Starfish Essay

Fish that are found in the benthic part of the ocean are really interesting to me. Benthic means it's the lowest level in any body of water such as an ocean or a lake. Different organisms that live in this deep part of the ocean are called benthos. Some examples of benthos are starfish, sea cucumbers, oysters, and clams. There are many different geographies to the be if ocean such as trenches, mountains, and volcanoes.

The benthos have their own food source which is called detritus. Detritus are dead/decaying matter from algae, plants, and many animals that fall to the bottom of the ocean. You can also call the benthos scavengers since they are eating the dead organisms. They are just like vultures who also eat dead remains. Many fish in the benthic have teeth that stick out the opposite way of their

Another way fish catch prey is by using their body parts. For example, an angler fish and a viper fish have long dorsal fins which are equipped with photophores. It is said that the angler fish is the most weird looking fish in the entire sea and also one of the most common. This fish gets its name from its dorsal fin that has a light producing organ attached called a photophore. A photophore is an organ the emits light from bioluminescence. Bioluminescence is light produced by a chemical reaction within an organism. Bioluminescence can sometimes be referred to as a cold light because it generates very little heat. The chemical make up of bioluminescence is luciferin and photoprotein. Luciferin is a light emitting compound. This can be found in a number of organisms including fireflies. Photoproteins are the primary reactants of light emitting reactions found in different organisms. The angler fish uses