Landlocked Mermaid

Bruce and Chum are back! They are taking over Marine Creature of the Month and making it their own. So, enough of my waffle already - I shall hand it over to my plushie friends. Name: Steller Sea Lion Location: Subarctic, from Alaska to Russia Habitat: Coastal waters, temperate climates Diet: Fish and cephalopods Conservation Status: Near Threatened (NT)     Bruce thinks...   These sea lions taste stellar! Get it?! They may be carnivores, themselves, but that won't stop me, other great whites, orcas, and sleeper sharks having a nibble. Chum says...   Stellar Sea Lions are very territorial. It's probably a good thing they like to live on isolated islands, the ladies can weigh anywhere between 240kg and 350kg! The males? They are 450kg to 1,120kg! For some context, I weigh about 10g... Ten Jawsome Facts The pups are born entirely black and weigh about 23kg. Their Latin name, Eumetopias jubatus , roughly translates to "maned one with the broad forehead". With a thick la...

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...

Bruce and Chum's Shark Spotlight Silky Sharks Shark Family: Requim sharks Shark Brothers: Spinner sharks, Galapogos sharks, Silvertip sharks Conservation Status: Vulnerable (VU) Photo from IUCN Red List Life Style Silky sharks are bold and inquisitive sharks which live in shallower waters, only going as deep as 200m (656ft).  They live in tropical waters, such as the Carribean, and are found in warm waters across the world. There, they eat squid, octopus, and crab. They hunt using their keen hearing and by diving into schools of fish with their mouths open. These sharks grow on average to 3m (9ft) long. Silky sharks are ovoviviparous, meaning they give birth to live pups in numbers between 15-20. As pups, they will stay on the reefs until they are big enough to fare in the open ocean. Photo from Project AWARE Facts Silky sharks are so called for their denticles are tightly packed and overlay, giving them a smoother texture...

Bruce and Chum's Shark Spotlight Let's learn about.... Bamboo Sharks Juvenile Burmese Bamboo Shark. Photo from Shark Sider Shark Family: Carpet sharks Shark Brothers: Epaulette sharks, Speckled Carpet sharks, Wobbegongs Conservation Status: Near Threatened (NT) Chillin' during the day. Photo from Memorial Library Life Cycle They develop for 100 days in an egg before hatching. As yong sharks they have bold patterns. They are nocturnal sharks; hunt at night and hide in rocks during the day. When mature, females lay one or two round egg cases every six to seven days, for around two months. Bamboo Shark egg sac. Photo from MarineFishEZ Facts Bamboo sharks can survive out of water for half a day! They hunt in small pools along the corals and rocky reefs. When the tide goes out, they can get stranded among the now exposed seabed. They have muscular pectoral fins which they can use like legs to traverse dry land. Unfortuna...