Sunday, April 13, 2008

Smallest Fish


Scientists have discovered a fish living in forest swamps on the Indonesian island of Sumatra that is only 7.9 millimeters long.

The species of fish belongs to the carp family and is called Paedocypris progenetica . It is the world's smallest vertebrate or backboned animal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paedocypris

http://news.mongabay.com/2006/0126-smallest_fish.html

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2006/jan/news_7501.html


Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Weedy Seadragon


"Weedy Sea Dragons grow to a mature length of about 18 inches (45 cm). They use camouflage as their primary defense, and are found along the southern reefs and sandy underwater areas of Australia. Though relatively common compared to Leafy Sea Dragons, Weedy Sea Dragons are also government protected, and subject to strict export controls.

Though they are similar in appearance to sea horses, Weedy Sea Dragons do not have prehensile (gripping) tails, but rather appear to use them for steering. The beautiful colors of this sea dragon are highlighted by the iridescent blue bands along the upper body."
-taken from
http://www.divegallery.com/Weedy_Sea_Dragon.htm


http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fishfacts/fish/ptaeniolatus.htm

http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=14267



Sunday, April 6, 2008

Tiger Huntsman



Its black markings gave it its name -- the tiger huntsman.
Alan Henderson has found what could be a new breed of huntsman spider, but it won't be confirmed as a new breed until it dies and is dissected by an expert.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21413191-24331,00.html

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/and-along-came-another-spider/2007/03/18/1174152881573.html

http://www.strangeark.com/blog/2007/03/possible-new-huntsman-spider.html



Friday, April 4, 2008

Leafy Sea Dragon



The leafy sea dragon, Phycodurus eques, is a marine fish related to the seahorse.While not large by sea monster standards, they are very large for sea horses, growing at least 18 inches (45 cm). hey have become endangered through pollution and industrial runoff as well as collection by fascinated divers who are entranced by their unique appearance.

http://www.divegallery.com/Leafy_Sea_Dragon.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leafy_sea_dragon

http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=31