Just as humans, viperfish appear to be using two types of photoreceptor cells called rods and cones to see. Both cones and rods contain light-sensitive proteins called opsins. Most vertebrates, however, only have one opsin protein which means they become color-blind in dim light such as the deep ocean. Amazingly, the viperfish has adapted to dark conditions and developed additional proteins, allowing them to see in color in their natural habitat. This can indeed make the difference between life and death in these extremely harsh conditions!
The Razorfish spends most of its time hanging vertically in the water column – head pointed downwards – mimicking the lines of seagrass or coral for camouflage. A cousin of the pipefish and seahorse, the Razorfish has a long, tubular nose and thin body. It has a wide distribution across the Indo-Pacific and into the Red Sea, Arabian Gulf, Papua New Guinea and southern Japan. It is normally found in a large school, to depths of 15m. Juveniles can be found along beach edges and hiding amongst urchins and crinoids. Also known as the Grooved Razorfish, Shrimpfish and Sea Snipe, this species is targeted for fishmeal for the aquarium trade.
Koi fish are symbolized according to their coloration. Black Koi represent masculinity. It also signifies a patriarchal role. Gold Koi symbolize prosperity and wellbeing in business. Blue Koi, often associated with the role of the son, represents tranquility. Red Koi represent strength and power. It also is recognized as the matriarchal Koi.
Puffer fish have four teeth, two at the top and two at the bottom, both fused to look like one large tooth, making Puffer fish seem like they have beaks. They use their teeth for opening mussels, clams and shellfish. Their teeth always keep on growing, so they need to feed on hard shells to help organically trim the teeth and keep them short.
Sea stars don't have a heart. They are designed in a way that they don't need blood instead they have a vascular system. They have a haemal system and the vessels form rings around the mouth, around the digestive system, and near the aboral surface. The three vessels in the haemal system of sea stars are the hyponeural haemal ring, the gastric ring, and the genital ring. Their heart-like circulatory beats six times per minute as per sea star facts. Sea stars have very little respiratory function. Some sea stars have no respiratory function in their vessel
Ichthyosaurs were marine reptiles living 145 million years ago, mainly during the Early Jurassic period. It is named 'fish lizard' in Greek by Henry De la Neche and William Conybeare. It was first discovered in the early 19th century by Mary Anning in England. The name for the marine reptiles group, ichthyosaurs, was first put to use by Charles Konig in 1818. Almost all fossil ichthyosaurs during the 19th century were attributed to the Ichthyosaurus marine reptile, due to which the genus had 50 species by 1900. These species were subsequently moved to separate genera and used interchangeably with other species. They were built for speed and paddled with their tails, fins, and short fingers. They were predators from the Ichthyosauria group animals that breathed air without gills.
When the Guinness Book of Records calls the Flower Urchin the most dangerous urchin in the world, you know you shouldn't be messing around with it. Commonly found in the Indo-West Pacific region, what makes the Flower Urchin deadly is its venom. The venom contains two toxins: Contractin A and Peditoxin. Contractin A can cause spasms and clumping of red blood cells while Peditoxin can cause convulsions, anaphylactic shock and death.
Of the 106 species of the fiddler crab, a few of the most common are the fresh-water fiddler, spined fiddler, and panacea sand fiddler. The fresh-water fiddler, also known as the red jointed fiddler's range extends from Massachusetts to the central part of eastern Florida. It also extends from the western central coast of Florida to Louisiana. The spined-fiddler crab lives along the Gulf of Mexico, from Tabasco Mexico, into the United States, as far east as Alabama. The Panacea sand fiddler lives along the Gulf of Mexico, from Panacea, in the Florida panhandle, to the Tabasco-Campeche border in Mexico.
Atlantic sturgeon live in rivers and coastal waters from Canada to Florida. Hatched in the freshwater of rivers, Atlantic sturgeon head out to sea as sub-adults, and return to their birthplace to spawn, or lay eggs, when they reach adulthood. The Atlantic sturgeon has five rows of bony plates known as scutes that run along its body and a snout with four slender, soft tissue projections, called barbels, in front of its mouth. In addition, the tail is like a shark's where one side, or lobe, is larger than the other. All of these features give the fish its unique look. Atlantic sturgeon are slow-growing and late-maturing, and have been recorded to reach up to 14 feet in length and up to 60 years of age. Today, all five U.S. Atlantic sturgeon distinct population segments are listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The populations in Canada are not protected species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The primary threats currently facing Atlantic sturgeon are entanglement in fishing gear, habitat degradation, habitat impediments such as dams and other barriers and vessel strikes.
Bream is a term that is used collectively for a large number of marine and freshwater fish that belong to different genera including Lepomis, Rhabdosargus, Gymnocranius, and Nemipterus. Although every fish of these genera are called bream and all of them belong to the class Actinopterygii, there is no relation between the fish species. The species cover a vast extent and they are present in various freshwater and saline habitats all over the world. The European bream species are the most commonly acknowledged species of bream. The common bream (Abramis brama) is taken to be the representative bream fish.