Tag Archives: Water

Ghost shrimps

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Ghost shrimps

Dig, dig, dig. Dig, dig, dig…

  • Ghost shrimps are also called marine yabbies, pink nippers, burrowing shrimps, ghost nippers, nippers, yabbies and Australian ghost shrimps.
  • Ghost shrimps are often used as bait for fishing and are collected by using yabby pumps.
  • The ghost shrimp’s scientific name is Trypaea australiensis, and is also known as Callianassa australiensis, and they are from the family of crustaceans.
  • Ghost shrimps live in flat sandy or muddy areas which are covered by tidal salt waters.
  • Ghost shrimps eat very small organic matter and plankton.

 Ghost Shrimp, Marine yabby, slatwater, claw, big, sea, animal, creature, beach, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Ghost shrimps live approximately 60 cm (2 feet) below the surface and create tunnels underground which generally contain water.
  • Ghost shrimps grow up to 7.5cm (3 inches) long, and have soft, flexible bodies, that are almost transparent.
  • Ghost shrimps have a large claw that sometimes grows up to half the size of itself, and the male’s claw is often larger than the female’s.
  • One ghost shrimp may have multiple surface entrances to its main tunnel.
  • The Australian ghost shrimps are native to the eastern coast of Australia.
Bibliography:
Australian ghost shrimp (Callianassa australiensis), n.d, Marine Species Identification Portal, <http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=lobsters&menuentry=soorten&id=66&tab=beschrijving>
Cumming R, The Humble Saltwater Yabby, 2013, Dreamfish, <http://dreamfish.com.au/wordpress/how-to-articles/how-to-catch-nippers-saltwater-yabbies/>

Blue Swimmer Crab

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Blue Swimmer Crab

Clickety Click, Clickety Click… big nippers.

  • Blue swimmer crabs are also known as blue manna crab, flower crab, blue crab, sand crab and ‘blueys’.
  • The scientific name of the blue swimmer crab is Portunus armatus, originally Portunus pelagicus.
  • Blue swimmer crabs are large crabs native to the Indian and Pacific Ocean, and the middle east coast of the Mediterranean.
  • Male blue swimmer crabs are blue with white spots and female crabs are a dull green brown.
  • The main body, or carapace, of blue swimmer crabs can grow up to 25 cm (9.8 inches) in width.

Blue Swimmer Crab, Coast, Live, Australia, Queensland, Undersize, Ten Random Facts

  • Blue swimmer crabs can’t live very long out of water.
  • Blue swimmer crabs bury themselves in the sand or mud for most of the day.
  • Blue swimmer crabs feed at high tide, mainly on fish, worms, molluscs and, crustaceans.
  • Blue swimmer crabs are often caught for its meat, as it is very sweet.
  • Male blue swimmer crabs are believed to become more territorial in cold waters than warm waters.
Bibliography:
Portunus Pelagicus, 2013 Wikipedia,<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portunus_pelagicus>

Sea Slug

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Sea Slug

Slimy sea slugs.

  • Sea slugs are also known as nudibranches, which means naked gills.
  • Sea slugs are commonly found in tropical oceans.
  • Sea slugs are mollusks without shells and come in a large variety of shapes, sizes and colours.
  • There are thousands of species in the world, and at least 500 of them are found at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
  • Some sea slugs are as small as sand, and some grow up to 30cm (12 inches) in length.
Sea Slug, Yellow, Blue Spots, Philippines, Coral, Sea, Beautiful, National Geographic, Ten Random Facts
Sea Slug
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • Sea slugs have special, feathery gills at the back of the slug’s body that allow them to breathe.
  • Sea slugs are carnivores that feed on sponge, coral, fish eggs, crabs, shrimp, lobster and clam.
  • Sea slugs have strong jaws and rough tongues.
  • Sea slugs have both male and female organs.
  • Some sea slugs are eaten by humans and have been used in traditional medicine in the far East.
Bibliography:
Holden-Boone, A 1998, Coral Reef, Somerville House Books, Canada
Sea Slug 2008, A-Z Animals, <http://a-z-animals.com/animals/sea-slug/>

Amazon River

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Amazon River

One of the longest rivers…

  • The Amazon River is in South America and crosses most of the continent, and runs all the way across the top of Brazil.
  • The Amazon River is generally named the second largest river in the world.
  • There is a debate about the Amazon River being the second longest river in the world. More accurate measuring systems in recent years suggests that the Amazon River is longer than the Nile (supposedly the longest river), which reaches 5,499 to 6,690 km (3,417 – 4,160 miles) in length, whereas the Amazon River is said to be 6,259 to 6,800 km (3,889 – 4,200 miles) in length.
  • The Amazon River discharges more water than the other top seven largest rivers combined, with an average discharge of approximately 209,000 m3/s (7,381,000 cu ft/s).
  • The Amazon River has the largest river basin in the world being 7, 050, 000 square km (2, 720, 000 square miles) and contains many river systems.

Amazon River, Aerial View, Green, Blue, Landscape, Ten Random Facts, Flickr, CIFOR

Amazon River
Image courtesy of CIFOR/Flickr
  • The Amazon River ranges in width, depending on the season, being 1.6 – 10 km (1 – 6.2 miles) wide in the dry season, and in the wet season the river can reach up to 48 km (3o miles) wide.
  • The Amazon River starts its flooding season in November and continues to around June.
  • The Amazon River is the home to many animals, most notably the Amazon River dolphin (boto) and the anaconda snake.
  • The Amazon River is the home of over 5,600 known fish species.
  • The Amazon River has an underground river, called Hamza, flowing underneath it, which is about 6,000 km (3, 730 miles) in length, and generally follows a similar path to the Amazon.
Bibliography:
Amazon River 10 February 2013 , Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_River>

Water Skiing

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Water Skiing

Cutting through the waves…

  • Water skiing is a fun sport, and generally involves a person standing on one or two specially designed skis, and towed behind a boat via a rope.
  • The skier who does the water skiing, requires excellent upper and lower body strength, balance and endurance.
  • Water skiing was invented in 1922 by Ralph Samuelson in America, who used two boards and a clothes line attached to a boat.
  • To start off water skiing, the person typically crouches in the water, with their feet on the skis, holding a handle which is attached to a rope, which is attached to a boat.
  • Water skiing was included in the 1972 Olympic Games.
 Water Skiing, Wakeboarding, Silloute, Sunset, Horizon, Background, Soothing, Ten Random Facts, Free Digital PhotosWater Skiing
Image courtesy of  Paul Martin Eldridge/ Free Digital Photos
  • Three people are required for water skiing – a water skier, a driver and a observer.
  • Experienced water skiers have the opportunity to participate in jumping shows and competitions, which typically involve the use of fibre glass ramps.
  • There are a few different types of water skiing which include barefoot, slalom – using one specially designed ski, and tournament skiing.
  • Water skiing is potentially dangerous, so to be safe the water should be at least 60 meters (200 feet) wide and be at least 1.5 – 2 meters (5- 6 feet) deep.
  • In Tasmania, Australia, a world record was set in 2012, for the most skiers, 145, behind a single boat.
Bibliography:
Water skiing 9 February 2013 , Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterskiing>

Cruise Ship

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Cruise Ship

Also known as a cruise liner, not an ocean liner.

  • Cruise ships are passenger ships that are used for holiday cruises and are a lot like hotels with numerous facilities including pools, restaurants, live entertainment and so on.
  • Cruise ships cost over 500 million dollars to build.
  • Although similar, ocean liners and cruise ships have a few differences. These include that ocean liners aren’t as comfortable and aren’t as suitable for cruising.
  • Cruise ships generally take passengers from a starting point and do a round trip visiting various ports and finish back at the starting point, unlike ocean liners which normally take people directly from one destination to another.
  • Currently, the largest cruise ships are the Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas both of which can carry more than 6000 passengers.

Cruise Ship, Liner, Ocean Dream, Pacific Star, Vanuatu, Australia, Queensland, P&O Cruises Australia, Ten Random Facts, 2006

  • The largest cruise ship, Allure of the Seas, is 361.8 m (1,187 feet) in length, 65 meters (208 feet) in width, and approximately 20 storeys high.
  • The first cruise was believed to be performed by the Augusta Victoria on the 22nd January 1891, for two months and 241 passengers.
  •  The first cruise liner built especially as a cruise ship was the Prinzessin Victoria Luise, from Germany which was finished in 1900.
  • Many cruise ships have guns to protect the ship and passengers from modern day pirates.
  • Between 2005 and the 2012 Costa Concordia disaster (not inclusive) only 16 fatalities have occurred amongst 100 million people who have cruised during that time.
Bibliography:
Cruise Ship 5 January 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_ship>
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