Uploads from cliff1066™, tagged conservation

White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus)

nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:20 -0700

At record-setting sizes of more than 1,300 pounds and 13 feet long, White Sturgeon hold strong to their title of the largest freshwater fish in North America. Like salmon, white Sturgeon are anadromous, meaning they can thrive in freshwater and salt water conditions.

Instead of having scales, White Sturgeon have five rows of scutes, a sort of natural body armor of hard plates, covering their body.

White Sturgeon have small, beady eyes, making its natural vision limited. The animal mostly relies on its barbels, which are often described as “whiskers,” on the side of its mouth, which help them sense and feel out food. They use their proboscis mouth, which is akin to an elephant’s trunk, to help them suck food out of the sand.

Sturgeon skull plates and scutes have been found in Native American middens, or dumping grounds, in San Francisco Bay, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Elkhorn Slough areas.

Moon Jellies (Aurelia aurita)

nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:08 -0700

cliff1066™ posted a photo:

Moon jelly, or Aurelia aurita, are probably the most common and widely recognized type of jellyfish. They can be found in the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific Oceans near the coasts. The animal ranges in size from 5cm to 40cm across. The moon jelly is easily recognizable by its four violet or pink crescent shaped gonads on the underside and at the centre of its translucent bell or umbrella. Also, its bell is thicker towards the middle, thinning towards the edge. Like many other species of jellyfish, the moon jelly’s ability to move by itself is limited, so it is subjected to the water currents of the ocean.

Giant Pacific Octopus (Octopus dofleini)

nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:18 -0700

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When threatened, Giant Pacific Octopus shoot out an inky substance that creates an instant smokescreen. Sometimes the ink cloud takes the actual shape of an octopus, providing a diversion that allows the real octopus to escape from predators.

With no skeleton to get in its way, Giant Pacific Octopuses can also squeeze their bodies into incredibly small spaces – any space larger than its powerful beak is fair game.

Giant Pacific Octopuses are terminal spawners, meaning females only have one opportunity to reproduce. They typically mate closer to the end of their fairly short lifespan, which on average is only five years. Luckily, octopuses lay anywhere from 18,000 – 74,000 eggs, helping to strengthen the vitality of the species. While waiting for her eggs to hatch, the mother remains with the eggs and does not eat, staying to protect her babies at all times. Octopuses typically die shortly after her babies hatch.

The animal dines on a wide range of seafood including clams and other mussels, but have a particular hankering for crabs. With their love for crabs, coupled with a sweet spot for den-like enclosures, octopuses often mistake crabber’s nets as hunting and hiding ground, where they can be accidentally caught. If the octopus kills and eats the crabber’s catch, many fishermen respond by killing the octopus.

Moon Jellies (Aurelia aurita)

nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:07 -0700

cliff1066™ posted a photo:

Aurelia aurita has two main stages in its life cycle – the polyp stage (asexual reproduction) and the medusa stage (sexual reproduction). A mature polyp reproduces asexually, known as budding forming an entire colony of polyps. Polyps specializing in reproduction produce ephyra (small medusae) by budding. The medusae swim off and mature. They then reproduce sexually. From the egg and the sperm of two medusae, a zygote is formed. The zygote develops into a planula (larva). The planula larva leaves the adult medusae, finds a shaded surface, and attaches itself to it. The planula eventually develops into a new polyp, and the life cycle of the Aurelia aurita starts again.

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nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:04 -0700

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nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:03 -0700

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nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:16 -0700

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nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:06 -0700

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Pacific Sea Nettles (Chrysaora fuscescens)

nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:09 -0700

cliff1066™ posted a photo:

Pacific Sea Nettles, Chrysaora fuscescens, are most commonly found along the California and Oregon coasts, and range into the Gulf of Alaska and Mexico. The animals are medusivores, meaning they dine on other jelly species. Brown Sea Nettles are equipped with nematocysts or stinging cells, which are located within their tentacles. The animal has no control over what it stings, and does so instantly when touched.

Swirling schools of Anchovies

nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:16 -0700

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Pacific Sea Nettles (Chrysaora fuscescens)

nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:10 -0700

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nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:35:59 -0700

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nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:13 -0700

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nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:35:58 -0700

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nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:00 -0700

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nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:07 -0700

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Gull

nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:01 -0700

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Standing in-Line at the door, ready to eagerly enter the Aquarium

Pacific Sea Nettles (Chrysaora fuscescens)

nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:11 -0700

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Pacific Sea Nettles (Chrysaora fuscescens)

nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:11 -0700

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nobody@flickr.com (cliff1066™) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:19 -0700

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