Past entry log

also known as the cetomimidae, they experience a life cycle that confused marine biologists for years :)

^ a fully grown female whalefish! Her mouth. can unhinge to eat fish twice as big >:)

they're so fucking red because its the first color 2 disappear in low light conditions, so they basically appear black at 1-4k meters underwater (bathypelagic zone)

A larval whalefish known as a "tapetail", they were originally thought to be a completely different species called mirapinnidae. It eats lots of amphipods yum

cetomimidae as a species experience extreme sexual dimorphism, so this^ is what a male looks like compared to a female! Once a male tapetail reaches maturity, its mouth fuses shut and it sustains itself by slowly digesting the shells of crustaceans they've already eaten with their powerful liver

CONE SNAILS > DEADLY FUCKERS

• Cone snails have gorgeous segmented patterns that make them highly desirable
• 
• harpoon feeders
• fully grown cone snails can be a single centimeter up to an inch
• cone snail venom has the fastest acting insulin known to man, and pharmaceutical companies are working on modifying it for human use

CONE SNAIL

A harpoon snail from the family conidae, these small animals contain some of the deadliest venom in the world. They're distributed around the Western-Indo Pacific region and most tropical waters/reefs

when they detect a presence near them it triggers their harpoon, which has a sharp radular tooth at the end connected to the venom bulb inside their back. They use this harpoon to catch fish

Cone snail venom is made up of a combination of neurotoxins, but most notably tetrodotoxin which can paralyze, causing slow death from paralysis related heart failure, suffocation, or drowning

Radular harpoon and mouth >:] the neurotoxin concentration/lethality often depends on the size of the snail

Cone snail egg cases

NEVER pick up a cone snail shell, regardless of if it's out of water or not. Its harpoon can be deployed within seconds and has the potential to paralyze immediately. They have such gorgeous shells but look dont touch!

cone snail venom has the fastest acting insulin known to man, and pharmaceutical companies are working on modifying it for human use

A scalesless cartiliginous fish with a diverse order

chimaera have a fleshy operculum for protecting their gills, as well as an advanced network of lateral lines across their face and body for detecting movement for miles in the water

they live near the ocean floor at depths of 8,500 ft, preying on crabs, urchins, and other bottom dwellers.

Chimaera also have a venomous spine on the front of their dorsal fin. chimaera are solitary and not aggressive so stings are rare, but effects include blue skin, swelling, and burning sensations

There are more than 50 identified species of chimaera widespread across all oceans except for the Arctic

they r my favorites :)