Lumpy's Ocean Life

Swimming with Whales Tonga

2010-04-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

bluepacificww — April 02, 2009 — A very special whale watching adventure - swimming with whales holiday in beautiful Vavau, Tonga. For more info contact: HERE

Colorful tropical fish #2 at Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta

2010-04-11T10:38:00.001-07:00

Colorful tropical fish #2 at Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta

Swimming With Whales: Current Green

2010-02-22T13:04:00.000-08:00

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Bryant Austin is the only person on the planet who has dedicated himself to documenting the eye of the whale. Austin is using the photographs to promote conservation and sustainable whaling practices in whaling nations. To see more of his work check out the short film, 'In the Eye of the Whale" go to his website www.mmcta.org to find out how you can support his conservation efforts or visit his website at www.studiocosmos.com.

VIEW more Current Green & SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube Playlist here...
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list...

Beluga Whale blows Bubbles - Video

2010-02-22T12:52:00.000-08:00

Allya the Beluga whale at an aquarium in western Japan has learned to blow bubble rings. In the wild, some dolphins and whales blow bubble rings by inhaling air through their blowholes and releasing it through their mouths underwater. But thanks to scuba diving equipment, Allya can do it anytime.

Allya clearly loves interacting with her audience. She aims the bubbles at spectators as they peer in through the glass.

www.itnsource.com
Reuters 2989/06

Feeding & swimming with Goliath Grouper (Jewfish)

2010-01-29T09:43:00.000-08:00

Visit Eco-Dives of Key West to see the Photo Galleries

Feeding & swimming with Goliath Grouper (Jewfish)
Hand-feeding / Swimming with Goliath Grouper

Only now, after a 10 year moritorium, is the jewfish population (Goliath Grouper) is finally starting to return to South Florida. Read More

HD underwater footage, Whale sharks

2010-01-20T08:30:00.000-08:00

Photograph by Brian J. Skerry
National Geographic free desktop wallpapers

HD underwater footage, Whale sharks at Chumphon pinnacle, Koh Tao, Thailand. Fillmed in 2008 around Koh Tao island. a great season for diving. High Definition cameras and sharks everywhere. Who could ask for more?
Visit Oceans Below website for more underwater videos and the chance to make your own. Filmed and produced by Oceans Below HD Underwater video production and training, Koh Tao, Thailand.
For more information about professional HD underwater video service, Stock footage, Promotional films, Bsac professional HD underwater video courses contact http://www.oceansbelow.net

Whale song serenade (soothing relaxing original music)

2009-11-19T07:51:00.000-08:00

The Whales are known to repeatedly produce sounds at variable frequencies. So that, this modulation of sounds is well known as the whale song.

Whale's underwater Xmas treat, photos, video

2009-11-19T07:16:00.000-08:00

Whale's underwater Xmas treat A scuba-diving Santa Claus gives an early Christmas treat to a Beluga whale at the Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium on the outskirts of Tokyo.

Great White Shark Cage Diving in South Africa

2009-11-12T09:43:00.000-08:00

Shark Cage Diving in Cape Town South Africa

People Protect what they love (Jacques Yves COUSTEAU)

2009-11-12T09:32:00.000-08:00

The call of Captain Cousteau to love and protect our plane!

King Crab Gift Box Giveaway, Win 3lb King Crab Gift Box

2009-10-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

King Crab Gift Box Giveaway

It's easy to enter! One of You WILL WIN! Every month!

Who Likes King Crab? (me,me! I love King Crab....I would love to have this FREE!
A little luxury in this economy, a chance to have a special meal with a loved one.

The Giveaway Contest is simple to enter.
NEW METHOD OF ENTRY
For our December King Crab Giveaway, follow my blogs.
All Followers will be entered!
December Winner will be announced on Dec 15th!
**November Method, Just leave a comment on this post.
(only comments on contest posts (one on each blog) will count )

extra entries - 1X comment on each of my blogs.

Our 1st WINNER will be picked at random from all comments
Only one entry per blog per month.

2 names from each blog will go into the hat
and one Winner will come out!

Jeff Riggs at FishEx in Alaska will then ship your prize overnight to you!
(Prize is sponsored by William Thomas, washingtonson.)

1st Winner will be announced Nov 15th.

Look at the Prize! (feast your eyes)
it's listed in Gifts FishEX

Entry: 1X per month
18+, US
Prize: 1X per month
Alaskan Red King Crab Gift Box
3 lbs Alaska King Crab w/1 pint King Crab Bisque - $109
Includes FedEx Overnight Shipping*
Jumbo succulent king crab legs.
▪ Average 1/2 lb. per leg.
▪ Frozen, glazed, and packaged.
▪ Includes our famous King Crab Bisque.

"Our most popular king crab! The most highly-prized crab in the world from Alaska's main red king crab fishery. Jumbo-sized legs and claws packed full of sweet succulent meat! An excellent gift that is always remembered and appreciated."

Tips for entering:
You only get one entry on the contest post per month.
Visit my other Blogs (listed on the Sidebar)
and get an extra entry at each one!

Make sure I can find you when you win.
Leave a link to you (Twitter, Facebook,FriendFeed , email , your blog)
I will contact you through the link you leave in comments
to get your shipping address.

Winner will be announced on all six of my blogs (listed with photos on the sidebar)
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Please email this to your pals, tweet it and post it on your sites , copy it!
Don't miss this chance to win a YUMMY Prize!
Note* I want to feature our Winners on my Blogs, so get your Winners speech ready!

Underwater City, Jacques Cousteau, Red Sea-Photos, video

2009-10-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

To co pozostało po podwodnych domkach... Underwater City Jacques Cousteau Realizacja Grzegorz Gaj

The Inspirational Jacques Cousteau -photos, Video

2009-10-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

Created as part of a visual argument for Composition. Representing that Cousteau showed interesting creatures of the sea, generating public interest and inspiring people to care.

The First Jacques Cousteau Docuentary - Video, Photos

2009-10-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

This was the first Jacques Cousteau documentary I've seen, and I couldn't stop thinking (and laughing) about the parallels to the great movie "The Life Aquatic" by Wes Anderson

Whales, Free Screensavers

2009-09-04T14:13:00.000-07:00

Whales are amongst the most enigmatic and fascinating of all creatures. The Blue Whale is the largest animal ever to have lived on earth, at up to 100 tons, easily out-weighing the heaviest dinosaurs, even an "ordinary " sized whale is a vast and impressive creature.

Killer whale or Orca looking around having broken thin ice for a breathing hole, picture courtesy NOAAWhales are huge, but elusive and difficult to see which adds to their mystery and fascination. They are highly intelligent animals with an elaborate social life, no possessions and the complete freedom of movement in three dimensions. Is it any wonder that they are such popular and fascinating animals? - maybe we just want to be like them!

Whales belong to the group of mammals called Cetaceans, they are a part of this group along with dolphins and porpoises.

Whales are mammals as are humans, dogs, cats, elephants and anguantibos amongst others. This means that they are not fish. They breath air and so must return to the surface at regular intervals to get a breath. They give birth to live young that stay with the mother for over a year and feed on milk produced by the mother.

Whales are warm blooded and have a skeleton similar to our own (though greatly modified) the fore limbs are their front flippers and have similar bones in them to our arms and hands. The hind-limbs are generally not present at all, though are represented in many species by a tiny pair of "free floating" bones (pelvic vestiges) - not attached to any others - towards the rear of the animal. In the males of some species these bones serve as an insertion for the muscles that control the penis.

Skeleton of a Right Whale
The rear flippers of a whale are called the flukes, these have no bone in them at all, being made of tough fibrous material. It is the flukes that provide the propulsive power in all Cetaceans with the forelimbs controlling direction and being used for communicative and social functions.

All whales have muscle with a high level of Myoglobin. This is a red pigment similar to haemoglobin that stores oxygen in the muscles for use during deep dives. When the whale surfaces, the oxygen in the myoglobin is replaced, similar to the process that happens in our own muscles during a sprint.

Migaloo Speaks-Hear the Famous Humpback Whale

2008-11-11T16:46:00.001-08:00

Migaloo, the only known albino humpback in the world

Migaloo, the Australian White Humpback Whale

2008-11-08T11:05:00.000-08:00

Japanese whalers won't say if they'll spare Migaloo

Migaloo means "White Fellow"

Japanese whalers have refused to say if they will target white humpback whales such as Migaloo, which annually travels along the east coast of Australia, in their research slaughter this summer.

As the Japanese whaling fleet prepares to leave port and head for the Antarctic, the Japan Fisheries Agency has given a firm "no comment" to questions about white whales.

Japan, which uses a loophole in International Whaling Commission (IWC) laws to hunt almost 1000 whales each year in the southern hemisphere, allegedly for scientific research, will target humpbacks for the first time this summer.

The ships have been given a quota of 50 humpbacks along with 50 fin whales and hundreds of the smaller minke whales this year.

Migaloo, whose Aboriginal name means White Fella, is believed to be the only completely white humpback whale in the world and is often spotted among the humpbacks which form the basis of Australia's whale-watching industry.

AAP inquiries of Japan Fisheries Agency about the fate of Migaloo and other white whales were met with "no comment".

Japan Fisheries Agency spokesman Hideki Moronuki says the fleet will step up security this season after heated clashes with anti-whaling protesters in the Antarctic last summer.

He called on Australia and New Zealand to take measures to curb the actions of protest ships he described as environmental "terrorists".

"Those two countries maintain the same position as Japan does against the violent action of terrorists," Mr Moronuki told ABC Radio.

"So, everybody can imagine that Sea Shepherd may take very dangerous illegal action again.

"I need a kind of support from those two countries in order to secure the safety of our crews and [our ships].

"We can take legal actions even though Sea Shepherd would take very dangerous illegal actions so we have to take other legal actions in order to keep from dangerous action by Sea Shepherd.

"It's very difficult, but we should do something."

Sea Shepherd ship's captain Paul Watson, whose vessel was involved in a collision with a whaler last summer, said he did not believe any stepped-up security arrangements would have any impact.

"What we have to understand here is Japanese whaling is illegal, he told ABC Radio.

"They're targeting endangered species in a whale sanctuary in violation of a global moratorium on whaling.

"We have the law on our side.

Learn More about Migaloo and Humpback Whales;
Pacific Whale Foundation

Sea Turtles Facts and Photos at Sea World

2008-08-18T06:08:00.000-07:00

Sea World is a great Place to get homework help & Learn about Sea Turtles:

Scientific Classification
Habitat and Distribution
Physical Characteristics
Senses
Adaptations for an Aquatic Environment
Behavior
Diet and Eating Habits
Reproduction
Hatching and Hatchlings
Longevity and Causes of Death
Conservation
Bibliography
Books for Young Readers
Index

Just for fun!

A Turtle Tale
Follow That Turtle - classroom activity for K-2

Goals of the Sea World Education Department

Based on a long-term commitment to education, Sea World strives to provide an enthusiastic, imaginative, and intellectually stimulating atmosphere to help students reach their academic potential. Specifically, our goals are...

To instill in students of all ages an appreciation for science and a respect for all living creatures and natural environments.
To conserve our valuable natural resources by increasing awareness of the interrelationships of humans and the marine environment.
To increase students' basic competencies in science and other disciplines.
To provide an educational resource for the entire community.

"For in the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught." -B. Dioum

Huge gatherings of whale sharks discovered-photos

2008-08-18T05:31:00.000-07:00

Huge gatherings of whale sharks discovered in Gulf of Mexico
Scientists believe whale sharks regularly congregate off Mississippi and Louisiana coasts

Scientists have become increasingly convinced that huge gatherings of giant whale sharks occur with clockwork regularity in the northern Gulf of Mexico off the coasts of Mississippi and Louisiana.

Scientist Eric Hoffmayer, who is trying to unravel the mysterious “aggregations,” said that as many as 100 of the bus-sized sharks have been spotted feeding in clusters at three separate areas about 40 to 100 miles offshore.

“We have lots of reports of 30 or 50 animals in one place,” said Hoffmayer, a scientist with the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs, Miss. “They are obviously gathering for a reason. But right now we are not sure what that is, or how they know to show up at these spots.”

Whale sharks, a key attraction at the Georgia Aquarium, are the planet’s biggest shark and can grow to more than 45 feet long. They are generally solitary, ocean-roaming creatures. Nobody knows how many exist. But there are a handful of locations around the globe where the polka-dotted, filter-feeding sharks congregate in large numbers to feast on plankton or fish eggs.

The northern Gulf aggregations, which occur from June through September, would be a major new discovery if scientists can confirm that they are occurring at regular, predictable intervals.

Hoffmayer recently discussed his findings with Georgia Aquarium researchers at the Second International Whale Shark Conference on Isla Holbox, Mexico. The downtown Atlanta aquarium is funding whale shark research in the plankton-rich waters off Holbox, a narrow strip of land alongside the Yucatan Peninsula north of Cancun that attracts hundreds of whale sharks each summer in one of the world’s largest aggregations.

Bruce Carlson, the aquarium’s chief science officer, said aquarium researchers are just beginning to talk with Hoffmayer and his associates about their findings. The aquarium is the only fish tank outside Asia to house whale sharks.

“There is already collaboration in terms of information sharing, and there will probably be more in the future,” Carlson said.

Confirming the aggregations is a difficult task. Scientists are confronted with a species that can wander across oceans solo, then suddenly appear in large groups to feed.

Hoffmayer enlists the help of fishermen, oil rig workers and pilots. He asks them to report the time, date and duration of whale sharks sightings, recording the sharks’ GPS coordinates and the number and size of sharks they see.

His group has created its own whale shark Web page, connected to his lab’s Web site, where whale shark observers can record their sightings. Hoffmayer’s group also has tagged a few whale sharks with satellite transmission devices.

Florida-based shark scientist Robert Hueter, whose Holbox research is partially funded by the aquarium, said he is intrigued by the northern Gulf aggregations and thinks they could somehow be related to the sharks he has observed off Holbox.

Hueter and his assistants, John Tyminski and Mexico-based biologist Rafael de la Parra, have placed about 700 visual tags on whale sharks off the Yucatan over the last few years. Those plastic identification tags let scientists know where the sharks were first spotted and — if they are resighted — where they travel to.

“None of the tags have been resighted in the northern Gulf,” Hueter said. “That doesn’t mean none of the sharks have traveled there. The tags could have been shed or they might not have been seen. But after tagging 700, you think they’d have spotted something up there.”

Hueter said one whale shark tagged off Holbox with a satellite transmitting device did move northwest from the Yucatan to an area off the Texas Coast. Hueter, director of the Center for Shark Research at Sarasota’s Mote Marine Laboratory, said he envisions future collaboration with Hoffmayer on his findings.

“When you talk about a species that travels thousands of miles and knows no political boundaries, collaboration between scientists is essential,” Hueter said.

Hoffmayer’s work has been mostly a labor of love, since he does not have a consistent funding source for his whale shark research. “It’s piecemeal,” he said.

He theorizes the big sharks get together in the northern Gulf to dine on massive concentrations of fish eggs; bonita, skipjack and tuna spawn in the area. Like Hueter, he believes the northern Gulf gatherings could somehow be connected to whale shark aggregations near Holbox, which occur at roughly the same time of year.

The Holbox whale sharks have spawned a booming ecotourism business for the small island, where fisherman have learned how to turn a buck hauling tourists offshore to snorkel with the gentle giants. Whale shark aggregations also have created ecotourism businesses in Australia, the Philippines, Belize and a few other locales.

So far, however, the northern Gulf whale shark gatherings are known only to a few scientists, pilots, charter boat captains and oil rig workers who have glimpsed the natural phenomenon far from the sight of land.

A boat approaching one of the aggregations on a calm day would probably first see the dorsal fins and huge tails of the sharks sticking out of the water. The sharks swim slowly and quietly near the surface, their huge mouths agape to take in tons of seawater from which they collect the tiny marine organisms and fish eggs they eat.

Occasionally, the sharks feed vertically, which means they stop in one spot and angle their bodies at 45-degrees, sucking in water near the surface and hoovering in their tiny prey.

Hoffmayer said that until recently scientists believed whale shark encounters in the northern Gulf were rare. In 2002, he said, scientists discovered two whale sharks in a school of yellowfin, blackfin and skipjack tuna.

“We wanted to know what the whale sharks were doing in a school of tuna,” he said.

Hoffmayer asked some local offshore fishermen if they had ever encountered whale sharks. Their answer stunned him.

“They said, ‘We see whale sharks all the time,”’ he recalled. “These guys see a lot of stuff out there, and they never think to contact us, and we had not been contacting them.”

Hoffmayer published a 2005 paper on the initial sightings and has continued to gather evidence to support his theory, enlisting fishermen and helicopter pilots who serve the Gulf’s 3,500 oil rigs.

Hoffmayer said that in 2006 a tuna fishing boat returned with video of 100 or so whale sharks it happened upon in the northern Gulf. That was two weeks after Hoffmayer and his researchers encountered a group of 16 whale sharks in the same area.

“A third of our sightings are of groups of animals,” he said. “We had a sighting of 30 or so a few weeks ago off the coast of Texas.”

One theory, Hoffmayer said, is that the whale sharks are initially widely dispersed in the northern Gulf, lazily feeding on plankton.

But, he said, they might somehow know when to congregate in fish spawning areas, where they would be able to gorge on nutrient-rich eggs.

Many fish species spawn on certain phases of the moon’s cycle, Hoffmayer said.

Perhaps the big sharks are guided by the lunar phases. But like many things about whale sharks, no one really knows.

“How do 30 animals know to show up for what is a 12-hour [spawning] event?” he asked. “Now that’s a wonderful mystery. It’s what we’re trying to figure out.”

Hundreds of Baby Whales found in the Kimberly Nursery-Photos

2008-08-18T05:12:00.000-07:00

HUNDREDS of baby whales have been discovered in a bay in the Kimberley, making it one of the world's biggest humpback whale nursery grounds.
WA scientists say the natural maternity ward, 160km north of Derby, is being used by humpback whales to teach their calves important marine lessons.

Uncovered in Camden South, one of the Kimberley’s largest bays, 381 pods were found schooling their calves to feed, ride the tides and breach.

WA Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) chief executive Dr Steve Blake said the movement of pregnant whales, whales with young calves and bulls into the region was astounding.

“It is a natural maternity ward, the place where mothers teach their calves how to feed and how to utilise the tides and currents.”

“It was like taking a three-year-old to a children’s playground,” he said.

The whale nursery ground is surrounded by reef that stretches from the Northern Territory to the south of Broome and researchers say they may have unearthed a coral reef zone of global significance.

“We believe it surpasses the number found in the Caribbean’s Silver Banks region, which is usually listed as one of the world’s main humpback whale nursery grounds.

"We are now right in the middle of the whale season in the Kimberley.”

The whales were discovered as part of an unfunded study by Dr Blake, a team of scientists from Kimberley Whales and two Indigenous representatives.

On the last day of the study, 51 whales passed the scientist's observation site in two and half hours, which equates to more than 20 whales passing each hour.

“This is a conservative figure but it puts Camden Sound right up there in terms of the world’s winter residences for humpback whales,” he said.

Dr Blake said a highlight of the trip was seeing whales practising breaching by jumping out of the water every 30 seconds for five minutes while their mother watched on.

Free Aquatic Wallpapers

2008-04-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

Brighten your desktop FREE with one of these aquatic wallpapers!
more free images here with embed codes:
Williams Pictures

Amazing discovery-rare albino batfish-photo

2008-04-22T10:27:00.000-07:00

The albino ratfish has the long, wispy tail and wing-like fins on its sides common to all rat fish species. The needle-sharp, venomous spine is on the ratfish's back, just in front of its dorsal fin. Credit: University of Washington

SEATTLE (AP) -- There may never be a campaign to save the Puget Sound ratfish; no one really loves the ugly fish with rodent-like front teeth. But when a rare albino ratfish was found during a marine survey this past summer, scientists decided it was time to educate the public about the most abundant fish in local waters.
The cartilaginous cousin of skates and rays is usually brown or black with white spots so it can blend in with the bottom of the sound, where it uses its rat-like teeth to crush clams, crabs and worms scooped up from the sand and mud.
"They're pretty ugly,'' said Jon Reum, a University of Washington doctoral student who spent his summer working on the marine survey. "They've got this gnarly spine on their backs, they bite, and they're just a pain to work with.''
One drizzling and cold day, researchers off Whidbey Island had just pulled up another net loaded with the bottom dwellers and Reum spied the pearly white ratfish. The foot-long female was estimated to be 2 or 3 years old, making her a teenager in the ratfish world.
"This animal would just stand out like a beacon,'' says UW fisheries professor Ted Pietsch. "I don't know why it wasn't eaten long before.''
In his 40-year-career, Pietsch had never seen an albino fish. "To my knowledge, there has never been another albino ratfish described.''
The albino ratfish is almost pure white, with pale green eyes, and has a crystalline layer near the surface of its skin that give it a silvery sheen. In the marine environment, few albinos live long enough to pass on the mutant genes that block production of skin pigment.
Reum and his fellow students were stunned.
"Everyone just started chanting and clapping,'' he says. "It was the most exciting thing.''
They put the foot-long female into a bucket to keep her alive.
"People think of Puget Sound and they think of these iconic animals like killer whales and salmon,'' Reum said. "But when you go by just the numbers, ratfish are by far the most important animal in the ecosystem -- yet we know so little about them.''
Greg Bargmann, research scientist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said any kind of ratfish is rarely seen by humans because they prefer very deep water. They hang out in places with soft, muddy bottoms.
Only net fishermen come across them on a regular basis, but Bargmann said ratfish numbers seem to be growing. Unfortunately, the albino ratfish won't be adding its genes to the species -- the night after it was discovered, she flipped out through a gap in the boards covering her bucket and died.
"It was a sad, sad thing,'' Reum says.
The ratfish is now floating in a jar of alcohol, the only pure albino among the 7.2 million specimens in the UW's fish collection.
VOTE NOW: World's Ugliest Animals
IMAGE GALLERY : Under the Sea -- Life in the Sanctuaries
IMAGE GALLERY: Freaky Fish

Free Desktop Wallpapers-Reefs.org

2008-04-17T07:24:00.000-07:00

Professionally designed wallpapers for your personal use. We thank you for your loyal support of Reefs.org's community, and this is a small token of our appreciation.
see more great photos at:
Williams Pictures
http://ww3.yuwie.com/profile/pictures/?id=480368

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2008-04-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

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Guitar Fish-strange looking ray

2008-04-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

Guitar fish
(Rhynchobatus djiddensis) (ray)

View all available Shovelnose Guitarfish Pictures in the SHARKIVE

Petition: Protect Florida Everglades From Development

2008-03-30T06:32:00.000-07:00

Protect Florida's Everglades from Development

The National Wildlife Federation is working to protect the Western Everglades and a water flowway called the Cocohatchee Slough and we need your help!

There are five development projects underway--including two massive golf course communities--which threaten to destroy an estimated 1,140 acres of wetlands, including critical foraging habitat for the wood stork, an endangered wading bird whose U.S. population has plummeted more than 75 percent over the past century.

sign here

Sea Dragons -dads have the babies-photos

2008-03-29T05:22:00.000-07:00

Sea Dragons are some of the most ornately camouflaged creatures on the planet. Adorned with gossamer, leaf-shaped appendages over their entire bodies, they are perfectly outfitted to blend in with the seaweed and kelp formations they live amongst.Endemic to the waters off south and east Australia, leafy and weedy sea dragons are closely related to seahorses and pipefish. Leafies are generally brown to yellow in body color with spectacular olive-tinted appendages. Weedies have less flamboyant projections and are usually reddish in color with yellow spots.Sea dragons have very long, thin snouts; slender trunks covered in bony rings; and thin tails which, unlike their seahorse cousins, cannot be used for gripping. They have small, transparent dorsal and pectoral fins that propel and steer them awkwardly through the water, but they seem quite content to tumble and drift in the current like seaweed. Leafies grow to a length of about 14 inches (35 centimeters), while the slightly larger weedies can grow up to 18 inches (46 centimeters) long.As with sea horses, sea dragon males are responsible for childbearing. But instead of a pouch, like sea horses have, male sea dragons have a spongy brood patch on the underside of the tail where females deposit their bright-pink eggs during mating. The eggs are fertilized during the transfer from the female to the male. The males incubate the eggs and carry them to term, releasing miniature sea dragons into the water after about four to six weeks.Sea dragons survive on tiny crustaceans such as mysids, or sea lice. It is not known if they are preyed upon by other animals. They are, however, frequently taken by divers seeking to keep them as pets. In fact, such takings shrank their numbers so critically by the early 1990s that the Australian government placed a complete protection on both species. Pollution and habitat loss have also hurt their numbers, and they are currently listed as near threatened.

Fairy Basslets, Wananavu, Viti Levu, Fiji.-free underwater wallpaper

2008-03-25T05:52:00.000-07:00

Free Desktop Wallpaper
Crayfish, Stanley Island, Mercury Islands, New Zealand.
800 pixels x 600 pixels (SVGA)
1024 pixels x 768 pixels (XGA)
click on the resolution you require for the selected image and allow the image to load fully in your web browser. With Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, right click on the image and select Set as Wallpaper. You're done!

Yuwie Videos | Redneck Brook-funny kids

2008-03-24T11:23:00.001-07:00

You might be a redneck girl....little Brook has been mudding a time or two! Cute kids Brook and Brandon,Florida,funny

read more | digg story

Zoanthids, Aldermen Islands, New Zealand-free desktop wallpaper

2008-03-24T05:43:00.001-07:00

640 pixels x 480 pixels (VGA)

800 pixels x 600 pixels (SVGA)

1024 pixels x 768 pixels (XGA)

Zoanthids, Aldermen Islands, New Zealand.

Free Wallpaper

Instructions for Use

The images below may be used as a wallpaper or background for a Windows desktop.

These instructions are written for Windows 95 / 98 users. Mac and other OS users should be able to make similar use of these images but these instructions may not be applicable.

Each wallpaper image is provided at different resolutions :

640 pixels x 480 pixels (also known as VGA)
800 pixels x 600 pixels (also known as SVGA)
1024 pixels x 768 pixels (also known as XGA)
1280 pixels x 1024 pixels (also known as SXGA)
1600 pixels x 1200 pixels (also known as UXGA)

Choose the resolution that you are running on your monitor. For those with old 14" monitors, this will probably be VGA. For those with fairly new 15" monitors, this will probably be SVGA. XGA is a common resolution on 17" monitors and those with bigger monitors probably know what you're doing. If you're in doubt, right click on an empty area of your desktop, select properties, select the settings tab, and look at what is shown under screen area.

To make one of these images your Windows wallpaper (background image), click on the resolution you require for the selected image and allow the image to load fully in your web browser. With Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, right click on the image and select Set as Wallpaper. You're done!

CLICK HERE to see Skip's Underwater Image Gallery

Nudibranch-free desktop wallpapers

2008-03-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

The face of a Polyceridae sp nudibranch

To download your Free Desktop Wallpaper:

Internet Explorer users
Right Click on the image and select Set as Background.

Netscape Navigator users
Right Click on the image and select Set as Wallpaper.

Mac users
Hold down the mouse button over the image and wait for the menu.
Choose Save Image As.
Open the control panel to Desktop Pictures.
Click Select Picture and load the file you just saved.
Choose Position Automatically.
See All The Galleries

Todays Fresh Freebies-Maybelline Mineral Power,more

2008-03-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

These great freebies go fast so hurry before they are all gone!

Alaway Eye Drops
Bausch and Lomb is giving away free samples of Alaway antihistamine eye srops (US residents only)
Bass Brolly Pouring Tool
Complete the form to get a free Brass Brolly pouring tool (US residents only)
Curel Moisturizers
Complete the form to get a dual pack sample of Curel's Life's Stages Moisturizers (US residents only)
Dove Deodorant and Shampoo
Complete the form to get a free sample of Dove deodorant and shampoo (US residents only)
Glad ForceFlex
Get a free Glad ForceFlex trash bag sample courtesy of Walmart (US residents only)
Maybelline Mineral Power
Fill out the form to get a free sample of Mineral Power natural perfecting liquid foundation (US residents only)

Yuwie has a secret you need to know!

2008-03-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

Yuwie has a secret you need to know!
Your Yuwie blog can stand alone as a website called a BLOG or Web log
Develop it well.
Create 10 good blog entries that you want the whole world to see
-with photos (you can get some free ones)
There are two ways to submit your blog to search engines and blog directories

Submit your main blog page address here: CLICK HERE

Then Submit your blog feed address (RSS) here: CLICK HERE

You WILL get listed free by these places, no need to buy anything,
submit your RSS after each new entry,
submit to Search Engines once per month per site

This works, this is how the pros do it and you will get permanent free visitors to your site, that come there to see a photo or entry that you have written. Every day you will pick up more readers and subscribers, so keep that blog rolling- keep adding daily to your blog and you will succeed! William

Gumbo History and Recipe

2008-03-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

Gumbo History

A peek into a pot of gumbo is a glance into the rich history of Louisiana.

The ingredients and cooking techniques involved come from a remarkable array of cultures and traditions--all of which have combined over the centuries to create a uniquely American story.

Cajun or Creole?

Creoles descended from the wealthy French and Spanish colonists who settled in southern Louisiana.

"Creole" also includes the African and Caribbean heritage of the region.
Creole cuisine was born in upper-class households and still carries the reputation of being more refined and fancy, and of using more expensive ingredients, than Cajun cooking.

Cajuns are the descendents of French colonists who settled in Acadia (modern-day Nova Scotia).

The Acadians were driven out of Canada in the 1750's and many fled to southern Louisiana.
They survived with the help of Choctaw Indians who taught them how to hunt and fish and forage.
Cajun (shortened from "Acadian") cuisine was developed by these hardy people who made do with whatever they could grow or hunt in the bayous of Louisiana.
Traditional Cajun dishes are cooked in one pot--a throwback to when the settlers had no stoves and did their cooking over open fires.
CLICK HERE to get a Gumbo Recipe
CLICK HERE to photo-share your food here:
From the page: just for fun I'm inviting all of you to KINDLY paste pictures of food found in your country who knows what interesting food awaits us all
perhaps we are enjoying the same food , would that not be so interesting?

Free Desktop Wallpaper-Horse on the Beach

2008-03-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

To download your Free Desktop Wallpaper:

Internet Explorer users
Right Click on the image and select Set as Background.

Netscape Navigator users
Right Click on the image and select Set as Wallpaper.

Mac users
Hold down the mouse button over the image and wait for the menu.
Choose Save Image As.
Open the control panel to Desktop Pictures.
Click Select Picture and load the file you just saved.
Choose Position Automatically.
CLICK HERE to see my free wallpapers

50 Ways To Monetize Your Photos

2008-03-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

Got a hard drive full of pictures?

Wish you had a bank account full of cash?

If you’ve got good photos, you’ve got an opportunity to make some useful extra money.

Here are 50ways to monetize your images.

1. Give business people Moo cards.
Turn your photos into mini-Moo cards and market them as unique intros for
business people who think they’re unique.moo2.jpg

2. Become a paparazzi!
Snapped a celebrity doing a walkabout? Scoopt finds buyers for news
pictures… and a model eating is always news.

3. Put a mouse on an image
Zazzle is one site that lets you put a photo on a mousepad and sell it through
their store…

4. Create a photography book
…and Blurb makes it a breeze to publish your photos in a book and sell it to
admiring fans for a profit.

5. Create a specialized photography book
It’s nice to put your favorite images in a photography book; it’s nice money
when you put your kid’s school soccer team in a book and sell it to their
parents.

6. Give MySpace users unique pages
It’s hard to stand out on MySpace and other networking sites… unless you’ve
got some very special images. So contact networkers and offer them yours.

7. BritePic your pictures
BritePic lets you put a floating ad on your images when users mouse over –
you earn even if the pictures aren’t on your website.britepic.jpg

8. Blog about your pictures… and get paid for it
Google’s AdSense program is giving many bloggers a handsome income. Put
your images on a blog, discuss them and earn from ads.

9. Find local distributors for your local images
Even simple pictures sell well when people recognize them. Get your local
images in local stores and you’ll make sales.

10. Create creative computer covers
Moo isn’t the only place that can turn photos into stickers. Other printers can
do the same thing, letting you turn photos into long shapes to cover dull PCs.

11. Give hosting companies exclusive libraries
Hosting companies give packages to clients that can include microstock deals.
Give them an exclusive library of images and they’ll have a unique offer for
their customers; you’ll have your own microstock customer base.

12. Create creative car window covers
When the weather is hot, cars get hotter. Print your photos on windscreen
covers and offer them to accessories stores.

13. Earn real income from real estate
Taken pictures of buildings? Take pictures of buildings with For Sale signs
and offer them to the sellers. If your photo is better than theirs, you’ll be
exchanging contracts.restate.jpg

14. Take a trip to a travel agents
Travelers want to know where they’re going so if you’ve been there and
photographed it, give travel agents a chance to show them. For a small fee, of
course.

15. Decorate cafes
Ask café owners to put your pictures on their walls. They get free art… you get
to show pictures with price tags.

16. Earn every day with calendars
Calendars are simple to make but tough to get into stores. So sell them online.

17. Build a membership base
Create a club and give members a photo a day with an explanation of how it
was shot. It will be like an email photography course… with tuition fees.

18. Put your pictures on microstock sites
Hey, everyone else is doing it — and some people are making six-figure sums
doing it!

19. Put your pictures in competitions
The ‘net is stuffed with photo contests these days. Some of them pay cash
prizes, others pay with a valuable reputation boost. Be a winner!

20. Go mobile
Ringtones are a huge market and ringtone companies also sell mobile phone
wallpapers. Ask them to sell yours.

21. Snapped a logo? Take it to the company
If there’s a logo in your picture, you’ve got just one possible buyer. So ask
them to buy it.

22. Put it on a t-shirt
Yes, we know it’s old-fashioned but it works! People do buy them…ptshirt.jpg

23. Turn your photos into art works
You don’t need a gallery to create art works; you just need a canvas printer.
There are plenty of those around so put your picture on a stretcher and sell it
as art.

24. Turn your art into sketches
Photoshop lets you turn your images into sketches. So if you can’t draw, pack
your camera, a laptop and a portable printer and head to where the tourists are.
While the sketchers sketch, you can shoot and print.

25. Customize stationery
Fancy stationery comes with all sorts of flowery designs. Why shouldn’t they
come with your pictures? Find a printer, create notebooks and put them in
stores.

26. Put your pictures on programs
Software companies need all sorts of images… to decorate their disc covers, to
put on their boxes, to function as backgrounds. Check out who’s working on
what, shoot some stills and make your pitch.

27. Play with picture cards
Soldiers play with sexy playing cards but who says you have to be crude?
Take 52 themed pictures, print them on cards and take a bet on gamblers.

28. Take to student life
Students don’t have much money. Neither do their publications. But they do
have enough to pay freelance photographers with good pictures and they’re
open-minded enough to try someone new. And you don’t have to be a student
to do it.

29. Decorate model apartments
Property developers always create at least one apartment that looks lived in to
show prospective buyers. Why shouldn’t the developers put your pictures on
the wall?

30. Decorate furniture stores
It’s not just developers that need to create fake living spaces; furniture stores
do it too. Take a look at what’s on offer, create pictures that match the chairs…
and market them.

31. Put it in the bag
You can put anything on a handbag these days, even a $5,000 price tag. So
talk to a bag designer and build a winning team.

32. Cover school books
No, you’re not back at school… but plenty of kids are still there and every year
they have to cover their school books — usually in horrible colored paper. Take
trendy pictures, print them on thin paper and sell them to kids who want their
books to look cool.

33. Stretch your pictures to 42 inches
The price of flat-screen TVs has fallen faster than an anvil in a road-runner
cartoon. These days, almost everyone has one on their wall and most of them
are dark most of the time. But there’s no reason they should be. Some of them
can take uploaded pictures. Make a disk and make them yours.p42in.jpg

34. Cover CDs
People are still burning CDs… and still storing in them in boring plastic
covers. Put pictures on circles and offer them to stores that sell blanks.

35. Cover flash cards
Of course, more people these days are using flash memory cards to hold their
information. They may be small but they’re big enough to hold a photo with
sticker. Especially if you print it small enough.

36. Create collectors’ packs
Shoot a series of themed images such as birds of California or hairstyles of the
rich and famous. Print them on cards and sell them in niche outlets in
restricted doses. It worked for baseball players…

37. Tell stories with your pictures
You don’t have to draw to create graphic novels. Call some pals, create some
poses and print them as story books.

38. Turn your pictures into wallpapers
Desktop wallpapers are still big business. Or at least, big enough to buy your
photos. So sell them and appear on computers across the nation.

39. Help campaigning groups
Local pressure groups need images for their campaigns and they’re the sort
that aren’t easy to find — beautiful pictures of the local woods, for example, or
the headquarters of a property developer. Snap and sell.

40. Become a local photojournalist
It’s not just pressure groups and student papers that are willing to take
freelanced images. Local newspapers often will too, especially the free ones.
Call their photo editors and make your pitch.

41. Change clothes…
Not yours, the clothes in your pictures. Shoot a series of people standing in the
same pose, shoot clothes to match, then team up with a programmer to let
people play around with them. Then sell the game to a site about fashion as
sticky content.

42. … and expressions.
There’s a good reason Mr. Potato Head is still around. He’s fun. So create an
electronic version by shooting portraits then ask your friendly programmer to
let players change noses. You get to share the game profits.

43. Sit on your best work
If you can put a picture on a t-shirt, you can also put it on a cushion cover. So
do.

44. Let buyers eat your pictures
IcingImages.com lets photographers print images on sheets of edible paper
and stick them on cakes. Could be a tasty deal for wedding photographers.eatpic.jpg

45. Market to Flickr book marketers
Book marketers are using Flickr to drum up publicity. They need good images.
You need sales. It’s a match made in a kitchen.

46. Sell to eBay auctioneers
Many of the items sold on eBay appear time and time again, often with poor
images. So shoot commonly sold products and sell the pictures to sellers.

47. Illustrate recipes
It’s not just Flickr book marketers who need food pictures. Recipe sites do too.
Cook up a storm and photograph the results. Then eat them and offer the
pictures to the people who made the meal possible.

48. Advertise on Craigslist
So simple. So overlooked. So why not be the first to advertising outstanding
prints on the world’s coolest classifieds?

49. Create coloring books
Take pictures of cats, dogs and bunnies, follow these neat Photoshop steps and
put together your very own coloring books.

50. Cover the Earth in your pictures
Well, Google Earth anyway. Some photographers have already put their aerial
images on Google Earth but why not turn all of your best travel photos into an
overlay… and sell them?

Indonesia-Underwater images,Mandarin Fish

2008-03-13T05:27:00.000-07:00

Indonesia
Underwater images from Indonesia,
the largest archipelago in the world with
over a thousand islands.

Mandarinfish
Probably the most colorful and shyest fish on the reef. Mandarinfish Synchiropus splendidus only come out at dusk and are very sensitive to light.

To download your Free Desktop Wallpaper:

Internet Explorer users
Right Click on the image and select Set as Background.

Netscape Navigator users
Right Click on the image and select Set as Wallpaper.

Mac users
Hold down the mouse button over the image and wait for the menu.
Choose Save Image As.
Open the control panel to Desktop Pictures.
Click Select Picture and load the file you just saved.
Choose Position Automatically.

Free-Ten Underwater, Hi Def Ocean desktop wallpapers

2008-03-11T05:50:00.000-07:00

click the image to get the larger size, then right click over the photo, on pop up menu choose "save image as" or "set as Desktop Background"
See the whole collection and get embed codes:
Williams Pictures

Free desktop Wallpaper,red fish, blue fish

2008-03-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

One Fish two Fish-"From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere."

see the whole Gallery:
CLICK HERE

Ocean Paradise-a must see blog!

2008-03-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

Ocean Paradise-Our Planet is home to a host of beautiful
and bizarre creatures lurking in the colorful world
beneath the sea and on the shores. Take a peek and see some
of them! Photography,nature,science,underwater,
get a Free Desktop Wallpaper from my Photo Gallery:

Narwhal,Unicorn of the Sea-Photos

2008-03-10T04:51:00.000-07:00

The narwhal is the unicorn of the sea, a pale-colored porpoise found in Arctic coastal waters and rivers. These legendary animals have two teeth. In males, the more prominent tooth grows into a sword-like, spiral tusk up to 8.75 feet (2.7 meters) long. The ivory tusk tooth grows right through the narwhal's upper lip. Scientists are not certain of the tusk's purpose, but some believe it is prominent in mating rituals, perhaps used to impress females or to battle rival suitors. Females sometimes grow a small tusk of their own, but it does not become as prominent as the male's.

Narwhals are related to bottlenose dolphins, belugas, harbor porpoises, and orcas. Like some other porpoises, they travel in groups and feed on fish, shrimp, squid, and other aquatic fare. They are often sighted swimming in groups of 15 to 20, but gatherings of hundreds—or even several thousand—narwhals have been reported.

Fast Facts
Type: Mammal
Diet: Carnivore
Size: 13 to 20 ft (4 to 6.1 m)
Weight: 3,500 lbs (1,600 kg)

Ancient Roman dies saving Pompeii silver

2008-03-09T06:29:00.000-07:00

A 2000-year-old silver dining service buried in volcanic ash as a resident of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii tried to escape with it has been unveiled by Italian archaeologists.The hand-crafted goblets, plates and trays had been bundled into a wicker backpack by someone trying to escape in 79 AD when Mount Vesuvius erupted.Hundreds of temples, villas, baths and fleeing Romans were trapped in the fiery deluge."This individual was seeking refuge; he had fled Pompeii trying to save himself and carried 20 pieces of silver with him, trying to save them as well," says Pietro Giovanni Guzzo, the archaeological superintendent of Pompeii."But the eruption caught him and killed him," he says.The wicker basket and silver set were perfectly preserved by the volcanos covered two millenia later by workers on a new highway that will pass near the Pompeii ruins.Archaeologists then x-rayed the mud-encased basket and have carefully extracted and polished its contents over the past five years.The treasure weighs 4 kilograms and comprises four small plates, four small goblets, four large goblets, a tray, a spoon and two vases with hand-hammered figures on them."The find will help us understand Pompeii," Guzzo says. "It's not just frescoes, it's not just a tragedy, there was a way of life before the city was destroyed."It's taken five years for researchers to extract the silver dinner service from a mud-encased basket and polish it (Image: Reuters/HO)Pompeii, with its well-preserved temples, cobble-stoned streets, brothels and cafeterias, is one of the world's most visited tourist sites.Only four dining sets had been found during excavations at Pompeii before this, the last one 75 years ago.When asked if the owner of the latest set might have escaped if he hadn't tried to save his silver, Guzzo says:"We don't know. We have found 2000 bodies trapped by the eruption, but the population was 10,000 to 15,000, so many did escape.

Free Desktop Wallpapers-animals,underwater,big cats

2008-03-07T17:36:00.000-08:00

click the photos to visit the gallery for more Beautiful free desktop wallpapers!

Freebies-Worldwide, hundreds of free samples

2008-03-07T17:06:00.000-08:00

Free Categories

Freebies- Ten Free Samples Pet Food,dogs,cats,fishPet Food--Free sample of Greenies Dental Chews for Dogs

2008-03-07T06:42:00.000-08:00

These pet freebies are 100% Free. They don't last long so hurry and get Fido a treat now!

Pet Food--Free sample of Cat or Dog Food from Pet Eats
Pet Food--Free sample of The Missing Link Cat and Dog Food
Pet Food--Free sample Pouch of Nature's Recipe Dog Food
Pet Food --Free sample of Cesar Supreme Entree for Dogs
Pet Food--Free sample of Cesar Dog Food for Registering
Pet Food--Free sample of Pet Greens for Dogs or Cats
Pet Food--Free sample of DuraFlake Food for Freshwater Fish
Pet Food--Free sample of Dog Lover's Choice Dog Food Topping
Pet Food--Free 4-Pound Bag of Purina One Cat or Dog Food
Pet Food--Free sample of Greenies Dental Chews for Dogs

Soft Yellow Corals and Anthias Fish - free desktop wallpaper

2008-03-05T04:23:00.000-08:00

click the image to get the larger size, then right click over the
photo, on pop up menu choose "save image as" or "set as Desktop
Background"

Sunken Treasure, Conch Shell, Bahamas - download free wallpaper

2008-03-05T04:16:00.000-08:00

click the image to get the larger size, then right click over the photo, on pop up menu choose "save image as" or "set as Desktop Background"

Sunken Treasure, Conch Shell, Bahamas - free desktop wallpaper

2008-03-05T04:10:00.000-08:00

click the image to get the larger size, then right click over the photo, on pop up menu choose "save image as" or "set as Desktop Background"

Sugar Wreck, Bahamas - free desktop wallpaper

2008-03-05T04:02:00.000-08:00

click the image to get the larger size, then right click over the photo, on pop up menu choose "save image as" or "set as Desktop Background"

Mandarin fish-photos

2008-03-02T12:08:00.000-08:00

Mandarin Fish belong to a family of fishes called dragonets (though are commonly misidentified as Mandarin Goby) and are among the tropical reefs' most colorful fish: with psychedelic oranges, blues, purples and greens, the fish look like they are decorated with multi-colored neon.

Fossil Snake With Legs, 95 million years old found

2008-03-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

Appearing like the punchline to an evolutionary riddle, a new fossil snake with legs has emerged from 95 million year-old deposits near Jerusalem. Its sedimentary surroundings suggest a seafaring lifestyle for this ancient reptile, but its advanced anatomy could overturn a current theory about the marine origin of snakes.

This intriguing new species, dubbed Haasiophis terrasanctus , is the second limbed snake to come from the site of Ein Yabrud, an ancient marine environment broadly similar to the still, coastal waters of today's Bahamian reef.

The first such species, Pachyrhachis problematicus, plays a pivotal role in a scenario that places the ancestor of snakes in the sea.

But a riddle remains: why do these two snake species have hind limbs? If legs were the norm for snake ancestors, it would make sense to see the species' advanced anatomy as only superficially similar to more modern snakes. On the other hand, the stubby limbs on the fossil snakes might represent an evolutionary reversal, where snakes with advanced skull design regain hind limbs that were lost.

Rieppel said that it is difficult to tell how the legs themselves might have been used, since they are too small in relation to the animal's whole body to have any locomotor function. Modern pythons have a rudimentary hind limb, usually little more than a "claw" of cartilage tipped with bone that they use during mating and occasional fighting, and it is possible that Haasiophis' leg served a similar purpose.

Beautiful Maldives Underwater Dive Photos

2008-03-01T04:02:00.000-08:00

Beautiful Maldives - Underwater1

Sun, sand and sea, a thousand ‘Robinson Crusoe’ islands, massive lagoons with different depths and infinite shades of blue and turquoise, dazzling underwater coral gardens.

The Maldives (or Maldive Islands), officially the Republic of Maldives, is an island nation consisting of a group of atolls in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is located south of India's Lakshadweep islands, and about seven hundred kilometres (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka. The Maldives' twenty-six atolls encompass a territory featuring 1,192 islets, roughly two hundred of which are inhabited.

Fiji,Beqa Lagoon Dive photos

2008-02-29T03:57:00.000-08:00

Fiji 2001; Beqa Lagoon Dive Sites; Desktop Size

Soft Coral Capital of the World, Fiji-photos

2008-02-28T05:29:00.000-08:00

Fiji, “the Soft Coral Capital of the World”, is rated as one of the top 10 dive destinations in the world. It is well deserved. Fiji’s vast, varied and colorful underwater playgrounds boast something spectacular for divers at every skill level… breathtaking hard and soft corals, wall dives, caves, grottos and shipwrecks. Fiji is truly a diver’s paradise where the daily menu is so diversified that it is sometimes difficult to believe you are in the same country.

Aotearoa,New Zealand on the Pacific Rim.-Photos

2008-02-26T19:32:00.000-08:00

New Zealand is a country in the south-western Pacific Ocean .The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, which is usually translated into English as The Land of the Long White Cloud. New Zealand is notable for its geographic isolation, being separated from Australia to the northwest by the Tasman Sea, approximately 1250 miles across. Its closest neighbours to the north are New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga.
New Zealand is also home to the rare Hectors Dolphin and the beautiful Dusky Dolphin!

Largest Crystals in the World Discovered in Cave in Mexico-Photos

2008-02-25T16:43:00.000-08:00

Crystal Caves Of Naica
Thanks to contributor SunBea for this fantastic Power Point Presentation! It's a little Hard for some to view, so we placed it in a zoho viewer for you, click the link to see these Huge georgeous Crystals in two caves in Mexico! (Looks like the crystals on Supermans Home Planet!

Click to View

Description
The word Naica is of Tarahumara origin and means shady place. It was given to the hills, maybe because of a spring with some trees. The hills are full of minerals which made them valuable for mining. The mine produces lead, zinc, copper, silver and gold and is one of the most productive mines in Chihuahua.

In the last years the care of the environment and for minimum contamination by the present mining comany gave the mine a national level of prominence. Hopefully this attitude amongst the miners may also protected the Cave of the Crystals.

This mine is not a show mine, but a still working and producing mine. It is very hot and has a huge underground well of 52°C hot water. The air of the mine is cooled down by a ventilation system to about 40°C, but the humidity of the air is about 100%. The topic of this page is not the mine, but two natural caverns found inside the mine.

The Cueva de las Espadas (Cave of Swords) was found in 1910 and contains extraordinary large selenite (gypsum) crystals. It is named after the crystals, which resemble swords. The natural cave is a single huge chamber about 70m in diameter and 120m below surface. The prismatic gypsum crystals, which are called selenite, are up to 2m long and 25cm in diameter. The Cave of Swords is famous among geoscientists and visited very often, thus it is equipped with paths, light and ventilation. Unfortunately the habit of removing crystals for the mineralogical museums of the world deprived the cave of its best pieces. The change in the cave climate further damaged the crystals and made them dusty and opaque.

The newest discovery is the Cueva de los Cristales (Cave of the Crystals), even more spectacular than the Cave of Swords. At a depth of 300m first a spherical chamber of 8m diameters filled with selenite crystals was found. The tunnel was rerouted, but soon after a second, even bigger chamber with several big selenite crystals, 8m long and 2m in diameter, was found. The longest crystal is 11m long. It was closed by a brick wall and an iron gate to protect the crystalls.

As the temperature inside the cave is 60°C and the humidity 100%, a visit of the cave always includes a perfect steam bath. But for work in the cave it is really problematic. First it was absolutely impossible to take any picture of the cave as cameras first steamed up, and when they reached the temperature of the cavern, the electronic was dead. The researchers developed special techniques for the temperature, but more than 10 minutes are not possible inside the cave. Typically two or three minute visits are applicable.

A mine worker who tried to steal some crystals died in the cave: the temperature and the bad air causes dehydration and after a few minutes he was too weak to leave the cave and suffocated. When he was found, his body was cooked (well done to be exact).

The exploration is done by La Venta, an Italian group of cave explorers, and a Méxican company named Speleoresearch & Films. They have an agreement with the mining company Industrias Peñoles about the protection of the cave. The technical difficulties of the exploration are immense, and so far the total size of the cave is still unknown, as it is impossible to explore more than a few tens of meters in the available time. Special breathing and protection systems are developed with the goal to stay inside the cave for at least one hour.

The formation of the large selenite crystals was explored during the last years by Juan Manuel Garcia-Ruiz from the University of Granada in Spain and others. The results were published in the April 2007 issue of the journal Geology of the Geological Society of America. They determined the exact conditions of the crystal growth by analyzing the water contained in tiny pockets inside the crystals. They grew in gypsum rich water at about 58°C, heated by the volcanic activities below.

Ways to increase traffic to your blog

2008-02-25T14:38:00.001-08:00

I also used that ping list and noticed that my traffic increased with almost 30%!

read more | digg story

Ways to increase traffic to your blog

2008-02-24T16:00:00.000-08:00

Remember my post which contained a ping list ? Well I also used that ping list and noticed that my traffic increased with almost 30%! Taking in consideration that i did almost nothing to achieve the extra traffic you can say that it’s worth it to use the ping list.

Not just pinging can increase traffic to your blog, but directories can bring a constant flow of traffic to your blog also. Not all blog directories can bring you good traffic, and it’s not worth filling your sidebar with links to blog directories which don’t get you any traffic.

Here is a list of blog directories where you should submit your blog

www.blogcatalog.com - Blog Catalog is the premiere social blog directory on the internet. Whether you’re looking to promote your own blog or find blogs on various topics, this site is for you. You can also add a Recent viewers widget to your blog which looks similar to the mybloglog one.

www.readablog.com - Read a Blog is a blog search engine which indexes feeds and gives visitors the possibilities to navigate/search trough them. Submitting your blog takes less than 20 seconds.

www.blogflux.com - Find blogs you will find interesting. Tags, categories, country, language, groups - find blogs however you want. Can bring you great traffic.

www.findingblog.com - FindingBlog.com is blog directory, featuring free blog submission and fast approval. Submit your blog to our directory, and you can easily promote your blog to hundreds of daily visitor of our site.

www.bloggeries.com - Bloggeries is a blogging portal that contains blog directory/forum and blog reviews with the possibility to get your blog rated. Reciprocal listings are free but not available every time.

www.globeofblogs.com - Globe of blogs is a huge blog directory which contains more than 65,000 blogs. They require a link-back and if you wish to use a small button than you must host it on your server.

www.blogrankings.com - Blog Rankings is a blog directory with deep-linking possibility. Getting approved usually takes 24-48 hours.

www.bloggernity.com - One of the exciting bloggers hangout and directory on the internet. Search our directory for latest news, entertainment, humor and politics issues. We get many new blog listed on our directory daily. Be sure to check out their blog.

Other traffic sources

Social bookmarking websites

You can get constant traffic from Social bookmarking websites, and each time it would take only 1-2 minutes of work after writing a blog post.

To ease your submission work you can use OnlyWire which will blast your content on 22 social bookmarking websites.

Blogrush widget

Blogrush.com can bring a great deal of traffic to your blog, all you need to do is register an account, enter your blog details and add the widget to your blog. Simple as that.

Entrecard widget

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Megalodon: Largest Shark That Ever Lived, photos

2008-02-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

At 60 feet long, Megalodon was the largest shark that ever lived and a dominant marine predator.

Twice the size of a great white shark, and with teeth 21cm long, this was the top predator of its time.

Type: Cartilaginous fishSize: Up to 60 feet in length

Diet: Carnivore

Predators: No known predators

Lived: The Miocene and Pliocene epochs, 16-1.6 million years ago.

Streamlined and muscular, megalodon had jaws over 2m wide. While megalodon could eat whatever it chose, its favourite food was whale. Other kinds of marine mammals such as seals and Odobenocetops were also on its menu.
Most of this shark's hunting was in the open sea (juveniles lived closer to shore). It attacked its prey near the surface, when it came up for air.
Megalodon could swim at high speed in short bursts so tended to rush its prey from beneath. Especially when tackling large species, it would first aim to disable its prey by injuring a flipper or the tail. Once unable to swim properly, the victim would be easy to finish off.

Glass Tulips- Huge Worms Found in Antarctica -Photos

2008-02-23T07:21:00.000-08:00

Standing in fields like poppies these tunicates are actually animals. The tunicates, which resemble glass tulips, are early colonizers of Antarctic regions that have been disturbed by icebergs that scour the seafloor as they pass by. The animals are among many mysterious creatures collected from the icy waters by scientists of the Australian Antarctic Division.

(Watch video of sea spiders found on the expedition, and read the full story.)

The study is part of an international project to take a census of Antarctic marine life. The plankton-eating tunicates grow up to 3.2 feet (1 meter) long, and filter food by pumping it through an internal mesh structure. The stalk is supported by pressure created by their pump, according to the scientists

Sea Spiders and Glass Tulips-latest footage from Antarctica

World's Oldest Gold from Europe's most Ancient Civilization

2008-02-23T07:15:00.000-08:00

Varna Chalcolithic Necropolis
The Varna Chalcolithic Necropolis which experts qualify as "the world's oldest gold" and a trace of "Europe's most ancient civilization" was a sensational discovery. It is situated about 500m to the north of Lake Varna and about 4 km to the west of the downtown. In 294 graves were discovered more than 3000 golden objects dating back 6000 years. In Hall 6 of Varna Museum of History is exhibited the whole inventory from some of the most significant graves. On both sides of the entrance are represented the graves with masks of human faces shaped out on spot and appliquéd with gold plates. The rich variety of funeral utensils going along with the dead is best illustrated by two of the symbolic graves / No 4 and No 36/. In grave No 4 have been found two unique vessels where the typical for the time decoration of strongly stylized geometrical symbols is fulfilled in golden paint. Read More

Free 30 minute Phone Card

2008-02-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

I got one of these in the mail and thought I'd share. It comes in the free Quest Movers Kit-wow a free 30 minute phone card!

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Pre-move checklist
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Videos: Ancient Croc Unveiled and Elephant Shrew Discovery

2008-02-22T07:04:00.001-08:00

Videos of Dinosaur to Crocodile Missing Link discovered and Discovery of a new mammal, the cat sized elephant shrew.

read more | digg story

Jurassic Shark Expedition-Tagging Hammerheads,Photos

2008-02-22T05:56:00.000-08:00

The Return of Jurassic Shark

Petty Offficer Steve Paris-Hunter tagging the Hammerhead sharks
The team were deployed to Cocos Island to tag sharks in association with the Shark Research Institute (SRI) and Costa Rican conservationists.
The expedition, dubbed ‘Jurassic Shark', was set up to investigate the migratory routes of Hammerhead sharks, to help prevent the illegal practice of poaching them for their expensive fins. The team's success surpassed any expedition of its kind, and they tagged 15 sharks.

CNN - Giant sea spider filmed

2008-02-21T03:27:00.000-08:00

From: ZomgAChicken123
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Added: February 19, 2008
Giant sea spiders are among the many mysterious creatures sighted by scientists in a search off eastern Antarctica coast.

Antarctic Life Hung By A Thread During Ice Ages

2008-02-20T09:34:00.000-08:00

ScienceDaily (2008-02-15) -- The extreme cold and environmental conditions of past Ice Ages have been even more severe than seen today and changed life at the Antarctic, forcing the migration of many animals such as penguins, whales and seals, researchers argue. Understanding the changes of the past may help scientists to determine how the anticipated temperature increases of the future will work to further transform this continent.

read article

No Pristine Oceans Left, New Map Shows

2008-02-19T06:46:00.000-08:00

No areas of the world's oceans remain completely untouched by humanity's influence, according to a new study.Every area of the oceans is feeling the effects of fishing, pollution, or human-caused global warming, the study says, and some regions are being affected by all of these factors and more.A team led by Ben Halpern of the University of California, Santa Barbara, created the first global map that shows the various kinds of damage being done to marine ecosystems.The team assigned scores to 17 human impacts and tallied them up for every ocean region to reveal the overall effect people are having on marine life."The ocean is so big, I figured there would be a lot of areas that we hadn't gotten to or that people rarely get to," Halpern said."But when you look at the map, there are huge areas that are being impacted by multiple human activities," he said. "It was certainly a surprise to me."The project revealed that more than 40 percent of the world's marine ecosystems are heavily affected. Major hot spots include the North Sea off the northern coast of Europe and Asia's South China Sea and East China Sea.The study will be published tomorrow in the journal Science.Acid Oceans, Melting iceOf all the human effects on marine ecosystems, climate change is having by far the largest overall impact, the researchers estimate.Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide are warming up the atmosphere and, more slowly, the oceans, the scientists explain.Also, carbon dioxide dissolves into ocean waters, turning them more acidic, which makes it harder for corals, shellfish, and other animals to grow their protective skeletons or shells.Remote, ice-bound areas in Antarctica and the Arctic are feeling the least impact, the study found, mostly because few people live there and those regions are hard to reach. But global warming is still affecting those places. (Read related story: "Antarctica Ice Loss Faster Than Ten Years Ago" [January 14, 2008].)The impacts of warming will continue to get worse, the study notes. "Projections of future polar ice loss suggest that the impact on these regions will increase substantially," the study authors write.The second biggest factor affecting marine life is fishing, they add. Trawl-fishing for animals on the ocean floor, such as groundfish and shrimp, is especially damaging because the rest of the seafloor habitat is destroyed in the process, Halpern says.The habitats that are suffering the worst impacts, rated "very high" in the study, are continental shelves, the shallow areas off the coasts of continents that are 200 to 750 feet (60 to 200 meters) deep.Other areas with very high impacts include the northeastern U.S., where pollution, commercial shipping, and fishing are the major causes of harm.The North Sea and Chinese coasts are hit by almost every kind of impact, Halpern said. "It's a perfect storm."Marine ParksElizabeth Babcock is a marine biologist at the University of Miami who was not involved in the new study."The most useful thing about this [study] is the ability to look at the big picture and to pick out areas that are particularly pristine that would be good places for having marine parks," she said.The research could also be used to find "areas that are a lot more impacted than anyone thinks, that really need some conservation attention," she added."The map is useful for international groups to prioritize where they spend money for mitigation [of these problems] and conservation."John Pandolfi of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, said the study "highlights the fact that ecosystems in the sea know no political boundaries. Hence an international, cooperative approach is the only way forward."The team did not measure the effects of certain practices, such as illegal fishing and aquaculture, the farming of aquatic plants and animals."This makes their estimates of habitat decline conservative, and things are probably worse than they outline," Pandolfi said.Including more local impacts would also paint a bleaker picture, he added. "A closer look at the nearshore human footprints will probably show a greater degree of degradation," he said.Yet Halpern remains optimistic."My hope is that our results serve as a wake-up call to better manage and protect our oceans rather than a reason to give up," he said."Our goal, and really our necessity, is to do this in a sustainable way so that our oceans remain in a healthy state and continue to provide us the resources we need and want."

How to Make Money with RSS Feed

2008-02-19T04:30:00.000-08:00

How to make money with your RSS Feed
RSS feeds are also a way to get our blog content onto other pages like your My Yahoo page.
I have all the RSS info at the Yuwie club: Real Pals
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I submit the url of my RSS feed to all the big Feed directories which gets me subscribers and lots of page views at Yuwie. I'll help any of you to understand how to do this. Just message me for help at Yuwie! William

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What Makes the Sea Wasp so Deadly

2008-02-16T13:47:00.000-08:00

There are many creatures on this earth that are quite deadly to humans. The deadliest of all, of course, being other humans. Perhaps, what poses the greatest threat to our lives are creatures we can't even see - microbes. These are the microorganisms we usually call germs or cooties, the ones that make us sick. By and large, disease-causing germs are responsible for the largest number of human deaths every year. But what we're talking about here are the venomous creatures; those whose bodies manufacture toxins that can be rubbed off, ingested (swallowed), or injected into another, causing severe illness or death. Just to name a few, there's the poison dart frogs of the Costa Rican jungles, stonefish, cone shells, the black mamba snake, and even a tiny octopus that lives in tropical waters. When creatures are rated for the "deadliness factor" there's a couple of measures that are taken into account:

1) How many people an ounce of the creature's venom can kill

2) How long it takes you to die from the venom after being bitten, stung, or stuck

In both cases the grand prize winner and world-record holder is the creature known as the sea wasp, or marine stinger. The name sea wasp is misleading because the creature isn't actually a wasp or insect at all. It is a jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri). The "bell" of this box jelly can get as big as a basketball with up to 60 tentacles hanging down as long as 15 feet, which is pretty good sized jelly. Not as big as the world-record jellyfish, though (check it out).

Silent Stalkers

Sea Wasps, or box jellies, are not aggressive. They don't have to be. For jellyfish, they are pretty fast swimmers (up to 5mph), dangling their long tentacles in the surf behind them until something, usually a fish, gets caught in their practically invisible tentacles. That's where all their nematocysts (stinging capsules contained within cells called cnidocytes located along the tentacles) are located. (Most people who have been stung are Aussies who were swimming in the surf along with the jellies and never even saw the tentacles.) The poison is used to kill their prey as close to "instant" as possible in order to prevent a struggling victim from thrashing their delicate tissues. Makes sense. Then they can take their time devouring their meal without risking injury to themselves.

Deadly Toxins

What's really amazing is how the stinging cells work. They're little tiny poison darts that are buried inside the flesh of each tentacle (like the sweat glands in your skin), along the entire length. They're triggered chemically, by contacting the surface of human skin or the scaly skin of a fish. Scientists have captured box jellies and put them in tanks in the laboratory. Simply by pouring alcohol into the tank they caused the stinging cells to react and release their venom. Hmmm. This means that if the jelly's tentacles don't come in contact with the chemicals on human skin, the nematocysts won't respond and you won't get stung!

Simple Fix
Turns out, something as thin and flimsy as women's nylon pantyhose worn over the skin will prevent the jellies from stinging. Aussies have known about this trick for years. You'll catch totally cool Aussie Lifeguards wearing women's pantyhose over their arms and on their legs. It may look funny, but it can prevent them from suffering agonizing pain and can even save their lives.

Not everyone who has been stung by a Sea Wasp has died, but those who didn't may have wished they had. The sting from a box jelly is said to be excruciatingly painful. It can cause nausea, vomiting and breathing problems. The Aussies have developed an antivenom (something to counteract the toxic effects of the jelly's venom). Doesn't do you a whole lotta good if you got stung so badly while you were out in the water and then couldn't even make it back to shore. But, you really need to get tangled up good (contacting at least 10 feet of tentacle) in order to experience its ultimate effect - death.
for Jason

How to Promote Your blog Free

2008-02-16T07:17:00.001-08:00

huge list of free online auto submitters to submit your rss feeds free! Get new subscribers

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The Largest Mollusk on Earth-500 lbs Giant Clam

2008-02-15T08:40:00.000-08:00

The giant clam gets only one chance to find a nice home. Once it fastens itself to a spot on a reef, there it sits for the rest of its life.

These bottom-dwelling behemoths are the largest mollusks on Earth, capable of reaching 4 feet (1.2 meters) in length and weighing more than 500 pounds (227 kg). They live in the warm waters of the South Pacific and Indian oceans.

Giant clams achieve their enormous proportions by consuming the sugars and proteins produced by the billions of algae that live in their tissues. In exchange, they offer the algae a safe home and regular access to sunlight for photosynthesis, basking by day below the water's surface with their fluted shells open and their multi-colored mantles exposed. They also use a siphon to draw in water to filter and consume passing plankton.

Type: Invertebrate
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 100 years or more
Size: 4 ft (1.2 m)
Weight: More than 440 lbs (200 kg)
Did you know? No two giant clams have the same coloration.

You Are Invited to Join William at Yuwie

2008-02-15T07:15:00.000-08:00

Valentines Myspace Comments
You have been invited to join Yuwie by William Thomas.

When you join, you will be instantly connected to William and William's friends.
Click the link below to join.
JOIN FREE HERE

First off, Yuwie is 100% FREE. Yuwie is like any other "connect with friends" or social networking site. But we have one major difference.Use Yuwie - Get Paid!Yuwie pays you to blog, upload pictures, refer friends, chat, hang out, etc.

Todays Fresh Freebies-Pringles,Aquafresh

2008-02-15T06:56:00.001-08:00

these go fast so hurry

read more | digg story

Hot New Ice DVD – FREE!

2008-02-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

Nature Vision’s new ice fishing DVD, “Discoveries on Ice ” is available to you, FREE! Watch the In-Fisherman staff and other ice angling experts, as they demonstrate ground-breaking new ice equipment, along with tactics so hot, they’ll stop you cold.
Simply fill out the information below, and we will send out your own personal copy. See the video that is truly the next phase in the ice revolution!

Order Form FREE Aqua-Vu Ice DVD here!

Dolphin Diploma - prove you're a dolphin expert!

2008-02-13T09:53:00.000-08:00

Dolphin Diploma - prove you're a dolphin expert!
2008 is the Year of the Dolphin and YOU can help raise awareness about these fantastic animals and how to protect them by taking part in the Dolphin Diploma award.Dolphins in danger !Dolphins are really special animals, with lots of wonderful species living in the world’s oceans and seas, even rivers and lakes. For hundreds of years, they have captured the imagination of people in many countries and have inspired poets, artists, musicians and others.But, sadly, they face a number of threats that make their survival difficult. In 2006 the world lost its first dolphin species due to mankind, the Yangtze River dolphin, and world-wide others are close to extinction. They need clean and quiet oceans, protected areas and people who care.How are Dolphin Diplomas awarded?It's simple! First have a go at a fun quiz to show us how much you know about dolphins, and then carry out an activity to help them.There are two ways to get your diploma, both with easy instructions and ideas:1)

OnlineClick here to make a start with the Year of the Dolphin Diploma quiz!2) At school or homeWDCS has produced a Dolphin Diploma pack, with links to the National Curriculum, that can be downloaded below by your teacher. It includes all they need to run a fantastic Dolphin Diploma Day at school. Or perhaps you would like to do it as a family – why not get your parent/guardian to download the pack and act as quiz master!Go on… prove you’re a dolphin expert, help protect dolphins, and get your family and friends involved too!

The Worlds Largest Ocean Carnivore-- Eats Great White Sharks

2008-02-12T17:32:00.000-08:00

The Amazing Sperm Whale is the largest of the toothed whale species in the world. Adult males can grow up to 60 feet long and weigh 40 tons (read - 80,000 pounds!). Males are usually about twice as large as the females. They have a pretty long life span, about as long as people, living up to 70 years. Sperm whales have been found living in every ocean in the world. The great ocean carnivore has been known to eat another great ocean carnivore - the great white shark!

Olive Ridley Turtle,Lepidochelys olivacea-Photos and Facts

2008-02-12T16:49:00.000-08:00

The olive ridley's name comes from its olive-green carapace. The name ridley may come from the word "riddler" or "riddle" because this species was once thought be a hybrid of other turtle species. The olive ridley is famous for its spectacular arribadas, where thousands of females nest simultaneously on the same beach. Click here to see an arribada at Arkive.org.

How big? Like their close relative the Kemps ridley, olive ridleys are small marine turtles, weighing about 40kg and growing up to 1m long.

What's on the menu? Olive ridleys inhabit the open ocean and little is known about their diet. They are thought to feed on swimming crabs, jellyfish, fish and other small open ocean animals.

Where do they live? Olive ridleys are widespread throughout the tropical oceans of the world. The females nest individually or in arribadas (Spanish for arrival), when large groups of turtles nest together on one rookery. Arribadas occur on a few isolated tropical beaches in Central America, with the largest known aribbada occurring twice a year on the coast of Orissa north east India. Click here to see olive ridley turtles mating at Arkive.org.

Endangered? Until recently, this species is listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). In September 2007 the IUCN changed the listing to vulnerable. For more information see the IUCN Marine Turtles Specialist Group website. Despite the fact that they nest in huge numbers in some parts of the world, a significant percentage of the world's olive ridley population depends on just a few nesting beaches for their survival.

If you want to find out more about olive ridley turtles and how you can help them, why not Adopt-a-Turtle?

Jumbo 16/20 Shell on Shrimp-Photo,20 % off

2008-02-12T07:02:00.000-08:00

Oversized� large� huge� whatever you call them, these extra jumbo shrimp are BIG in both size and taste. Originating from the cold waters of South America, our fresh shrimp arrive at your door raw with the shell on, ready to cook or freeze for later. Serve these shrimp in a traditional shrimp cocktail appetizer or use them as a low fat, low calorie alternative to meat in salads, pasta, rice dishes and more.
Try them with our spicy homemade cocktail sauce for an extra-tasty kick. 16/20 count per pound for only $9.99 per 1/2 lb
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Ocean Desktop Wallpapers

2008-02-10T07:09:00.001-08:00

Click on the links below the preview images for the full size wallpapers.
If the links don't show your resolution, use the nearest wallpaper size and then select 'stretch' in Display Properties.

800x600 1024x768		800x600 1024x768
800x600 1024x768		800x600 1024x768
800x600 1024x768		800x600 1024x768

Similan Diving - Wentletraps,Frogfish-Photos

2008-02-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

Similan Diving - Wentletraps
wicked's Public Gallery

Wentletraps are small, often white, very high-spired, predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Epitoniidae.

The word wentletrap originated in German-Dutch, and it means spiral staircase. These snails are sometimes also called "staircase shells", and "ladder shells".

Distribution

Wentletraps inhabit all seas and oceans worldwide, from the tropical zones to the arctic and antarctic zones.

Habitat

Wentletraps are found in habitats which also contain sea anemones or corals, which serve as a food source for the wentletrap.

Shell description

Wentletraps are notable for their intricately geometric shell architecture. The turret-shaped shell consists of tightly-wound whorls which create a high, conical spiral. The shells have a round aperture and a round operculum which fits the aperture tightly.

In the genus Epitonium the shell has high, sharply ribbed sculpture, known as "costae".

Most species of wentletrap are white, and have a porcelain-like appearance, measuring no more than two inches in length, and exude a pink or purplish dye.

Life habits

Many wentletraps reveal a hint of purple body color, suggestive of carnivorous feeding (Keen, 1958). Keen also cited direct observation of a wentletrap feeding by insertion of its proboscis into a sea anemone.

Northern Red Anemone, Tealia crassicornis-Photo

2008-02-08T18:19:00.001-08:00

IMGP1388-crop
Originally uploaded by Aqua Green

5" high, 3" wide, approximately 100 thick, blunt tentacles, frequently ringed with white, red, or dark pigment. Listed as T. felina in some references, this species size is a function of food availability rather than age.

Huge Tiger Shark Photo and Facts

2008-02-08T13:09:00.001-08:00

Beauty
Originally uploaded by Pelagic Drifter

You can see the stripes on this one.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The tiger shark has tiger-like markings on a dark back with an off-white underbelly. Pups have spotted markings that grow together to form stripes that fade with maturity. It has a large, thick-body with a blunt snout. The first dorsal fin is much longer than the second. The caudal fin is long and pointed. There is a dermal ridge along the back between the 2 dorsal fins. Color-Adult: gray-brown on top, off-white belly, young shark: dark stripes on the back.

Tiger sharks have a special gill slit (a spiracle) behind the eyes that provides oxygen flow directly to the eyes and brain. It also has a very good sense of smell, electroreceptors sensitive to electric currents in the water, and keen eyesight.

TEETH
Tiger shark teeth are very serrated (saw-edged), razor-sharp, and curved. The teeth are the same in upper and lower jaws

The teeth are located in rows which rotate into use as needed. The first two rows are used in obtaining prey, the other rows rotate into place as they are needed. As teeth are lost, broken, or worn down, they are replaced by new teeth that rotate into place.

SIZE
Tiger sharks grow up to 20 feet (6 m). On average they are about 10 feet (3 m) long.

DIET AND FEEDING HABITS
Tiger sharks will eat fish, turtles, crabs, clams, mammals, sea birds, reptiles, other sharks, and just about anything else that they can catch alive.

TIGER SHARK ATTACKS
The tiger shark does occasionally attack people and is greatly feared, but people are not sought out by sharks.

SOCIAL GROUPS
Tiger sharks are solitary animals except during mating.

HABITAT
Tiger sharks go from the surface to 1,200 feet (340 m). They swim in tropical waters worldwide and in some temperate seas. They inhabit both the shoreline and open waters, ranging perhaps up to 500 miles.

DISTRIBUTION
Tiger sharks are found worldwide in warm seas (tropical and subtropical).

SPEED
Tiger sharks swim at an average speed of 2.4 mph (3.85 kph). They can swim in fast bursts, but can only sustain these high speeds for a few seconds..

REPRODUCTION
Tiger sharks reproduce via aplacental viviparity; the young of tiger sharks are born live in litters of between 10 and 82 pups. Gestation takes about 9 months. At birth they are 20-30 inches (51-76 cm) long and are completely independent.

LIFE SPAN
The life span of the tiger shark is unknown.

TIGER SHARK CLASSIFICATION
Kingdom Animalia (animals)
Phylum Chordata
SubPhylum Vertebrata (vertebrates)
Class Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish)
Subclass Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays)
Order Carcharhiniformes
Family Carcharhinidae
Genus Galeocerdo
Species cuvier or cuvieri

Sea Full of Turtles-Photo

2008-02-08T12:59:00.001-08:00

sea full of turtles
Originally uploaded by bluewavechris

This is the most popular of over 1000 photos by bluewavechris.

Jewel Grouper

2008-02-08T12:54:00.001-08:00

Coral Grouper, Coral Hind or Jewel Grouper
Originally uploaded by Colin's Camera

SCIENTIFIC NAME : CEPHALOPHOLIS MINIATA

DISTRIBUTION : widespread in the Indo-Pacific

DEPTH : mostly between 3 - 50+ m

LENGTH : up to 40 cm

Black Sea's Red Coral

2008-02-08T12:47:00.001-08:00

BLACK sea's RED coral
Originally uploaded by june_c_oka

The world is full of wonders...So many things to see!

Red-Speckled-parrotfish

2008-02-08T12:45:00.001-08:00

Red-Speckled-parrotfish
Originally uploaded by hendradive

The orange mask...

Harlequin shrimp

2008-02-08T10:04:00.001-08:00

Harlequin shrimp
Originally uploaded by Erwin Kodiat

The most beautiful shrimp I have ever seen ...

Size: 1 inch
Latin name: Hymenocera elegans
Location: Seraya, Bali, Indonesia

Red Caviar for Valentines Day

2008-02-08T09:44:00.001-08:00

IMG_9301as
Originally uploaded by SvetlanаGorlova

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Vase sponges of Bonaire

2008-02-08T09:33:00.001-08:00

Vase sponges of Bonaire
Originally uploaded by remainingoceansart

This was taken in on a dive site called Jerry's Sponges on Klein Bonaire. This dive site was probably the healthiest reef that we dove in Bonaire. It's a very beautiful site with tons of healthy coral and sponges.

Reef Fish

2008-02-08T09:31:00.001-08:00

sm_MG_1459
Originally uploaded by remainingoceansart

Uploaded by remainingoceansart

Fine American Caviar and Fresh Oysters for Valentines

2008-02-08T07:44:00.000-08:00

Fine American caviar is an increasingly popular, affordable alternative to imported Russian caviars. American caviar has an extraordinary sweet and buttery taste that comes from sturgeon indigenous to the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Its color ranges from dark gray to black.
Long Island Blue Point Oysters are medium to large in size. The Long Island Blue Point oyster is mild flavored with a medium to light salt content.

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Ocean Photos Slideshow,coral,sharks,reef,fish

2008-02-06T08:04:00.001-08:00

Great White Shark-Free Desktop Wallpaper

2008-02-05T04:14:00.000-08:00

Great White Shark-Free Desktop Wallpaper

Free desktop wallpaper download instructions:

To download free Great White Shark picture, right click and select "Save Picture As" from popup menu. Or, click "Set as background"

Free Desktop Wallpaper-Sea Life

2008-02-05T04:00:00.000-08:00

Download Great White Shark
Download Fish
Download-sea turtle

Big Game Fishing: 400 pound fish KO man

2008-02-04T14:04:00.000-08:00

Funny Big Game fishing clip. Man catches huge Goliath Grouper and gets clobbered!

From: DaRealFrank1

Hammerhead Attacks a Tarpon

2008-02-04T14:01:00.000-08:00

After a 1 hour fight on this low to mid 100 pounder, a giant Hammerhead cruised in for a meal. 5 minutes of chaos ensued...which made for some great video!

The Exploding Whale video

2008-02-04T13:50:00.000-08:00

The sordid tale of a desperate penguin-chicagotribune.com

2008-02-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

The sordid tale of a desperate penguin

The TV housewives of Wisteria Lane have got nothing on this widow, who stole her neighbors' husbands, fell into the flippers of a younger male, and now is winging it as a single mom.

Penguin love
Zurita (left), a female Humboldt penguin with a checkered past, and her new chick, still nameless, occupy a small pet enclosure at Brookfield Zoo. (Tribune photo by Carl Wagner / April 21, 2005)

By William Mullen |Tribune staff reporter

April 21, 2005

Now, separated from the rest of the Brookfield Zoo colony, Zurita has likely become the world's first successful single-parent penguin, raising a chick fathered by a much younger companion who can't be bothered to help out.

Her soap-opera story has delighted zookeepers, who believe that in watching Zurita they have gleaned important insights into improving the husbandry and genetic diversity of captive Humboldt penguins.

Masters Program in Aquatic Environmental Science-FSU

2008-02-03T08:07:00.000-08:00

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in the Department of Oceanography at Florida State University. Below are instructions for completing the application process. Please follow the directions carefully. Be aware that when you apply, you are in essence applying to two separate offices: the Department of Oceanography, and the Florida State University Office of Graduate Admissions. Do not send materials meant for one to the other.

To Apply to the Department of Oceanography:

1. Personal Information Form: Fill this out completely. If you do not have the results of your tests scores yet, please indicate when these will be available. Report GPAs on a 4.0 scale.

2. Statement of Interest: State your reasons for choosing our department and your academic goals here. You may wish to include information about your academic background and experience.

3. Three Letters of Recommendation: There is no specific form for these letters; university letterhead is fine.

4. It is strongly recommended that you include with your application to our department unofficial copies of the offical test results and transcripts you will be sending to the Office of Graduate Admissions, which will enable us to evaluate your folder more quickly. Mail the above items directly to the Department of Oceanography, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4320. We cannot consider your application folder until all of these materials have been received.

***In addition, after reviewing the list of faculty included in our departmental brochure, you may directly contact the faculty member(s) whose research interests most closely parallel your own. The department does not admit students without a faculty sponsor.***

Application:

To view the Portable Document Format file (PDF) online or after you download it you may need to download a free copy of Acrobat Reader.

If you would like a hard copy of this form, or if you would like a full-color graduate information packet, or if you have any questions regarding our program, please contact the department's academic coordinator:

Department of Oceanography
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4320
PHONE: (850) 644-7443
EMAIL: lupiani@ocean.fsu.edu

If you are submitting an application to our department on-line, you will need to

John Denver talks about Jacques Cousteau and Sings Calypso

2008-02-01T13:52:00.000-08:00

Calypso
John Denver

To sail on a dream on a crystal clear ocean,
to ride on the crest of a wild raging storm
To work in the service of life and living,
in search of the answers of questions unknown
To be part of the movement and part of the growing,
part of beginning to understand,

Aye Calypso the places you've been to,
the things that you've shown us,
the stories you tell
Aye Calypso, I sing to your spirit,
the men who have served you so long and so well

Hi dee ay-ee ooo doo-dle oh
oo do do do do do doo-dle ay yee
doo-dle ay ee

Like the dolphin who guides you, you bring us beside you
To light up the darkness and show us the way
For though we are strangers in your silent world
To live on the land we must learn from the sea
To be true as the tide and free as a wind swell
Joyful and loving in letting it be

Aye Calypso the places you've been to,
the things that you've shown us,
the stories you tell
Aye Calypso, I sing to your spirit,
the men who have served you so long and so well

Hi dee ay-ee ooo doo-dle oh
oo do do do do do doo-dle ay yee
doo-dle ay ee

he dee Ay-ee
Hi dee oh ooo
hi dee ayee
hi dee oh ooo

Lumpy's Ocean Life

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