Even the deep wondrous blue sea has its bosses, the existence of the majestic marine five may not be known to many but they surely exist. From the great white shark, the southern right whale, dolphins, the brown fur seal, and the African penguin in their order. Each has unique characteristics and amazing facts that will fascinate you.
1. The Great White Shark
Also known as the great white, white shark, and white pointer. It is the largest fish species on earth weighing 2/1/2 tons. The great white shark can live up to 70 years making it one of the longest-life cartilaginous fish. They have slate-gray upper bodies to blend in with the rocky coastal sea floor, but they got their name from their white underbellies.
The great white shark has no known natural predator. They attack from below with a massive bite, withdraw while the prey bleeds to death than return back to eat it. They have an exceptional sense of smell that enables them to detect their prey from a distance.
2. Southern White Whale
Unlike other whales, distinguished by callosities on its head, a broad back without a dorsal fin, and a long arching mouth that begins above the eye. The right whale interacts with humans more compared to other species. They can weigh up to 80 tons and measure 59ft. It got the name ‘right’ as it was considered slow approachable species to be the right to hunt back in the 19th century.
This animal stands out in its own unexplainable way; the testicles are likely to be the largest of any other animal, each weighing 500kg! you can imagine how stiff the sperms competition is.
3. Dolphins
They weigh 110 pounds and are 1.7 meters long. They have well-developed hearing adapted for both air and water. It is so well that they can survive even while blind. Dolphins are good mothers; they nurse their young ones for a long time and bear the responsibility of raising them. They produce a variety of vocalizations, clicks, and whistles. They are also very friendly to human beings.
Dolphins are often regarded as one of the earth’s most intelligent animals. The intelligence of these animals is just on another level; like humans, they are able to recognize themselves in a mirror which is considered as ‘reflective intelligence’.
4. Cape Fur Seal
Also known as the brown seal. They are the largest and most robust members of the fur seal. The males are dark gray to brown, with a darker mane and short coarse hairs, and a light belly while the females are light gray with a light throat and darker back and belly. The cape fur seal spends most time at the sea but never far from the land. Each individual has unique vocalization properties for enabling recognition. This is important for incidences such as reuniting a mother and her pups that experience repeated separation
Imagine if human mothers would be able to delay fertilization just to have their babies at the desired months, probably all children would be born during the holidays! For the cape fur seal mothers, it is possible for them. They can delay fertilization for up to 3 months to ensure they give birth at the beginning of the summer which is late November to early December. Similarly, Giraffe mothers are also capable of the same; for them, they prolong the birth season as they prefer giving birth to their calves during the dry season for higher chances of survival over the other seasons.
5. The African Penguin
Also known as the cape penguin. They spend the most time in the sea until it is time for them to lay eggs. They have designative pink patches of skin above the eyes and a black facial mask. The body underparts are black and sharply delineated from white underparts, which have been spotted and marked with a black band. The pink gland above the eye helps them with thermoregulation, to cope with changing temperatures. Blood is then sent to the glands o be cooled by the air.
Their life span is 10-27 years in the wild and 30 years in captivity. They make donkey-like braying sounds to communicate.
The African penguin is monogamous and share parenting duties. Both males and females share incubation duties to keep eggs warm and safe. Speak of gender equality! #Active Parenting.
