An ocean of wilderness
From tropical coral reefs to the cooler temperate waters, the South Pacific Ocean and its isolated islands are rich in life. The challenges of surviving on these isolated and remote islands of the Pacific Ocean have pushed animals to evolve in the most surprising and remarkable manner. Here are three such creatures: read about them and see if you can solve the puzzle.
Sperm Whales
An epic voyager in search of food. Young whales leave their family groups in the tropics and head to the temperate seas across thousands of kilometres to reach one of the greatest feeding grounds in the South Pacific: New Zealand. Sperm Whales are drawn here by the fabulous wealth of deep-sea creatures. To dive down and feed on these creatures, whales need to remain underwater for over an hour. To do this, they spend around 10 minutes filling their lungs and blood with oxygen. They spend around 15 years bulking up in these nutrient-rich seas. Once they reach the weight of 30 tonnes, the Sperm Whales return to the tropics.
Seabirds
Guided by the sun, stars and the Earth’s magnetic field, seabirds navigate thousands of kilometres of featureless ocean in search of food. The Albatross is the largest seabird and perhaps the greatest ocean wanderer. With a two-metre wingspan, the Albatross travels more than 10,000km looking for hotspots of squid and fish to feed its oversized offspring. These birds nest on the tiny Hawaiian atoll of French Frigate Shoals. Just around a kilometre long, the atoll provides a base of around 300,000 seabirds. Frigate birds wait for weeks on the breeding grounds for a chance to feed on newly hatched sooty terns.
Sea Butterflies
All life in the Pacific is dependent on the tiniest of creatures: the plankton that floats freely in the currents. One of the most plentiful is the Sea Butterfly, a tiny marine snail that uses its enlarged foot to fly through the water. Known as the ‘potato chips of the ocean’, Sea Butterfly is an important food item for many marine animals. But they are under threat due to the increasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. When carbon dioxide dissolves in ocean water, it makes the water acidic, which in turn makes it harder for Sea Butterflies to build their calcium shells. The loss of these swimming “potato chips” have repercussions all the way up the food chain in the oceans.
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons, Pixabay, Flickr