Freaky Fish: Group #4 [1/2 way there!]

That's right kids! We are 1/2 way through getting to know our freaky little friends. Well, frenemies I suppose. :)

Today's group is

The Look At Me's !

Sounds a bit like a band: "Car and The Look At Me's". We'd definitely play weddings, bat mitzvah's, and the occasional high school reunion. I like it. Auditions start soon.

Parrotfish

This Parrotfish is for all you Bears fans out there :) What a true fan. Take that T. Brums, this guy LIVES it. Parrotfish are mostly tropical and are abundant on shallow reefs of the Red Sea, Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Parrotfish are named for their oral dentition; their numerous teeth are arranged in a tightly packed mosaic on the external surface of the jaw bones, forming a parrot-like beak which is used to rasp algae from coral and other rocky substrates. Many species are also brightly coloured in shades of blue, green, red and yellow. [So technically I suppose we could have Bear, Charger, Packer, Patriot, and Seahawk fans roaming the sea as well ;) Sigh...I miss football season.] Although they are considered to be herbivores, parrotfish eat a wide variety of organisms that live on coral reefs. Parrotfishes stay within shallow waters of no more than about 70 meters in depth. By night they cram themselves into crevices, some species secreting a thick coat of mucus, like a little surrounding bubble. The mucus is thought to mask their scent from nocturnal predators such as the moray eel and may serve to protect the fish from infection by parasites.

SAFETY LEVEL: Safe. And pretty.

Pingpong Tree SpongeThe organism resembling a modernist light fixture is a Ping-Pong tree sponge, which can reach a height of 50 centimeters. A carnivore, it has Velcro-like spicules [Spicules are skeletal structures that occur in most sponges] on its surface, the better to capture the creatures that alight [settle] on it. Cells in the sponge then migrate toward the prey and consume it.

SAFETY LEVEL: Well it dwells pretty freaking deep in the sea, so as long as you don't alight on it's spicules you should be cool. The whole migrating cell thing is just wrong, however. Le blegh!

Unidentified Species

These guys are so wacked out the people who discovered them can't even identify them. Sweet.

SAFETY LEVEL: Guilty until proven innocent. The top one looks like a squid hybrid with a huge mouth, and the bottom like a jellyfish tangled in ribbons. No bueno. Thankfully they lurk deep, deep down, which is probably better for everyone.

That's all for [Car and] The Look At Me's! You've been a great audience! Thank you and good night!

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