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Meanings of sea monster mythology
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The Giant Oarfish
Cool Facts:
The giant oarfish has a number of characteristics which makes it unusual. One fact is that it is the longest bony fish alive today- up to 36 feet long (11 meters). A second fact is that, since it sometimes floats on the surface of the ocean when it is sick or dying, it may be the source of the idea of sea monsters. A third fact is the entire taxonomic family to which the oarfish belongs consists of only four living species.
Taxonomic Information:
The scientific name of the giant oarfish is Regalecus glesne in the family Regalecidae, order Lampriformes, Class Actinopterygii, Subphylum Vertebrata, phylum Chordata, and kingdom Animalia. Related species include the streamer fish of the genus Agrostichthys. Other names for this fish include Ribbon Fish and King of Herring.
Description:
Physically, the oarfish is a long, long skinny fish, (the aforementioned 36 feet length) with a dorsal fin that runs the entire length of the fish, from just behind the small eye to the tip of the tail. One unconfirmed sighting reported a length of 56 feet (11m) but ...
The documentary Blackfish by Gabriela Cowperthwaite is a gripping documentary about orca whales in captivity at SeaWorld and other sea parks around the world that shows the disturbing effects that can be caused from having these animals in a place where they shouldn’t be.
There’s No Real Good Guy In the movie, “Blackfish” we are exposed to the fact that the way orcas are treated at SeaWorld is worse than we are lead to believe. We see how they are forced to swim in tiny pools and how they can only be fed if they preform well. After seeing this it makes you feel like the only way to help these poor creatures is to jump on the animal activist wagon and to free all the whales like in “Free Willy”. But is that really the right way to go?
Orca whales do not like to be taken from their family, held captive for many decades and put with other whales that they do not know. No other living organism on this planet would like to be put through the same thing. Orca whales are highly social animals, they are very intelligent, and are very emotional. If they are kept away from other whales, fed intermittently and received little attention from staff makes them get very emotional and can lead to death of people and the whales. Orca whales should not be held captive; they are beautiful creatures that are not great for people’s amusement and if they are treated poorly, they will act poorly.
Biology: The average length of a Skipjack Tuna is 32 inches long (80cm) and weigh anywhere between 7-22 pounds (8-10kg). The current record for the biggest Skipjack Tuna weighs in at 76 pounds (34.5kg) and was 43 inches long (108cm). The colour of the top region is either dark blue or purple, and the lower region including the belly are primarily a silver colour with anywhere from 4-6 dark, broken lines that run across the body (FLMNH). The body shape is elongated and possesses a fusiform shape, meaning it is wide in the middle and tapers at both ends; it also possesses a bilateral symmetry. There are two dorsal fins present, the first consisting of around 14-16 spines. There is a small gap in between the two fins, and the second fin is spineless (ADW) (FLMNH). Behind the second dorsal fin, are between 7-9 finlets, which aid the fish in “reducing turbulence and maintaining directional control when swimming at high speeds” (Gardieff, Susie). On the underlying side of the Tuna, the anal fin is present and it is in about the same location below the second dorsal fin, and following the anal fin is another 7-8 finlets. The fish has short pectoral fins consisting of between 26-27 rays. The fish also have a single row of teeth, shaped conically (cone shaped) (FLMNH).
The Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) is an invasive saltwater predator that is increasing exponentially in the tropics of the western Atlantic (Benkwitt, 2013). The Lionfish invasion is causing a dramatic decline in native marine reef species due the gluttony of the lionfish.
“Just show me the tackle and give me some bait. Then watch me go fishing, the rest can wait.” Fishing is one of my favorite things to do. It is catching a fish for either food or simply for fun. You can do it by yourself to enjoy the peace and quiet or fish with others to pass the time. Many people think fishing is an old man's sport but I think of it differently. It has helped to form my values, most importantly patience.
In The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister tells how a beautiful, extraordinary, yet, self-centered blue fish learns that being beautiful isn’t the key to happiness. The blue fish came to find this lesson when he lost his friends. Pfister takes a simple ocean setting and explores the consequences of an individual’s arrogance toward their peers, the process of humbling of oneself, and the tremendous reward one feels when they learn to share. The story achieves these morals by the author’s use of detailed imager and also, the influence of minor characters on the antihero in order to reveal to the audience the true thematic message; selfish actions bring true happiness.
From the surface to its deepest depth the ocean is 11km deep, and with this distance comes a vast change in physiological feature of fish as they try to survive the changing conditions.
The scientific name for the Albacore tuna is the Thunnus Alalunga. It is typically a large fish, ranging at approximately 4 to 5 feet in length and weighs roughly 80-90 pounds. It is metallic, identified by a dark blue color running along its topside and a silvery white strip marking the sides of its belly. The Albacore are found in the tropical and warm temperate oceans. The specific locations of the species include the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. According to the sustainable canned tuna website, the Albacore Tuna is the most abundant and popular species of the canned fish because of its ability to survive in large populations in the temperate and tropical oceans. The trade name of the canned Albacore is the white meat tuna (Hilderbrand, 1-3).
The Balaenoptera Musculus, or the blue whale, is the largest animal in the world. Blue
The fish withholds a great part in this book. The Old Man and the Sea is a book that’s about a small town where the residents revolve their lives around fishing. The fish is a symbol of beauty and it is a greatly admired creature to these people. An example from the book is on page 49. Santiago has been fishing for 84 days and decides not to return home without a fish on the 85th day. On the 85th day, alone in the boat, he manages to hook an enormous marlin, the biggest fish he's ever seen in all his life. The fish is larger and stronger than Santiago. Santiago's experienced fishing skills and his will to catch and survive push him to pursue the fish for many days and many miles out to sea.
What is the largest fish in the world? The answer would be the Rhincodon typus, or commonly known as, the whale shark. The whale shark is vey unique because unlike normal sharks, the whale shark is a filter feeder and so, does not have use of its teeth. The whale shark is also about the size of a bus. However, like many animals in the world today, they are considered vulnerable according to the IUCN. They are seen often in the tropical areas, but many behavior and movement mechanism of the whale shark are still unknown.
The catfish maintains an advantage over most fish due to its ability to walk on land. This helpful adaptation comes from the pectoral spines which they flex in order to contour to their body in a walking motion. While the adaptation for land walking is impressive the ability to breathe on land is also beneficial. This ability comes from the hills of the fish which have “highly vascularized arborescent organs that act like accessory breathing structures” (Masterson 2007). Their gas bladder is also minimized to allow for stiffening so that the fish do not collapse on the land (Masterson 2007). Along with the voracious appetite of the fish they have other adaptations that make them invasive as well. The fish can survive in waters that most fish cannot such as hypoxic waters or muddy ponds. Along with being nocturnal these survival abilities allow them to invade aquaculture farms and take prey on the fish stock
Cartilaginous and bony fishes were abundant. Large fishes and marine reptiles were common; the largest bony fish ever to live existed at this time called the Leedsichthys, coming in at a mindboggling size. Estimates of the size of this fish range from 20 to 27 meters and mass from 20 to 50 tons (Owen). This species is the largest bony fish ever to have ever existed and swam in what is now near England. Jurassic pliosaurs are some of the largest carnivorous reptiles ever discovered, even rivaling Tyrannosaurus which lived during the Cretaceous Period, although the pliosaurs was not a dinosaur but distant cousins of modern turtles ranging from 4 to 15 meters. The ichthyosaurs were at their height, sharing the oceans with the plesiosaurs, huge marine reptiles covering the globe.
At maturity males are typically close to nine meters in length with the females being slightly larger. Throughout its adult life the whale shark is mostly solitary traveling alone and staying to itself. Due to the size of it doesn’t have many predators though on occasions killer whales have been known to attack Rhincodon typus (Rowat 2012).