Posted on 11/22/2009 1:29:00 PM PST by Free ThinkerNY
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The creatures living in the depths of the ocean are as weird and outlandish as the creations in a Dr. Seuss book: tentacled transparent sea cucumbers, primitive "dumbos" that flap ear-like fins, and tubeworms that feed on oil deposits.
A report released Sunday recorded 17,650 species living below 656 feet, the point where sunlight ceases. The findings were the latest update on a 10-year census of marine life.
"Parts of the deep sea that we assumed were homogenous are actually quite complex," said Robert S. Carney, an oceanographer at Louisiana State University and a lead researcher on the deep seas.
Thousands of marine species eke out an existence in the ocean's pitch-black depths by feeding on the snowlike decaying matter that cascades downeven sunken whale bones. Oil and methane also are an energy source for the bottom-dwellers, the report said.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Now you’re talking!
There was some Discovery show where they were using the old sound recording systems for submarines to research whale migration, etc. The expert was playing various recordings and saying things like “that’s a Blue Whale off the coast of Nova Scotia, that’s a Gray Whale about 200 miles west of San Diego.....and this one (plays a sound that is almost electrical/ synthetic) - we have no idea! It’s in the Indian Ocean trench at about 1000’” (I’m pretty sure it was around India somewhere, and it was real deep - guessing on the depth). Pretty weird.
If one of them looks like Helen Thomas, I won't be looking.
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Thanks Free ThinkerNY.17,650 species living below 656 feet, the point where sunlight ceasesTo all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. |
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I was about to respond that the thing is all mouth, fat gut and A-H, and wondered how long before someone compared it to a dim or RINO politician.
We had the same idea! (post 32)
I never would have thought my years of cartoons with the grandkids would provide a useful reference!
And yes, that thing looks way too much like Pikacho. How weird!
The science channel had a show about these creatures of the deep a while back. They rerun it from time to time.
My late MIL gave Hubby and me a small painting of some mushrooms, and one of them looked remarkably like this little creature except upright and no exposed “roots.” We uh... hung it in a room where guests were unlikely to see it, went so far as to color-coordinate the room, and of course, we never pointed out the resemblance to dear old Mom.
The things you find in nature.
Can’t argue that one.
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