1/27/2024 0 Comments Ocean animalsMussels and oysters produce lots of offspring that spread broadly and grow to reproductive maturity quickly, so recovery could be achieved in just a few years. On the positive side, many of the species killed are known to have population growth strategies that promote rapid recolonization. How quickly this will happen, if at all, depends on a number of factors. The affected shorelines will probably repopulate over time. As a result, the central role of aquaculture in many rural coastal economies will diminish. Shellfish growers, already struggling from reduced demand during the Covid-19 pandemic, will struggle to maintain the supply chain. Populations that were not directly affected by the heatwave can suffer ripple effects from the broad disruption of ecosystem function. Over the following months, areas with extensive mortality may have poorer water quality, less biodiversity and predators searching for food in vain. Gone will be all of the ecosystem services those organisms provide, such as filtering water (a single mussel or oyster can clear up to 10 gallons of seawater a day), building a moist habitat for a diverse assemblage of other species and providing food for species at higher levels on the food chain, like crabs, birds and humans. What happens next? In a few weeks, the dead tissue will be scavenged and the empty shells will wash away, leaving bare spaces behind on the shore. We’ve never seen anything quite like this before. Similar scenes were reported throughout the Salish Sea of Washington and British Columbia by scientists, shellfish growers and the general public, with mortality estimates ranging from millions to billions of individuals. Mussel, oyster and clam shells open wide with rotting tissue exposed, snails and chitons no longer able to cling to the rock, kelp and surfgrass bleached white and sloughing off dead tissue. In the days immediately after the historic heatwave, I visited shorelines that looked and smelled like death. The scorching heatwave coincided with some of the lowest daytime tides of the year, leaving tidal lands exposed to hot air and sun for hours during the hottest part of the day, several days in a row.Īnd bad it was. The “heat dome” brought record high air temperatures to the Pacific north-west, and for the plants and animals living along our extensive coastlines the late June timing could not have been worse. They can grow up to 3 meters across (almost 10 ft), and instead of long trailing tentacles, they have “arms” that are short and stubby.A s a marine biologist who has studied the effects of extreme weather events for decades, I expected it would be bad. Photo Credit: NOAA/Monterey Bay Aquarium Research InstituteThe name of this jelly means “big red”, which perfectly describes this gigantic, ruby-colored monster of the deep. They may look like monsters in great need of a hairbrush, but the hairy frogfish is actually amazing at hiding and can even change colors to match his surroundings! Sounds like some extraterrestrial powers could be at play here… 8. If it’s called a frogfish, does that make it a frog… or a fish? The answer is kind of a combination! Though they’re officially fish, they actually walk along the sea floor on their bottom fins in search of a tasty meal. Photo Credit NOAA/Monterey Bay Aquarium Research InstituteAlso known as the sea pig, these jelly-like creatures are actually a type of sea cucumber! Unlike the crunchy and delicious green vegetable, this sea cucumber lives in the dark at the bottom of the ocean.Īpparently, not everything that’s leafy grows on plants! You may find this hard to believe, but the leafy sea dragon is actually a type of fish! If you squint your eyes you might be able to see their resemblance to a seahorse, but we think that these guys could fit in just fine on Neptune. Their glowing green backs, red legs, bulging eyes, and long antennas certainly make the mantis shrimp one of the most alien-looking creatures on the planet! 4. These exotic rainbow warriors may be small but they’re extra mighty crustaceans. the “blue dragon” is a type of stinging sea slug! They actually float upside down on the waves: their blue bellies face up to match the surface, and their silver backs face down to blend in with light shining down. They like shallow water, but they can sometimes be found on ocean floors up to 9 km below the surface of the water! Swirling their many feathered legs in the water, we can almost imagine what they’d look like floating through the starry galaxy. These crazy looking marine animals wave their “feathers” to get around underwater. These sea creatures are so alien-like that we can’t believe they aren’t from outer space! But, believe it or not, all of these animals can be found right here on planet Earth! Check out these 9 sea creatures who are out of this world! 1.
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