This edited article about marine animals originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 248 published on 15 October 1966.

Scorpion Fish

Probably the commonest animals in the sea, after fishes, are those known as molluscs. The name itself is from the Latin and means ‘soft-bodied’.

The great majority of molluscs have this soft body enclosed in a shell as a protection. In some, the shell is in two parts and hinged; these are known as bivalves. Others have a spiral shell; these are the univalves, and are often called sea snails.

Not only does the shell of the sea snail protect the body of the animal that makes it, but when the mollusc itself dies, a hermit crab may make use of it. Unlike the more familiar crabs, only the front part of the body, as well as the claws and legs, of a hermit crab are armoured. The abdomen is soft, and to protect this the hermit crab takes over the shell of a dead sea snail and uses it as a ‘house’. It can do this without difficulty, because the hermit’s abdomen is twisted in a spiral that fits easily into the spiral of the shell.

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This edited article about sea-birds originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 229 published on 4 June 1966.

A skua intimidates two puffins by G W Backhouse

In the year 1492, as Christopher Columbus drew close to the New World on his first voyage of discovery, he described in the ship’s log the great numbers of sea-birds the expedition encountered and the feeding habit of one of these, which did not fish for itself but robbed other birds of their prey.

Piracy has since been observed in many kinds of birds. Often it happens only occasionally, the bird usually getting its food entirely by its own efforts, but some species have specialized in the technique of making other birds give up their catches.

One such notorious pirate is the pomarine skua (Stercorarius pomarinus).

All of the four species of skuas, which are close relatives of the gulls, have taken up piracy on the high seas. Like other bird pirates, skuas will collect a certain proportion of their food themselves, but at times over three-quarters of it is obtained by robbery. Their victims are other sea-birds such as terns, kittiwakes, puffins and guillemots, and they will frequently tackle birds larger than themselves, preying on large gulls, cormorants, gannets and even albatrosses.

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This edited article about marine life originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 227 published on 21 May 1966.

Life in estuaries

Life in estuaries can be confusing. Depending upon the state of the tide, freshwater animals can be found almost in the sea and marine animals up the river.

Flounders for instance, are found well up stream in certain rivers, and often anglers hoping to catch freshwater fish such as eels will find flat fish such as the flounder taking their bait.

Flounders are found all round the coast, but they are particularly common on sand banks and in muddy estuaries. They are usually about 8 ins. long, but can grow bigger. Although they are not much sought after as a food, some people do enjoy them. After seeing a few flounders and other “flatties” you will soon recognize the different markings.

Some fish, such as the sea trout and the eel, are only in the estuary for a short while, on their way up or down river. The sea trout goes up river to spawn during the spring and returns later, provided it has managed to escape the hundreds of hazards it is likely to meet on its journey.

The sea trout is much prized by anglers who will fish for it with fly and spinning tackle.

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This edited article about coastal wildlife originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 226 published on 14 May 1966.

Creatures around our coasts: the muddy shores

In nature there are always cases of creatures being found where least expected. For instance, in river estuaries all sorts of water-life can turn up.

With fresh water running down from the river into the sea, it is not unusual to find a number of freshwater fishes and water fleas coming down with the flood. When the tide turns, sea fishes can be seen going up into fresh water areas.

Conger eels are common along the river estuaries and marshes of the south and west coasts. They spend a great deal of their lives hiding in the mud or under stones, growing to a very large size – up to eight feet in length. Only small ones are generally found in-shore.

Another creature that hides in the sand and mud is the Heart urchin. No doubt this is in order to protect itself, as, although it has a number of spines, these are not very strong and would not protect the animal from the claws of a large crab. Heart urchins are very beautiful and grow to three inches long. They are not easily found, so local knowledge should be sought when looking for them.

The Sea cucumber might at first seem to have a strange name, but it does look like a cucumber, and is often green. It can be found near estuaries where there are rocks. It is not really aggressive, but is often attacked by crabs and large fishes. When this happens, it is able to put out a large mass of sticky threads and entangle the crabs while it escapes.

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This edited article about marine life originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 225 published on 7 May 1966.

Marine life on the sandy shore

The creatures of our sandy shores lead a rather different life from those which live among rocks, despite the fact that both areas are covered by sea most of the time. Life on sandy beaches is more exposed, and as a result the creatures there are more likely to get caught by their enemies. Their methods of camouflage must therefore be good if they are to survive.

Tube worms, of which there are several varieties, are found almost anywhere between high and low water marks. These tiny creatures have solid bodies which look like shells but in fact they are tubes. When they are under water, they raise a crown of feathery tentacles, some of which are very colourful.

The Plaice is a much-sought-after fish for food – and modern fishing methods mean that plenty of such fish can be caught. Fishermen have to return all undersized fish to the sea, but if it were not for their camouflage, these young fish would soon be eaten by larger fish, and their numbers would drop rapidly.

Flat fish such as the plaice are able to change the patterns on their bodies to suit the type of background on which they are resting. They can also bury themselves in the sand.

The Plaice is a common fish around our coasts, but it is particularly numerous along the sandy shores of the north-west.

A fish to fear on British coasts is the Weaver fish, of which there are two species. The Lesser weaver, which grows to a length of 4 or 5 inches buries itself in the sand with only its top (dorsal) fin sticking out. This, if trodden on, can inflict a nasty wound. Some of the spines of the Weaver fish can inject poison, and although the effects are unlikely to be serious if treated promptly, such a wound is always painful. Weavers are more common along the south coasts than in the north.

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This edited article about marine life originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 224 published on 30 April 1966.

Creatures around our coasts

Popular writers describe the Octopus in terms of dangerous underwater battles with unwary divers. But although some octopuses grow large enough to be dangerous if annoyed, it is very unusual to find one with a body-length of more than twelve inches.

The Common Octopus (Octopus Vulgaris) has a double row of suckers on each of its eight tentacles. It lies in wait for its prey in crevices in the rocks, occasionally swimming out to catch passing fish. Although its name suggests that it can be found all around our shores, it is rarely found on the west coast. It should not be handled.

Another sea creature that should not be picked up is the Portuguese Man-of-War. This has a large number of powerful stinging tentacles hanging from its pillow-like, floating bladder of a body. The Portuguese Man-of-War is carried by the winds and tides to the south coast of England. Large numbers of them can be seen stranded on the beaches of Cornwall after a freak wind has blown them on shore. They are about six inches long and catch small fish for food with their hanging tentacles.

Prawns can provide a tasty meal. They grow up to four inches long and have to be boiled before they are eaten. They can be caught along the edge of the sea and in rock pools along the south and west coasts.

For shell collectors, both limpets and whelks are easy to find, but both have variations in their patterns and colours. There are many species, and most of them are common on rocky shores all around our coasts. Whelks feed on barnacles and are truly carnivorous (flesh eaters), whereas limpets are herbivorous (plant eaters). It is not necessary to knock the live animals away from the rocks in order to get the shells, as plenty of shells will be found along the tide-line and in pools.

Along the south coast, the Velvet crab is quite a common find on the lower shores under stones and piles of sea-weed. This is a very fierce crab and can give a nasty nip. It grows up to four inches or so across the shell and is covered with fine hair, which gives it a velvet appearance.

The Cornish sucker fish is found along most stretches of the English coast but is certainly more common in the south-west, in Cornwall and Devon. It grows to about two inches long. Just above its eyes it has two large, dark spots ringed with white which look like two larger eyes. These are a positive way of identifying the sucker fish. The suckers are really two highly-adapted fins which are usually under the thickest part of the body.

The Sponge, of the kind used in bathrooms, may not look as though it came from any sort of animal, but in fact it is the skeleton of one. Unfortunately sponges of this type do not grow in the waters around Britain, but over two hundred other varieties can be found around our coasts. These include the Crowned sponge and the Purse sponge. Sponges are never easy to find as they usually prefer deep offshore waters and, although the British species are colourful, they are not very large.

Sponges feed on minute particles of animal and vegetable matter that is carried around in the water. They lead rather complicated lives, and even experts have difficulty in identifying the various species.

This edited article about marine life originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 223 published on 23 April 1966.

Some creatures found around Britain’s coasts

The most important animal in this selection of life from the rocky shores is probably the Edible crab, for, as its name suggests, this is the crab that is to be found on the fishmonger’s slab or in tins at the grocers. It is not really easy to find as its pinky-brown body provides good camouflage. Even if you happen to turn over a stone or move a piece of seaweed under which one is hiding, the Edible Crab is very likely to bury itself in the sand, remaining there until you have gone. You should never take one home to cook as there are strict laws regarding the collection of crabs for eating. The size of crabs and the season in which crabs are caught are also controlled.

Spider Crabs are not really edible at all. Many members of the spider crab family do not grow bigger than a few inches across the back and some of them are much smaller. The one in the illustration is typical, showing the long legs that give the crab its spider-like appearance. In most parts of the country, spider crabs are not nearly as common as edible crabs but they can sometimes be found on the Welsh coast in fairly large numbers.

Squat Lobsters are not common either. Generally speaking, they look more like small crabs than lobsters but they rarely grow to more than a few inches long in the body – at least not in British waters, although some exotic ones grow quite large and have powerful claws. There are four types of squat lobsters around our coasts.

There are many types of Starfish, and to find the true identification you should look in at a local library and consult a suitable book. Starfish are not the weak creatures they look – they can close round a mussel and, by using their rows of tiny tube feet, pull the shells apart and eat the mussel. Most starfish have five arms, but some species have ten or more arms.

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This edited article about animals originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 207 published on 1 January 1966.

Baby elephant and mother

Most cold-blooded animals never know their own parents. Young fish, tadpoles, and baby snakes usually hatch from eggs. The youngster grows inside the egg, fed by a special food supply called the yolk, and by the time the egg hatches the mother who laid it can be a long way off.

This does not matter very much, for the new animal which, although it is only small, is able to take care of itself. By instinct it will behave in the right way when danger threatens, or when there is a chance to feed.

If food is not available at once it will not starve, for cold-blooded animals can go without food for quite a long time. They do not use it up quickly in one useful, and at the same time extravagant, way. They do not use it as a fuel from which heat can be produced to keep their bodies warm. It is for precisely this reason that they are called “cold-blooded.”

Warm-blooded babies, on the other hand, have a heat-producing system which uses up a great deal of fuel. They must have regular meals and, as all the world knows, the best way to ensure this is to have a mother. The warm-blooded animals are the mammals and the birds, and both of these kinds of animals take special care of their young.

Birds lay their eggs in specially made nests and then keep them warm until they hatch. After this the mother, and often the father too, are kept busy collecting food and cramming it into the mouths of their hungry brood. Royal albatross chicks, for example, need their parents to fetch and carry for them for eight whole months before they become independent.

It is true that the female brush turkeys of Australia and New Guinea leave their eggs in the warmth of a heap of rotting vegetation and go away and forget all about them, but this extraordinary behaviour is only possible because the young, once hatched, can run very well and are lucky enough to live in places where food is plentiful. No other birds behave in this irresponsible way.

The furry mammals begin their lives in a variety of ways. Platypuses lay eggs. Koala bears and kangaroos have tiny babies less than an inch long, and keep them in a special pouch after they are born. Most mammals have bigger babies. But however they are produced, all mammals are looked after by their mothers and fed often. Mammal mothers all produce the ideal food for young mammals from special glands on their bodies. They make milk.

Until the time when a young mammal starts to take some solid food it is entirely dependent on its mother. She must find a safe, warm place for it and keep it clean. The amount of work that this causes varies greatly, for some babies are much more helpless than others. Young polar bears are born in the depths of the Arctic winter in a snug den which their mother has made beneath the ice.

At birth each cub weighs only 1 and half pounds, and for almost a month it is totally deaf and blind. For weeks on end the mother stays with her cubs, never leaving them to snatch a meal for herself. Nourished by milk, they grow rapidly, but she gets thinner. Only towards the end of the long winter does the family leave the den together.

Not all babies cause as much trouble as this. Young deer can run shakily only a few hours after they are born, but even so they continue to suckle until they are several months old, and were it not for the keen senses of the mother, and of the other deer in the herd, they would soon be hunted down.

Young elephants continue to take some milk until they are five years old, although they do eat some solid food long before this. They, too, rely on the grown-ups around them for their safety.

Because they always have their mothers near them during the early part of their life, young mammals have a golden opportunity to learn from her, and sometimes from their father and other adults as well. This is possible because although mammals have instincts, they do not rely solely on them. They also have intelligence, and because of this they can profit from the experience of others.

Young deer and elephants learn about the dangers which surround them. Polar bear cubs stay with their mother until the end of the summer, learning how to catch their own food. Tiger and leopard cubs romp and play with their mother, engaging in mock fights and practising for the serious business of life. Only when they are two years old do they go off on their own.

Mammal parents do not mind the work involved in raising a family, for they have an instinct which makes them love babies on sight. When we see the rounded heads, big eyes, and snub noses of baby mammals even we humans cannot help loving them. After all, we are mammals, too.

This edited article about the giant squid originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 206 published on 25 December 1965.

A giant squid is attacked by a sperm whale

Squids are marine animals closely related to octopus and cuttlefish, and more distantly to snails, cockles and mussels, and so they are classified by zoologists as molluscs. They are invertebrate animals; that is, they have no backbone as do the vertebrates such as fish, snakes, birds, and man himself.

The body of a squid is shaped like a torpedo. The head carries ten arms, of which two, known more accurately as the tentacles, are very long and can be extended to a length greater than the rest of the body. All the arms have circular, toothed suckers.

Most of the squids – and there are many different kinds distributed throughout the oceans of the world – are quite small. The common squids around the coasts of Britain are not much more than two feet long, including the tentacles.

But there are some which are much larger, and these are known as giant squids. Very little is known about these because they are virtually impossible to catch by ordinary fishing methods. They have attracted attention on the few occasions when they have been stranded on shore or when found in the stomachs of sperm whales, which feed on squids of all kinds.

There are many stories of giant squids attacking ships and even capsizing them. Most of these are grossly exaggerated, but it is likely that a ship’s boat could be overturned by a large specimen. On one occasion, a French warship sighted a giant squid off the Canary Islands and this may have prompted Jules Verne to write about a battle between the submarine Nautilus and a giant squid in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

For a long time scientists were doubtful whether giant squids really existed, but in 1871 a specimen with tentacles 24 feet long and a total length of 32 feet was captured off the coast of Newfoundland. Fortunately, instead of cutting it up for bait, the fishermen who found it took it to a local parson, the Rev. Moses Harvey, who measured it, and then draped it over his bath and photographed it.

An even larger specimen, said to measure about 57 feet overall, was stranded at Lyall Bay, in New Zealand, about 1888. One of the most authentic records is of more recent date. In 1955 Robert Clark, a biologist, was examining the sperm whales caught by the whalers of Fayal in the Azores. On July 4 of that year, they landed a 47-foot sperm whale, and in its stomach Clark found an intact squid 34 feet 5 inches long, weighing 405 lbs.

Some people think that there may be giant squids measuring perhaps 70 feet, but so far no specimens have been caught. But it is not impossible for such giants to exist, for sometimes sperm whales which have fought with giant squids are scarred with circular marks made by the tentacle suckers. We know that a 20-foot squid has suckers one inch across, but sperm whales often show sucker marks that are 3 inches across. If sucker size increases in proportion to total body length, then it is not at all impossible that these marks could have been made by a squid about 70 feet long.

There is little doubt that giant squids exist. It is more doubtful whether they are really as dangerous as some of the early sailors’ stories suggest. But when they come to the surface and lash about with the long tentacles, they may easily have given rise to some of the stories of giant sea serpents.

This edited article about fish originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 205 published on 18 December 1965.

Piranha

Possibly the most feared freshwater fish is the Piranha. It is often featured in films and television plays, particularly when the script writers want to dispose of a body or invent a form of torture! And many, many are the tales which travellers and explorers have told about this fearsome fish.

The Piranha, or Piraya as it is called by the inhabitants of the part of the world where it is found, lives in and around the Amazon Basin in South America, in the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers and their many tributaries. It is a member of the family of fishes known as the Characins (usually pronounced “Karasin”) among which are quite a number of species known as Piranha. Some of them seem to be less ferocious than others.

The Piranha is not quite as formidable to look at as might be expected. It grows to only some 10 inches in length and, instead of having a large mouth full of enormous teeth, has a comparatively small mouth with just a few rows of very fine needle-like teeth.

The secret of the hunting Piranha’s success lies in its method of attack. It always hunts in tightly packed shoals, and preys upon almost any animal life that swims or even falls into the water. Of course fish and a few water birds, etc., are its natural prey, but there are well founded tales of its attacking other animals such as horses, domestic animals, and also humans. Eye-witnesses claim to have seen animals as large as horses reduced to skeletons in a matter of a few minutes. Also, quite a number of native canoes have been overturned in these rivers, and the occupants lost for ever. Many “luckier” natives carry Piranha scars.

Piranha are very popular with aquarists. Although usually only one specimen is kept in a fairly large tank, they always prove a talking point in the home and a great attraction at exhibitions. The most popular variety has a reddish colouring on the underside of the body, and grows to a length of 6 ins.

Aquarists usually buy the fish when it is quite small (about 1 inch long) and then train it to live on a meat diet. A few public aquariums keep a small school of Piranha (seldom more than a dozen or so).

One public aquarium in Germany has been successful in breeding Piranha and has even raised several hundred of the young ones. But there is one keeper (also in Germany) who carries a scar that would be all too familiar to the natives of South America; which goes to prove that even a popular hobby such as tropical fishkeeping can have its problems!