Biodiversity #12 – Mimic Filefish. He mimics a Black Saddle Toby. Why – because the Toby is toxic when eaten by other fish. But how does he know this?!? The next question is How? Even if he decided to evolve over time to look like another fish – how does he do it?
Biodiversity #11 – The Dolphin. A cetacean mammal, closely related to whales and porpoises and technically includes a number of freshwater river dolphins, and the orcas, false and pygmy killer whales and pilot whales. Descendants of terrestrial mammals – they entered the water roughly 55 million years ago.
Biodiversity #10 – Manta rays are among the largest fish in the ocean, growing up to 7m from wing tip to wing tip. Manta rays also have the largest brain to body size ratio of any living fish. They are completely harmless unless you happen to be a plankton. They are aware of, and interact with divers.
Biodiversity #9 – The Moorish Idol is remarkable as he is the only species in the family Zanclidae cf the butterflyfish which has 80+ species. A sensitive fish that does not fare well in captivity; accurately reflected in Finding Nemo by Gill’s constant desire to escape back to the freedom of the ocean.
Biodiversity #8 – Sea Cucumbers which are Echinoderms (literally hedgehog skin). Scavengers that feed on debris on the ocean floor, serving a useful role as they recycle nutrients breaking down detritus so that bacteria can complete the degradation process. Essentially the oceans’ vacuum cleaners.
Biodiversity #7 – Coral. Very simply: little polyps 1-3mm across (bit like jelly fish without tentacles), convert sunlight into energy and excrete some calcium carbonate – which is what builds the reef that they live in
Biodiversity #6 – The Whale has been around for 40 million years, its closest living relative is the hippo! An air breathing mammal that lives in the ocean. Toothed whales use echolocation and can generate up to 20,000 watts of sound.
Biodiversity #5 – The shark has the greatest electrical sensitivity of any animal, and use the ampullae of Lorenzini to detect the electromagnetic fields that all living things produce. Sharks have keen olfactory senses with some species able to detect one part per million of blood in seawater; they can also determine the direction of a given scent.
Biodiversity #4 – Anemonefish: 1 genus and about 30 species and only found in Pacific and Indian Oceans; ie, not the Atlantic. Lives in symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones: not only do they provide and give mutual protection, they in feeding feed each other
Biodiversity #3 – The Nudibranch – which literally translates as ‘naked gill’ as they breathe through the branchial plume which projects from around their anus. There are 2-3,000 known species, all have sensory rhinophores which they can retract.
