Fish--- At the Bottom of the Ocean!!

When you think of fish, you probably think of brightly striped fish in the coral reefs, or even what you eat. Certainly you don't picture this:

Here is another picture of a deep-sea monster:

Yes, it exists and it is not computer-edited. The angler fish, along with the fangtooth, live close to the very bottom of the ocean, in the particular region called the Twilight Zone. Here it is completely dark and inhospitable. You are probably wondering, how  do these organisms find food? They use bioluminescence--- the way of making light that glows in the dark! An angler fish uses the pole sticking out of its head as a lure. It will flash bioluminescent light. Since other, prey organisms think of a light as possible food, and will be attracted to it. As you can see from the menacing set of teeth, the organism wil be in for a nasty surprise. How do organisms mate in the dark? That's not really known. Perhaps it's just luck! Here are some eccentric-looking organisms from the very bottom of the ocean:

As you can see, this organism, known as a copipod produces bioluminescence. Copipods are much smaller in actual size, and eat the few particles of plankton that drift down from higher waters. This plankton falls down, creating an effect that looks like snow, hence the name marine snow. Here is something that preys on copipods:

This is indeed alive! It is hard to believe(when I first saw it I thought it was from a science fiction movie!). This odd organism is called gigantocypris, and preys on copipods. Therefore, it is approximately the same size(the size of a pea). Gigantocypris seeks out the bioluminescent flashes of copipods. Then, it must rely on mainly luck, and a tiny bit of its senses. However, it can be fooled. Just look at this:

This shrimp has been frightened by something, and is squirting bioluminescent glue to keep it away! This tactic is similar to that of the octopus's ink. 

This is a comb jellyfish, and another glue-producing organism. When threatened, it will shoot out a sticky net of glue. Here in the picture, the comb jelly is just going about its business without being eaten---so far. 

This is actual size! What is this beautiful scarf? It is a siphonophore! All these fancy bulbs and billows are filtering machines that filter out prey. After prey is trapped, it is zapped with poisons from the siphonophore's  stinging cells. All it has to do is sit and wait! For additional help in catching prey, red light is invisible to the eyes of almost all deep sea life forms. Therefore, no one would even know it is there, so how can it be avoided? 

This peculiar organism is known as phronima, a type of amphipod. Some species of it live in the bodies of jellyfish it paralyzed itself. Phronima is a fierce predator, and will take whatever crosses its path.

Half of this eel's head is its mouth! This gulper eel can tackle something twice its size with such a huge mouthful. What you saw in the picture is way less than even half of the eel's body. It has a long tail that can extend to a few meters long! You can't afford to be picky of you live in the deep sea! 

Does this remind you of an octopus 'dressed up' as an elephant for Halloween? This dumbo octopus has been only recently discovered, and those flaps may or may not be ears. 

This is a firefly squid. 

These are tube worms--- found only at the very bottom of the ocean! 

This is a type of sea urchin that dwells at the very bottom of the ocean! 

Polychaete Worm

Another Polychaete Worm

This hatchetfish has quite a dazzling display to stun predators that try to catch it! It will flash these silver scales. However, what if it is attacked from the bottom? There is a defense for that, too! Hatchetfish possess photophores, color changing cells that detect the very faint beans of sunlight that pierce the Twilight Zone. This helps them camouflage with the exact color of the water. 

Hagfish

This snake-like fish lives at the very bottom of the  ocean, and feeds on whatever dead meat floats to the floor. 

Underwater Storms

These hydrothermal vents, or black smokers, spew out boiling liquid carbon dioxide. It's that hot! However, some organisms still live here, even with no oxygen! Anaerobic bacteria dwell here, along with tube worms and some very tolerant species of crab(shown below)

Vent Crabs

Ways to Help Worms

Have you ever dug a garden? If so, you may have come across worms. They do look ugly, but they contribute major help in the health of your plants. Here is how to help them in return:

Participate in SciStarter project Great Lakes Worm Watch(http://www.scistarter.com/project/333-Great%20Lakes%20Worm%20Watch). Another thing you can do is make a little 'worm refuge'. Turn over and dig up some soil only a few inches deep. Scatter some leaves on it, and it is ready for the worms! Whenever you see a worm out on your driveway, or stuck in the sun, help relocate it to a shady, grassy area. Also, when you water your plants, wet the soil around it, too. The worms will be thankful! 

How exactly do worms help your garden? They dig tunnels through the soil, aerating it in the process. That's not all they do. Worms eat leaves, and they excrete the excess in the form of droppings--- in the soil! These droppings are rich in nutriment and act as fertilizer for plants.  Fun Fact  about earthworms: If a predator bites of part of a worm's body, it can grow it back! 

Normally worms grow to be at most a few inches long. However, some are giants. One rare type has been known to reach 6 feet long! These species spend a few months or more in cocoons, growing to their full size. Then, they burrow underground and spend the rest of their lives there. Sometimes, if you are in the right place at the right time, you may hear gurgling sounds made by the worms in their tunnels. However, these worms live exclusively in certain places. 

Ways to Help Praying Mantises

What is this crazy-looking insect? It's a praying mantis! You may have never seen one in your life! Why? It's not that it's rare, it's simply a trick of good camouflage! It is likely that there is one sitting on your lawn or in your garden right now! That is, if you don't use pesticides. Pesticides exterminate the bad insects, such as aphids and caterpillars, but they also kill the helpful ones. Praying mantises are helpful, and will eat any insect that crosses its path. From the picture, you probably noticed those menacing-looking claws with slicing spears. A praying mantis will strike its prey at lightning-speed with these and eat its meal off the spikes that skewer the prey. 

Here are some ways to help praying mantises:

You probably guessed that you shouldn't use pesticides. Just leave the job to the praying mantises! The patch of grass you are using for grasshoppers can be used for praying mantises. 

What if a predator does see a praying mantis through its camouflage? The praying mantis still has a defense. It will spread its wings, bear its claws, and make a hissing noise, similar to that of a cat! Of course, it could also flee. However, such camouflage could also have drawbacks. How do male and female praying mantises find each other? They can use pheremones, or simply rely on bumping into each other! Once they mate, the female will eat the male and lay eggs. Eggs are typically deposited in a frothy mass that is produced by glands in the abdomen. This froth then hardens, creating a protective capsule. The protective capsule and the egg mass is called an ootheca. Depending on the species, the ootheca can be attached to a flat surface, wrapped around a plant or even deposited in the ground!

An ootheca

The first moments out of the ootheca

Make a Miniature World ----- With Terrariums!!

 Do you want to grow plants in your own home? It's easy, if you make a terrarium. Here's how:
1. Find a suitable-shaped glass container that plants can fit through. You can easily get one at your local craft store. 
2. Pour in an inch-thick layer of pebbles or rocks to create a false drainage system for the plant roots.
3. Add a thin layer of activated charcoal. This keeps the water fresh, and prevents mold and bacteria from building up.
 4. Add a layer of potting soil. They also make a special mix if you choose to use cacti and succulents instead of moss and ferns. The potting soil sometimes comes with the plant you purchase. 

5. Add a layer of sand on top of that. 
6. Now, get creative with the garnish! Add moss and lichen if you want. You can even put in little figurines! Do anything that occurs to your mind!

7. Finally, place your plants in. 

Depending on what kind of plant it is, it will need a certain amount of water. For succulents and cacti, give them barely any water(once or twice a month, perhaps, and not that much). For all other plants, water them weekly. You can buy plants for your terrarium, or harvest them from your own backyard. If they come from your backyard, you must be sure to dig it up by the roots. Without roots, the plant will not survive and just shrivel up. Also, be sure to put your terrarium in a fairly sunny area. 

Do you want to recycle? Then, make a lightbulb terrarium! You can use soft forceps to move small plants in. Lightbulb terrariums can be used also as Christmas ornaments!

Do you have a cat that eats plants? If the answer is yes, you must be careful about what you put in your terrariums! One of the best cat-safe plants to put in a terrarium is catnip or cat grass! Other non-toxic plants include spider plants(my cat loves them!), the Christmas Cactus, African violets, and the tiny air plants. Before you buy a plant for your terrarium, research whether or not it is okay for cats. Usually succulents or brightly colored plants are not okay for cats. In terms of flowers to set on your table, use sunflowers, roses or alstroemeria. Easter lilies and calla lilies are toxic to cats. 

Here is another way to have fun with plants:

You can press flowers and leaves! This dries them up so they keep their color but do not decay. All you have to do is pick a few flowers and leaves and put them in the press. You can buy a press kit, or you could simply leave the flowers in the pages of your largest, heaviest book. After doing this, leave your plants in the press(or book) for a day or more. When you take it out, it should be dry and pressed flat. These can make lovely gifts for a friend or relative. 

      

Pansies are lovely when pressed. They can be arranged to make exquisite art, or even jewelry. 

You can easily make this!

Just by using pressed flowers and water-color paint, you can make a masterpiece!

Home Weather Station

How much exactly does it rain? What's the temperature? By making a weather station, you can answer these questions. 

Rain gauge:

1. Take a soda bottle and cut the top off. 

2. Place what you cut off  of the bottle through the hole left from cutting the top as shown in the picture. 

3. Measure the bottle and write down measurements(inches or centimeters). You do not need to do every inch or centimeter. You can do every two or three. If you want a smaller rain gauge, just cut off more of the bottle. 

4. That's it! You are ready to wait for the rain!

Anemometer:

This devise measures the wind speed. The wind makes it spin, giving you a rough estimate of how fast the wind is blowing. 

1. Take four plastic cups and punch one hole in each, about ½ inch (1.5 cm) below the rim.

2. Take the fifth cup and punch two holes in it, directly opposite from each other, about ½ 

inch (1.5 cm) below the rim. Now punch two more holes in the cup, each ¼ inch (1 cm) 

below the rim that are equally-spaced between the first two holes.

3. Using a push-pin and  scissors, make a hole in the center of the bottom of the cup 

with four holes in it. The hole should be large enough that a pencil can fit easily 

through it.

4.Slide one of the straws through the hole in one of the cups that has only one hole in it. Bend the end of the straw that is inside the cup about ½ inches (1.5 cm) and tape it to 

the inside of the cup.

5. Place the other end of the straw through two of the holes in the fifth cup and then through 

the hole in one of the other cups. Tape the end of the straw to the inside of the cup as 

you did earlier, making sure that the openings of the two cups face opposite directions

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the remaining two cups, sliding the straw through the 

remaining two holes in the fifth cup. Make sure that the opening of each cup faces the 

bottom of the cup next to it (in other words, no two openings should be facing each 

other). Each of the four cups should be facing sideways.

7. Insert the pencil with the eraser facing up through the bottom of the fifth cup. Carefully 

push the pin through the two straws and into the eraser on the pencil.

8. Take the permanent magic marker and draw a large X on the bottom of one of the cups.

Your anemometer is now ready to use! Take it outside and hold it in front of you in an 

open area where the wind is blowing.

9. Look at the X on the bottom of the cup as it spins around. Count the number of times it 

spins around (revolutions) in 10 seconds. The pencil must have extra room to spin. 

This is what you should have. 

You can also purchase a thermometer if you want to know the exact temperature. 

Ways to Help Amphibians

You often hear it, but rarely see it. It lives in water but lives on land. It sounds like a riddle, right? What I am thinking of? A frog! Frogs are endangered, and need your help. Here is what you can do to help them:

Save fallen logs and shove them into a shady area of your backyard. Balance them on each other to make a little frog hut. After you scatter dead leaves around that area, your frog hideout is complete! Just wait for them to come. 

You can participate in SciStarter project North American Amphibian Monitor(http://www.scistarter.com/project/19-North%20American%20Amphibian%20Monitoring%20Program), and FrogWatch(http://www.scistarter.com/project/425-FrogWatch). For FrogWatch, you are asked to record the calls of frogs.

Frogs are amphibious, spending one part of their life in water, the other on land. Even on land, frogs still rely on water and frequently visit. Frogs start out life as tadpoles, which resemble snakes with wide heads. After a long process of growing and shrinking, the tadpole will grow into a frog. 

This is a tadpole in its earliest stage!
As you can see, it would take a drastic change for something like this to turn into a frog. After a few months, it will grow rear legs first, and then front legs. Finally, the tail shrinks away and the frog steps on land.

You have probably heard the soothing chorus of frogs at night, especially if you have a large, shady yard. Why do frogs croak? They croak to find mates, so only the males perform this action. The female judges the male by the loudness and frequency of his calls. The louder and more frequent they are, the stronger, and more desirable the male. Croaking does take a lot of effort and air, so some frog species have inflatable cheek pouches. They store air in these for a decent supply while croaking. Rapidly letting out air from these an be a call in itself! Not all frogs have such a trick, and must rely on their own muscle power.

You have probably seen pictures of vividly colored frogs before. Wouldn't this be conspicuous to any predator, especially on a background of green? Yes! So why aren't all brightly colored frogs eaten up? It is not such an easy meal as you think. The bright reds and yellows are meant as a warning to tell predators that the frog is loaded with poisons. A dart frog would be a nasty surprise for a hungry predator. In fact, the name 'dart frog' comes from the fact that people tipped their arrows with frog poisons. Since this coloration is used for defense, both males and females possess it. You will never see these frogs in the wild unless you live in tropical South America or Africa

Don't touch me!!!
Frogs worldwide have been disappearing! What can you do to help? Once again, do not use pesticides. Frogs breathe through their skin, so whatever enters through it, helpful or harmful will be absorbed by the frog. Therefore, pesticide runoff in a frog's body will affect it negatively. Even the smallest bit of pesticide is sure to kill a frog. If you don't use pesticides, you save a small fraction of the frog population. Also, sanitize your shoes when you go on a nature hike. This prevents the spread of the deadly fungus chytrid. Don't worry it won't affect you! All you have to worry about are the frogs. When you sanitize, use only regular hand sanitizer, instead of kitchen cleaning products. Those can also harm frogs. Hand sanitizer won't. 

Scientists have been raising frogs in captivity until it is safe to release them in the wild.

Eccentric Amphibian:
Caecilians are legless amphibians that live underground. They resemble worms, but if you look closely, you will see the difference. Caecilians are blind and very little is known about them. We don't even know their diet! You are not likely to see a caecilian because they are quite rare and tunnel deep underground. 

Caecilian with babies

Why We Shouldn't Eat Animals

Perhaps you have a pet at home. You treat this pet with care and love it with all your heart. Why don't you treat other mammals like this too? They have lives also. Everything has a right to live. When you buy meat from the store, you probably don't give it much thought. Animals raised for meat do not live a healthy, happy life. They are crammed into cages in farms where they can barely move. Poultry are fattened so much that they cannot fly and even if they were able to, they couldn't do so in their condition. Both chickens and turkeys have an elaborate way of communication and experience strong emotion. Why should we eat them? You can easily find grain substitutes that taste EXACTLY  like chicken or turkey. They're even better--- an animal doesn't have to die for it. This is how chickens are raised. How would you like it if you had to live like that? Consider this before buying chicken meat. When you get eggs, check for an organic/cage free label. This means the chickens were raised naturally.

You may consider pigs to be smelly and unsanitary, but that is false. Yes, they bathe in mud, but this is to cool down. However, pigs are clean apart from the mud, and will never urinate where they eat or sleep. Piglets depend on their parents for everything. Even adult pigs are loving. Sometimes a group will even snuggle each other. They need the sight an sound of each other to feel secure. 

Pigs are separated from their parents as piglets just to go to farms. A pig will spend its whole life alone in a cage with barely enough room to turn around at a farm. Can't you do without ham sandwiches? You may love meat, but remember, when you eat meat all you do is make your belly full. Wouldn't you rather have your heart full with the satisfaction of saving an animal? There are so many foods with protein that can be used instead of meat.

Pigs can be kept in these conditions or worse, with the piglets separated from their parents.

When you eat fish, you may think that all you are eating is one fish. This is not so. Hundreds of thousands of fish are caught and slaughtered in one net, along with other organisms. There are so many excess fish caught, but still killed. Also, other animals, such as dolphins, turtles and even seals can be caught in nets. In fact, there is one type of seal that is nearly extinct due to being caught in fishing nets. 

                We keep fish as pets. Why do we eat them? 

Why do we do this to our planet? Can you imagine oceans without fish? If this keeps up, that is what we shall have.

The Rainforest:

Rainforests are being destroyed as you read this blog. Millions of animals grow homeless and even on the verge of extinction. We are separate organisms, but are locked in the same web of life. When we destroy the rainforest, we destroy ourselves.  By helping in minor ways, you can change our future. Buy organic food, and, if you can, buy organic cotton clothes. You can also use recycled notebook paper and toilet paper(it is found at any local grocery store). To help all animals in general, buy products that state directly, 'Not tested on animals.'. 

    We must aim to preserve this beauty and prevent it from turning into a barren wasteland. Remember, you are what you eat. Every animal has feelings and is sensitive, and has a right to live. Animals should live and die in natural ways. When we treat animals respectfully, we practice world peace. You should treat animals should be treated the way you would want to be treated. To you, mistreating an animal should be almost the same significance as mistreating a human.

                                               

There's Much to Like About Lichens!!

photo credit~~ http://www.imagekind.com/

What is this magical forest? It's just a close image of lichens!                              

You may have seen lichens on a branch and dismissed them as a fungus. Actually, they are similar to fungi, but different in a few ways. They are a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and an alga(singular for algae).

There are 3 major types of lichens: Crustose, fruticose, and foliose. Crustose lichen is named for its crust-like appearance. Fruticose lichen is in a bush-shape. Foliose lichen is the most common, and resembles leaves, but just in a greenish-gray color.

Fruticose lichen

Foliose lichen

Crustose lichen
Symbiosis is a relationship between two organisms, in which both organisms benefit from each other. How is the relationship between fungi and algae symbiotic? Read on to find out.  The algal cells carry out photosynthesis, and, just like plants, they reduce carbon dioxide into organic carbon sugars to feed both it and its fungal partner. The fungal partner protects the alga by retaining water, serving as a larger capture area for mineral nutrients and, in some cases, provides minerals obtained from the substrate.Both gain water and mineral nutrients mainly from the atmosphere, simply by  rain and dust. However, there still is a major symbiotic relationship. 

Photo Gallery: Butterflies and Bees

Bumblebees on sunflower

Bumblebee( Bombus)

Honeybees at a thistle

Honeybee

Common bumblebee

Pierid

Tiger swallowtail

Julia longwing

Buckeye butterfly

Buckeye and Painted lady butterflies

Pipevine swallowtails

Mourning cloak

Hairstreak

Luna moth

Satyrid

Nymphalidae

Cabbage White(pierid)