Landlocked Mermaid

Marine Creature of the Month Famous Fish Made on Canva Scuttle and The Walrus We have a draw! For the first time ever on MCotM, a draw! I figure it is only fair that you get a post covering both of them. Instead of an in-depth profile on both, I am going to throw some fun facts about both of them your way. Scuttle the Seagull Kingdom: Animalia Class: Aves Conservation Status: Certain species are endangered (EN), like the herring gull. Picture from Varment Guard Seagulls are one of the few creatures which can drink sea water. They can drink salt water because of the glands above the eyes which flush salt out of their system, via holes in their bills. While Scuttle may not know the names for human objects, seagulls are actually very intelligent. They display learned behaviours like stamping their feet on the ground to mimic the rain and trick worms out of the ground. Not only do they show such intelligence but they pass the knowledge on. The oldest known gull is forty-nine years old. I...

Marine Creature of the Month Orcas aka Killer Whales Photo from Defenders of Wildlife This was originally going to be a proper MCotM profile, but I have had bad brain this week. But rather than not post at all, I thought I'd give you the bullet point version - provided I can read my terrible hand written notes! I am also apparently going for a famous fish theme - Nemo last month, Free Willy this month - so if you know of a famous fish you'd like me to look into, just let me know! Anyway, enough pre-amble, enjoy some facts about Orcas. Kingdom: Animalia Class: Mammalia Conservation Status: Critically Endangered (CR)/Data Deficient (DD) - I will explain. Photo from ThoughtCo   Orcas, while known as Killer Whales, are actually dolphins. They are even the largest species of dolphin with males growing between 6-8m (20-26ft) and females being slightly smaller at 5-7m (16-23ft). They live across the world, from tropical to cold waters. They prefer ...

Marine Creature of the Month Southern Right Whale Dolphin Photo from The Scuttlefish Kingdom: Animalia Class: Mammalia Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC) WHERE DO THEY LIVE? If the name wasn't a give away, these dolphins live in the Southern Hemisphere. They are found in temperate waters across the globe, from coastal Chile to waters near New Zealand. They have seen sighted often around the Faulkland Islands and even in the Indian Ocean. Their range is often associated with the cooler currents in this region.  WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE? The Southern Right Whale Dolphin does not look like a traditional dolphin for it lacks a dorsal fin and a pronounced beak. They have slim, graceful bodies with dark tops and light underbellies. This is a common colouration for aquatic creatures because it provides good camouflage against predation from above and below. The Southern Right Whale Dolphin has a two distinct colours rather than a faded blend which is mo...

Marine Creature of the Month Narwhal Photo from Arctic Kingdom Kingdom: Animalia Class: Mammalia Conservation Status: Near Threatened (NT) WHERE DO THEY LIVE? Narwhals live in the arctic waters around Canada, Greenland, and Russia. They are migratory creatures which live in open waters during the winter months and bay areas during the summer months. WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE? So if a unicorn and a dolphin had a baby, it would probably look a lot like a narwhal. These mottled grey toothed whales have a protruding tusk which resembles a horn. The tusk is actually a tooth which literally grows out of their faces. It is mostly the males which have the tusk but it isn't uncommon for the females to grow them too. In fact, 15% of them do though theirs are smaller of than the males. Overall, narwhals are medium sized whales, averaging between 3.95-5.5m (13-18ft) with an extra 1.5-3.1m (4.9-10.2ft) for the tusk. These tusks are actually hollow and used as a ...