Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Photo courtesy of Brian Gratwicke

Hello Explorers!
Apologies for the long hiatus, but it is time again for the Creature of the Week! In honor of our PCB trip, our creature this week is the Loggerhead Sea Turtle! The Loggerhead Sea Turtle lives its entire life in the ocean..., distributed across the world from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, as well as the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Only the females ever come to shore and that is only to lay their eggs: about four clutches every two to three years. Loggerheads can live up to 67 years, and averages around 35 inches in length (though there have been records of individuals that measured 110 inches!). These turtles are generally have a reddish-brown shell and yellowish-brown skin. Loggerheads are omnivores, meaning they eat a variety of plant and animal life, though they generally prefer invertebrates. Sadly, these reptiles are listed as endangered due to such things as overhunting, getting tangled in fishing line, consuming trash, and having their eggs harvested.
Read more about these fascinating marine reptiles below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loggerhead_sea_turtle

Common Remora

Photo Courtesy of NOAA CCMA Biolgeography Team

G'day Explorers!
It's time for what I am sure is your favorite part of the week: The Critter of the Week! This week's critter is the Common Remora.
Common remoras belong to the family Echeneidae, whose members are marine fish that can clin...g to other fish via a suction-cup like structure on their heads. For the common remora, this structure is actually a modified dorsal fin that suctions to a larger fish. Yes, these fish are hitchikers. While the "carriers" aren't believed to be negatively impacted by the clinging remoras, the remoras actually have it pretty good. Not only do they get a ride (and moving water to flush over their gills), but they also can get scraps of food and protection by riding on a larger animal. Remoras have been seen attached to whales, dolphins, sharks, mantas, swordfish, and sea turtles. Like that of many pelagic species, the reproductive behavior of the common remora, and its relatives, is largely a mystery. (It can be difficult to study the behavior of fish that live in the open ocean). Here's an interesting fact about remoras: some cultures actually use them to catch fish or turtles by tying a rope to the remora's tail, letting it swim out to a large fish or turtle, waiting until the remora has attached to the fish or turtle, and then reeling the rope back. 

Find out more about these "sucker fish" here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_remora