Sea Turtles Sea Turtles are found in

warm and temperate oceans

throughout the world. Adults of

most species are usually found in

shallow coastal waters, bays,

lagoons, etc. Sea Turtles are

characterized by a large,

streamlined shell and and non-

retractable head and limbs.

Depending on the species, they may

be olive-green, yellow, greenish-

brown, and even black. Adult

males and females are equal in

size. Due to the variety of species

of the sea turtle, their size comes

in a wide range of lengths and

sizes. The Kemp’s ridley and olive

ridley are the smallest species;

mature individuals will reach 22-

30 inches and range from 66-110

pounds. The leatherback is the

largest of all the living sea turtles.

Adult leatherbacks will reach 4-6

feet in length and weigh 440-1,100

pounds—the largest leatherback

specimen recorded weighed 2,019

pounds!

Unlike tortoises seen on

land, sea turtles have unique non-

retractable limbs which serve as

flippers adapted for swimming.

This attribute makes the turtle

very vulnerable and awkward

while on land. Foreflippers are

used like wings beating in the

water while the hind flippers serve

as rudders, stabilizing and

directing the animal as it swims.

The large, bony shell

provides protection from predators

and abrasion. With the exception

of the leatherback, the shell of all

species is covered with a layer of

horny plates called scutes. These

scutes allow each species to be

correctly identified based on the

number and pattern of the scutes.

The top section of the shell is

called the carapace. The shape of

the carapace ranges in shape from

oval to heart-shaped depending on

the species. Again with the

exception of the leatherback, the

bony shell is composed of

broadened, fused ribs, and the

backbone is attached to the

carapace (shown in figure 3).

Sea turtles are not generally

considered social animals;

however, some species do

congregate offshore. Although they

exhibit this type of behavior, they

do gather together to mate. Little

is known about the individual

behavior of sea turtle species, but

they generally are solitary animals

that can be seen floating on the

surface and will on occasion beach

themselves to bask in the sun.

Diet varies with species may

be carnivorous, herbivorous, or

omnivorous; the jaw structure of

the species indicates their diet.

Green and black sea turtles have

finely serrated jaws adapted for a

vegetarian diet of grasses and

algae. Loggerheads’ and ridleys’

jaws are adapted for crushing and

grinding, so their diet consists

primarily of crabs, mollusks,

shrimp, jellyfish, and vegetation.

The hawksbill species has a

narrow head with jaws meeting at

an acute angle that allows it to

search for feed within crevices and

coral reefs—their diet consists of

sponges, tunicates, shrimp, and

squid.

Like other turtles, sea turtles

lay eggs. Females nest a few weeks

after mating during the warmest

months of the year (with another

exception of the leatherback turtle

which nests in fall and winter).

Relative to the species, the female

will deposit 50 to 200 ping pong

ball-shaped eggs. Incubation time

for most species is 45 to 70 days,

so most sea turtles hatch in

summer. After hatching, the

hatchlings may take three to seven

days to dig their way to the surface

of the sand from which they were

laid. They will usually wait until

night to emerge from the nest so as

to reduce their exposure to daytime

predators. Theoretically, during

the crawl to the sea, the hatchlings

may discriminate light intensities

and head for the greater light

intensity of the open horizon.

During the first year, many

species of sea turtles are rarely

seen. This first year is known as

the "lost year." Researchers

generally agree that most

hatchlings spend their first few

years living an oceanic existence

before appearing in coastal areas.

Although the migratory patterns of

the young turtles during the first

year has long been a puzzle, most

researchers believe that they ride

prevailing surface currents,

situating themselves in floating

seaweed where they are

camouflaged and where they can

find food. Research suggests that

hatchlings of the flatback species

do not go through an oceanic

phase. Evidence shows that they

young turtles remain inshore

following the initial swim frenzy.

Most remain within 9.3 miles of

land.

Ammonite

Ammonites are perhaps the

most widely known fossil,

possessing the typically ribbed

spiral-form shell as pictured above.

These unique creatures lived

during the era of the dinosaurs

and likewise became extinct during

the same period of time. The name

“ammonite” originates from the

Greek Ram-horned god Ammon.

Ammonites belong to a group of

predators known as cephalopods,

which includes their living

relatives the octopus, squid,

cuttlefish, and nautilus.

During the ammonites’

adolescence, ammonites begin life

as tiny planktonic creatures less

than 1 millimeter in diameter.

Although they are very vulnerable

to attack from other predators,

they quickly develop a strong

protective outer shell that shields

their soft interior from damage.

Evidence shows that ammonites

gained size and mass rapidly, with

females growing up to 400% larger

than the males.

Likewise to their nautilus

relatives, ammonites moved by jet

propulsion—expelling water

through a funnel-shaped opening

to propel themselves in the

opposite direction. They typically

lived for two years, but some

species survived beyond this and

grew very large. Evidence of their

short lives is estimated by looking

at their living relatives, the

nautilus. These species exist within

modern day oceans and possess

many attributes similar to

ammonites.

Most ammonite shells are

coiled, and all contain a series of

linked chambers. The body of the

ammonite was contained within

the large final, open-ended section

called the living or head chamber,

from which the tentacles were

extended to catch prey. The

opening of the shell, called the

aperture, was possibly covered by a

protective shield that could shut to

protect the ammonite from As the

animal grew, new chambers were

added behind the head chamber.

The chambered interior of the

shell is referred to as the

phragmocone, and in life this

contained gasses which enabled the

ammonite to regulate its buoyancy

within the water column. A small

tube called the Siphuncle links the

chambers.

Some ammonite fossils bear

intricate patterned details on their

outer surface called Sutures. These

are located beneath the external

shell wall, and are often visible if

the fossil has been subject to

weathering or artificial polishing.

These patterns mark where the

walls of the chambers, Septum,

meet the outer wall of the

ammonite shell. The bulk of the

septum is relatively flat, but

becomes folded where it meets the

outer shell. This method of

construction is thought to have

provided strength to the shell when

diving to deeper depths. Suture

patterns are very useful for

distinguishing different species of

ammonite.

Megalodon

Megalodon was the biggest

prehistoric shark ever to exist,

but it was also the largest marine

predator in the history of the

planet. It’s closest living relative

is the Great White Shark. The

literal translation of Megalodon

is “giant tooth” and it had seven-

inch long heart-shaped teeth

(more than twice as large as that

of the Great White Shark). A

joint research team from

Australia and the U.S. developed

computer simulations to calculate

Megalodon’s biting power. The

results were described as

horrifying—a modern Great

White bites with about 1.8 tons

of force, but Megalodon

annihilated its prey with a force

of between 10.8 and 18.2 tons

which is enough to crush the

skull of a prehistoric whale as

easily as stepping on a grape.

Because Megalodon is

known from thousands of teeth

and a scarce amount of bones, its

precise mass has been a matter of

debate. Over the past century,

paleontologists have come up

with estimates based primarily

on tooth size and comparison

with the modern day Great White

Sharks that the Megalodon could

be anywhere from 40 to 100 feet

in length. The agreement today is

that full-grown adults were on

average 60 feet in length and

weighed as much as 100 tons.

Megalodon had a diet more

befitting of its being an apex

predator, feasting on prehistoric

whales. According to at least one

analysis, Megalodon’s hunting

style differed from that of

modern Great White Sharks.

Great Whites tend to dive

straight toward their prey’s soft

and vulnerable tissue, but

Megalodon’s teeth were adapted

to biting through tough cartilage.

There is some evidence that

indicates that it may have first

sheared off its victim’s fins before

lunging in for the final bite.

Although Megalodon had

utter dominance in the water

during its existence, it was

defeated by extinction. Experts

are unsure as to why the

legendary predator disappeared.

It may have been doomed by

global cooling during the world’s

last Ice Age, or by the gradual

disappearance of the giant whales

that served as a large portion of

their diet. There are a number of

people who continue to believe

that there is a possibility that the

Megalodon still swims the oceans;

however, there is no concrete

evidence so support this hope.

Side effects may vary among the consumer, as individuals often will respond differently to medications depending on a variety of factors such as age, overall health, species, gender and the severity of the condition or disease being treated. The comprehensive side effect pages provided enable fish consumers to better understand the risks associated with certain medications, helping the species to formulate questions for their doctors about new medications or current treatments. Side effects may include acne, high blood pressure, hives, hallucinations agranulocytosis, amnesia, increased appetite, anemia, increased saliva, anxiety, infection, birth defects, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, heart and/or kidney failure, and possible pregnancy.

Questions? Call our Innovations Office at 1-888-NIUM-FOODS Visit us at www.radioactivedibles.com

Coral Reefs Coral reefs are the most

diverse and beautiful of all marine

habitats. Large wave-resistant

structures have accumulated from

the slow growth of corals. The

developments of these structures is

aided by algae that are symbiotic

with reef-building corals, know as

zooxanthellae. Coralline algae,

sponges, and other organisms,

combined with a number of

cementation processes also

contribute to reef growth.

Corals themselves are tiny

animals which belong to the group

cnidaria. Other cnidarians include

hydras, jellyfish, and sea

anemones. Corals are sessile

animals, meaning they are not

mobile but stay fixed in one place.

They feed by reaching out with

tentacles to catch prey such as

small fish and planktonic animals.

Corals live in colonies consisting of

many individuals, each of which is

called polyp. They secrete a hard

calcium carbonate skeleton, which

serves as a uniform base or

substrate for the colony. The

skeleton also provides protection,

as the polyps can contract into the

structure if predators approach. It

is these hard skeletal structures

that build up coral reefs over time.

The calcium carbonate is secreted

at the base of the polyps, so the

living coral colony occurs at the

surface of the skeletal structure,

adding to the size of the structure.

Growth of these structures varies

greatly, depending on the species of

coral and environmental

conditions—ranging from 0.3 to 10

centimeters annually. Different

species of coral build structures of

various sizes and shapes, creating

amazing diversity and complexity

in the coral reef ecosystem.

Various coral species tend to be

segregated into characteristic zones

on a reef, separated out of

composition with other species and

by environmental conditions.

The reef is topographically

complex. Much like a rain forest, it

has many strata and areas of

strong shade, cast by the towering

coral colonies. Because of the

complexity, thousands of species of

fish and invertebrates live in

association with reefs, which are

by far our richest marine habitats.

In Caribbean reefs, for example,

several hundred species of colonial

invertebrates can be found living

on the undersides of platy corals.

It is not unusual for a reef to have

several hundred species of snails,

sixty species of corals, and several

hundreds species of fish. Of all

ocean habitats, reefs seem to have

the greatest development of

complex symbiotic associations.