Sharks. Sharks. 8 Weird Facts About Sharks. By Douglas Main, Staff Writer | August 06, 2013 02:52pm ET Author Bio Douglas Main Douglas has written for the New York Times Green Blog, Popular Mechanics and Discover Magazine.
He has an M.A. in journalism from the Science, Health & Environmental Reporting Program at New York University. Before that he studied biology and English literature at Washington University in St. Douglas Main on. Shark Facts - 10 Facts About Sharks. There are several hundred species of sharks, ranging in size from less than ten inches to over 50 feet.
These amazing animals have a fierce reputation, but fascinating biology. Here we'll explore ten things that define sharks. 1. Sharks are cartilaginous fish. Exhibit Galleries Blog: Just the biofacts: What is sandtiger shark skin made of? When you visit The Trust Family Foundation Shark and Ray Touch Tank, you probably will have only a few seconds to touch a shark before it swims past you.
But find one of our educators in the exhibit, and you could have a chance to spend a lot more time with some shark skin. One of the biofacts that educators bring into the touch tank exhibit is a piece of sand tiger shark skin (shown at left). When you get up close to the skin, you can see that it has tiny scales called dermal denticles (“tiny skin teeth”).
Dermal denticles point tailward, so when you feel shark skin from head to tail, it feels smooth, but from tail to head, it feels coarse like sandpaper. Interesting Facts About Sharks. As of July 1, 2013 ThinkQuest has been discontinued. We would like to thank everyone for being a part of the ThinkQuest global community: Narwhal. Narwhal. Narwhals, Narwhal Pictures, Narwhal Facts. The narwhal is the unicorn of the sea, a pale-colored porpoise found in Arctic coastal waters and rivers.
These legendary animals have two teeth. In males, the more prominent tooth grows into a swordlike, spiral tusk up to 8.8 feet (2.7 meters) long. The ivory tusk tooth grows right through the narwhal's upper lip. Unicorn Whales. Narwhals are mid-sized whales living in the cold waters of the Arctic Circle near northern Canada and Greenland.
They grow between 4 and 6 m (12-20 ft.) in length – a similar size to their relative, the beluga whale. But they are easily distinguished from their beluga kin. Narwhal tusk a surprising sensor. Narwhal tusks, up to 9 feet long, were sold as unicorn horns in ages past, often for many times their weight in gold.
In the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth received a tusk valued at 10,000 pounds – the cost of a castle. Scientists have long tried to explain why a stocky whale that lives in arctic waters, feeding on cod, should wield such a long tusk. The theories about how the narwhal uses the tusk have included breaking ice, spearing fish, piercing ships, transmitting sound, shedding excess body heat, poking the seabed for food, wooing females, defending baby narwhals and establishing dominance in social hierarchies.
But a team of scientists from Harvard and the National Institute of Standards and Technology has now made a startling discovery: The tusk, it turns out, forms a sensory organ of exceptional size and sensitivity, making the living appendage one of the planet's most remarkable. "This whale is intent on understanding its environment," said Dr. James G. Weather stations. For a dentist, the narwhal's smile is a mystery of evolution.
When a dentist says “open wide,” he or she knows pretty much what they’ll find inside a patient’s mouth.
But when a dentist peers into the mouth of an Arctic narwhal, all bets are off. “Nothing makes sense,” explains Martin Nweeia, a practicing New England dentist and member of the Smithsonian’s Department of Vertebrate Zoology and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. For one, narwhals have no teeth. “They eat large fish, yet swallow them whole. If you look in its mouth there’s nothing. Barnacle. Barnacles. Top 10 weird wildlife: immortal jellyfish, gender-swapping fish and pink dolphins. Facts on Sea Barnacles. By Sarah Dray, Demand Media Barnacles are arthropods.
That means they are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton -- a skeleton on the outside of the body. Although they are animals, barnacles are non-mobile, which means they attach themselves to a hard surface and remain there all their lives. At first view, they look more like plants than animals. Barnacle. Barnacle, a small saltwater animal with a protective shell-like covering.
There are more than 1,000 species. Barnacles attach themselves permanently to ships, wharves, and rocks, and to other marine animals. Barnacles on the hull of a ship increase friction and can reduce the vessel's speed. The ship must then be put in dry dock to have the bottom scraped. Jellyfish. Jellyfish. Facts About Jellyfish - The Animal Encyclopedia. In this article, you'll learn interesting facts about jellyfish and find out about their unique characteristics, their life cycle and their evolutionary history.
Jellyfish get a lot of negative press for the threats they can pose to swimmers and holiday makers visiting beaches around the world. But there's more to jellyfish than a nasty sting. In this article we'll take a closer look at these unique creatures. FACT: Jellyfishes are made up of more than 95% water. Their bodies are soft and lack a skeletal structure or outer shell. 10 Amazing Facts about Jellyfish. The flower-hat jellyfish 1. Jellyfish first appeared about 650 million years ago and are found in every ocean, from the surface to the deep sea. Some are also found in fresh water. Care2. Some say that cockroaches, those survivalists par excellence, could inherit the earth. If they do, it’s likely they will be joined by jellyfish populating the oceans or whatever might remain of them. As scientist Lisa-ann Gershwin details in her book, “Stung! On Jellyfish Blooms and the Future of the Ocean,” jellyfish in vast (really vast) numbers are now showing up all over the world, from the Black Sea to the coasts of Britain, Israel and Brazil.
Jellyfish lake. Before you go laying the “this is photoshoped” line on me, do a little search on the web and convince yourself it is real. It’s actually one of the most well-known diving places in the world, set in Palau. Actually if any of you watched Survivor Palau, you might remember this as one of the sights. Jellyfish Lake was once connected to the waters of the Pacific ocean, but is now completely isolated. 17 Most Beautiful Jellyfish Species on Earth. Jellyfish is also known as jellies or sea jellies or a stage of the life cycle of Medusozoa. Jellyfish have several different morphologies that represent several different cnidarian classes including the Scyphozoa (over 200 species), Staurozoa (about 50 species), Cubozoa (about 20 species), and Hydrozoa (about 1000–1500 species that make jellyfish and many more that do not).
Jellyfish are found in every ocean, from the surface to the deep sea. Some hydrozoan jellyfish, or hydromedusae, are also found in fresh water; freshwater jellyfish are less than an inch (25 mm) in diameter, are colorless and do not sting. The jellyfish is one of the wonders of marine life. These are large beautiful and quite attractive colors but today we are discussing some of the most common known jellyfishes. 1.
This species forms large swarms in the Breede River during summer. Top 10 weird wildlife: immortal jellyfish, gender-swapping fish and pink dolphins. Octopus. Real octopus pictures in ocean. Octopus Behavior" Fun facts about the Octopus - Octopus Facts and Information - The Jungle Store. Octopus beak. 8 Crazy Facts About Octopuses. By Megan Gannon, News Editor | December 13, 2013 09:45am ET. Amazing facts about octopuses. Scallop. Scallops live pictures. 10 Facts About Scallops - Facts About Scallops.
Amazing Facts about Scallops. Electric Flame Scallop. Scallop: Animal Planet. Scallop. Scallop. Crab. Crabs. The compound eyes of fiddler crabs: a tutorial - Biology - ANU. Compound eyes & the visual field. 10 facts about Crabs - Crabs facts. Fact 1Crabs live on land and in all the waters of the world and especially in the tropical regions. Crab Facts. Crab Fun Facts. Facts About Crab - Interesting & Amazing Information on Crabs. Crabs.