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Species Identified
Sphyraena forsteri Cuvier, 1829 (Bigeye barracuda)
Nocturnally active, but occurring in large schools above lagoon patch reefs and along outer reef slopes during the day . Feeds mainly on fishes, but also on penaeid shrimps and squids. Sold fresh, frozen or dried salted. Reports of ciguatera poisoning need confirmation.
Nocturnally active, but occurring in large schools above lagoon patch reefs and along outer reef slopes during the day . Feeds mainly on fishes, but also on penaeid shrimps and squids. Sold fresh, frozen or dried salted. Reports of ciguatera poisoning need confirmation.
Negaprion brevirostris (Poey, 1868) (Lemon shark)
The lemon shark has been the subject of one of the most long-term and intensive studies on a shark species. Much of what is known about this shark is due to the work of Dr Samuel Gruber and his colleagues. This predator ...
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The lemon shark has been the subject of one of the most long-term and intensive studies on a shark species. Much of what is known about this shark is due to the work of Dr Samuel Gruber and his colleagues. This predator is most active at dawn and dusk, and occurs singly or in loose aggregations of up to 20 individuals. It feeds primarily on fishes, including sea catfishes, mullet, stingrays and eagle rays, but also on crustaceans and molluscs. During the day they often lie quietly on the seabed, apparently resting, but in reality this behaviour uses up more energy than when swimming, due to the extra effort required to pump water over the gills . Therefore, they may be lying motionless waiting for wrasses or other small reef fishes to clean them of any parasites . The lemon shark is viviparous; the embryos develop inside the mother and receive nutrients via a yolk sac placenta. After a gestation period of 10 to 12 months, pregnant females enter shallow nursery areas in spring and summer to give birth to litters of 4 to 17 pups. The pups have a very slow growth rate and remain within nursery grounds for a considerable length of time, where they are less vulnerable to predation by larger sharks . The mangroves that the young frequently inhabit are highly productive waters, creating a marvellous site for feeding, but also an area of very low oxygen content. Luckily, the lemon shark has numerous adaptations that enhance oxygen uptake, such as blood with an unusually high affinity for oxygen, and thus the pups can lie feeding in the rich waters, protected from any large potential predators by the mangrove's tangled roots . As they grow, their range expands dramatically, from six to eight kilometres up to around 300 kilometres. Maturity is reached at about six and a half years of age, and it is believed that the lemon shark lives for up to 27 years .
Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) (Humpback whale)
Humpbacks are baleen whales; they have large, sieve like plates of baleen hanging down from the inside of their mouths which function to filter planktonic organisms from the water . Individuals can open their mouths widel...
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Humpbacks are baleen whales; they have large, sieve like plates of baleen hanging down from the inside of their mouths which function to filter planktonic organisms from the water . Individuals can open their mouths widely, due to the throat grooves, and thus engulf large quantities of water . Humpbacks often lunge into a shoal of prey but have also been observed herding their prey into clusters or using a 'bubble net' to effectively trap greater numbers. During this process, a number of whales will circle underwater emitting a continuous stream of air which traps fish in the centre of the ring, the whales then surface up through their 'net' gorging on the contents within . During the summer months, humpbacks must feed intensely as they do not feed again during either the migration or the time spent in tropical breeding grounds . Males compete for females directly by escorting receptive mates and aggressively defending them, their famous 'song' is also thought to be a form of courtship . Solitary males sing highly complex songs that are similar within a population but evolve over successive seasons . Calves are born after a 10 to 12 month gestation period, they accompany their mother on the return migration to polar feeding grounds, and studies have shown that individuals return to the same feeding ground consistently year after year . Possibly one of the best-known aspects of humpback whale behaviour is their acrobatic aerial display; the most spectacular of which is breaching, when the body of the whale may completely leave the water, returning with an enormous splash .
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Espritserein
French Polynesia
Date: 2006-08-19 - 09:00
Max Depth: 23m Duration: 40mins
