Animals

Firefish!

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Firefish!

We saw of the most amazing fish on our night dive trip today! The one we are meeting toady was so crazy looking and a bit scary! You think sharks are scary? Wait to til you meet a venomous fish!

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Date: 5/18

Location: Raja Ampat Islands

Blackfoot Firefish Fun Facts:

  • Blackfoot firefish are members of the scorpionfish family. Other members include the famous lionfish.
  • They use their flashy fins and spines to ward away predators.
  • They also use those fins to corner prey.
  • Blackfoot firefish are mostly nocturnal.
  • They are know to bury themselves in the the sand to ambush predators.
  • Their spines are venomous.

 

We were surprised to see one of these amazing fish! We have spotted lionfish before, but not this species! Believe us, this is one fish you want to spot from a good distance! And don’t touch those spines!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, fish, nature, oceans, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Feeling Blue

Posted on May 16, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Feeling Blue

Who’s feeling blue? Not us, but we are meeting a very blue echinoderm (sea stars, sand dollars & sea urchins)! That’s right- we’re meeting the blue sea star!

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Date: 5/16

Location: Raja Ampat Islands

Blue Sea Stars Fun Facts:

  • Blue sea stars come in several different shades of blue.
  • They have short yellow tube feet.
  • Blue sea stars are slow movers.
  • Blue sea stars can regenerate body parts.
  • They are also known as the Blue Comet sea star.

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There were numerous blue sea starts in the reef we were exploring! They are so gorgeous and brighten up the reef!

 

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Fancy Shrimp

Posted on May 15, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Fancy Shrimp

We are back on the boat and we’re spending this week snorkeling and diving so we can meet some of the most amazing animals of the reef! It’s hard to chose who we should share with you guys even! The shrimp we saw today was so fantastic though- we knew you had to meet them!

harlequin shrimp

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Date: 5/15

Location: Raja Ampat Islands

Harlequin Shrimp Fun Facts:

  • Harlequin shrimp live in pairs.
  • They have two large claws and four walking legs.
  • Females are slightly larger than males.
  • Harlequin shrimp are secretive.

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  • They flip over their sea star prey and eat the tube feet!
  • Harlequin shrimp are toxic from the sea stars they eat.

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We were so excited to spot these tiny little shrimp. They are so colorful and amazing. We do recommend that is you are a sea star- you stay away.

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, oceans, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

King Bird in Paradise

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

King Bird in Paradise

We decided to do some bird watching while we were on land. There are so many amazing birds here and it was hard to pick a favorite. But we did love the Paradise Kingfisher with it’s long tail and bright blue colors.

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Date: 5/11

Location: Raja Ampat Islands

Paradise Kingfisher Fun Facts:

  • A pair of kingfishers in highly territorial.
  • They make their nests out of termite mounds on trees. IMG_4047
  • Paradise kingfishers do not migrate.
  • Both parents care for the chicks.

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These adorable birds are just one of the island inhabitants we enjoyed meeting! We head back to the boat and the coral reef next week to meet more ocean dwellers!

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Giant Crab!

Posted on May 10, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Giant Crab!

We were exploring another island and met an infamous arthropod! These giant, slightly creepy looking creatures are the coconut crab and man are we excited for you to meet them too!

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Date: 5/10

Location: Raja Ampat Islands

Coconut Crab Fun Facts:

  • Coconut crabs are the largest land arthropods in the world.

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  • Young coconut crabs use other animals’ shells to protect themselves, just like other hermit crabs. As they grow older their exoskeleton hardens.
  • They do eat coconuts. They scrape away the fibrous outside and crack open the shell to get to the meaty inside.
  • As a coconut crab grows, they shed their exoskeleton and grow a new one.
  • Coconut crabs have an excellent sense of smell.
  • They are solitary and territorial.
  • Coconut crabs can live up to 40 years.

 

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These giant creatures may be one of our favorites! They are the stuff of bad B horror movies, but aren’t they cool. People do not eat them- which is good. They are tough! Hahahaha!

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Cuscus or Couscous?

Posted on May 9, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Cuscus or Couscous?

We went on a little night tour near the camp where we are staying this week! We were looking for a super cute animal that calls the forest home! They have a funny name- that sounds similar to that delicious side dish coucous!

ground cuscus

 

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Date: 5/9

Location: Raja Ampat Islands

Ground Cuscus Fun Facts:

  • Ground cuscus are marsupials.

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  • They have prehensile tail. They use it to grip branches.
  • Even ground cuscus are still mostly arboreal, but nest in burrows during the day.
  • They have little to no fur on their ears.
  • Ground cuscus are solitary and mark their territories with urine.
  • Because they are fruit eaters, they disperse seeds throughout the forest causing new growth! Seed dispersers are important for the ecosystems.

We had such a great time watching this little marsupial in the trees. They are quiet and slow moving, but sooooo cool!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

One Large Bat

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

One Large Bat

We decided to explore some of the islands this week. We do love our oceans, but the islands have some really neat creatures to meet too! Today we are meeting one of the largest flying mammals in the world and we couldn’t be more excited!

flying fox

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Date: 5/8

Location: Raja Ampat Islands

Large Flying Fox Fun Facts:

  • Large flying fox live in large colonies.
  • They are able to hang upside down just as smaller bats do.
  • Large flying foxes have long tongues to help them eat nectar and fruit.

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  • Large flying foxes are pollinators and seed disperses. Their poop contains seeds that they disperse and they get pollen on their fur when they eat nectar. They spread the pollen from plant to plant.
  • They feed in the upside down position.

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These large bats are so cool to see! We spotted a whole tree full just roosting and came back at night to watch them head out to find food! They fly silently, but they are a noisy bunch when they are eating! Edmond can be a loud eater too!

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The Clowns of the Ocean!

Posted on May 4, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

The Clowns of the Oceans!

While snorkeling we also encountered one of the reef’s most iconic residents- the clown anemonefish! These brightly colored fish became famous after a certain movie. Well we’re going to teach you some cool clown fish facts!

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Date: 5/4

Location: Raja Ampat Islands

Clown Anemonefish Fun Facts:

  • Clown anemonefish are one of many species of anemonefish.
  • They have a three white and black stripes on their orange bodies.
  • Clown anemonefish have a layer of mucus that protects them from their anemone and its stinging cells.
  • The fish and the anemone share a symbiotic relationship (where both animals benefit). The anemone gets food and some protection from the fish and vice/versa.
  • Clown anemonefish live in small groups with a dominate female.

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  • Clown anemonefish spawn during the fool moon.
  • The males defend the eggs.

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The relationship that clown anemonefish have with their anemones are so cool. There are many symbiotic relationships found in nature! Elephants have birds that bugs and parasites of them! Pretty neat right?

 

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, fish, nature, oceans, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sharky Shark Shark

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Sharky Shark Shark

We strapped on our snorkel equipment to go exploring! We spotted so many fish, but we were most excited to see the black tip reef shark! These sleek predators are common inhabitants of the reef!

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Date: 5/3

Location: Raja Ampat Islands

Black Tip Reef Shark Fun Facts:

  • Blacktip Reef Sharks are the most common shark in coral reefs of the Pacific Ocean.
  • Blacktip reef sharks have streamlined bodies with black color on the tips of their fins.
  • They are powerful are strong and quick swimmers.

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  • Blacktip reef sharks must swim to breath. The motion moves the water over their gills that extract oxygen from the water.
  • They can be curious of divers.

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Blacktip reef sharks are fast! They are very important in their coral reef habitats, because they’re apex predators (top of the food chain). Blacktip reef sharks look so sleek and smooth! Do you think they feel that way? Nope- they feel like sandpaper! Neat, huh?

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, endangered species, Environment, fish, nature, oceans, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Coral Basics

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Coral Basics

We have talked about coral at the University before, but we thought it would be good to have a refresher about these amazing tiny animals.

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Coral Fun Facts:

  • Each animal is attached to the next by a hard exoskeleton.
  • The large coral colonies are fixed to one spot. The individual animals can pull their tentacles into their exoskeleton for protection.
  • They have tentacles with stinging cells that help them catch their prey!
  • Coral are related to jellies and anemones.
  • Coral share their homes with zooxanthella  (zō′ə-zăn-thĕl′ə), a type of algae. The zooxanthella and coral polyp help each other survive.
  • The coral provide a home for the zooxanthella and the zooxanthella provide oxygen and nutrients for the coral.
  • The zooxanthella also give the corals their colors!
  • Because the zooxanthella need sun to make energy (photosynthesis), coral reefs are located in shallow waters.
  • As coral grow, they help build shelter for many kinds of animals in the reef. Those calcium carbonate bodies build the reef.
  • Some fish, like parrotfish eat coral. The fish’s poop then becomes sand. Much of the sand in the Caribbean is parrotfish poop!
  • You can often see new growth on a coral by seeing the white tips!

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Now that we all know more about corals! We will get our diving equipment ready for exploring these amazing habitats!

 

 

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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