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Post 100: Many species of whales and dolphins specifically hunt in the deep sea, but the deeper they go, the more energy they need. A new study in the Azores has shown that Risso’s dolphins and Cuvier’s beaked whales hunt at totally different depths (900-1700 m for Cuvier’s vs only 60-650 m for Risso’s) despite their prey living at all depths. Cuvier’s beaked whales also made 7-21 fewer prey catch attempts per hour than Risso’s. As some of their squid prey migrate into the deep sea when they’re ready to reproduce, it means they’ve got large nutritious sex(y) organs. So it’s suspected that, by diving deeper, Cuvier’s beaked whales are rewarded with more calorie-rich prey, which means less hunting is needed. Mmmm😋, MOR depth, MOR calories!
Repost @speseas_tt
The BEST news! I’ve been granted exemption to enter Trinidad and Tobago. After 408 days locked out of my country, ocean, sunshine, warmth, pooches, friends, mum and HOME are on the horizon. ❤️ Now just to get through the multiple flights, COVID tests, and hotel quarantine...
Post 99: In 2014, scientists were stunned to discover, not a shipwreck as expected, but massive rocks splayed out over the seabed in the shape of an enormous flower. This tar lily was made of liquid asphalt that had been squeezed out of the seafloor like toothpaste out of a tube, forming huge ropey masses that then hardened, contracted and cracked in the freezing temperatures of the deep seafloor. The asphalt at this site was produced by the same processes that generate oil and gas, but has been transformed by geology and then altered again when it is exposed to cold seawater. And once the petals of the giant lily were in place, they then created a home for corals, barnacles, anemones, and fish. Asphalt volcanoes have also been discovered off California, West Africa and Brazil.
