So. Why have Federal and Queensland State Environment Ministers flown to Europe? Here are some clues…
Cleaner fish live in a cleaning symbiosis with larger, often predatory fish, grooming them and benefiting by feeding on what they remove.
Biodiversity #17 – Porcupinefish (Diodontidae). Like the pufferfish, the porcupine fish has the ability to inflate itself, thereby making it bigger and rounder and harder to eat, yet retaining its ability to swim – albeit upside-down! Second defence mechanism is provided by sharp spines which radiate outward when inflated.
Biodiversity #16 – Christmas tree worm (Spirobranchus giganteus). The bit you see is almost just like a crown which the worm extends out of its hole. It’s a pretty useful crown (despite not having a gecko on it), as it is used both to collect food – passed down its spiral structure, and to breathe – they are a form of gills! The worm itself sits inside a tube which it bores itself into a head of coral.
Biodiversity #15 – Wobbegong: the world’s most chilled – or laziest – depending on your point of view – shark. Their name possibly derived from an Australian Aboriginal word, Wobbegongs represent just 12 species of carpet sharks in the family Orectolobidae in the order Orectolobiformes which includes the whale shark and zebra shark.
Biodiversity #14 – There are over 1,100 species of hermit crab, both terrestrial and marine, which typically processes an asymmetrical soft abdomen which it conceals for protection in an empty gastropod (snail) shell. Most are referred to a ‘left-handed’ as their left claw is bigger than their right. Here’s a Hairy Red Hermit Crab I found at Uepi in the Solomon Islands.
Biodiversity #12 – Mimic Filefish. He mimics a Black Saddle Toby. Why – because the Toby is toxic when eaten by other fish. But how does he know this?!? The next question is How? Even if he decided to evolve over time to look like another fish – how does he do it?
Biodiversity #11 – The Dolphin. A cetacean mammal, closely related to whales and porpoises and technically includes a number of freshwater river dolphins, and the orcas, false and pygmy killer whales and pilot whales. Descendants of terrestrial mammals – they entered the water roughly 55 million years ago.
Biodiversity #10 – Manta rays are among the largest fish in the ocean, growing up to 7m from wing tip to wing tip. Manta rays also have the largest brain to body size ratio of any living fish. They are completely harmless unless you happen to be a plankton. They are aware of, and interact with divers.
Biodiversity #9 – The Moorish Idol is remarkable as he is the only species in the family Zanclidae cf the butterflyfish which has 80+ species. A sensitive fish that does not fare well in captivity; accurately reflected in Finding Nemo by Gill’s constant desire to escape back to the freedom of the ocean.
