Lost At Sea? Here's Where To Find Shelter.

In my last post, I discussed some of the problems caused by derelict pots and traps in the ocean. The fate of lost fishing nets is not always so dire. As nets drift in the current, they can ensnare unsuspecting victims, but they can occasionally provide shelter for an assortment of young creatures, which cluster under the floating raft, just as they would a raft of seaweed or piece of driftwood.

While eventually, the net will sink to the depths of the sea, while it remains at the surface, it can create a refuge for the ocean's younger inhabitants. Juvenile fish, which out in the open would expose themselves to the eyes of predators, take cover under the disused mesh, darting between the ropes and revelling in relative safety. For anything larger, the nets present a serious problem.

Living animals can also create an unusual refuge in the otherwise open ocean. Some jellies are used for cover by Pacific butterfish and have a host of other hitchhikers. There are even animals that shelter in the bum of another species! Pearlfish reside in the rear passage (the cloaca) of sea cumbers, sheltering in the safety of their bum and nipping in and out to feed.

Whatever the refuge, it's vital to stay vigilant, as things may not always be as safe as they seem. The sargassum fish, for example, are brilliant mimics of the weed in which they live. They drift in rafts of sargassum and wait for their food to come to them. They lie in waiting, ready to snap up any young whippersnapper that gets too close. Their incredible camouflage allows them to snap up their prey when it swims within only a few centimetres of their mouth!

Images

1) Clip of a pearlfish and a sea cucumber. Credit: BBC via YouTube.

2) A sargassum fish (Histrio histrio) from the Sargassum Sea. Credit: Eric Heupel via fishesofaustralia.net.au

0 Comment