the sessile Barnacle).

This fellow is probably a Reverse Jewel Squid.

#714: Sperm Whale

The Sperm Whale is the largest toothed predator in the world; mature males can average 16 m in length. His diet consists mainly of squid. The name is derived from the liquid wax contained in his head, named spermaceti (because of its resemblance to semen). Its purpose to the whale remains unknown; whilst there are many theories, the most plausible is that it aids in communication with the whale's sonar, allowing him to better pinpoint the location of prey. For early whalers, however, this wax became quite a prize. Each whale contained up to 500 gallons which could be processed into oil and wax. Sperm oil (pleasant name!) remains liquid even at freezing winter temperatures, and the wax was made into candles.

#710: Sockeye Salmon

Salmon is the common name for several species of fish, all sharing the same Family, along with trout, char and grayling. Popular in aquaculture, they are farmed throughout the world. However, they are naturally found in the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Most species, including the Sockeye, are anadromous; hatching in the freshwater, the fry then migrate out into the ocean to feed and grow. Once sexual maturity is attained, he begins the journey back up the river - normally the same river he was born in - to breed. Once he has spawned, releasing masive amoutns of hormones, his body begins to deteriorate and he dies.

#694: Shark

Sharks are cartilaginous fish ranging in size from 17 cm (the Dwarf Lanternshark) to the Whale Shark, the largest fish in the sea, who measures 12 m in length. Sharks can be traced back 420 million years. They favour a salt-water environment, although some species have been found in freshwater. Sharks replace their teeth continuously throughout their life. These grow in rows in their jaw, pushing forward like a conveyor belt. Nearly every species is carnivorous, and some are noted for being voracious predators. A few species feed on plankton.

This fellow is a Great White Shark, probably the most famous species.

Other species in this blog:
Leopard Shark
Nurse Shark
Goblin Shark
Hammerhead
Dogfish