AnimalCrazed

Manta Ray…?

Personally, I have always believed that manta rays are awesome.  The way they glide around in the water, their shape, their color, they’re just beautiful.  Today, while me and my mother were in a taxi leaving the Orlando International Airport on our way to the Renaissance Hotel, I saw a billboard for a roller coaster.  It’s called the Manta Ray Roller Coaster and it reminded me of a question that’s come to my mind many times… what the heck is a manta ray anyway?  Is it a fish?  Is it a shark?  A mammal?  WHAT IS IT?!  Well, according to wikiepdia, they are rays. (’Cause we couldn’t figure that out, right?)  Which brings up our next question:  Then… what’s a ray…?  Well, to be honest, I don’t know, but I’d like to find out.  Let’s find out what we can about them and what they do; then come to a conclusion about what they really are.

According to Wiki, they:

1. are cartilaginous fish.
2. are part of the superorder, ‘Batoidea’, and the order, ‘Rajiformes’, meaning the ‘true rays’.
3. live in the open sea.
4. are filter feeders and consume plankton.
5. have been commonly called Atlantic manta.
6. Also: Pacific manta, devilfish, and sometimes, simply manta.
7. are called Manta birostris in latin.
8. are the largest of rays.
9. live in the open ocean.
10. have a very thick coating of body mucus

Now, I’m sure that these probably aren’t the most awe-provoking  things you’ve ever heard, but what would you say if you found out that a.) they are so massive that it is rare to see them is captivity? (Although, I was lucky enough to actually swim with them!) or b.) a manta ray has been found on a sidewalk in California? (If you’re thinking “……?……”, then good! We’re on the same page!)

Alright, so, can we agree that these creatures are both really cool looking and a complete mystery?  If not then… well… you’re on your own, buddy! :]

How To Avoid A Shark Attack

The best of days can easily be turned upside-down and inside-out when you add the ocean. Swimming, surfing, scuba diving – whatever it is – hearing ‘be careful’ always sends up a red flag for me. To me it means there’s possible danger coming and that I need to be very aware of my surroundings. Don’t get me wrong, the ocean isn’t a giant killer waiting for innocent victims- but it can and has been very dangerous. Since there are numerous things to be careful of in the ocean; let’s stick to sharks.

Why They Attack:

• “Oops, you’re not a seal… mmm… I’ll eat you anyway.” From below, when they’re seeking their meals, they can only see silhouettes of the bodies above. From the pictures to the right, I think you can understand why. Now, while you’re comparing these too pictures you may be thinking, “Oh come on! It’s like so obvious which one’s the seal and which one’s the person,” which is true, but you’re no shark and any person is most likely much, much smarter than a shark.
• “Oooooh! SHINY! FISH SCALES! LOOKS LIKE DINNER!! I’M GONNA GO CATCH THAT ! ” *10 seconds later* “OH NO!! IT WAS A LADY’S JEWELRY! Ehh well let’s not waste her.” Now of course this isn’t exactly possible, and I’m not quite sure that shark’s can even think the way we do. But they still make mistakes.
• “Blooooooooood. I SMELL BLOOOOOOOOD. I MUST KNOW WHERE THIS BLOOOOOD ISSSSSSS! ” Sharks have an extremely sensitive sense of smell (say that 5 times fast!) in which they can smell the scent of blood from miles and miles away. For a funny little bit of an example of this, try watching Finding Nemo. The part where the sharks have their little ‘Fish are friends, not food ‘ seminar in the sunken plane in the middle of the minefield.
• And why else do they attack? Hungry, maybe. Possibly desperate for food? Who knows. Guess we’ll just have to wait until we come across a family of talking sharks.

Tips:

• Never wear jewelry into the water. Because:: Sharks could easily mistake them for fish scales A.K.A. prey. My advice? Find a log or tree stump or boulder to set your belongings so that waves can’t sweep them away.
• Never go into the water at dusk or dawn. These two times are main feeding times for sharks and is when they are most active. +Plus, do you really want to be swimming when it’s that dark anyway? Probably not.

• Never go into the water when you’re bleeding. If there’s no sharks in sight now, given 5 minutes I’m sure you’ll notice that that’ll change.

Before I go any further, I want to make note that your chances of being attacked are very minute and that you have a better chance of being struck by lightening, winning the lottery, or even drowning. And the chances of those happening are very slim as well.

• Never swim alone. One target is much easier to take down than a group (who’d be working together). Also, if you don’t have a buddy with you and you do encounter trouble, who’s going to get you help? Without immediate help you could suffer deeply from blood loss.

• Though splashing can be fun and entertaining, it can attract sharks… not something we want. Or maybe try splashing around in water that is extremely shallow – say, a couple inches? If that – and  then avoiding going any deeper because of potential sharks already in the area. Yelling is also a no-no.

• Last of all, avoid swimming in sand bars, drop-offs, and river mouths. These are common shark grounds where people are often attacked at. Not to mention fishing grounds, but that’s an obvious one. Also, try wearing a non-flashy bathing suit. Bright colors can easily resemble fish scales and again, not something we want.

Unless you want this, this, or this to be you, follow these guidelines. Beware, some of these pictures are graphic, so ask before clicking on the link.

Great White Shark

“Swim for your life!!!”

“It’s gaining on us!!!”

“We’re gonna die!!!”

If you wouldn’t be screaming 1 of these possible quotes or something like it when your being attacked by a Great White Shark, what would you be yelling???  Here is the top 20 facts about Great White Sharks:

1. Nicknames: – White Pointer, White Shark – White Death.
2. Their scientific name is Carcharodon carcharias.
3. They have a length of up to 6m.
4. They weigh up to 2,250 kg or 5000 lbs.
5. They are the largest known predatory fish.
6. Carolus Linnaeus gave the Great White Shark its first scientific name, Squalus carcharias, in 1758.
7. The Great White Shark is classified as a mackerel (Lamnidae ) shark.
8. They have huge teeth, but, their relative, the Megalodon (extinct) had teeth that looked 10x the size.
9. Yet these Great White Sharks are much closer to the Mako Shark than the Megalodon.
10. They live in all coastal & offshore waters with  temperature between 54* – 75*F.
11. There are greater concentrations off the coasts of southern Australia, South Africa, California, Central Mediterannean & Adriatic Seas.
12. They are Pelagic fish.
13. They are considered an open-ocean dwelling shark.
14. They have been recorded at depths of 1,280m or 4,199ft.
15. They have a robust, large conical-shaped snout.
16. They have very serrated teeth.
17. Like all sharks, the Great White Shark has an extra sense given by the Ampullae of Lorenzini.
18. They are conivorous- primarily eating fish including rays, tuna, & smaller sharks. Also dolphins, porpoises, whale carcasses, seals, fur seals, sea lions, and even sea turtles. Though it is not normal, they have also been known to attack sea otters and penguins.
19. Females of these sharks are dominant over males. GO GIRLS!!! :]
20. They have caused over 311 recorded deaths — and still counting.

Right now you may be thinking “… why are people so deathly afraid of these fish?” Well you can thank Hollywood for that scare. Jaws. Directed by Steven Spielburg. Not that I am not a fan. I certainly am. But, the movie is probably a big reason why many people now-a-days are scared of the ocean. But did you ever think that maybe, just maybe they are mistaking us for something else? I say so. What if they were to mistake you for a seal or dolphin. I know what your probably thinking now, ” I do not look like a seal! Or a dolphin!”. But have you even accidentally left jewelry on while swimming in these waters where they live? They might just mistake your necklace for the brilliant scales of a fish of their diet. Hmmm.

Manatee

The West African Manatee is not your average marine animal… but a little known about creature. Their scientific name is Trichechus senegalensis. They are the least studied of all manatees and pictures of their kind are extremely rare. Luckily I was able to find one of it! This photo is of one in Toba Aquarium in Japan.  Scientists believe that they may be similar to the West Indian Manatee. These large but gentle animals are found in coastal marine and estuarine habitats. Though crocodiles and sharks have been known to kill them as prey, their main life threats come from us, yes us. Our threat comes from poaching, habitat loss, and other environmental impacts. These creatures are becoming vulnerable meaning that they are at risk of being endangered. Sadly little is known about this magnificent creature.

Great White Shark: Horrifying Man-Killer or Curious Creature?

If you have been watching Discovery Channel’s 20th Anniversary Shark Week you will probably have seen many shark attacks (whether it was on people, seals, or fish) and you have probably seen many people say and write about how sharks are terrifying beasts that will gobble up anything in it’s path. But I am here to say that sharks are really not like that. I’m not saying that they are not dangerous because they are….. they’re very dangerous. But they can be calm giants.

See, what happens is sharks will sense movement and will get curious so they decide to investigate. Once they can see what they sensed they go and nip or bite at it to see what it is, thinking that it is most likely a seal, they attack it. In which then they find out what it is and are drawn in more to the creature by the blood from the attack(which they like). So shark attacks are not normally intended for humans but for seals (their normal diet).

Between being a horrifying man-killer or a curious creature I would put a Great White Shark as neither, just as another dangerous animal in the sea-  that happens to be huge.