Landlocked Mermaid

Bruce and Chum's Shark Spotlight Let's learn about... Goblin Sharks Photo from Sharkwater Extinction Shark Family: Mackerel Shark Shark Brothers: Thresher shark, Sand Tiger shark, Basking shark Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC) - Population stable Not the most handsome... Photo from Smithsonian Lifestyle Goblin sharks are born at a length of 80-90cm (31-35 inches). They can grow to at least 4m (13ft), which is roughly the size of a juvenile Great White.   These sharks live in deep and dark waters, across the globe. Like a lot of their shark bretheren, they are carnivorous. They eat squid and crustaceans. Their front teeth are sharp and designed to grab their prey, while the teeth at the back are smaller and there to chew. Scary!! Photo from Pinterest   Iconic Look Goblin sharks have a large snout above their jaw, which gives them their unique shape and look. It is believed that this snout picks up on the electrical sign...

Final Friday Top Five Fish I'd Like To See When Diving 5. Nudibranch Photo from Natural History Museum I almost feel like this answer is cheating, because I have seen nudibranchs while diving. I think. But I saw one type. A little brown blob which in the coming tide could have been flora or fauna, we didn't stay still long enough to really tell. There are over 3,000 types of nudibranch, so I would like to see more than just one "maybe" brown one.  4. Basking Sharks Photo from The Times Originally, I wasn't going to include sharks or big things on this list because we all know I want to see all the sharks. Even the terrifying goblin shark. But basking sharks swim in my waters which means I have an increased chance of seeing them - especially in comparison to goblin sharks which live in all the deep trenches. Basking sharks have a migration path which runs along the Welsh coast and these gentle giants are beautiful. They are a ...

HAPPY EARTH DAY! I hope your day was nice and Earthy yesterday. Myself, I organised a litter pick. My initial plan was to go to the beach, like last year. However, it was Bank Holiday Monday yesterday and travelling to the beach would have been hellish, let alone actually being there. So I shifted my focus to something a little more local. I am very lucky in that the Shropshire Union Canal runs along the edge of my town. It's a gorgeous area which I have walked and run many times. I have even braved cycling along it, constantly fearing falling in of course. As a lot of my family live locally, I put up an event on Facebook and left it open for them to join if they wanted. Everyone was eager join. And my step dad even volunteered their canoe and kayak! All in all, shaping up to be a good day. We met at the stretch of the canal behind the cricket club and used my parents' house as a base camp. Sun screen applied, hats and sunnies on, canoe and kayak prepped; we were r...

A few months ago I started my Diving Bucket List . Since getting Fifty Places to Dive Before You Die (by Chris Santella) for my Birthday, I have been adding to this list. The book is compiled of sites reccomended by diving experts across the world. I've been dipping in and out of the book over the last month, and here are the dips I want to take! The Diving Bucket List Continued.. Channel Islands, CA Kelp forests. Photo from Horizon Charters   The kelp forests look amazing. And like you'd be diving around Finding Dory - follow the shells!   There are a few places on my America wishlist and California is one of them. So this would be two birds one stone for me! There is plenty of life around this area too, which is always a drawing point for me. Gotta see them fishies. Lord Howe Island, Australia Balls Pyramid. Photo from Outdoor Australia Quite often when I talk about diving abroad, people assume I want to go to the Great Barrier Reef in A...

I am not one to shy away from spice. I accidentally loaded a burger with ghost chilli hot sauce and still ate it. Half my face went numb and I ate an entire head of lettuce afterwards, but it was damn tasty. While I have recently been experimenting with making my own hot sauces, I have had my salsa recipe down for years. And it's quick, it's easy, and it goes with everything. And it's adaptable as well, to suit your needs, be it spicing up a cheese fondue... Camembert, salsa, and chips. Or used as a sauce for homemade pizzas! Still counts as one slice. So, enough bragging, here is the recipe. INGREDIENTS Tin of chopped tomatoes Red onion Yellow/orange pepper (or any really, those just pop the best with colour) Oil for frying Balsamic vinegar Tomato puree Salt Pepper Chili flakes or powder (or both if you are brave) Paprika Basil Oregano Garlic Immediately, this can be varied by adding more veg or not adding the peppers. Maybe there ...

We all know that I am not a massive girly-girl. I do not spend hours doing my hair and make up every day; sometimes I don't even brush it. But, I do like to take care of my hair and do a little to aid the natural curl. I have a few sprays, serums, and mousses but in the interest of reducing plastic and not purchasing unnecessary bottles I decided to have a go at making some. So I turned to my DIY Plastic board on Pinterest and picked this spray from PullingCurls.com for curly hair. The ingredients were simple and contained the same moisturising component as my conditioner: coconut oil. Got to take care of the hair. And it was nice and simple to make. The longest part was waiting for the water to cool. All you need. THE METHOD WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 1 cup water, preferably distilled. 1 tbsp sea salt 1-2 tsp coconut oil 10-20 drops of essential oil Empty spray bottle  Ideally, the spray bottle would not be an empty Febreeze bottle but it was all I could ...

Ancient Seas Archelon Photo from Wikipedia Kingdom: Animalia Class: Reptiia Conservation Status: Extinct (EX) Era: Late Cretaceous WHAT WAS IT? Archelon was a large marine turtle, believed to be the largest ever documented sea turtle. The largest specimen, named Brigitta, was 4.5m (15ft) from head to toe; 4m (13ft) flipper to flipper; and weighed 2,200kg (4,900lbs). Instead of a hard shell, they had a leathery carapace with ridges up to 5cm (2inches) long. Its head was distinct with a narrow and elongated shape, and had horizontal nostrils on the top of its skull which is unusual in comparison to its modern counterparts. WHERE AND WHEN DID IT LIVE? The Late Cretaceous was 66-100 million years ago. During this time period, there was a large inland sea splitting North America into two land masses. This was called the Western Interior Seaway and its where the archelon lived. At its largest, this body of water was 700m (2,500ft) deep, 970km (600 miles) w...

Marine Creature of the Month African Penguin Aka, flip flop thieves! Kingdom: Animalia Class: Aves Conservation Status: Endangered (EN) WHERE DO THEY LIVE? Well, Africa. Duh. Namely, they live along the South African coasts, on some of the surrounding islands, and Namibia. There are a couple of colonies on the mainland, such as Boulder's Bay in Simon's Town which is where the above picture was taken. Traditionally, the colonies would have gathered on the smaller islands because there was less risk of predation. But, with the advent of cities and tourism, the mainland poses less predatory risk for the penguins now. The penguins on the mainland are very friendly and not people-shy at all. I know from first had experience that they will try to walk off with your sandals and being the loving, supporting girlfriend that I am, I definitely laughed and took pictures. WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE? The African penguin is very recognisably a penguin, with its ...

For this video, I decided to do something a little bit different. I left my favourite shark experts a mission. My partner and I have an aquarium. It's a small affair with five fish and two shrimp inside. But my partner, being who he is, wants to make something a little more epic. So we are currently in the process of building an aquarium which will feature a land mass, a waterfall, a cave, some dinosaurs, and, of course, some sharks.  This is where the mission comes in. I want to know the sharks in my tank a little better. So their mission: Find out four facts about each shark and film their findings.  Here is what they got! I just want to point out, they researched and filmed everything. (And still did a better job than me, their sister with a media degree!) Do you know any facts about these four sharks? Share below!