The Curious Compendium 2023-2025: The end!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Elephant seals!

These guys can dive over a mile deep and hold their breath for up to 100-120 minutes underwater- that's longer than any other non-cetacean! And despite their size, they can sure move! Some have been recorded as migrating up to 13,000 miles roundtrip. Males and females have 2 key differences (besides the obvious dimorphism of course)- females live longer (up to 23 while males only about 15) and males typically feed in benthic zones while females stay in the pelagic!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Sorry for the delay. I took a few days last week to travel to visit my newborn nephew, and then when I got back I needed a few days to get life things sorted out. But here we are with... squids!


The Caribbean reef squid can change its skin color like other cephalopods with their chromatophores- they also have blue tinted blood like the horseshoe crab for the same reason (they use hemocyanin as an oxygen binder). These guys are voracious predators who eat 30-60% of their weight each day; but they also get voraciously eaten by predators like grouper! Because of this the average squid only lives to be 1-3 years in the wild.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Gray, Right, and Bowhead whales!


Gray whales are the only whale that feed primarily off the ocean floor, scooping up crustaceans and plankton and filtering them through their baleen plates. This species is known for being curious and friendly to humans and watercraft. In the past, they were often called "devil fish" because they would vigorously protect their young and defend themselves from whalers.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Tiger sharks!


This species can birth up to 10-82 live pups at a time! Their jaws are more square shaped than rounded- this helps them saw through their varied prey items. They are much more social than people think- gathering in shallow water, tolerating some individuals more than others, and even presenting pack hunting behavior. Lastly, they feature prominently in Hawaiian culture- being related to a group of gods in their mythology.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

More marine fish!





Oarfish are the longest bony fish in the world! They can grow to be 30 feet long and up to 600 pounds! They usually live in water at the 600 foot depth and filter feed through their gill rakers. They are thought to be the inspiration for many sea serpent myths around the globe; they are also mysterious as they are rarely seen alive and more often seen as dying or already dead washed up on beaches. They have no scales and are sometimes the ribbon fish for their appearance.

[bmathison1972]

I don't recognize that giant oarfish. It looks like the NTC (Kitan Club/Ikimon) version but the pose is different, unless its posable? Or the angle of the pic?

[Saarlooswolfhound]

I believe it is the Nature Technicolor model- It's not posable but its softer plastic/rubber which makes it floppy. Its a bit difficult to photograph.

[Isidro]

It the Ikimon/Kitan (NTC) model and it is very flexible. The filaments of the first dorsal and pelvic fins are made of very soft plastic/rubber, the remain of the body is harder, but still flexible, not exactly posable because it tends to recover the straight position shortly after bending.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Harp seals and harbour seals!


Harp seals migrate up to 3,100 miles round trip to feed on nearly anything they can find. They can dive up to 13,000 feet and hold their breath for 16 minutes. Their characteristically white pups have this fur to help them absorb sunlight for warmth while they develop their blubber layer for insulation instead.

Also, got this photo updated from an earlier post.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Some crustaceans!


Mantis shrimp have the most complex eyes of any animal; with their 12-16 color receptors they can detect colors most other animals cannot as well as ultraviolet light and polarized light! Their one- two- knockout punches hit faster than a bullet and create 1,500 newtons of force (enough that they can break aquarium glass and have often split the skin of any person who dares attempts handling them). These un-shrimps (they don't belong to the same family) are often monogamous and will love with their mate for 20 years and both parties will help care for eggs.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Just a quick update on my sudden pause for this topic. My beloved spaniel has not been doing well and I have come to the difficult decision all pet owners must make. He only has a few days left and I want to spend as much time with him as I can. I am going to need a little break for a while from the forum while I work through this. I hope to resume sometime soon, maybe next week sometime, but I make no promises.

Thanks everyone.

[sbell]

Just a quick update on my sudden pause for this topic. My beloved spaniel has not been doing well and I have come to the difficult decision all pet owners must make. He only has a few days left and I want to spend as much time with him as I can. I am going to need a little break for a while from the forum while I work through this. I hope to resume sometime soon, maybe next week sometime, but I make no promises.

Thanks everyone.

Take care of yourself. It's a tough thing to work through.

[BlueKrono]

My thoughts are with you @Saarlooswolfhound. I know you'll give that pup all the love.

[NSD Bashe]

I'm so sorry to hear, my deepest condolences

[Gwangi]

So sorry to hear this, we'll be here for you when you're ready to come back.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Thank you @sbell, @BlueKrono, @NSD Bashe , and @Gwangi. He is only the second dog I have had to say this goodbye to and I will always hate it. But he has confirmed that its his time. I will continue with my collection presentation as soon as I am feeling up to it (I am so near the end- just have to finish my aquatics, and then 2 more groups).

[bmathison1972]

the dog is a cutie for sure!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

I am ready to start posting again, but it will likely not be in any regular schedule like it (mostly) has been. So bear with me.

More seals!


Leopard seals (my favorite!) are the third largest seal in the world growing up to 10 feet long and 1,300 lbs! They can also commonly live quite long in the wild, the oldest recorded was 26 years old. Lastly, they can open their mouths up to 160 degrees.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Jellyfish and friends!


To start, I know that is a siphonophore but I don't have any other group that it would really fit in for a photo.

Some general facts on jellies- they are more closely related to anemones and corals and have been around for at least 500 million years (possibly even 700 million!). They don't have a centralized brain and instead have a net of nerves that it uses to sense its environment. About half of the known species are bioluminescent.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Blue, Minke, Sei, and Bryde's whales!


Minke whales are the smallest of the baleen whales, only growing to about 35 feet and weighing 20,000 lbs. They generally live about 40 years but can live to 60! They get their name from a man named Meincke, a Norwegian whaling spotter. Evidently, the whales' nickname the "stinky minke" comes from their spouts having an unpleasant odor. This odor is thought to come from their diet of crustaceans, herring, krill, capelin, and other fish items and the smell hangs in the air (some whale watchers even report the odor being so pungent they can taste it).