The odd, "elbowed" squid was filmed 11/11/07, at a depth of 2.5 kilometres by the Shell Oil Company who were using an ROV (Remotely operated vehicle) in the Gulf of Mexico.

Hence the "Alien" comparison

Check out this amazing footage of the creature

The squid appears to be a relative of "Magnapinna" squid - or "Bigfin" squid - first discovered in 2001, sightings of which are extremely rare - no adult samples have yet been scientifically examined.

There is something truly fascinating about these secretive creatures.

The legend of the Kraken and giant sea serpents are thought to have been spawned by sailors catching sight of (all or part of) the elusive giant squid.

10 Squid Facts

1. Squid have 8 arms and two tentacles, each endowed with hooks and/or suckers and sucker rings.

2. In 2007, New Zealand fisherman captured what is thought to be the biggest ever squid - 18 metres long and over 900 kg in weight. (source: giant squid)

3. The penis of the giant squid is the length of his body (excluding head and tentacles), during mating, the male runs the risk of the female severing the penis with her sharp beak.

4. Squid beaks are undergoing extreme scientific analysis to assist in the development of replacement knees and hips. The beak is made of a blend of protein, complex carbohydrates and water - the beak evolves from a soft to hard material towards the tip, ensuring that the appendage does not damage the softer tissue that it is attached to.

5. Squid have pigmented skin cells which provide camouflage when a predator is in the vicinity. The skin also has an iridescence, which many believe is a used as a hidden communication channel between squid. Camouflage can be maintained whilst warning other squid of predators or the position of other squid. This ability along with an impressive spatial learning capacity, navigational ability and predatory techniques, leads observers to note squid to be intelligent.

6. Giant squid have been known to hold their own in a fight with a whale. The squid wraps its long arms around the whale and squeezes. Although the whale will be victorious almost all of the time (if it is big enough), many whales are left battle scarred by the giant squids tentacles.

7. In 1861, an alleged encounter between a giant squid and French naval ship, fuelled the imagination of author Jules Verne, who used it as the basis for Captain Nemo's encounter with a "squid of colossal dimensions" in the book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

8. Stiff rods of connective tissue formed inside the squid, which give it support, are called "pens". Fossil squid "pens" discovered in Southern Manitoba are among the largest known, indicating sizes ranging up to sixty feet in length. The squid pen is often discarded when preparing squid for food - however, scientists discovered that the gel surrounding the pen contains effective anti-bleeding and anti-scarring properties, the drug "Chitodex" has been patented and is being successfully used to assist surgical operations (it has been found to be particularly effective in sinus surgery).

9. The eye of the giant squid is the largest animal eye on the planet, in the specimens found, the eye is approximately 11 inches in diameter (the size of a dinner plate).

10. Squid are among the fastest invertebrates on earth. They can travel through the water at up to 40 km/h. When escaping predators, some squid can jump 3 metres (12 feet) out of the water.

As technological advances are made in submersible apparatus, the deeper into our oceans we will be able to venture and who knows what further monsters of the deep will be revealed to us!

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Hermit crabs of pet stores and ocean floors are not related to ‘true crabs.’ Living in the intertidal zone and tide pools in the beaches, these creatures have developed an adaptation of carrying as their home, a salvaged shell. As the hermit crab grows in size, it must seek another, larger shell and thus, abandon the one it currently resides in. This is how they earned this name as being a ‘hermit.’

Frequently adopted shells are those of sea snails, mollusks, -whatever they can find that suits them.

What You Lookin’ At?

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There are over 500 species of hermit crabs know in the world, most of them are fully aquatic species that live under water. In the tropics however, several species of hermit crabs are terrestrial. These are the ones I am most interested in.

Hermit crabs (the terrestrial variety) in the wild prefer to exist in large groups. They do not seem to thrive well in colonies numbering les than one hundred individuals.

Ready, Set, Go!

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Of the roughly 15 terrestrial types of hermit crabs in the world, just a small number of types are commonly found in the pet trade. These include the Caribbean Hermit Crab, the Ecuadorian Hermit Crab, “Coenobita clypeatus” being the most common, and several other species, which can be found and are gaining in popularity.

In Jamaica and Florida it is becoming common to see “Hermit Crab races” held as a sporting event. Crabs are placed in a center ring and whichever crab crosses the outer edge of the circle, is the winner. –Sounds pretty exciting to me, -something to do while watching the grass grow, maybe…

Hermit Crabs are not Goldfish - They Are Not Flushable

Not that I would ever consider flushing my child’s dead goldfish down the commode, but hermit crabs too were formerly thought of as the ‘throwaway pet’ because they only seemed to live for a few months in the home. But it has been shown that with proper care which includes emulating the natural environment from which the came, hermit crabs can live for many years. Some can thrive for 20 years or more and there are cases of some hermit crabs that have lived longer than 32 years!

Aww! It's a Baby Hermit Crab!

Oh C'mon! Isn't This Just So Cute! He's so tiny!

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Most hermit crabs sold in pet stores are between the size of a large grape and a golf ball maybe. The golf ball-sized hermit crab is considered to be younger than ten years old so this is a general litmus test for determining age, when no other data is available.

The largest hermit crab that I ever saw was at a Trade Show in Niagara Falls, NY and that specimen was about the size of a cantaloupe melon! Very placid, this crab would come out the shell and ‘probe’ your hand, fingers, not the least bit afraid of revealing himself to the world. That venerable old crab was a spokesperson for Hermit Crabs everywhere and I have to admit, this was the very moment I decided that I liked hermit crabs.

The proprietor had several hundred hermit crabs for sale at this Trade Show, -all segregated by their different sizes. This particularly large one he claimed to have had as a pet for over twenty years! I didn’t ask, -but how could anyone sell a pet that they have had for twenty years? That would be like selling your college-age child! I could not imagine parting with a pet that I have cared for, for 20 years, and I sort of drifted away from his shop and his wares, feeling a bit embarrassed to even be considering buying this aged relic of a crab.

–How many times this crab has traded-up on a shell I could not even guess. I didn’t buy a Hermit Crab that particular weekend as I was not headed for home but away for a long weekend, but when I returned, I would consider then, whether or not to get a Hermit Crab for a pet. I think I bought a Ficus Bonsai Tree instead. They live a long time and are much less demanding than yet another pet.

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Funguses are part of nature’s cycling action for returning old, dead woody material back to the ecosystem. Far more unusual that expected, some researchers at the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada) recently discovered that white pine trees have an interesting symbiotic relationship with a certain type of fungus, -a fungus that actually eats bugs! The Laccaria bicolor fungus preys upon insects to extract their nitrogen, which the trees need. In exchange, the trees trade carbon to the fungus for the nitrogen the fungus supplies. Nutrient cycling can be more strange than we have believed. Not only are the fungus basically eating protein, but so are the trees!

I Think I Saw This in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

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Okay, -this just looks like Ewok village homes to me. Ewoks are those little fuzzy teddy bear warrior things from the Endor moon, in the George Lucas movie “Return of the Jedi.”

“Excuse Me, -Is This a Piece of Your Brain?”

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I love this one. Anytime I see anything that even remotely resembles a human brain, I can hear the voice of John Cleese from the comedy series “Faulty Towers” whom in one episode having picked up a piece of lint from the carpet near a particular snooty female guest (whom apparently was at that moment having difficulty with her hearing aid,) asked her rather loudly something to the effect of “I do say, -is this a piece of your brain?”

Something From a Disney Movie, Maybe?

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I can hear the music from the movie "Fantasia" and in my mind can see those mushroom people (apparently in the movie, these were Chinese mushrooms) dancing, spinning and skating around. Very magical.

Nature’s Canvas and Art Supplies

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Back in New York State, we would snap these things off of large dead Elm trees. They were fresh, moist and semi-soft but firm on the underside. Using a dulled nail point, wooden stick like a chopstick or the wrong end of an artist's paint brush, we would scratch images and stuff on these. The fungii would eventually dry and become hard, but the dark, almost black lines would remain against the pale white background. Trace-art, on fungus.

Some diluted washy-paint would finish the artwork, painting the sky or the distant mountains, etc.

Miniature Forests of Fantasy

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I love mosses and mossy banks. Walking on these barefooted, feeling the moist springiness beneath my feet. The smell was amazingly clean, crisp and fresh. The air rich in negative ions, healthy and it just smelled oh so good! The forest is a wonderful place to be. I am longing for Springtime already, -and it's not even really winter yet!

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I have always loved seahorses, imagining them to be something from mythical Atlantis. Their alien bodies do not look Earth-like, if that makes any sense. And how bizarre it is, for it is the male seahorse that becomes pregnant! 89 of the 422 families of bony fish families of bony fish (this includes seahorses) exhibit parental care and nearly half of those (36 types) it is the male that exhibits the parental care of the babies. The male seahorse receives the eggs into his tummy pouch from the female where he fertilizes them, broods and in a few weeks, gives birth to live young! Yes, the male is the one that becomes 'pregnant.'

This looks like an ALIEN from space!

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Pair-bonding occurs for most species of seahorses, exhibiting a monogamous relationship for an entire season and perhaps, for several seasons. Daily greeting rituals strengthen this bond as the mated pair dance and circle each other for several minutes each morning, before separating for the day. These ritualized morning greetings occur throughout the male’s pregnancy period and possible ensure readiness to re-copulate after giving live birth, sometimes, just hours after the birthing..

Living Coral? No, Its 'Hippocampus bargibanti,' -Another Seahorse

This type of seahorse looks as if it is turned inside-out! Weird, huh?

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There are over 32 species of these creatures in the waters of the world. They prefer sheltered waters that have hiding places such as coral reefs, the tangle of mangrove roots and grass beds of the seas.

Found in many varying sizes ranging from just an inch up to nearly a foot long in some species, they come in many colors and shapes to match and conceal them within their environment.

Seahorses are territorial, with the males not ranging far from their chosen locale, generally, about one square meter of real estate. The females however, extend their ranging approximately one hundred times greater than their male counterpart’s territory.

Seadragon!

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Some seahorse have body shapes that mimic their surrounding, like seaweeds and kelps, and others have coloration that more closely matches the reef corals of which they live. Because they are slow swimmers they need to be camouflaged well to maintain their safety.

A Pregnant Papa Seahorse Ready to give Birth

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The male pregnancy last for 2 to 4 weeks and the temperature of the water seems to be a factor as the duration decreases with warmer waters. The number of babies the male expels varies among species but averages 100 to 200 individuals for most. Some species of seahorse can give birth to as many as 1500 fully formed babies, and as few as five or six baby seahorses at a time.

Threatened, Endangered and Over-Exploited

Seahorses are a commodity that we must preserve through better practices and conservation. This one does not appear to be alive. :(

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These placid slow-swimming creatures are being threatened in their natural environment through accidental capture in nonselective fishing operations, habitat degradation and over-exploitation. The latter being for traditional medicines, tonic foods, and curiosities as in dried ornaments and displays sold in curio shops. Also, wild-caught seahorses are often sold in pet shops to marine hobbyists. The latter being the first, best way to change their habits; they should only buy ‘captive-raised’ seahorses from other reputable hobbyists and pet shops that only deal with legitimate producers. Seahorses can be prolific breeders if raised correctly, and there can be a steady supply of them for the pet trade if applied correctly.

Spiders are of varying size, color, shape and the way they make their web. The biggest spiders are tarantulas, having bodies that are more than 4 inches (10 centimeters) long, whereas the smallest spiders have bodies that are less than 0.04 inch (1 millimeter) long.

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This is a male Phidippus (or genus if you like) has without a doubt the greatest chelicerae, with a wide range of colors. Known to be another athletic spider , a jumper.

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Spiders are known to have spinning glands used to produce silken threads and webs. The glands, found in the spider’s abdomen make a liquid that goes out through tubes called spigots, which are thin as hair strands. The spigots go to spinnerets on the spider’s abdomen. Dozens of spigots go to each spinneret which is like a finger. They can move to stick silk threads to a wall or wrap prey in silk.

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All spiders make silk threads but not all spin webs. Variation on the web pattern is large depending on the species of spiders. The most identifiable web is the almost circular orb web. Others have a more irregular shape, fragile webs.

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Spiders that make funnel web are known to be the poisonous spider.

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Cobweb spiders build an irregular silk interlocking work with sticky threads  that traps insects.

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Sheet web spiders construct a horizontal silk sheet , from which the small spider hangs upside down. The photographer  lay down when he took the  photograph to get a better view on the web.

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Just as how other organisms need air to sustain life, the water spider moves to the surface of the water to avail the life-saving oxygen. Other than that, it fills itself with air. As it moves down into his creation, it outpours most of its air into the web forming bubbles. It again swam to the surface of the water to avail another bubble. The web resulted into a kind of bell or dome from the input of air.

How does the Argynoreta create its underwater habitat? Living marine plants should be present which serve as the framework. The little engineer patiently moves back and forth from one stem to another, spinnerets shuddering elatedly as it juts out most invisible, sleek strands. After a while, a grand design anchored to the plants by slender threads is established. This tiny diver  build air-filled abode inside the water which serves as its dining room, bedroom and even a nursing room for its young.

The majority of eco-friendly houses share similar engineering characteristics such as; smaller living spaces and recycled building materials incorporated into the design. Some houses incorporate solar panels, wood-burning stoves or other energy-saving heating and cooling appliances. The potential costs saving on utility bills, property taxes, home maintenance, and furniture would more than make this kind of living ideal for single or duel family housing.

Ewok-Style Tree House

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Imagine you merging with nature in the treetops and living in a custom deluxe eco-friendly tree house high above the ground, may be this is not the sort of lifestyle that is suited for every one of us, but it does make a statement.

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This Ewok-style tree house designed by Canadian carpenter Tom Chudleigh saw the future and built it. The wood and fiberglass waterproof exterior protects an interior that comes equip with a working kitchen including a refrigerator, sink and microwave and built-in beds. However, when nature calls, then the residents must learn to make doo in the great outdoors.

For $45,000 you get the sphere alone and the extra accessories included will set your wallet back some $152,000, which oddly enough makes this the least affordable housing alternative on this entire list.

Portable Martin House-To-Go

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Honestly, this has to be the most practical house on the planet that is eco-friendly to the extremes. Live anywhere and change your scenery when the mood strikes in your own portable house. The Martin portable house-to-go is built to the highest building standards and is weatherproofed with NASA-approved insulation to endure in extreme weather conditions.

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Although, the living quarters are exceedingly small it diffidently isn't cramped. The floor plan uses the space wisely to pack as much into a small space as possible and give its residents room enough to breath. It comes complete with a kitchen with sink, refrigerator and stove, a bathroom with shower, sink and toilet, and a roomy loft bedroom. It also has bamboo floors, high ceilings and large windows to create a more open feel. The $33,900 price tag makes the Martin House-to-Go 2008 model a real affordable housing alternative for anyone desiring to break free from the high housing costs of traditional housing options.

Dome House

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The Japanese are amazing engineers in both housing and technology, so it shouldn't be too surprising that a prefab home manufacturer in Japan called “Japan Dome Housing Co., Ltd., developed an amazingly energy-efficient, extreme weather durable, Styrofoam expandable modular igloo-shaped kit house. Oh, yes, it's true. The house of the future that can be purchased and assembled by you and two or three of your friends in just a matter of 3-days if you work around the clock or about a week if you take your time.

One of the advantages of using 100% expanded polystyrene foam instead of wood or metal, is that it is rot-proof, waterproof and termite-proof, which will automatically save the residents potentially thousands of dollars in future home maintenance costs. Using this material along with the expert engineering and modular construction provides a structure that is extremely resistant to earthquakes, hurricanes and/or typhoons, which providing a sense of relatively peace-of-mind that the house has a better chance to survive the extreme forces of nature.

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The Dome House measures in at 145.86 square feet of floor space that can continue to be expanded on to increase the building size, just by adding additional modular building pieces to the existing structure. The outside measurement is a reasonable 25 feet wide and 13 feet tall, but the draw back is the color, which additional color options may be available from the manufacturer.

The Dome House is amazingly affordable for the basic kit coming in at an estimated $30,000 (USD) or 3,000,000 (yen) and additions can be added when more room is needed for a growing family at an extra cost. The manufacturer also claims that their product can be used to build hotel rooms, restaurants, freezer rooms, steam rooms, bars, or poultry farms, which probably means that this product could be used for practically any building purpose.

The Nudibranch is one type of Sea Slug, noted for its' beauty and.. well thats about it, because it isn't even a sea creature that a lot of people are aware of. These are soft bodied creatures, with no bones to force them into one shape or another, and they come in a massive variety of colors, most of which are bright. They are basically mollusks without the benefits of having shells. In size they are relatively small, the largest getting no bigger than 12 inches, or 31centimeters at full size, most being smaller than 4 inches or 10 centimeters. Pronounce it "Nude - a - brank"

Chromodoris coi

This particular one looks a bit like a lovely pastry in a French Shop, however one only has to look in tidal pools to find these tiny creatures, although they can be found anywhere in the oceans, they often use their colors and textures to camouflage in the coral reefs. The tones and colors on this animals are remarkable.

Glaucus alanticus

These Nudibranchs look like something from an alien film, I mean seriously have you ever even considered that we had things like this alive on our planet? Because I really don't think you did. You might say you did, but I doubt you did. You probably didn't and just think you did. They feed on poisonous jelly fish and store the poison for their own use.

Hypselodoris bullocki

Like something out of a space cartoon, this animal is interesting in shape and color. I just love the way its' tentacles are being swept backward, making it look like it is a little alien race car, but in fact the photo was taken against a strong current, which cause this charming appearance.

Nembrotha cristata

The colors on this particular critter are stunning, but so is this fact about them. They are hermaphrodites, being both male and female at the same time. They lay eggs and can fertilize themselves, but rarely do. Their lifespans vary, from one short month to about a year.

Phidiana indica

Although the photograph lacks the clarity of some of the other pictures, you can see how marvelous this animal is and admire it for the dainty appearance it has. One can imagine how small this animal is.
It is interesting to note as well that since they have no bones or shell, we have very little information on them in terms of evolution from the past.

Glossodoris atromarginata

Another one that looks like it could have come out of a French Pastry shop. I really like French Pastry, but I also like nudibranchs, although not suitable for eating. Now, you might be wondering what do they eat? As sweet and innocent as they appear, they are carnivores, as mentioned above, some even make a point of eating poisonous jelly fish. Occasionally they are canibalistic, but this is uncommon.

Ardeadoris egretta

This one is another beauty, almost translucent. Then again I have not seen what could be described as an ugly Nudibranch. I suppose these animals are lucky that their bodies are only soft tissue, otherwise man would surely have found a way to turn them into a wearable item.

Limacia cockerelli

This one looks a bit like a swimming lollipop stand, again this is not an animal most people would have thought already existed and probably would have figured it to be some alien creature from another world. The way these animals evolved to make them so diverse is a wonder unto itself.

Dirona albolineata

Well that covers my brief look at these wonderful animals that most people were not even aware of. If you live near the ocean I encourage you to poke around in the tidal pools and look for these little beings. When you do go looking for them consider this, there are already over 3000 identified species of Nudibranchs, but many more are being discovered daily, will you be the first to find a new species?

The first photograph, and the last two, were from Flickr, the others were from Wikimedia, you should check licensing agreements before reuse of any photos.

Have you wonder where our garbage will end up? Where does the item we put in the toilette, and flush down go? The answer is obvious; they often end up in the ocean and on beaches.

Plastic Items

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These include all kind of plastic items such as shopping bags, plastic bottles, condoms, and plastic food wrappers. Below is closer look at how long it would take for each of these items to biodegrade.

• The average life span of plastic demijohn is from 400 to 600 hundred years.
• The average life span of plastic bottle is from 300 to 500 hundred years.
• The plastic bags have a life span of 30 to 60 years.
• The plastic rings, which hold pop cans together, have a life span of 450 years.
• The food wrappers have a life span from 20 to 30 years.
• Condoms have the life span of 30 years.

Pieces of plastic, such as the rings around pop bottles, and milk bottles, have the life span of hundreds of years, depending on the quality.

Other Dangerous Items Found in the Ocean

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• Aluminum foil lids have a life span of 10 years
• Aluminum has a life span of 5 years
• Sanitary pad items have an average life span of 25 years
• Tin cans have a life span of 200 to 500 hundred years
• Bottle caps have an average of 300 years.
• Diesel and engine oil depends on the amount spilled
• Glass bottles have a life span of thousands of years
• The carton has a life span of 25 to 60 years
• Paper bags have about 4 weeks, but have serious us effect on sea creatures' digestion
• Cigarette stubs have an average life span of 10 years
• Batteries have a life span of thousands of years

In "An Ocean of Rubbish", the Pacific Ocean is called The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Since 20% of the garbage was attributed to large shipping vessels dumping overboard and the other 80% is from land base.

Let's just take a peek at what the ocean looks like through these photos from this article:

If looking at these pictures makes you sick in your stomach, perhaps, we should start to care about our environment now, why wait? Go to the following websites and see what you can do to help.

Green Peace
The Great Garbage Patch
Trash Vortex
North Pacific Gyre

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This cute little critter is actually a carnivore. They gobble up rats, birds, bugs, and reptiles. Spotted Quolls are also known as Tiger Quolls, and are marsupials, meaning they carry their young in a pouch. They are native to Australia.

Chital

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Also referred to as, no surprise, the Spotted Deer, these deer don't just have spots as fawns. The live in India, and other neighboring countries. They live in large herds, and use their spots to blend into the dappling sunlight though the trees. Assuming most predators see in black, white, and shades of grey, you can understand how an animal like this would use these markings to hide.

Jaguar

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Jaguars are often confused with Leopards or Cheetahs. Leopards are smaller than Jaguars, and their spots have different appearances. The jaguar having spots within their spots, the leopard having irregular donut type spots. The cheetah on the other hand has very simple spots, more like polka-dots, see below. Like all cats they are carnivores, at the top of the food chain. Sadly as they are facing habitat destruction they are approaching threatened status.

Cheetah

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Cheetahs are best known for their remarkable speed over short distances, and they have incredibly fast acceleration, zero to over one hundred kilometers an hour in less than three seconds. That's fast! In comparison, people can run about twelve kilometers an hour. A couple of odd facts is that, unlike most cats, Cheetahs' claws are not fully retractable, and they are not terribly good at climbing trees.

Ladybird Beetle

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Also known as Ladybugs, these are good insects to have in your garden, they eat aphids. Most are red, but they can also be orange, or yellow like this one. If you have ever tried picking one up, you might have thought it "peed" on you, actually what it did was extrude a yucky tasting toxin in defense so you wont eat it. Since their main predators are birds, they are usually picked up in beaks, so their reflex is to "bleed" out this substance in effort to not only free themselves, but in combination with their color, to remind the bird not to try eating them, or their family, again. Smart huh?

Dalmatian

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Although most people think of Dalmatians as being white with black spots, you will note that they can also have "Liver" colored spots. These dogs are highly energetic and need a lot of good exercise. They are considered intelligent, so combined with their need for activity, these are not often suited for beginners or people with little time to devote to a pet.

Giraffe

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One of the biggest animals you might ever spot is the Giraffe. In this picture we see an adult male and a young giraffe, which are called "calves". At up to 18 feet tall these are impressive animals to say the least. Although it is said that the lion is their main predator, they are also hunted by humans. As with most beautiful animals of this world, they are prized for their fur coats and meat.

Appaloosa

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Appaloosas are one of several breeds of spotted horses. They come in many spotted color patterns, this being the "leopard" pattern. The opposite of which is the "snowflake" pattern, where you would see white spots on a colored background. Typically an Appaloosa horse would not have such a long thick tail.

Blue Spotted Stingray

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These beautiful creatures live in the oceans where they use their color to camouflage in the sand or along coral reefs. I just love the extreme blue on the body of this fish especially when compared to the almost sickly green-yellow background the spots are on.

Guinea Fowl

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Guineas are native to Africa but often kept by farmers in other parts of the world. They have a very loud call and are well suited to act as "alarm systems" alerting the farmer to any trespassing foxes, eagles, or coyotes. They are also often consumed by the farmers. They eat plant matter, and insects. Their spots probably help them blend into the scrub of the African plains.

Fire Salamander

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Salamanders are amphibians, there are many different species of which the Fire Salamander is one. They grow to about eight inches, and live long lives, reportedly up to fifty years! Being from Europe, they are often kept as pets by people with allergies to the more common types of pets.

All the photographs, which the exception of the Guinea Fowl, are from Wikimedia, and you should check their licensing agreements before using them. The Guinea Fowl is my own picture.