Animal Research Paper: Longnose Gar and Mudpuppy
The Longnose Gar and Mudpuppy are both native species that can be found in Ohio. The Gar gets its name from the long nose that is very similar looking to a beak of a bird. The Gar in the lab is brownish grey with black spots, but in the wild they do have a range of colors. Their size is often a wide range as well. Some Longnose Gars can grow to be up to 6ft, but it is common for them to be between 3 and 4 feet long (Groves ). The gar in this lab is about a foot long, so smaller than those in the wild. The other animal in the tank is the mudpuppy. Mudpuppies are common all over the northeast United States. They are also called the waterdog which is because they are the only salamander that makes noise (National geographic: Mudpuppy). They mainly stay at the bottom of the lakes and body of water where they feed. Both the mudpuppy and the Longnose gar’s conservation status are common.
The Longnose gars are found all over the eastern united states and grow to be a rather big fish. Their scientific name is Lepisosteus osseus and they are members of the gar family (Groves). Gars have been around for a very long time, some said even back to prehistoric times. However even with them being around for a long time, there is still little research done on them because they are considered pests to many fisherman. According to the Chesapeake Bay Program This is because “most fisherman consider gars to be a nuisance because they damage fishing gear and eat more important fish species” (Chesapeake Bay Program, 2012).
The common length for the Longnose gar is about three to four feet. They can grow much larger depending on where in the United States they are. According to the Maryland Depart...
... middle of paper ...
... in range then lunge and thrash their head from side to side impelling they prey on their long needle sharp teeth. They then maneuver the prey in order to swallow it head first” (Goddard). They like to surprise attack their prey and usually attack from the side. Once the Longnose gar gets the prey in its mouth, they have to get the prey so it’s parallel to their nose so they can swallow it.
The Longnose gars reproduction depends on location that the gar is found in. The reproduction does typically happen during the spring or summer months and all dependent on what the water temperature. The female gar will swim into a small, fast moving stream and lay their eggs (Goddard). The Longnose gar eggs are not just normal eggs that most people think of when they think of fish eggs. Their eggs are green and sticky so they can stick to the plants in the fast moving stream (
United States Department of the interior Fish And Wildlife Service, . North American Fauna. 2012.
Known as Pterois Volitans in the animal kingdom, also called the red lionfish, is a sight to behold in the tropical waters as they swim like an underwater butterfly in the sea. In waters not native to their origin, as they are from the Pacific and have predators that will have them for a snack. Invasive to the Caribbean Sea they have rapidly reached the Gulf of Mexico and far south, spreading to parts of South America. The lionfish has become a persistent pest that’s more trouble than what it appears to be, attractive yet deceptive with a striking pattern of white and red stripes. In the New York Times article, A Call to Action… and Even Rodeos, scientists say that, “from 2005 onward, lionfish have become the most numerous nonnative invasive species in the world.” The average pound fish is one of nature’s clever creations, a venomous foe with spines and an infinite appetite that reproduce quickly. Invasive species are notorious because they have no or almost nonexistent natural predators and they are adapt to their new home very well. The biological adaptations of this fish has caused both ecological and economical mayhem, serious measures have been taken up to control their population as well as to protect our coral reefs.
Unlike most other whales, Narwhals have no dorsal fin, instead they have a low bumpy ridge that begins at about the midpoint of the back and continues to the fluke#. Tusks The tusks, giving Narwhals the name, “Sea Unicorn”, is actually a tooth that can reach up to nine feet long and can weigh up to 20 pounds. Males and females are born with two teeth pointing forward in the upper jaw. The left tooth of the male grows long and spirals counter clockwise toward the tip.
The Narwhal, Monodon monoceros, is a social, specialized deep-water marine mammal characterized by a unique tooth growth protruding from the upper jaw. Narwhals lives along the coasts and rivers throughout the Arctic,characterized by icy ocean temperatures. Narwhals are usually found in groups of 15 to 20, but herds of several thousand have been seen in the Arctic waters since 1871. Regularly found eastwards from the Canadian Arctic to central Russia they have also been distributed throughout the Eurasian Arctic and in an especially high abundance around the oceans west of Cape Farewell on the east coast of Greenland in the summers and during the winter primarily in the Baffian Bay, and in the Canadian archipelago in the springtime (Reeves, Tracey). The Narwhal has two teeth, located in the upper jaw, however only the left tooth usually develops leaving the underdeveloped right tooth in males and typically both teeth in females vestigial (Das). The protruding tusk grows to about 3 meters forward in a counterclockwise spiral pattern (Drury). The distal end of the tusk appears polished, with the remainder commonly covered by a growth of algae. There is an outer layer of cement, an inner layer of dentine, and a pulp cavity that is rich in blood (Reeves, Tracey). The Narwhal’s head and body ranges from 3-6 meters, with the pectoral fin being around 30-40 cm, and the tail flukes expanding over one meter (Reeves, Tracey). The males are typically larger in size than the females averaging about 3,500 pounds in males and 1,000 in females (Drury). Their bodies begin as an uneven grayish hue and as they mature darken to a mottled bluish black color, darker above than below (Reeves, Tracey). Narwhals posses relatively small heads, a blunt sno...
The Niangua darter’s closest known relative is the arrow darter, which can be found in eastern Kentucky and northern Tennessee. Not surprisingly, it lacks the distinctive black tail spots of the Niangua (Missouri Department of Conservation). The two species never cross paths during their lifetimes, and therefore there is no confusion in identifying between the two very similar-looking species.
Female loggerheads generally reproduce between the ages of 17 and 33 after which they can travel thousands of miles to reach what is called their natal beach, the beach where they hatched, to lay their own eggs. The mother will create a nest every 12-17 days using her back legs to dig a deep hole in the sand. These holes tend to be about 3 feet deep. Then she will proceed to lay on average between 100 and 130 eggs, after w...
Lizards and Snakes size and weight Some Lizards and snakes can only grow to about 10 inches at max. Like, the gecko can only grow to about ten or so inches. Then Come Lizards and Snakes can grow to sixteen feet or so. Komodo dragons can grow to about ten feet long, and whats even crazier is that Anaconda snakes can grow to sixteen
Seahorses have no teeth and no stomach. Food passes through their digestive systems so quickly, they must eat almost constantly to stay alive.
still believed by some to live down in the waters, where it would be almost impossible to reach shore because of its monstrous size. It is over forty feet long and believed to be able to eat a school bus whole! Of course, the great white average length is anywhere from twelve to sixteen feet long, but they are not restricted to those limitations.
It is said to be between seven and ten feet tall. The beast weighs in at half a ton or more. Bigfoot is covered in long, shaggy, brownish-red hair all over its body. It is described as having long, muscular arms and a thick neck. Also,
Megophrys nasuta males range from 70-105mm snout-vent length while females range from 90-125mm snout-vent length. Other than the slight difference in size there are no other sexual dimorphic traits. Behaviorally, however, Males however will “call” on the females in the evening (Bartlett, 1996).
Some species of damselflies lay their eggs either inside or on plant tissue, which is either above or in water. Some females climb beneath the surface of the water to position their eggs and remain there for an hour, or perhaps more. Some species submerge their abdomen in the water, so the eggs wash off, or put them on leaves close to the water’s edge. This is sometimes done while the damselfly is in flight. Other species simply allow their eggs to drop onto the surface of the water while they are flying (Corbet, 1999).
Imagine a fish that spends most of time on land. Imagine a fish that uses clever innovation to eat its food. Imagine an animal that is set apart from most other animals in many ways. There is one animal that falls under these characteristics. This one animal is called a mudskipper.
The walking catfish has become known as a notorious and harmful indigenous species on the top 100 most invasive species list (Masterson 2007). The species is so harmful that is has been blacklisted by numerous states including the state of Indiana (Brogan 2003). This species has a certain trait that allows it to work its way throughout the regions in order to invade and reproduce. Due to the species ability to walk on dry land and also to survive long periods of time without food or water, it has made its mark as an invasive species (Masterson 2007).