Organisms from the Treasures of BC Coast - Coursework Example

Organisms from the Treasures of BC Coast Rock Fish The rockfish resembles the size of a mature or grown salmon fish. However, the rockfish is red in color and coexists within an environment of the same color. Needless to say that the color red is an adaption from camouflage survival feature of other organisms like chameleons. Provided that the observation area was red in color, it shows that there is a possibility of rockfish having camouflage as a survival feature. However, this is an assumption based on the name which makes no reference of the color red as other creatures are referred with reference to their permanent color. The movement of the rockfish points to the fact that it consumes living organisms. This is based on sudden speed bursts followed with moving jaws. Additionally, unlike other types of fish that seem to swim near the surface of the water, rockfish thrives near the bottom and among the rocks. This can be interpreted as a security measure to hide from larger predators (Vancouver Aquarium, n.p). Adaptation The adapting features of the rockfish according to its build and body structure include the mouth and the gills that help the fish to breathe at very deep ends of a water body. The mouth allows water through while the gills arrest the very least of oxygen available within the water. This points to the enlarged gills and ever open mouth. B.C Corals The British Columbia Corals are branch like sea organisms that survive by manufacturing their own food with the aid of light. The natural source of light in this case is the sun whose rays are converted to potential energy to enable the plant to survive within the water (Vancouver Aquarium, n.p). Adaptation The adaptation of the corals comprise of the numerous branches that enlarge the surface area to absorb as much light as possible. From appearance, it looks like the number of branches determine its stability based on the total consumption of light. If the branches were fewer, most of the light rays would be hitting the surface of the water body rather than the organism. Hence, the abundance of the branches shows that the plant requires as much light as possible to survive the low temperature of sea/waterbody bottom. Red Anemone The red anemone has a confusing look and behavior. The organism appears like multiple cylinders filled with filaments like those of a flower. These filament-like ribbons strike from the cylinders and protrude outside. The confusing part when observing this organism is that it appears like a plant or a stagnant entity while on the other hand, it appears to grab small organisms from its immediate environment with the filament-like ribbons. Adaptation The red anemone’s adaptation features include the filament-like ribbons and the cylinders. These features complement each other in feeding the red anemone. While one feature grabs the prey, the other confines it before beginning the digestion process. In addition, although this cannot be verified, the look of the organism gives the impression of a plant which attracts small creatures into the filaments and feeds from them. Additionally, the plant-like appearance gives the impression that the organism is a plant and cannot be targeted by carnivores if it is an animal itself. Puffin The puffin is a bird which consumes both sea animals and plants as well. The organism is equipped with diving skills and sharp eye-sight that enables it to spot moving fish within a water body. With this, the bird dives in to the sea surface hitting the water at high speed to ensure that it has success in capturing the target prey. Adaptation The adapting features of the puffin include a streamlined body equipped with a sharp lengthy beak and a pair of legs equipped with sharp claws. These features allow the puffin to travel at very high speeds from the sky and successfully striking the prey with precision. The claws also aid in picking the prey from the water or in decapitating the prey. Giant Octopus The giant octopus is not the best looking creature within the North Pacific Coast. However, it is one of the most fascinating organisms with reference to its habitat and its movement. In its habitat, the giant octopus does not appear to have a permanent nest or home. However, it appears to hide under large rocks from which it can ambush prey from. On the other hand, the movement of the giant octopus changes from very slow to very fast depending on whether it needs to stealthily approach its prey and when it has to make sudden strikes to make a successful capture. The name giant octopus comes from its large size and this prevents it from being an easy target of other organisms (Vancouver Aquarium, n.p). Adaptation The giant octopus feeds on crabs, fish, and other small sea animals. In terms of adaption, the eight arms and their suction-like knobs enables the octopus to grab and hold on to prey suffocating it or breaking its bones. The octopus also possesses the ability to align the arms and the head making it appear like a flat object non-detectable by predators. Works Cited Vancouver Aquarium. Treasures of the B.C Coast. Accessed on January 29, 2015 from http://www.vanaqua.org/experience/exhibits-and-galleries/treasures-of-the-bc-coast Read More