Animals
Sea Skaters
Sea skaters, or ocean striders, are small bugs.
They’re relatives of the pond skaters or water striders that zip spread-eagled across the surface of ponds and lakes.
Except they skate over the open ocean, eating plankton at the surface.
There are only five species of sea skaters, all belonging to the Halobates group.
Of all the millions of insect species, these five are the only ones to live out at sea.
Now, Goldstein has discovered that one sea skater Halobates sericeus actually benefits from what most people would regard as an ecological disaster – the circling mass of plastic and debris known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
It’s not just about sea skaters either.
There’s a large community of sea-dwellers that also grow on floating objects, including microbes, algae and bryozoans.
They might also benefit from the accumulating plastics in the water.
Source of info: National Geographic
Kanbili
Aka. Kanbili (in Dhivehi)
It is the National bird of the Maldives.
These waterhen species inhabit subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, wetlands, marshes, dense swamps, reedbeds and paddy fields.
The white-breasted waterhen feeds primarily on invertebrates, aquatic insects, terrestrial insects, worms, small frogs and mollusks. It also feeds on seeds, grass, shoots and berries.
The white-breasted waterhen breeding season is usually between June and October, but varies locally.
The white-breasted waterhen are resident birds in most of their ranges. They may make local movements for breeding and feeding. Some northern waterhen populations may move southwards for wintering.
These birds are usually seen singly or in pairs as they forage slowly along the edge of a waterbody mainly on the ground but sometimes clambering up low vegetation.
The tail is held up and jerked as they walk.
They probe with their bill in mud or shallow water, also picking up food by sight.
They may sometimes feed in deeper water in the manner of a moorhen. They nest in a dry location on the ground in marsh vegetation.
It has been a protected bird in Maldives since 11th July 1999.
Source: Maldives biodiversity
water bears
Tardigrades are invertebrates belonging to the phylum Tardigrada.
They are related to arthropods and nematodes
Also known as water bears, tardigrades are known for their appearance and their ability to survive in extreme environments.
Where do tardigrades live?
Tardigrades can be found in moist habitats, such as damp moss or underwater sediment.
Tardigrades exist all over the world because of their ability to withstand extreme conditions.
What is a tardigrade’s survival mechanism?
Tardigrades can survive extreme conditions by going into a “tun” state, in which their body dries out and their metabolism drops to as little as 0.01 percent of its normal rate.
When conditions return to normal, the tardigrade revives itself.
A tardigrade can stay in a tun state for decades.
Research shows that tardigrades can be killed by exposure to hot water for an extended period of time.
One study showed that one hour of exposure to water at 82.7 °C (180.9 °F) can kill a tardigrade in its “tun” state, where it goes into suspended animation and becomes hard to destroy.
Tardigrades are mostly about 1 mm (0.04 inch) or less in size.
Are Tardigrades Dangerous?
No, at least not to humans.
Other micro-organisms in their environment should be on notice though; those claws aren't for show.
While most tardigrades are herbivorous, not all of them are, and they will eat you if you are smaller than they are and you are within reach of their claws.
Sources: interesting engineering and Britannica
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