Wild Facts

Photo by Manfred Heyde

I know diamonds are a girls best friend but since diamonds aren’t made by animals we are not going to talk about them today.  Nope, instead we are going to look at the Pearl Oyster.  Come on, I am sure you ladies would be happy to receive a nice shiny pearl for no reason.

It isn’t a myth, pearls are actually found in oysters and less commonly in other animals such as clams and mussels but we are only talking about the Pearl Oysters today. As well it is important to note that the oysters you find at your local “All You Can Eat” Oyster Bar are true oysters and are only remotely related to the pearl oyster.  Again, these edible oysters can also produce pearls but it rarely happens. Imagine finding a pearl in your oyster at the restaurant.  Talk about a “Happy Meal”.

Okay, so how do these oysters make pearls and more importantly, why do they make pearls? Would you believe me if I told you they make peals when they get irritated.  Can you imagine how many pearls you would have if you made one every time your brother or sister irritated you? As I was saying a foreign object such as a parasitic worm, small crab or any organic particle will enter the shell of the pearl oyster.  As a natural defense mechanism the oyster will begin to cover up the irritant with a substance called “nacre”.  This is the same material that the inside of the shell is made from.  The oyster will keep layering the nacre over the irritant until eventually a pearl forms.  We think of pearls as being a nice round jewel, however, not all pearls are perfectly round.  In some cases the pearls will be created in odd shapes which are commonly referred to as baroque pearls.

Pearl Oyster Fast Fact: Pearls will come in a variety of colours including green, white, gray, red, blue and even black.  Most of these can be found all over the world except for the black pearls.  In the wild they can only be located in the South Pacific.

The next time you are buying pearls, ask yourself what is in the middle of the pearl that started the whole process.

Have a great day!

Photograph by: David Doubilet for National Geographic.

I would like to thank my brother, Clayton, for inspiring today’s fact as well as passing on some information.  Today we are going to head to the ocean to learn about a pretty cool mollusk. The Nudibranch is actually a shell-less mollusk and part of the sea-slug family. There are about 3000 nudibranch species and believe it or not, new ones are being identified daily.  Maybe we will discover a new species on our trip today.

The first thing you will notice and probably the most fascinating thing about this slug is the impressive colours.  The nudibranch has some of the most unique shapes, amazing colours and interesting patterns of any animal on earth. Who would have thought that a slug could be so cool?  The slugs get their colours from the food that they eat and some of them even keep the poison they obtain from ingesting certain prey species.  Basically, the colours help camoflage the slug while the poison helps defend against predators.  It is pretty cool to think their food source provides them with the self-defense mechanisms needed to survive in the wild. These particular slugs can be as small as 6 mm (0.25″) or as large as 31 cm (1′) long.  This is quite the size range.  Even more astounding is the fact that the larger slugs can get up to 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs). Could you imagine a foot long slug weighing over 3 lbs hanging out around your house?

The nudibranch will slowly make its way across the ocean floor feeding on algae, coral, sponges and other nudibranch’s. They are able to distinguish their prey by using two highly sensitive tentacles located on the top of their head.  These tentacles are called rhinophores and basically work in the same way as our noses.  This sense of “smell” provides the slug with all the information they need to identify their surroundings. In order to protect these highly sensitive organs the nudibranch is able to retract them at will.

Nudibranch Fast Fact – Some nudibranchs will actually store algae in their tissues.  What is the point of this you ask?  Well, the slug is able to live off of the sugars that the algae produces as a result of photosynthesis.  Pretty clever, eh?

Before you go, I recommend you check out these photos from National Geographic.  It will give you an idea of some of the variations of Nudibranch that exist in the depths of the ocean.  The link is:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/06/nudibranchs/doubilet-photography

Have a great day and Smile!

Photograph by David Doubilet for National Geographic

I read a press release from Fisheries and Oceans Canada today regarding the Northern Abalone.  I will discuss some of the details and provide a link to this article at the end of today’s fact.  Until then though, I am going to entertain you with some interesting facts about the northern abalone (aka Pinto Abalone).

You may be asking yourselves, what the heck is an abalone? Don’t worry, I am sure you are not the only one scratching their head at this one.  Luckily, I am going to tell you what an abalone is right……now.  The northern abalone is a mollusk.  Basically, it is a large sea snail.  The pinto abalone is usually about 4″ long but can grow to about 6″ long. They have a flattened, ear shaped shell that is generally a greenish brown colour but can also be white or blue.  The inside of the shell is irridescent like most sea shells and change colour depending how you look at it. The shape of this shell protects the mollusk as well as reduces the resistance of water flow.

Does anyone know one of the factors that influences the colour of the northern abalone?  Well, the colour varies depending on the algae pigments surviving in the waste products on top of the shell.  So now this poses the question as to how the waste products get on top of their shell.  This is easy to answer.  The abalone puts it there.  You see, they have 5 openings on top of their shell that helps them survive by assisting with daily functions.  Clean water and oxygen enters through these holes while the waste and carbon dioxide exit the body through these exit points.  During the spawning season the abalone will also release their spawn through these holes.  These openings are very important for the abalone and sometimes will require maintenance.  Every now and again the northern abalone will stick their tentacles through the openings to ensure they are clean and free of debris.  After all they wouldn’t want this major life support system backing up.

All right, I mentioned that I would tell you about the article that inpired today’s post, so here it is.  First of all, you need to know that northern abalone are a threatened species according to the Federal Species at Risk Act (in Canada).  Well, the Canadian Government worked with officials from the United States of America and Mexico to successfully charge a company for illegally possessing northern abalone.  This three year investigation resulted in a $25 000 fine.  Similarly, through this investigation another company was fined $35 500 for illegally possessing abalone.  Some of this money will be redirected back to the Canadian Government to promote conservation and protection of northern abalone. This is a huge victory for all Governments invovled and will hopefully help educate the public about the importance of all species at risk.  To read the story then please click here.

Thanks for letting me talk and try to get my message about Species at Risk out to the public.  Have a great day!

Well, I hope everyone is having a great week so far.  Today’s Wild Fact is going to be confusing because it is about a fish that isn’t actually a fish.  That’s right, the cuttlefish is not actually a fish.  It is a mollusk, so similar to an octopus or a slug. I know it is mean of me to try and trick you but I am not the one who named this fish…errr, I mean mollusk.

If you can remember the mimic octopus fact (if not you can check it out here) you will know that these mollusks’ were able to change colour and shape.  Well, the cuttlefish is also able to change it’s colour and even the texture of its skin.  Again this is used as camoflage to protect themselves from predators.  As well, they will use flashes of colour to communicate with other cuttlefish in the area.

If any of you own a budgie then you may be familiar with the term “cuttlebone” which is used to provide calcium for the little birds.  Tweety may love it but this cuttlebone has a much greater purpose when it is inside the living cuttlefish.  The cuttlebone allows the cuttlefish to maintain buoyancy.  This bone is unique to cuttlefish and varies in size and shape among various species.  Although, I keep calling it a bone, it is mostly composed of aragonite which is similar to the endoskeleton of coral. The interesting part of the cuttlebone is the fact that it is a chambered gas-filled shell.  Cuttlefish are able to regulate their buoyancy by changing the gas to liquid ratio in the cuttlebone.  If humans had bones like this then we would never have to worry about wearing a life jacket.  We would just need to increase the level of gas in the “cuttlebone” to make sure we stay floating.

Cuttlefish Fast Fact: Cuttlefish have some of the most developed eyes in the animal kingdom.  Yes, an animal more closely related to a slug then to a human have some of the most developed eyes.  Although, they can’t use their eyes to see colour they are polarized which helps them see contrast in the water column.

Well, I hope everyone is having a great week so far.  Today’s Wild Fact is going to be confusing because it is about a fish that isn’t actually a fish.  That’s right, the cuttlefish is not actually a fish.  It is a mollusk, so similar to an octopus or a slug. I know it is mean of me to try and trick you but I am not the one who named this fish…errr, I mean mollusk.

If you can remember the mimic octopus fact (if not you can check it out here) you will know that these mollusks’ were able to change colour and shape.  Well, the cuttlefish is also able to change it’s colour and even the texture of its skin.  Again this is used as camoflage to protect themselves from predators.  As well, they will use flashes of colour to communicate with other cuttlefish in the area.

If any of you own a budgie then you may be familiar with the term “cuttlebone” which is used to provide calcium for the little birds.  Tweety may love it but this cuttlebone has a much greater purpose when it is inside the living cuttlefish.  The cuttlebone allows the cuttlefish to maintain buoyancy.  This bone is unique to cuttlefish and varies in size and shape among various species.  Although, I keep calling it a bone, it is mostly composed of aragonite which is similar to the endoskeleton of coral. The interesting part of the cuttlebone is the fact that it is a chambered gas-filled shell.  Cuttlefish are able to regulate their buoyancy by changing the gas to liquid ratio in the cuttlebone.  If humans had bones like this then we would never have to worry about wearing a life jacket.  We would just need to increase the level of gas in the “cuttlebone” to make sure we stay floating.

Cuttlefish Fast Fact: Cuttlefish have some of the most developed eyes in the animal kingdom.  Yes, an animal more closely related to a slug then to a human have some of the most developed eyes.  Although, they can’t use their eyes to see colour they are polarized which helps them see contrast in the water column.

Throughout my ramblings at Wild Facts I have discussed several adaptations that animals have evolved to respond to predators.  For example we have learned that the hog-nose snake plays dead or that the chickadee changes its song to warn its friends. If you ask me, I think the Mimic Octopus has them all beat.  Don’t get me wrong, I thought the hog-nose snake was fascinating and a  great actor but they have nothing on the mimic octopus.

Like other octopus’ the mimic octopus is an intelligent mollusc with eight arms each with two rows of suction cups. As a side note, the octopus is thought to be the most intelligent invertebrate.  Similarly, most octopus’ are capable of changing their colour but the mimic octopus is able to change its colour, shape and behaviour to act like other animals.  That’s right when a mimic octopus is threatened they will take the form of other animals to scare off the would be predator.  If this were an X-Men movie then the mimic octopus would be like Mystique or some other shape shifter. For example if it were being attacked by a damselfish then the octopus would take the shape of a banded sea snake by changing its colour to black and white, drawing in six of its arms and waving the other two in opposite directions.  You are thinking that this is pretty cool but how does it help the mimic octopus against the damselfish.  Well,  the banded sea snake is one of the main predators of the damselfish.  The incredible thing about all this is the fact that this type of octopus can mimic at least 15 different species of animals depending upon its environment and what predator it is faced with at any given time. So far they have been known to mimic sea snakes, lionfish, flatfish, brittle stars, sea shells, giant crabs, stingrays, jellyfish, flounders, sea anemones and mantis shrimp among others.  I guess this just goes to show you that not everything is what it seems.  So be careful the next time you go to pick up a jellyfish because it may just be a mimic octopus!

If you are still curious and would like to see one in action then check out the video in the post below.