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The Animals |
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This week's animals: |
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The Amazon Dolphin |
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The Portuguese Man-of-War |
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The Amazon Dolphin |
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Class: mammal, Length: 6 to 10 feet, Weight: 200 to 275 pounds, Diet: fish, crabs, shrimp, snails, & turtles, Home: South America |
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In the two freshwater river systems in South America; Brazil's Amazon River and its tributaries, and the Orinoco River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Venezuela, lives the Amazon dolphin. It is one of the few exceptions to the rule that almost all whales & dolphins live in salt water. |
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The mouths of the Amazon and Orinoco are almost a thousand miles from one another, but the dolphins who live in them are not completely separated from each other. Every year heavy rains raise the water level by 30 feet or more. This floods a huge area of the forest between the two rivers. During this time, the Amazon dolphins swim out of their river channels and into the forest. |
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During this time of heavy flooding the dolphins have the hardest times. For most the year the fish they eat are easy to catch. But, during the floods the fish hide in the underwater forest & grasslands. To find the fish the dolphins have to hunt very hard. |
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Portuguese Man-of-War |
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Class: Invertebrates, Length: 40 to 60 feet, Diet: small fish and plankton, Home: Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans at middle latitudes |
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This jellyfish is one of the best known and most dangerous. While it may look like a single animal, it is actually a colony of individual animals that function as one. Inside the Man-of-War's body, different types of one-celled organisms have special jobs to do. The cells that make up its tentacles are particularly dangerous. They form tangles of deadly stingers which hang from the Man-of-War's floating gas-filles bladder. These tentacles may reach lengths of 100 feet. |
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The gas-filled bladder that helps the Man-of-War float is filled mainly with Carbon dioxide and oxygen. You would think this would act like a ship's sail by catching the wind, but it doesn't. Instead it catches the ocean's currents. It you ever see a large group of these fish traveling together through the water, they will resemble an armada of ancient sailing vessels. |
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The stinging tentacles of the Man-of-War can seriously injure and even kill swimmers who run into them. If you ever see a dead one washed up on the beach, keep your distance. Even a dead or disabled Man-of-War can cause great harm. Despite this, some small fish dare to live among its tentacles. These brave fish even break off and eat pieces of their host. However, they are not immune to the Man-of-War's sting. A clumsy fish can easily become dinner instead of a guest. |
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Hope you enjoyed these animals!! |
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Coming soon: |
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The Water Spider |
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The Moloch |
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The Animals ~ |
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Home |
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Links |
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Cyber Pets |
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Wild Mustangs |
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