Picture Of The Week - A Swarm In The Sea

This photograph, which was taken in 2010, captures a bit of animal behavior that has rarely (if ever) been seen before or since it was taken. German photographer Florian Schulz snapped the image while flying over Baja California Sur in Mexico. It's a mass of Munkiana Devil Rays, swimming toward an unknown destination.

Of the photograph, Schulz said: "Not even my pilot, who has surveyed this area for 20 years, had seen anything like it. As we got closer we started to discover its nature: an unprecedented congregation of rays. The group was as thick as it was wide, all heading towards the same direction. I have asked around why this took place but no one has been able to explain it to me."

The photograph earned him the CIWEM Environmental Photographer Of The Year Award in 2012.

Friday Facts - Blue Whales & Their Mouths

Did you know that the blue whale has the largest organs of any in the animal kingdom? Its tongue alone weighs about 3 tons!

When expanded, the mouth of a blue whale can hold up to 99 tons of food and water; however, in a cruel twist of nature, the size and dimensions of its throat doesn't allow it to swallow anything larger than a beach ball!

The Nudibranch - A Colorful Ocean Creature

Not quite sure what you're looking at? Some kind of underwater glass sculpture, perhaps? Actually, it's the nudibranch, a type of mollusk that lives in the ocean. They can be found at all depths, but prefer warm, shallow waters.

Nudibranches are known for their beautiful, colorful designs. There are more than 3,000 forms of this carnivorous species, which feeds on sponges, sea slugs and, occasionally, each other.

The name nudibranch comes the Latin nudus, which means "naked" and the Greek brankhia, which means "gills".

Clownfish and Sea Anemones - A Working Relationship

Clownfish are a prized addition to most any collector’s aquarium, as their bright colors are quite beautiful. However, in the wilds of the open ocean these small fish have little in the way of natural defenses, and there are plenty of hungry predators that would love to have them for lunch. What’s a clownfish to do? Find a much bigger best friend!

Clownfish share a symbiotic mutual relationship with sea anemones, predatory animals closely related to corals and jellyfish. The sea anemone inhabits coral reefs and uses its stinging tentacles to paralyze prey and enemy alike. Using fast-acting toxins for both offense and defense makes the anemone seem rather a self-sufficient creature, yet it harbors, even welcomes, the small tropical clownfish to take up residence among its tentacles.

The clownfish not only gets a wonderful living defense system from the anemone, but also an occasional meal from the scraps of fish the anemone fails to ingest. This relationship works both ways as the anemone will snack on any scraps the clownfish drops as well. The action of the clownfish also stirs up fresh water currents and moves them over the sedentary anemone.

So, how does the anemone know not to sting? There are a few different theories. One is that the anemone doesn't know, but that the mucus coating of the clownfish protects it from the anemone's toxins. This is possible because clownfish that have had this mucus wiped off of them have been stung and killed by their previous hosts. Another theory states that the chemical content of the mucus coating prevents the anemone from recognizing the clownfish as a food source, and therefore the anemone fails to react to the little fish's presence.