Cuttle fish

The cuttle fish is small medium sized molluse that is found throughout the ocean waters of the world. In the same way as their squid and octopus relatives, cuttlefish have a large, elongated body with tentacles surrounding their mouths.

Cuttlefish are found in large numbers throughout the world's ocean waters from the warm, tropical shallows to the cold depths of the deep ocean. Cuttlefish are well known for the "flashing" colours that are displayed on their bodies during fighting and mating. In the same way as squid and octopuses, the cuttlefish also has an ink sack which ejects ink in order to fool oncoming predators.

There are 120 known species of cuttlefish found across the globe which vary in size from just 15 cm to the Australian giant cuttlefish which is often half a meter in length (not including its tentacles) and weighs more than 10kg.

The cuttle fish is a carnivorous animal that primarily preys on small crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs, but the cuttlefish also eats alot of fish. The cuttlefish uses its ability to change body colour to hide itself, before catching its prey with the sucker-pads on the end of its long tentacles which bring the prey into the sharp beak of the cuttlefish.

During the mating season, male cuttlefish change their body colours in order to successfully attract a female. Some male cuttlefish have even been known to make themselves look like female cuttlefish in order to trick the dominant males and stealing their mates. The female cuttlefish lays around 200 small eggs and sadly dies soon afterwards.

Crown of thorns starfish

The crown of thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) is native to coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region.

On healthy coral reefs, the coral-eating starfish plays an important role, as it tends to feed on the fastest growing corals such as staghorns and plate corals, allowing slower growing coral species to form colonies. This helps increase coral diversity.

However, outbreaks of this venomous invertebrate pose one of the most significant threats to the Great Barrier Reef.

According to research by the Australian Institute of marine science, coral cover on surveyed reefs has dedeclined by about 50 per cent over the past 30 years. Crown-of-thorns starfish were responsible for almost half of this decline.

The research estimates that if crown-of-thorns starfish predation had not occurred over the past three decades, there would have been a net increase in average coral cover.

Cyclic outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish occur approximately every 17 years. There have been four documented outbreaks on the Great Barrier Reef since the 1960s, with the latest starting in 2010

Crown-of-thorns starfish spawn during the warmer months (around October to February), with large females capable of producing up to 65 million eggs over the spawning season.

Predators of adult crown-of-thorns starfish include the giant triton snail, the hump head Maori wrasse, starry puffer fish and titan trigger fish. Predators of the starfish in its younger life stages are less known.

Coral

It may shock you to know that the hole-filled rock like substance, known as coral, is actually an animal and a vital part of the marine world. Coral is a similar animal species to the sea anemone and almost appears to be half animal and half plant when you look into what coral does.

There are thought to be around 70,000 different species of coral that are found throughout the oceans of the world but are in abundance in the southern hemisphere due to the warm and tropical climates.

Coral species are generally divided into two subspecies, depending on how many tentacles the coral individual has. Those coral species with eight tentacles are known as Alcyonaria, which includes soft coral, sea fans and sea pens. Those coral species with more than eight tentacles are known as Zoantharia, which includes the coral species that are found in coral reefs.

The coral catches small fish and animals such as plankton using stinging cells on their tentacles, although these animals obtain most of their nutrients from algae. This means that most corals depend on sunlight and grow in clear and shallow water, typically at depths shallower than 60 m (200 ft). There are however a number of coral species that have adapted to inhabiting the oceans at depths of up to 3000 m.

Conch

The queen conch (Strombus gigas) refers to both the large, marine mollusk and its shell alone.  Queen conchs (pronounced “konks”) are soft-bodied animals, belonging to the same taxonomic group (Mollusca) as clams, oysters, octopi , and squid. They live in shallow, warm waters on coral reefs or sea grass beds. A queen conch can reach up to 12 inches in length and can live for up to 40 years. Its shell grows as the mollusk grows, forming into a spiral shape with a glossy pink or orange interior.

Queen conch meat is consumed domestically throughout the Caribbean and exported as a delicacy. Conch shells and shell jewelry are sold to tourists and the live animals are used for the aquarium trade. Their slow growth, occurrence in shallow waters and late maturation make queen conch particularly susceptible to over-fishing, their greatest threat. Habitat degradation, over-fishing, and the use of SCUBA have led to harvest of previously unexploited populations in deeper waters.

Queen conch was once found in high numbers in the Florida Keys but, due to a collapse in conch fisheries in the 1970s, it is now illegal to commercially or recreationally harvest queen conch in that state. The United States is responsible for the consumption of 80% of the world’s internationally traded queen conch.

Cod fish

Cod , large and economically important marine fish of the family gadidae . The Species Gadus morhua is found on both sides of the North Atlantic.

A cold-water fish, it generally remains near the bottom, ranging from inshore regions to deep waters. It is valued for its edible flesh, the oil of its liver, and other products. A dark-spotted fish with three dorsal fins, two anal fins, and a chin barbel, it varies in colour from greenish or grayish to brown or blackish, though it may also be dull to bright red. It is usually caught at weights of up to about 11.5 kg (25 pounds) but can reach a maximum length and weight of more than 1.8 m (6 feet) and 91 kg (201 pounds). It is a voracious migratory fish, feeding largely on other fishes and various invertebrates.

A North Pacific species of cod, G. macrocephalus , is very similar in appearance to the Atlantic form. In Japan this fish, which is found in both the eastern and western Pacific, is called tara  it is fished both for food and for liver oil. Smaller than the Atlantic cod, it grows to a maximum of about 75 cm long and is mottled brownish with a white lateral line.

Clownfish

Kingdom - Animalia
Scientific Name - Amphiprioninae
Size - 10cm-18cm
Colour- Black, White, Orange,Red,Yellow

The clown fish is a small species of fish that is found around tropical coral reefs. The most commonly known species of clown fish is orange with white marking but clown fish can be found in many different colours and can also differ in shape.

There are 28 recognised species of clown fish that are found in the Indian and Pacific oceans. The clown fish is also found as far north as the Red sea and inhabits the Great Barrier Reef, on the Australian east coast.
The clown fish was made most famous from the polular children's film finding Nemo. Aquatic stores and clown fish breeders reported a significant increase in the popularity of fish so sadly , the majority of clown fish bought at the time quickely died.

The clown fish is also famous for it's seeming immunity to the stings of the sea anemone. Most clown fish are found either in or around sea anemones which the clown fish inhabits both for protection from predators but also the readiness of food.

Female clown fish lay their eggs on a flat surface close to the sea anemone which they inhabit. The female clown fish can lay hundreds or thousands of eggs at one time depending on the species. Clown fish lay their eggs around the same time as a full moon and the male clown fish guards the eggs until they hatch just over a week later.

Cleaner wrasse

The wrasse is a typically small species of fish, found in the coastal wates of the world's major oceans. The cleaner Wrasse is the most commonly known wrasse species as it is often seen alongside other marine animals, including sharks.

There are more than 500 different species of Wrasse found in the shallower coastal waters and coral reefs, of the pacific , indian and atlantic oceans. Wrasse most commonly inhabit areas that have an abundance of both food and places to hide, making coral reefs and rocky shores the perfect home for the wrasse.
Cleaner wrasse are the most well-known wrasse species as they are often seen going into the mouths of large marine animals  in order remove the dead material inside. Cleaner wrasse feed on dead tissues, scales and parasites that lurk inside the mouth of the larger animals, and few are actually eaten by the predator that they are assisting.

Wrasse come in a variety of colours and sizes depending on the species of wrasse. Wrasse tend to be relatively small in size, with many species of wrasse being less than 20 cm in length. One species of wrasse however is enormous in comparison, growing to more than 2 meters long.
Wrasse are known to live for a relatively long-time particularly for their small size. Wrasse mate by releasing their eggs and sperm in to the water, which are fertilised and become part of the plankton until they are big enough to join the reef. Female wrasse lay thousands of eggs at at time so the wrasse population numbers are relatively high.

Blue Shark

Bull Shark
Kingdom - Animalia
Scientific Name - Crcharhinus Leucas
Size- 2.1m-3.5m(7ft-11.5ft)
weight-90kg-230 kg
Top speed-40 km/h
Life span-Solitary
Colour- Blue, Grey

Bull sharks are mainly found in the warmer and shallower coastal waters of the southern hemisphere. The bull shark is one of the most common species of shark found worldwide.

The bull shark is able to inhabit both salt and fresh water sources just as happily, with one bull shark known to have swum 4,000 km up the Amazon River in South America, finally ending up in the mountainous Peru.
The bull shark is well known for its unpredictable and aggressive temperament and is thought to be one of the most dangerous sharks towards humans.This is probably because the bull inhabits coastal waters and rivers and is therefore more likely to come into contact with swimmers and water sports enthusiasts.

Blue Whale

Kingdom -Animalia
Scientific Name- Balsenoptera musculus
Color -Gray, blue, white , black
Size-25m-30m(82.5ft-100ft)
Weight-100 tones-160 tones
Top speed-20 kmpl (13mph)
The Blue Whale is an enormous species of whale that is found in subtropical and polar waters worldwide. With some individuals growing to more than 100ft long, the blue whale is not only the largest animal species in the world but it is also thought that it could be the biggest creature that has ever existed. There are three recognized sub-species of the Blue Whale which are the Northern Blue Whale, the Southern Blue Whale and the Pygmy Blue Whale that despite it's name, still reaches an average length of 24 meters. Although their enormous size and slow-maturing nature has meant that the world's Blue Whale population has never been greatly numerous, they have drastically declined in numbers due to having been hunted by humans particularly over the past 100 years. Blue Whales are now legally protected and despite one not having been deliberately caught since the 1970s, their numbers are continuing to fall in much of their natural range.

The Blue Crab

The blue crab is perhaps the most sought-after shellfish in the mid-Atlantic region, and is caught both commercially and recreationally . The majority of the catch is commercial. Blue crabs are usually harvested with simple gear: pot, trot line , hand line , dip net, scrape, or dredge. Crab abundance tends to be higher in areas with ample cover, such as submerged aquatic vegetation. Most fishing gear used to catch crabs has little to no effect on habitat.

Male and female blue crabs have different life histories, and this affects the catch of blue crabs around the Bay. More female crabs are caught in the lower part of the Bay because they stay in higher-salinity water when they spawn. Males tend to stay in lower-salinity water

Barracuda

Barracuda facts-
Kingdom - Animalia,
Phylum - chordata ,
Class- Actinopterygii,
Order- perciformes ,
Family-sphyraenidae,
Genus - Sphyreana
Scientific name- Sphyraena
Size- 0.5m-2m (20in-79in)
Water type- salt
Colour - gray, blue, black, brown
Skin type- smooth
The barracuda is  a large species of fish found in the warmer, coastal regions of the world's oceans. There are more than 20 different species of barracuda that range in size from less than 50cm to nearly 2 meters in length .
The barracuda is widely spread across the oceans but is more commonly found in the more tropical regions where there is an abundance of food. Although barracudas can be found in the deep ocean, they tend to prefer coastal habitats along continental shelves and close to coral reefs.

Barnacle

The barnacle is a hardy animal that is found in or very closely to sea water. Although it is frequently confused for a mollusc because of its hard outer shell, it is actually a crustacean, closely related to crabs and lobsters.

Barnacles are most often seen as roughly circular sessile invertebrates( which means that they cannot move on their own), and are permanently attaches to the substrate they live on. In their juvenile form they are free-floating, but eventually they attach themselves to any nearby rock, shell, or other object and stay there for the rest of their lives. Their shells are composed of calcite.

Barnacles are often seen on crabs, whales, boats , rocks and on the shells of sea turtles. Although some species of barnacle are parasitic, most barnacle species are harmless, because they are filter feeders and do not interfere with an animal's normal diet and do not harm that animal that they live on in any way. Many species of barnacle are so harmless that in fact, an animal that is covered in them, may not even notice !
Barnacles are filter feeders (also known as suspension feeders) that feed on food particles that they strain out of the water. The shell of the barnacle is made up of a number of plates , with feathery leg-like appendages that draw water into their shell so that they can feed.

Angel Fish

What's in a Name?

A rose by any other name is still a rose, but a saltwater angelfish and a freshwater angelfish are only distant cousins. Approximately 100 species of angelfish swim the oceans and lakes, and about 74 of these thrive in the sea. Saltwater tank aquarists may choose among much more colorful fish, which also grow larger than their freshwater cousins. The exact number of angelfish species is unknown because there are hundreds of possible gene combinations, creating many new mutations. Those keeping freshwater tanks are likely to find their choices limited to striped, black and white, silver or shades of yellow angelfish that grow to about 6 inches.


Personalities

Angelfish have distinct personalities. They are territorial in the presence of food, mates or eggs. If you're thinking of setting up a community tank, whether salt- or freshwater, use care in the selection of the other fish you place with angelfish. Since angelfish are little gluttons, they'll happily gobble up tossed-in food without a care in the world for the other fish in the tank who are hungry. Furthermore, they can be quite nasty and inflict wounds resulting in torn fins if placed in a tank with fish they perceive as a threat, such as bettas, fancy guppies or tetras. Zebra fish and other small, fast-moving fish are fine with angels as they can quickly get out of the way.


Cliques

Just like the cool kids who all sat together on the bus, angelfish form cliques. It's best to have an even number of angelfish so they can pair up. The odd angelfish is likely to be picked on or even killed. Angelfish need to be kept in very specific water, tank and temperature conditions, so they're not always the best starter fish. Since they are usually the size of a dime when purchased, novice fish-keepers often make the mistake of buying too many of them. They grow rapidly -- up to a diameter of 6 to 10 inches within 18 months, leading to overcrowding, a serious threat to the overall health and success of your tank.


Physical Characteristics

Angelfish are readily identified by the unusual, angular shape of their bodies. Saltwater angels can grow to a foot in diameter and are brightly colored and exotically patterned. Their dorsal and anal fins are slanted backwards instead of vertically, and their tails, also called caudal fins, are much smaller than those of the freshwater fish. Freshwater angelfish have tall vertical dorsal fins and long vertical anal fins. Their colors and patterns, while striking, are not as dramatic as those of the ocean angels. Both have long ventral fins that look like tendrils. The male angel's body is usually more circular than the female's, and there is a slight bump on his crown. The male's ventral fin is forked, whereas the female's is not. You'll note that the top-to-bottom stripes on the angelfish are not interrupted by their eyes; they appear as vertical lines on the fish's eyeball

Anchovy Fish

Anchovy refers to a family of small fish found in the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Anchovies are sold flat or rolled, filleted and either salt-cured or oil-packed. In Europe, however, marinated fresh anchovies are eaten frequently, available in restaurants and Spanish, Greek and Italian groceries.
Anchovies are a small, shiny, silver fish of the Anchoa (North America) or Engraulis (Mediterranean and European) family. Similar to herring, they run in large schools.Because they are small, generally 5 to 8 inches in length, anchovies are often confused with sardines (Sardinella anchovia). In some areas, the terms anchovy and sardine are used interchangeably.

Albacore Fish

Albacore are found around the world in warm temperate waters and can migrate thousands of miles each year. Albacore tuna can live up to 12 years and mature at around five years. Spawning occurs in tropical and subtropical waters. The female casts her eggs in open waters and then the male fertilizes the eggs. It is thought that the developing tuna spend their first year of life in the general area the female scattered the eggs and then they move closer to shore, maybe off of Japan or other islands, where they can spend time foraging. Juvenile albacore feed primarily on squid. As an albacore ages it feeds less on squid and more on fish such as saury, lanternfish, or rockfish. Albacore off Washington and Oregon feed primarily on saury and northern anchovy.
Pectoral fin extremely long – extends well beyond front of anal fin except in specimens under about 1 ft. (30 cm). Usually 7-9 dorsal finlets, 7-8 anal finlets. Liver striated on ventral surface. 25-31 gill rakers on 1st arch. Dark blue above; shading to silvery white below. 1st dorsal fin deep yellow, 2nd dorsal and anal fins light yellow. Anal finlets dark. Caudal fin white-edged.

Size: To 4 ½ feet (137 cm)

Abalone Fish

In the animal kingdom, abalone belong to the phylum Mollusca, a group which includes clams, scallops, sea slugs, octopuses and squid. Mollusks are world wide and predominantly marine. They have a soft body surrounded by a mantle, an anterior head and a large muscular foot. Mollusks are best known for their beautifully formed and colored calcareous shell secreted by the mantle.

The abalone join other snails, whelks and sea slugs in the class Gastropoda. Members of this class have one shell, as opposed to clams with two, (or the shell may be lacking altogether, as in the sea slugs). The spiral structure, so common in snail shells, is flattened in the abalone and may be obscured by fouling and shell boring organisms. Abalone are members of the family Haliotidae and the genus haliotis, which means sea ear, referring to the flattened shape of the shell. The name abalone is probably derived from the Spanish-American word aulon or aulone.