Mudskippers

                           True  or false?Fish can't come out of water. If you said true the you are wrong! The mudskipper  (Periopthalmus koelreuteri.) can come out.But this surprising fish doesn't breath air. It stores water in it's body. These fish are related to gobies.In these 2 pictures look at the similarities.
Goby                 mudskipper 
 Hint:look at the eyes.These fish belong in the family Gobiidae. This is all about mudskippers

The Midnight Zone

There are 3 zones in the ocean.The topmost layer is the sunlight zone. In the middle,there is the twilight zone.The last zone is the midnight zone.In this blog, I am going to tell you about the the midnight zone.

The midnight zone has the least life in all 3 zones.An example of life is the  recently-discovered Yeti Crab.They have hair that helps them catch bacteria.This is how one looks like:

The yeti crabs' sientific name is Kiwa hirsuta.It is a crustacean.This species was discovered in 2005 by a group organized by Robert Vrijenhoek of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Monterey, California and Michel Segonzac of the Ifremer and a Census of Marine Life scientist using the submarine DSV Alvin, operating from RV Atlantis.<sup>The discovory though, was annouced in 2006.

Another form of life are Giant Tubeworms.Their scientific name is rifta pachpiutila.They are not anelids like leeches and earthworms,but they are a type of mollusk.Here is how some looks like:</sup>

The next organisim is bacteria.They start the food chain.They eat chemicals from black smokers.A black smoker is a volcano that has black lava and smoke due to the black minerals going through sea vents.I am positive there are more creatures out there.The only problem is it is not easy getting down there. This is due to water pressure.When you go down to the midnight zone, it feels like you have a schoolbus on your head!This is all I have to say about the midnight zone.

credits:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nur04505.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwa_hirsuta

green anaconda

A green anaconda is the heaviest snake in the world. An adult can weigh over 550 pounds ! It can also grow up to 29 feet. That is long but the reticulated python is longer. Since its green you might think it lives in a forest , right? Correct . It lives in the amazon rain-forest in South America. This snake is a constrictor meaning its not poisonous,but kills its prey by suffocating it. Like other snakes, a green anaconda has open really wide. In fact they even eat caimans!here is a picture of one eating:

Some people have claimed to have seen a 30 or 40 foot anaconda. Now there is a reward of 50,000 dollars to anyone who can find and capture a 30 or longer anaconda.The prize has not been claimed, and i am positive  it will  be claimed. Green anacondas are one of the coolest snakes.

Protozoa and Metazoa

In the  creature world ,there are 2 types of animals.  Metazoa and Protozoa.Protozoa are singular celled. Metazoa  are multi-cellular organisms such as   Homo sapiens or  humans. An example of Protozoa is a  Stentor . Here a picture of a Stentor.

 So you get the idea , right? Fish , snakes , cats , dogs , primates , birds , amphibians , dolphins , bats ,  bears , raccoons  ,  cows , goats , sheep , hyenas ,monotremes ( like the platypus ) ,are all    Metazoa and some Protozoa are :

Volvox
Euglena
Paramecium
Amoeba
Stentor

But the ones that came first were  Protozoa. If you want proof , Take a living sponge , put it in a blender and 
take it back to the sea . You might think its dead , but its not! Sometime later if you look, you will see its all rearranged.The reason this happened was because long ago the Protozoa decided to live together to make 

life  easier . By the way , if you want to see   Protozoa , just go to a wetland , or a swamp and scoop up some 
water and put it in a very powerful microscope .
So even though protozoa and metazoa  are very different,
 there still living organisims.

Leeches

Almost everyone has heard of a leech .But not every one knows that not all leeches are parasitic. One thing they all are related to earthworms and  both are annelids. Annelids are worms that have segments. I bet you did not know this. Leeches are good swimmers. They swim in an S shape.Most leech species do not feed on human blood, but instead prey on small invertebrates, which they eat whole. The ones that are parasitic do eat blood though. If one does bite you, you wont notice it .This is because they have anesthetic in their saliva or spit. A long time ago people thought sickness was caused by bad blood . So they put leeches on  the sick .  Did you think that worked ? It  never did. Then they put leeches in hospitals again. They let the leeches feed on a spot near an operation. Their anticoagulant makes the blood keep flowing to the spot so it can heal faster.
 My dad told me if you put rock salt on a leach that is biting you , it will stop. Leeches are pretty
misunderstood.

 

Taipan Inland (Oxyuranus microlepidotus)

 The Taipan Inland is the world's most  venomous land snake.It is the most venomous land snake,but not that aggressive. In fact it is very shy . Did you know that they change color during the seasons. This is one in summer:

And this one is in winter:

The first one is almost white, and the second is black.
 Like other snakes the Taipan Inland is a meat eater . The Inland Taipan consumes mostly rodents, small mammals and birds. Unlike other venomous snakes that strike with a single accurate bite then retreat while waiting for the prey to die, the Inland Taipan is known to deliver up to eight venomous bites in a single attack. 
So I guess they are not aggressive to humans , but to their prey.Taipan Inlands are cool.

Yellow Bellied Sea Snake

The yellow bellied sea snake is cool! It's tail is shaped like an oar which helps it to swim in the water. Yellow bellied sea snake eats ...you guessed it right- fish. The yellow bellied sea snake has a yellow belly to warn other creatures that it is . If you get freaked out that these snakes might hurt you, don't worry. These yellow bellied sea snake only lives in the deep part of the Pacific ocean. The Yellow bellied sea snake can also be near Hawaii. It almost always stay in water and is  helpless on land.

The Yellow bellied sea sea snakes breed in warm waters . they are ovoviviparous with a gestation period of about 6 months.Here is a cool fact:Did you know that

the Yellow bellied sea snake is related to the Cobra family?

This snake is capable of spending up to three hours underwater without surfacing and can swim forward or backward. It's nostrils face upward so it's easy to breath.The Yellow bellied sea snake is awesome !