Rons Critter of the Day | My favorites

Time 2021-09-01 12:20:35

Web Name: Rons Critter of the Day | My favorites

WebSite: http://brianeyes21comcast.net

ID:191007

Keywords:

of,Critter,Rons,

Description:

Genus/species; Amphistichus argenteus  GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Surfperches are compressed and oval to oblong shaped bodies. The dorsal fins are continuous. The caudal (tail) fin is forked. Base coloration is usually silver, and some species have stripes or bars, which may be dependent on the time of year. The Barred Surfperch travels in small groups. They are silvery or white; 8–10 rust-colored vertical bars on side with spots in between and no red on their fins.Length up to 43 cm, max (17 inches), Max published weight: 2,000 g (4.4 pounds).DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: A. argenteus are found in Bodega Bay, California to northern central Baja California near sandy beaches in surf and in trawl catches up to 73 m. (240 feet).DIET IN THE WILD: They feed on crabs; clams, and other invertebrates. Primarily food are sand crabs found in over 90 percent of all stomachs containing food, and made up over 90 percent of the food by volume in a study by University of California. (content.cdlib.org/view?docId=kt2f59n5cq;NAAN=13030 do )REPRODUCTION: As with all surfperch, the young are born alive and are relatively large. Mating occurs during the fall and early winter months. The male approaches the female from below; both swim with vents close for 2 or 3 seconds, then separate and repeat the process. Three to 17 young are born the following spring and summer. MORTALITY/LONGEVITY: Life span: to 9 years. CONSERVATION: IUCN: Not evaluated. REMARKS: The Barred Surfperch is an important part of the sport fishery for most surf fishermen in California. Anglers use sand crabs, sandworms, blood worms, shrimp, squid, cut fish.ReferencesCalifornia Academy of Sciences, Steinhart Aquarium, Rocky Coast Main Tank 2019Ron s flickr www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/5037561446/in/album-721 Ron s WordPress shortlink  https://fishoncomputer.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5029 action=edit message=10Peterson Field Guides, Pacific Coast fishes. Eschmeyer and Hearld 1983fishbase www.fishbase.org/summary/3622eol eol.org/pages/225747/detailsShare this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading...  GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS:Compressed and oval to oblong-shaped body. Base coloration is usually silver, and some species have stripes or bars, which may be dependent on the time of year (breeding vs. non-breeding coloration) and whether the fish is a juvenile or adult. Fins tinged with orange with black blotch on continuous soft dorsal and anal fins. The caudal (tail) fin is forked.Maximum fish length per species ranges from 4 to 18 inches.DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Subtropical. Cape Mendocino to northern Baja California along rocky shores, often at the edges of kelp beds; occasionally over sand but not found in the surf zone.DIET IN THE WILD: Rainbow Surfperch feed on isopods, amphipods and other crustaceans; also snails and brittle stars.REPRODUCTION: H. caryi males approach the female from below; both swim with vents close for 2 or 3 seconds, then separate and repeat the process. As with all surfperches fertilization is internal and they are viviparous (livebearers) giving birth to as many as 22 young which are fully-formed (5 cm) at birth miniature versions of the adults. CONSERVATION: IUCN: Not evaluated. REMARKS: Divers in Monterey Bay report Rainbow Surfperch cleaning ocean sunfish (Mola mola). ReferencesRon s flickr  https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/36159456555/in/album-72157608359804936/California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium California Rocky Coast 2019California Dept. of Fish and Wildlifewww.dfg.ca.gov/marine/sfmp/surfperch-id.asp fishbase www.fishbase.org/summary/3633 eol eol.org/pages/995097/overviewShare this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading... Genus/species: Rhacochilus vacca GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Above there is a silvery luster with a dark gray or brown pigment.  The silvery luster which dominates the color on its sides and belly with darker blotches on the back and sides. There are dark vertical bars on juveniles and the fins are dusky with a deeply forked caudal fin. Length 25–30 cm (10-12 inches); maximum 42 cm (16.5 in). DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Found from Alaska to north central Baja California, Mexico among rocky shores, pilings, kelp beds, underwater structures to 46 m (150 ft).       DIET IN THE WILD: R. vacca feed on hard-shelled mollusks, crabs and barnacles. REPRODUCTION: Fertilization is internal. Viviparous (live bearer). Fecundity increases with age, averaging from 11–60 young.LONGEVITY: 7–10 years.CONSERVATION: Least Concern, the distribution of this species may coincide with a number of designated marine protected areas.REMARKS: Specialized pharyngeal dentition enable the pile perch to crush hard shells persuading some ichthyologists to place the species in its own genus (Damalichthys). ReferencesCalifornia Academy of Sciences, Steinhart Aquarium, California Rocky Coast 2019Ron s flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/7800199372/in/set-72157608348783942/California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium California Rocky Coast 2017fishbase www.fishbase.org/summary/3640Ron s WordPress shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-Coeol eol.org/pages/205598/detailsIUCN Least Concern www.iucnredlist.org/details/155179/08-16-12, 8-7-14, 8-1-17, 4-15-19Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading... Family: Embiotocidae (surfperches)                 Genus/species: Embiotoca jacksoni                            GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS:The body is deep and compressed. Their colors are various shades of brown, red, green above, yellowish below, darker bars on sides with a blue bar on base of anal fin. Note a mustache-like black bar on upper lip.  Length up to 39 cm (15 in) DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT; Black Surfperch are found from Fort Bragg, California to Punta Abreojos, Baja California, Mexico nearshore reefs and kelp forests. They are also found over sand, and in estuaries near algae usually within 1 m (3 ft) of the substrate.DIET IN THE WILD: E. jacksoni  feed on worms, crustaceans and mollusks. They are also cleaner fish of conspecifics as well as other species.REPRODUCTION: Summer is the peak breeding season. Fertilization is internal. Viviparous; young embryos are nourished internally and are quite large as newborns.PREDATORS: Leopard sharksCONSERVATION: Not evaluatedREMARKS: The species name jacksoni, is after A.C. Jackson, who, in the 19th century, first noted that surfperches gave birth to live young.  Fertilization is also internal as it is in Rockfishes.ReferencesCalifornia Academy of Sciences, Steinhart Aquarium, California Coastal Marine 2019Ron s flickr  http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/4716007223/in/set-72157608359804936/Ron s WordPress Shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-C7eol eol.org/pages/207197/details fishbase www.fishbase.org/summary/3628Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading... Genus/species: Eunectes murinusGENERAL CHARACTERISTICS:  Gigantic, heavy-bodied, dark green boa with dark spots. A distinctive stripe runs from the rear edge of the eye, diagonally downwards to the back of the head. The stripe is edged with black and varies in coloration, from greenish to orange. Eyes and nasal openings are on top of their heads, allowing them to lay in wait for prey while remaining nearly completely submerged. The female dwarfs the male and is almost five times heavier. Like all snakes, anaconda have a forked tongue they helps them locate prey and mates and to navigate their environment, in conjunction with the tubular Jacobson’s organ in the roof of the snake’s mouth.SIZE: Up to more than 29 feet (8.8 meters), weigh more than 227 kilograms (550 pounds) and measure more than 30 cm (12 in) (30 centimeters) in diameter.DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT South America: Amazon and Orinoco drainages from Colombia and Venezuela to East Bolivia and Central Brazil. Associated strongly with watercourses, swamps and other freshwater locations.DIET IN THE WILD: They feed on any prey that they can kill and swallow including monkeys, deer, peccaries, pacus, agoutis, birds, fish, caiman and turtles. Prey usually killed by constriction; prey suffocates and often drowning in water. Usually feed in water. Jaws attached by stretchy ligaments allow them to swallow their prey whole, no matter the size, and they can go weeks or months without food after a big meal. Primarily a lie-in-wait predator.Academy Diet: Frozen/thawed rabbits (P. Dwight Biologist). REPRODUCTION: Green anacondas are ovoviviparous (eggs hatch in the mother and snakes are born alive). They are polyandrous breeding with multiple-male aggregations of up to 13 males. Female anacondas retain their eggs and give birth to two to three dozen live young. Baby snakes are about 0.6 meters (2 ft). After mating, the female may eat one or more of her mating partners, as she does not take in food for up to seven months after birth.PREDATORS:Caimen. Jaguars, and green anacondas.MORTALITY/LONGEVITY: Lives to over 29 years.REMARKS: The anaconda is, pound for pound, the largest snake in the world. The reticulated python, can reach slightly greater lengths, but the enormous girth of the anaconda makes it almost twice as heavy. Can remained submerged for a very long time lying in wait for its next meal.Some indigenous peoples of Brazil and Peru use green anacondas body parts for magical and spiritual properties, in ritualistic purposes.Green anacondas are among the only snakes that can reach the proportions necessary to possibly kill and consume a human being. However, attacks by green anacondas are rare due to low.The California Academy of Sciences specimen is a female. Length/wt 2013: 13 ft 11 inches long and weight 92 lbs. 2008 she was 3m (10 feet) long and weighed 90 lbs.Color of Life Note: The dark brownish-green Anaconda demonstrates concealment by laying hidden in the murky waters of the Amazon. It is more visible at the California Academy of Sciences exhibit water which is markedly more transparent.ReferencesCalifornia Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium Flooded Amazon Anaconda Exhibit 2018U. of Michigan Animal diversity Web https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Eunectes_murinus/#D1CC06F0-924A-11E1-9D4D-002500F14F28Encyclopedia of Life  eol.org/pages/794661/overviewRon sWordpress shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-btRon s flickr   http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157608449603666/with/3636385495/Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading... TAXONOMYKingdom:  AnimaliaPhylum: Chordata  (presence of a notochord (an internal skeletal rod that provides support) during some stage of the animal s development).Class: Reptilia (snakes, worm lizards, lizards, alligators, caimans, crocodiles, tortoises, turtles, and tuataras).Order: Crocodylia (crocodiles, alligators, caimans and the gharial)Family:  Alligatoridae (Alligators and Caimans). Genus/species:   Alligator mississippiensis GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: The average adult size for a female is 2.6 m (8.2) and for males is 3.4 m (11.2 ft).  Exceptionally large males can weigh over 450 kg (1000 pounds). They have muscular laterally flattened tails for propulsion and defense.  Dorsally their skin is armored bony plates called osteoderms and scutes.  They have four short legs with five toes on the front and four on the back.  The snout is broad with upper facing nostrils to aid in breathing while major portion of the body is under water.  Differences between alligators and crocodiles:1. Alligators tend to have wide, U-shaped, rounded snouts, while crocodiles tend to have longer, more pointed, V-shaped snouts. 2. The large lower fourth tooth of an alligator fits into a socket in the upper jaw and is not seen when the mouth is closed, whereas in crocodiles this tooth is visible. 3. Alligators live in freshwater; crocodiles tend to inhabit salt water. 4. On average alligators are smaller than crocodiles Alligators have between 74 and 80 teeth, which are replaced as they wear down; an alligator can go through 2,000 to 3,000 teeth in a lifetime. The average alligator adult size for a female is 2.6 m (8.2 ft) and for males is 3.4 m (11.2 ft). Exceptionally large males can weigh over 450 kg (1000 pounds). DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Southeastern United States, from North Carolina to the Rio Grande in Texas.   Usually found in freshwater, especially in slow-moving rivers. They are also found in swamps, marshes, and lakes. They can tolerate salt water only briefly. They dig “gator holes” for use during low water periods in the summer. DIET IN THE WILD: Alligators eat almost anything, but primarily consume fish, birds, turtles, mammals and amphibians.Alligators spin on their long axis to rip off bite sized portions small enough to swallow when eating large animals such as deer.Since they are ectothermic their need for food is decreased allowing them to survive without food for up to 3 years.They are a mild threat to humans with approximately one death every 5 years reported between 1973-1990.   ACADEMY DIET: They usually consume about rodents and chickens three times per week which containing vitamins.REPRODUCTION: The temperature at which American alligator eggs develop determines their sex. Eggs which are hatched at 90 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit become males, while those at 82 to 86 degrees fahrenheit become females. Intermediate temperature ranges yield a mix of both male and females. The hatchings grow rapidly, averaging over 1 foot of growth for each year of life. Both sexes reach sexual maturity at around 6 feet in length.LONGEVITY: Wild: 35 to 50 years, captivity: 65 to 80 years.CONSERVATION: Not listed by the IUCN with limited hunting allowed in some states.REMARKS: The Academy has one white pink-eyed albino alligator born 9-15-1995.Recent Claude stats9-15-18 Claude 23 years old2010 length 2.6m (8.5 feet), weigh 82 kg (181 pounds). 6-10-12 length 9.0 feet, weight 190 pounds. 6-10-13 length 3 meters or 9.5 feet, weight 100+ kg or 222 pounds.He may be started on a weight reduction diet because he is a bit chubby according to Freeland Dunker staff veterinarian. The albino gene is recessive. Claud s vision is impaired because of lack of pigment which protects the eye from ultraviolet rays of the sun.Leucistic alligators are also white but have normal eye color thus are not albinos.Color of Life note Color Conceals: White alligators are prime example of what happens when color does not conceal. Albinism (total lack of pigment) results from a genetic change which puts the alligators at great risk because they are easy to spot by predators in their environment. Ref. California Academy of Sciences Color of Life Exhibit 2015SwampReferencesCalifornia Academy of Sciences Swamp 2019Encyclopedia of Life  eol.org/pages/796029/detailsAudubon Institute www.auduboninstitute.org/media/releases/audubon-insectari...ARKive   www.arkive.org/american-alligator/alligator-mississippien..IUCN Red List (September, 2009)  www.iucnredlist.org Ron s flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157625194985646/ Ron s WordPress Shortlink http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-BbShare this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading... Family: Mochokidae (Squeakers or Upsidedown Catfishes)Genus/species: Synodontis nigriventrisGENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Ground color khaki, small reddish to black dots cover the entire surface. The body is scaleless with large eyes, a large adipose fin, a forked tail, and three pairs of barbels. The head is flattened and the sides of the body are slightly compressed.Length 9-10 cm (3-4 inches)DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Central Congo basin of Africa. Found in freshwater streams in schools of hundreds to thousands.DIET IN THE WILD: Omnivorous scavenger: Feeds mainly at night on insects, crustaceans and filamentous algae, plant debris, bowels of dead fishes. Grazes algae from undersides of cave ceilings or leaves with its little rasp-like teeth while in the inverted position, a posture also used while gleaning food from the water’s surface. Also locates food on the substrate among debris such as rotting plants.REPRODUCTION: Egg layers, with the young swimming upside-down after they are approximately 2 months old.REMARKS: Swimming “upside-down” (ventral toward surface) is normal for adults of this species, which often feed and breathe at the surface. One common name for the family refer to the group’s propensity to make squeaking noises, especially when netted and taken from the water.CONSERVATION: IUCN least concern 2010ReferencesCalifornia Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium Water Planet Surviving 2019ADW https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Synodontis/classification/IUCN https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/182250/7842677Ron s flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157625017923579/with/3400184132/Ron s WordPress Shortlink http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-11BShare this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading... GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: The head is notable for the absence of eyes. Young are born with functioning eyes which become completely enclosed in tissue as fish grows. The lack of sight is compensated by a highly developed lateral line that detects vibrations and changes in the water. The fish is without pigmentation and is plain pink with a silver sheen. They live in schools and grow to about 12 cm or 4.72 inches.DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Texas, New Mexico, and eastern and central Mexico in freshwater pools within dark caves.DIET IN THE WILD: A keen sense of smell and electrolocation aid in finding food. Blind cave fish are omnivores and feed on animal and plant remains that wash into the caves and on bat droppings from cave ceilings. Much of their time is spent searching for food; they are able to store four times more energy as fat than their surface-dwelling relatives, allowing them to deal with irregular food supplies.REMARKS: Two forms of A. mexicanus (eyed and eyeless) being members of the same species, are closely related and can interbreed.The loss of eye tissue in the blind cavefish, which occurs within a few days of their development, happens through epigenetic silencing of eye-related genes, according to a study led by the National Institutes of Health. Epigenetic regulation is a process where genes are turned off or on, typically in a reversible or temporary manner. This mechanism differs from genetic mutations, which are permanent changes in the DNA code. The study appears in Nature Ecology Evolution.ReferencesCalifornia Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium Water planet Senses Cluster,  Dr Bart SheperdRon s flickr  http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157608608528651/with/2999116145/Ron s WordPress Shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-11IRead more at: phys.org/news/2018-05-eye-loss-cavefish.html#jCpNIH phys.org/news/2018-05-eye-loss-cavefish.htmlShare this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading... Genus/species: Gnathonemus petersiiGENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: The snout is its most unique feature. It is not actually a nose, but an extension of the mouth that is covered in electroreceptors that capture information from the weak electric field the fish generates. Receptors, which cover much of the body are used to navigate, avoid predators, and find food and mates in the turbid waters of its habitat.Maximum length: 35.0 cm (13 in)DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: G. petersii are found in African fresh waters often murky.DIET IN THE WILD: They feed mostly at night on worms and insects probably aided by electro-sensory inputs.IUCN: Least ConcernElephantnose fish have the largest brain of any fish their size with a brain size to body weight ratio higher than a human’s. They have been used by water departments in the U.S. and Germany to test the quality of drinking water. When the quality of the water declines, the amount of electrical pulses released increases.They are depicted in ancient Egyptian tombs dating from 2500 BCReferencesCalifornia Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium, Senses Cluster 2019Ron s flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/4734491953/in/album-72157675574079744/Frontiers of Zoology https://frontiersinzoology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1742-9994-6-21fishbase. www.fishbase.se/summary/Gnathonemus-petersii.htmlwww.deepdyve.com/lp/wiley/fish-monitors-and-the-role-of-e Ron s WordPress Shortlink https://wp.me/p1DZ4b-1ZwShare this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading... Family: Rhamphocottidae, Grunt Sculpins Genus/species: Rhamphocottus richardsoniGENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Short stocky body. Most of body covered with prickles. Head and body colored yellowish-beige, streaked with dark brown; ventral surface creamy yellow to pale red. Base of caudal fin is bright red. Fin rays mostly reddish. Their large heads represent over half of their total body length—and feature a long, tapered snout, two bony ridges on top, and small cirri on the upper lip. Instead of scales, their bodies are covered with small plates containing numerous tiny spines.Length 5-7.6 cm (2-3 in).DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Pacific Ocean, Japan north to Alaska, south to Santa Monica Bay, California. Habitat: Rocky and sandy substrates, tide pools. Grunt sculpins use the barnacles’ shells as protection and egg-laying sites. In this position, the shape of its head resembles the former resident of the shell.Intertidal to 165 m. (540 ft)DIET IN THE WILD: Crustaceans. Young consume zooplankton, invertebrate and fish larvaeLONGEVITY: about four years.REPRODUCTION: Observations in captivity show that during spawning season the female chases the male until he is trapped in a rocky cavern. She keeps him captive until her eggs are laid; fertilization is external. After the eggs are fertilized, the female leaves the male to guard the nest. She may return occasionally to take a shift protecting the eggs. When it’s time for the eggs to hatch, whichever parent is guarding them (male or female) takes the eggs into its mouth, leaves the nest and literally spits the eggs out—breaking the eggs open. The newly hatched larvae then swim away to begin their lives.REMARKS: Produces grunt-like sounds when removed from water, thus the common name. Eyes operate independently. Like most sculpins, rarely swims freely in the water column; instead usually “walks” with a hopping motion over the substrate by use of its large, fan-like pectoral fins. Frequently observed taking shelter in empty shells, including those of the giant barnacle, Balanus nubilis, as well as in cans and bottles.They move by crawling on the tips of their finger-like pectoral fins in a series of twitchy hops, jerks and jumps.They make a wheezing-grunting sound when removed from the water, hence the name, grunt sculpin.ReferencesCalifornia Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium, Water Planet Locomotion 2018Ron s Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/15896092713/in/album-72157662278273245/Ron s WordPress Shortlink https://fishoncomputer.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.phpSeattle Aquarium https://www.seattleaquarium.org/animals/grunt-sculpinAquarium of the Pacific http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/grunt_sculpin/Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading...

TAGS:of Critter Rons 

<<< Thank you for your visit >>>

My favorites

Hot Websites