Tag Archives: Water

Rainbow Trout

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Rainbow Trout

No, rainbow trout do not cause rainbows.

  • Rainbow trout are fish native to North American and north east Asian areas of the Pacific Ocean, and are also native to cold, North American lakes and rivers.
  • ‘ Rainbow trout’ are also known as ‘steelheads’, ‘steelhead trout’, ‘redband trout’ and ‘ocean trout’.
  • Rainbow trout adults have a typical length between 51 to 76 cm (20 to 30 inches) and depending on their habitat, they can weigh between 0.5 to 9.1 kilograms (1 to 20 pounds).
  • Rainbow trout have a red stripe from the tail to the head, and have a silvery, grey or brown skin colour and have numerous small dark coloured spots.
  • Rainbow trout have been introduced into every continent except Antarctica, and as a result, have decreased native fish population in many countries.

Rainbow Trout, Hold, Fish, Fisherman, Silver, Caught, Ten Random Facts, Alaska, United States, National Geographic

Rainbow Trout
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • Rainbow trout, or steelhead trout as they are called in the United State’s Washington, became an official symbol of the state of Washington in 1969.
  • Rainbow trout has the scientific name Oncorhynchus mykiss and is from the family Salmonidae, the family of ray-finned fish, that migrate to fresh water to spawn, and either return to the ocean or further down stream after reproducing.
  • Rainbow trout can live to be 11 years, but their typical lifespan ranges from 4 to 6 years in the wild, and they always breed at the same place they were born.
  • Rainbow trout has a diet of crustaceans, small fish, water insects and fish eggs is popularly hunted for sport, food and bait.
  • Rainbow trout can be cooked and are easily eaten, while having a nut-like taste, and are commonly farmed commercially, with 604, 695 tonnes (666,562 tons) produced in 2007, with Chile being the largest producer.
Bibliography:
Rainbow trout, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/fish/rainbow-trout/
Rainbow trout, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_trout

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Lake Titicaca

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Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is the home of islands of reeds.

  • Lake Titicaca is a mountain lake that sits in the Tinajani Basin located in South America, along Bolivia’s and Peru’s borders.
  • ‘Lake Titicaca’ is also known as ‘Lake Titiqaqa’, and ‘titicaca’ is commonly believed to have the meaning ‘rock of the puma’, although the origin of the name is uncertain.
  • Lake Titicaca has more water than any other lake in South America, and is the highest lake in the world that can be crossed by ships.
  • The surface of Lake Titicaca is 3,812 metres (12,507 feet) above sea level.
  • Lake Titicaca is 8,372 square kilometres (3,232.4 square miles) in area and has a depth of up to 281 metres (922 feet).
Lake titicaca, blue, lake, large, water, Ten Random Facts, Flickr
Lake Titicaca
Image courtesy of Alicia Nijdam/Flickr
  • Lake Titicaca is sourced by 5 major rivers and 22 minor water sources, in turn typically sourced by glaciers, and the lake sources Desaguadero River.
  • Lake Titicaca is the home to many water birds, fish and other aquatic species, including the exclusive Titicaca water frog and the Titicaca grebe.
  • Lake Titicaca is the home of multiple habitable and inhabitable islands, some of which are made of reeds that float and are home to the Uru people.
  • Lake Titicaca has a temperature averaging 10 to 14°C (50 to 57°F) on the surface.
  • Lake Titicaca, according to Incan legend, was the birth place of Manco Cápac, the first Incan king, and for this reason the lake is considered sacred and attracts thousands of visitors every year.
Bibliography:
Lake Titicaca, 2008, Lake Titicaca, http://www.laketiticaca.org/
Lake Titicaca, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Titicaca

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Moraine Lake

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Moraine Lake

How many lakes have a beautiful blue hue like Moraine Lake?

  • Moraine Lake is a lake that has an area of 0.5 kilometres squared (0.19 miles squared) and a depth of up to 14 metres (46 feet) and is easily accessible by road, although the road is closed from October to May.
  • Moraine Lake has a water source from Fay Glacier and Larch Creek, and is the source of Moraine Creek.
  • Moraine Lake is located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, in the Valley of Ten Peaks, and has a surface elevation of approximately 1884 metres (6181 feet) above sea level.
  • Moraine Lake displays a beautiful blue hue when it is at full capacity, due to ‘rock flour’ or ‘glacial flour’, tiny particles of rock, in the lake refracting light.
  • The Moraine Lake area is the home to trails for hiking, as well as Moraine Lake Lodge, which has accommodation that can be rented for short getaways.

Moraine Lake, Blue, Aqua, June, Ten Random Facts, Flickr, Banff National Park, Rock powder

Moraine in June
Image courtesy of Pascal/Flickr

  • Canoeing is a popular sport performed on the surface of Moraine Lake and can be arranged through the Lodge.
  •  Moraine Lake has been featured on the Canadian $20 note in 1969 and 1979, and it is one of Canada’s most commonly photographed places.
  • Moraine Lake is quite picturesque, with the Ten Peaks, a group of ten mountains, rising above and surrounding the lake, and has been featured as background options on computers and electronic devices.
  • Moraine Lake is the home of wildlife such as grizzly bears, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots and pikas (small rabbit-like mammals).
  • Moraine Lake is so called due to a ‘moraine’, a pile of glacial rocks and boulders that was formed by the Wenkchemna Glacier next to the lake.
Bibliography:
Fletcher J, Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, n.d, USA Today, http://traveltips.usatoday.com/moraine-lake-banff-national-park-13242.html
Moraine Lake, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moraine_Lake

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Seahorse

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Seahorse

Is it a plane? A dragon? No, it is a seahorse!

  • A seahorse is a fish that is found in tropical or temperate water bodies of shallow depth, sheltered by coral reefs, mangroves or seagrass, and they can change their colour to blend into their environment and can be seen in a wide range of colours like green, red, black, white and orange.
  • Seahorses are more than 40 species that have the scientific name ‘Hippocampus’, that means ‘horse sea monster’ in Ancient Greek, and they belong to the Syngnathidae family, the family of fish with fused jaws.
  • A seahorse can range from 1.5 to 35.5 centimetres (0.6 to 14 inches) in height depending on the species and has a tail that it uses to grab onto sea grass and coral to hold itself still.
  • Seahorses are one of the two fish that swims vertically, swimming slowly by flapping its dorsal fin, with the slowest, the dwarf seahorse – Hippocampus zosterae, moving at 152 centimetres per hour (5 feet per hour) which is known as the slowest fish.
  • Seahorses have plates of bone that have a ring structure, an identifying and unique coronet (crown like structure) on their head, and have eyes that move freely of one another.

Seahorse, Colorado, America, United States, Yellow, Swimming, Denver Aquarium, Ten Random Facts, Fish, National Geograph

Seahorse
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • After mating, seahorse males look after the up to 1500 eggs (or more) in its pouch, that hatch after around 9 to 45 days into tiny seahorses.
  • The amount of baby seahorses expelled from the male pouch ranges from 5 to 2500 depending on the species, with only 0.5% on average ever surviving.
  • Seahorses have no stomach or teeth and have a diet of little crustaceans and plankton that are sucked up with the fish’s generally long snout, and they need to eat lots due to a quick digestion process, making a clicking noise every time they eat.
  • Seahorses are sometimes kept as pets in aquariums, but can easily die if not cared for properly, and are often hunted by humans for souvenirs and food, and numerous quantities are sold and used for traditional Asian medicine.
  • Seahorses have predators of crabs, tuna and rays, and can be killed by pollution, hunting or exhaustion, particularly in storms where they can be tossed around.
Bibliography:
Seahorse, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seahorse
Sydenham S & Thomas R, Seahorse, 2008, Kidcyber, http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/seahorse.htm

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Perito Moreno Glacier

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Perito Moreno Glacier

A natural ice pack: Perito Moreno Glacier.

  • Perito Moreno Glacier is a glacier that is found in the National Park, Los Glaciares, Argentina, in South America, and its source is the Southern Patagonian Ice Field found in the Andes Mountain system.
  • Perito Moreno Glacier is one of the most prominent attractions for tourists in southern South America, in the Argentine Patagonia region, and the area has vehicle access via a road.
  • Perito Moreno Glacier covers an area of 250 kilometres squared (97 miles squared) and spreads to a length of 30 kilometres (19 miles).
  • Perito Moreno Glacier has a total height of 170 metres (558 feet) of ice, with around 74 metres (240 feet) protruding from the water’s surface.
  • Perito Moreno Glacier has ruptures, due to pressure build up from dammed water, that occur approximately every four to five years, although they can occur more or less frequently, with the most recent event on the 19 January, 2013.
perito Moreno glacier, ice, iceberg, moving, 2008, Argentina, Panorama, south America, Flickr, Ten Random Facts
Panorama
Image courtesy of Steven Newton/Flickr
  • It is possible to venture onto Perito Moreno Glacier through an organised tour, with trails ranging from one and a half to five hours.
  • Perito Moreno Glacier sees winds that can blow up to speeds of 130 kilometres/hour (81 miles/hour).
  • Perito Moreno Glacier is a fresh water reserve, and is the third largest on earth.
  • Perito Moreno Glacier is named after Argentine’s Francisco Moreno, an explorer in the late 1800s and early 1900s, who was also known as ‘Perito Moreno’, the word ‘perito’ meaning ‘expert’ or ‘specialist’, which he officially became in 1902.
  • Perito Moreno Glacier acted as a natural barricade for Argentina during conflicts with the neighbouring Chile.
Bibliography:
Calafate – Perito Moreno Glacier – Argentina, n.d, CASCADA Expidiciones, https://www.cascada.travel/About/Calafate-Perito-Moreno-Glacier-Argentina
Perito Moreno Glacier, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perito_Moreno_Glacier

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Seljalandsfoss

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Seljalandsfoss

The breathtaking Seljalandsfoss waterfall:

  • Seljalandsfoss, also known as ‘Seljalands waterfall’, is a splendid waterfall that can be found in Southern Iceland.
  • Seljalandsfoss is very popular in Icelandic photography, being one of Iceland’s most famous falls.
  • Seljalandsfoss was part of the American reality television race, ‘The Amazing Race (6)’ in 2004, as a waypoint in the first leg.
  • ‘Seljalandsfoss’, the Icelandic name of the waterfall, literally means ‘selling the land of waterfalls’ in English.
  • Seljalandsfoss, from the top to the bottom, measures about 60 metres (197 feet) in height.

Saljalandsfoss, Water, Waterfall, iceland, Picturesque, Ten Random Facts, Flickr,

Seljalandsfoss
Image courtesy of Borkur Sigurbjornsson/Flickr
  • Seljalandsfoss is formed by the Seljalandsá River, which runs over the edge of a volcanic cliff.
  • Seljalandsfoss can be viewed from all angles, as a walking trail passes behind the falls, and tours to the falls are also available.
  • Seljalandsfoss features a small cascade at the top of the falls, with smaller waterfalls surrounding it.
  • The cliff of the Seljalandsfoss is believed to have been once part of the coastline of Iceland.
  • Seljalandsfoss partially freezes in winter, and the surroundings are covered in snow and ice.
Bibliography:
Seljalandsfoss, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seljalandsfoss
Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, 2013, Cancuk Abroad, http://www.canuckabroad.com/places/place/seljalandsfoss-waterfall/

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