#weirdowednesday

Weirdo Wednesday

This week on weirdo Wednesday we have…

The mimic octopus: Thaumoctopus mimicus

The king of copycats, the mimic octopus can be found in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean at river mouths and estuaries. They are very small (females are only 2ft, and males are smaller) and only live for 3-5 years! Their short lifespan is due to the fact that they die shortly after mating. males die almost immediately and females will follow once she has laid and protected her eggs. Like all octopuses, they have cells called chromatophores on their body that allows them to change the pigment of their skin. This weirdo also has 3 hearts, 9 brains, and blue blood! And they can have 80 babies!!

This weirdo is highly intelligent, not a completely unusual trait for an octopus. What makes the mimic octopus stand out is along with its ability to change color and texture, they change their behavior too!! Why do they do this? It is probably the most effective form of camouflage for this tiny octopus who is preyed upon by sharks and large boney fish. They feed on small crustaceans in daylight, leaving them exposed to predation. They have been known to have a passing resemblance to lionfish, flatfish, snails, sea snakes, tube worms, sting rays, anemones, and crinoids, but they probably have much more up their sleeves. They have been seen inking if these tricks don’t works, and are surprisingly fast in quick bursts. If none of these forms are are suitable and the mimic octopus needs to hide for a spell, they have been observed burying themselves in the sand!

The mimic octopus is not considered endangered, but they are suffering from habitat loss. Estuaries and river mouths historically are habitats that suffer from pollution and being filled in. Studying them is not easy either because of how reclusive and tricky they are, so it is entirely possible we don’t have an accurate count. They unfortunately were considered a commodity in the pet trade because of how hard they are to find and catch, but they don’t do well at all in captivity. SCUBA divers enjoy looking for them to watch their performances, which is my opinion is the best way to see these weirdos.

Check out this video and watch the Mimic octopus perform!!

Heyyy it’s that’s time again. This week’s weirdo is…

The false killer whale: Pseudorca crassidens

It’s really not this weirdo’s fault that we couldn’t tell the difference between them and their cousin, the orca. Their skulls were so similar that taxonomists classified them under the same genus as orcas. Scientists at the time thought these weirdos were extinct since they had only seen bones, but then a carcass washed up on the shores of Denmark in 1861! Of course, when you get a good look at them you may think it looks more like a porpoise or a dolphin! At 19ft long and 5,000lbs (for males), the false killer whale is the 3rd largest dolphin in existence! They can be found in tropical water around the world in superpods upwards of 500 members!!

A highly social weirdo

The false killer whale is highly intelligent and loves to socialize, not just with its own species, but with other marine mammals as well! They’ve been observed forming pods with bottlenose dolphins and staying in these found family dynamics for years. Some of these groupings are practical, as in they hunt the same kind of food together, and some are more meaningful bonds. False killer whales and bottlenose dolphins have been seen mating, both in heterosexual and homosexual pairs. There have been instances of a false killer whale and a bottlenose dolphin hybrid, and it was named a wolphin! This relationship does not always extend to every member of the bottlenose dolphin family, however. False killer whales can also prey on dolphins if they choose to (and they have!). These weirdos are more commonly seen eating large fish like tuna and mahi mahi. Their sharp teeth have been known to skin to their prey, a behavior not common in cetaceans. 

Conservation

The false killer whale spends its time in the deep sea, making it a difficult weirdo to study. Their population numbers are largely based on the superpod that lives near the Hawaiian Islands, which is decreasing. Overfishing has effected the amount of fish they can hunt, and they often resort to stealing from fishermen. This can result in entanglements, swallowing of fishhooks, and unpleasant encounters with the fishermen. Another big problem is noise pollution. Our noises from boats and things in the ocean travel fast and loud in water. Cetaceans like the false killer whale rely on sound to communicate and are sensitive to certain frequencies. They can become disoriented and more susceptible to being beached, entanglement, or even shipstrike if they can’t escape the sound. While all of these concerns are valid, we still don’t have a clear idea of how many of these weirdos exist today and if they’re in immediate danger of going extinct. We’ve been wrong about their population numbers before, after all!

This video shows bottlenose dolphins and false killer whales swimming together. You can totally spot the difference!

This weeks Wednesday is one of my personal favorite weirdos. This week we have...

The Marine Iguana: Amblyrhynchus cristatus

This salty weirdo inhabits the Galapagos Islands, and they are the only marine lizards in the world! They can grow to 6 feet long and have a flattened snout. The best way to identify them however, is their tail. It is flattened like a paddle, because that is how these weirdos use it. You may also notice their long claws, perfect for climbing on the rocky Galapagos shores, and clinging to the undersea rocks when the current picks up. If you’ve heard of this weirdo, it was probably in a biology lecture years ago that was centered around Charles Darwin, who thought these lizards were ugly and clumsy (I beg to differ).

A salty friend

So why does this cold blooded weirdo with no gills go into the ocean? The same thing that drives all of us; food. Despite not being the most approachable weirdo, they are herbivores. They discovered the algae covered rocks along the islands and that became the basis of their diet. These salty weirdos have an amazing ability to hold their breath for 60 minutes! Their diet means they consume extra salt, which is not good for iguanas. So they developed a way to get it extra salt by sneezing it out! This is why they are seen with salt crystals all along their faces. Their foraging behavior can only be done for a limited amount of time however. Marine iguanas are ectotherms - they rely on external heat sources to keep themselves warm like the sun. The waters in the Galapagos is a lovely 60 degrees on average, and they need something more in the 90s. This is supplemented with ample time laying on rocks in the sun. In doing so, they created symbiotic relationships with other organisms on the beach! 

It is still unclear how the marine iguana got tot he Galapagos islands. Scientists hypothesize that they floated out to the islands on a log and have since colonized many of the islands. Each island has a different subspecies varying in size and color. But keep in mind that when it is not breeding season, they will look black and gray. The island of Espanola has the most colorful iguanas that were nicknamed Christmas iguanas! 

Check out this video of them swimming!!

Hello and welcome to Weirdo Wednesday! This week’s weirdo is...

The Pacific Hagfish: Eptatretus stoutii

Take a moment and imagine you are at the bottom of the ocean where it’s too dark for light to penetrate. You look up and see a dead whale sinking slowly, until it finally hits the bottom of the seafloor. Who is the first to ravage this bounty from above? The hagfish! At first glance it looks like a long, tubular eel without a jaw (or stomach). They have bad vision, but excellent senses of smell and touch. According to fossil records these primitive weirdos have remained unchanged in 330, million years! I guess if it ain’t broke... 

Slime and other bodily things

This primitive weirdo is a scavenger like many benthic deep sea dwellers. Normally, the hagfish is found burrowed in the mud, waiting for invertebrates to get too close, but whale falls are a fun treat! Hagfish are so excited to see dead whales that they bury themselves into the carcass, and tie themselves into knots (literally) as they try to scrape food off with their 2 rasps on their tongue. This weirdo’s most famous bodily function however it its ability to produce copious amounts of mucus as a defense mechanism. The mucus becomes a  sticky slime as it makes contact with the seawater and can suffocate predators!

Everyone has a roll

The hagfish may be simple, slimy, and unattractive, but it has an important role to play in our oceans ecosystem. This weirdo is a detritivore, meaning it eats dead things. This is not only important for cleaning up the decomposing organisms, but breaking down nutrients from the dead things and recycling them back into the ecosystem. The hagfish are part of natures clean up crew, a job that should not be taken lightly! And they do this for about 40 years... Did I mention they live that long?

Watch this video of the hagfish escaping predation by slime!!

Hello friends, and welcome back to another Weirdo Wednesday! This week let me introduce…

The Sarcastic Fringehead: Neoclinus blanchardi

Every resource I have found to write this post describes this weirdo as “small but aggressive”, therefore to avoid being basic I will dub them short and angry. The sarcastic fringehead is less than 10in long, and a lot of this body mass goes to its large mouth (which when open, can be 4 times is closed size). It’s estimated that they live about 6 years. They are found off the California Coast, down to Baja Mexico. They like the sand and mud beyond the beach, but not deeper than 250ft. They will take shelter in clam shells, cracks in rocks, and even our trash.

Angry men

The Sarcastic fringehead gets its name not from our version of the word sarcasm, but the Greek word sarkasmós, which means to bite or tear. Not much is known about these angry weirdo right now. We know they are in the blenny family who feed on crustaceans. We also know that they have sharp teeth and are ambush predators, which judging by its overall look and demeanor isn’t shocking. They fiercely defend their territory from predators, curious scuba divers, and rival males. When a female comes into their home, however, they are more inviting. Females lay their eggs in the males home, and he will guard the eggs with his life.

Can we see them fight now?

So let’s get into it; how do these weirdos fight? First comes intimidation. The sarcastic Fringehead opens its mouth a few times as a way of saying “Back off!!”. Scientists also think that the colors displayed inside their mouths plays a part in intimidating rivals. If that doesn’t work, then it’s time to mouth wrestle (no really that’s what’s called). They open wide to display who has the larger mouth, complete with other territorial displays such as spreading of gill covers and jaw snapping. This is usually when a rival male will back off, but if he doesn’t… 

Check out this video of the sarcastic fringehead defending his territory!

This weeks weirdo is...

The Humboldt Penguin:

Not to be confused with Humboldt California, the Humboldt penguins live where the Humboldt current meets the shore: Chile and Peru. Both the current and bird were named after explorer Alexander Von Humboldt who called the penguin “pajaro-nino” or “baby bird” due to their waddling and apparent lack of coordination on land. Little did he know how hearty these short kings actually are. 

An extreme environment

Standing only 2 feet, the Humboldt penguin is tough bird, and you have to be to live where they live. The Humboldt current is very cold and rough, the land itself is rocky with many cliffs and in the hotter months, ground temperature can reach triple digits! This short king can swim 30 mph and can dive up to 500 feet underwater!! Once they’ve had their fill of fish and squid, they come back to shore the rest on the rocky coast where they have to use their sharp claws on their webbed feet to climb out of the water. These birds are excellent climbers! They have to be to escape the sea lions who prey on them. Humboldt penguins pairs have 2 chicks in a nest that they make from bird guano (ew) and they can live for about 20 years in the wild! 

Living here isn’t easy

The Humboldt penguin has more to deal with than just the cliffs and ocean. Apart from their extreme way of life, they also have a clever way of dealing with the warmer days. Some animals pant to expel heat, other sweat, this weirdo expels heat through the bare patches of pink skin around their eyes and beak by blushing. 

Hi y’all! This week in honor of World Penguin day (which was 2 days ago) let me introduce...

The Galapagos Penguin: Spheniscus mendiculus

A penguin at the equator? A penguin at risk of sunburn? The most northerly species of penguin, the Galapagos penguin is small but mighty! They stand at 21in tall and weight about 6 pounds. They are endemic to the Galapagos, and found on the islands of Isabela, Fernandina, and Santa Cruz. They are at the top of every birder’s list when visiting the Galapagos because they are one of the most endangered species of penguin in the world.

Island Life

How did these penguins get all the way to the equator? Their closest relatives are the Humboldt penguin in Chile, and it is believed that 4 million years ago, a group of them got lost and the current washed them up to the islands. They decided to make their life on the islands when they saw all the sardines and anchovies they could eat. The Galapagos as a habitat is less intense than the Arctic, or the Chilean mountains. Island life is not without its problems, however. Temperatures upwards of 80 degrees are not ideal for having babies. Galapagos penguins hold off on offspring during warm seasons due to less food and the need to spend more time cooling off. When they do reproduce, Galapagos penguins mate for life, and can have up to 3 clutches in a year. 

Conservation

It’s not uncommon for animals endemic to islands to have small population sizes. With only 1000 Galapagos penguins in the world, they are considered endangered. Their population fluctuates around El Nino, an ocean phenomena that warms the ocean current and changes weather patterns. They avoid breeding during El Nino events, and as climate change worsens events such as El Nino will increase in strength. Conservation efforts on the island began by constructing nests out of lava rocks that will keep the family cool and shaded. 

Check out this video of the Galapagos Penguins and have a happy belated World Penguin Day!!