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Tonight's blog is all about the farm animals of the ocean, sea bunnies, sea sheep, and even sea pigs. These are three adorable, oddly named creatures that sound like they belong in a barnyard but actually can be found on the sea floor. Yes they have fuzzy "ears", leafy "wool", and even look like little pig blobs, but they have almost nothing in common except for the cuteness factor. So, if you've never heard about these weird little guys before, and you're unsure what they look like, here are some pictures of each, and some facts about each species to start off with. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sea Bunnies The "fur" is actually composed of tiny, rod-like structures called caryophyllidia, which act as sensory organs. The two antenna-like appendages on their head are called rhinophores, used to detect chemical scents in the water to find food and mates. Sea bunnies are toxic. They consume sponges containing toxins and store these compounds in their bodies as a defense mechanism, making them unpalatable to predators. So don't be confused by how cute and fluffy they look, however although toxic, they are generally considered harmless to humans, but their delicate bodies should never be touched. While they are usually white with black spots, they also appear in yellow, orange, or brown varieties. They are very small, usually measuring less than 1 inch (2.54 cm). They are found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Despite their name, they are marine mollusks and do not have gills like a fish; they have exposed, feather-like gills on their rear. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sea Pigs: They inhabit the deepest parts of the ocean, often called the abyss, across the globe. They are deposit feeders, eating decaying organic matter, bacteria, and carcasses that fall to the seafloor. Their skin is toxic, containing chemicals that can break down red blood cells, which helps protect them from predators. They move in large groups, often facing the same direction to navigate currents, and sometimes act as "babysitters" for juvenile crabs that hide on their backs. Generally 1.5 to 6 inches (4 to 15 cm), though they can reach up to 8 inches. They are found on the ocean floor at depths of 4,000 to 16,000 feet. They are actually a type of deep-sea cucumber. While they share the "sea" name, they are distinct from sea slugs (which are gastropod mollusks) and belong to a different phylum entirely. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sea Sheep (The Leaf Sheep) Found in shallow tropical waters near Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines. It is famous for being one of the only animals in the world that can photosynthesize, using stolen chloroplasts from algae (a process called kleptoplasty) to convert sunlight into energy. First discovered in 1993 near Japan's Kuroshima Island. Found in shallow tropical waters, they feed exclusively on Avrainvillea algae. They often graze together like a herd of sheep and group together with other sea sheep. They have an average lifespan of 6-12 months. These slugs are hermaphroditic organisms, meaning they are both female and male. Also, leaf sheep can lay between 2,000 and 4,000 eggs. The eggs hatch in four days. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I hope you enjoyed learning a few things about these cute creatures, and tomorrow's blog will include some photography of fish I've taken myself

Before we begin: no, this is not Snake Head Terror. There will be no low-budget CGI here, probably no screaming people, and, possibly unfortunately, no chainsaw showdowns with a 50 foot long snakehead. We’re talking about real snakeheads today. I know he said I don't have to credit him, but I still want to say that @Kazuma Satou gave me a ton of facts for this blog and I appreciate him for it, (and for listening to me ramble about fish the entire last week lol). Before we begin, you might be wondering what the heck is a snakehead and the first image that comes into your mind is probably something from a movie. There are over 50+ species of snakeheads that are divided into 2 different groups: Channa and Parachanna. The 2 main types I'm going to be talking about today are Northern Snakeheads and the Ceylon Snakeheads both from the Channa groups. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A few facts about Ceylon Snakeheads: Incredibly dangerous, even to their own species, they will eat smaller members of their own species. They don't stay in one place for long. when food becomes scarce they move to other ponds by jumping on the ground and they can survive without water for a while. They can heal fast, with bruises from walking across land healing within a day. Can grow up to 10–13 inches (25–33 cm). They don't hesitate to attack humans and if you put a finger into the water they'll swim toward it at lightning speed and try to bite it. They're fast swimmers and when they feel like they're under attack, they stir up the mud to make water unclear. They're easy to catch if you just slowly place a net in front of them and tap their back they'll swim straight into it. The Ceylon is one of the smaller snakehead species and often referred to as the "Dwarf Snakehead". Habitat: Streams, rivers, ponds, and wetlands. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A few facts about Northern Snakeheads: Originally from China, Russia, and Korea and is classified as an invasive species in the United States. Can grow up to 4 feet (about 1.2 meters) long and weigh up to 15 pounds. Like the Ceylon, they "walk" by wiggling on land from one body of water to another and can breathe air for several days. Eats fish, frogs, crustaceans, insects, and sometimes small birds or mammals but if it fits in their mouth, they will eat it. They prefer sluggish waters with dense vegetation, but can inhabit canals, rivers, and ponds. They are highly adaptable to temperatures ranging from 32F - 90F(0C - 32C). A female Northern Snakehead can lay up to 100,000 eggs per year and they can double their population in as little as 15 years. Northern snakeheads are respected among some Chinese fishermen for their virtue, as parent snakefish are known to sacrifice themselves to protect their young. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Myths VS. Facts: Snakehead edition. Myth #1: They can crawl for miles on land. Fact: They cannot go on epic cross-country journeys. They can survive out of water for a short time if kept moist and may wriggle short distances to reach nearby water and they are not planning to attack any local towns. Myth #2: They attack humans. Fact: There are no confirmed cases of Northern Snakeheads hunting people. They’re aggressive toward other fish (especially when guarding babies), but you are not on the menu unless you go sticking your hands in the water or aquarium you have them and then yes, they will dart at your hand and likely try to bite you because they'll think it's a food source. Myth #3: They’re venomous because they look like snakes. Fact: They are not venomous and not at all related to snakes despite the name. Myth #4: They’ll completely destroy every ecosystem instantly. Fact: They are invasive in parts of the U.S., and they can compete with native species which is a real ecological concern, but they are not machines of mass destruction (despite that movie lol) Ecosystem impact varies by location. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I hope you enjoyed reading this, and tomorrow we will be covering Sea Bunnies~! And of course, I had to throw this in here for @Zeref, his favorite movie LOL