Man In A Bubbling River

Man In A Bubbling River

Copyright
Steve Carter
Location
Crescent City, United States
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Blue Lobster Side View

Blue Lobster Side View

Homarus gammarus is a large crustacean, with a body length up to 60 centimetres (24 in) and weighing up to 5–6 kilograms (11–13 lb), although the lobsters caught in lobster pots are usually 23–38 cm (9–15 in) long and weigh 0.7–2.2 kg (1.5–4.9 lb).Like other crustaceans, lobsters have a hard exoskeleton which they must shed in order to grow, in a process called ecdysis (moulting).This may occur several times a year for young lobsters, but decreases to once every 1–2 years for larger animals.
The first pair of pereiopods is armed with a large, asymmetrical pair of claws.The larger one is the "crusher", and has rounded nodules used for crushing prey; the other is the "cutter", which has sharp inner edges, and is used for holding or tearing the prey.Usually, the left claw is the crusher, and the right is the cutter.
The exoskeleton is generally blue above, with spots that coalesce, and yellow below.The red colour associated with lobsters only appears after cooking.This occurs because, in life, the red pigment astaxanthin is bound to a protein complex, but the complex is broken up by the heat of cooking, releasing the red pigment.
The closest relative of H. gammarus is the American lobster, Homarus americanus. The two species are very similar, and can be crossed artificially, although hybrids are unlikely to occur in the wild since their ranges do not overlap.The two species can be distinguished by a number of characteristics:

The rostrum of H. americanus bears one or more spines on the underside, which are lacking in H. gammarus.
The spines on the claws of H. americanus are red or red-tipped, while those of H. gammarus are white or white-tipped.
The underside of the claw of H. americanus is orange or red, while that of H. gammarus is creamy white or very pale red.

One of these blue lobsters finally posed for me at the Cairns aquarium.

Copyright
David Clode
Location
Cairns Aquarium, Cairns City, Australia
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Clown Triggerfish

Clown Triggerfish

The clown triggerfish is a small sized fish which grows up to 50 cm.Its body has a stocky appearance, oval shape and compressed laterally. The head is large and represents approximately one third of the body length. The mouth is small, terminal and has strong teeth.
The first dorsal fin is composed of three spines, one of which is longer and stronger. It is erectile and hidden in a dorsal furrow. This set of dorsal spines composed a trigger system which is a characteristic from the family Balistidae. The second dorsal fin is similar in shape and size to the anal fin which is symmetrically opposed to it. The pelvic fin is reduced to a ventral protrusion.
The background coloration is black. Half of inferior part of the body is marked with big white spots which are more or less round. The area around the first dorsal fin is crossed by yellowish sinuosities which draw like a network reminding the leopard's patterns. There is a yellowish ring around the mouth, which is surrounded by another fin white ring. A white stripe ride the snout just under the eyes level. The second dorsal fin and the anal fin are white and underlined with a yellow line at their base. The caudal peduncle has a yellowish blotch on its top part and has three horizontal sets of spiny scales. The caudal fin is yellowish in its center and has black margin. Juveniles have a black background coloration spangled with small white spots, the extremity of the snout and the base of the first dorsal fin is yellowish.

The Clown triggerfish has a bizarre pattern. Triggerfish are territorial, and will sometimes bite a scuba diver who has intruded into their territory.

Copyright
David Clode
Location
Cairns Aquarium, Cairns City, Australia
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