Atlantic ocean is the second-largest ocean covering 106,4 squares million kilometers with costline of 111,000 kilometers and it means that recover about one-fifth of the earth’s surface. Because Atlantic is too large, its also included some oceans in the world wide, such as: Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Carribean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Labiador Sea, North Sea, and Norwegian Sea. The most productive areas in Atlantic Oceans include Grand Banks of Newfoundland, the shelf area off Nova Scoria, Georges Bank of Capecod, the Bahma Banks, waters around Iceland, Irish Sea, Dogger Bank of the North Sea, and the Falkland Banks.
We all know theres a life in ocean, and thats called an ocean ecosystems which consist of some plants and animals. Animals also has some types, such as: sharks, whales, sea turtles, pinguins, sea urchins, crustaceans, fishes, etc. Of course theres some fishes we can found in Atlantic Ocean, which originally from there and have uniqueness than another species. Who are they? And here we go, some fishes which live in Atlantic Ocean!
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- Conservation of Oceans
1. Angel Fish (Pomacanthidae)
There are like 100 different species of angel fish which live in the waters, especially in Southern Hesmisphere. There are two main types of angle fish, one which live in fresh water rivers in south America and others in salty waters which usually called as marine angel fish.
There is also some difference between this type, such as from their physical description: angel fish fresh water has triangular shapes and only few inches in length, and marine angel fish can grow up until 12 inches and has brightly coloured.
Both types are difficult to keep in house hold aquariums because they live in very specific water conditions and they very susceptible to changes in the waters so they easily die when change too dramatic.
We will talk about these both, and first type we will talk about is fresh water angel fish. Fresh water angel fish choose to live in clean water and be in temperatures between 25 until 30 degrees. When breeds season come, female fresh water angel fish can lay likes 100-1,000 eggs in one time and it will hatch just in couple days. They usually lay their eggs in flat leaf or under water.
When the baby getting bigger in week, they will start swimming by theirselves also begin feeding from nutrients in the water and on plants. Fresh water angel fish usually eat smaller fish and another food particles which they found in the water. Like another fish, of course fresh water angel fish also can become prey for some animals, such as: larger fishes, bird, or another marine mammals.
Then, its time to talk about marine angel fish! We can easily found them in shallow reefs and on the depth only about 50 meters. Marine angel fish usually swim solitary, which consist of one male and some females. Marine angel fish lay their eggs straight into water and will mixed with planktons until it hatch. Their pattern and bright colors are sign how to found them easy and quickly beside their color will change when they already mature.
Like fresh water angel fish, marine angel fish also eat some species which smaller than them, such as: smaller fishes, shrimp, prawn, and algae in the corals. Marine angel fish sometime become prey too for some bigger animals, like: sharks, marine mammals, or humans. It usually eaten by some birds too while they are on land.
2. Barracuda (Sphyraena)
Barracuda is one large species of fish which found in the warmer also coastal regions all over oceans in the world. Barracuda prefer to live in tropical regions because will have lot food there and like to live in coastal a long continental shelves and close to coral reefs.
Barracuda also have some species, and all of them has similar elongated appearance and pointed head wih powerful jaws inside. Their size mostly 50 cm until 2 meters in length but they also can grown into large one and thats why they classified into big fish. Their biggest size ever since record as 2 meters in length and 50 kilograms for the weight.
Barracuda known as dominant and agressive predator and can catch their prey easily because they can swim until 40 km/h. Barracuda usually eats smaller fishes, marine invertebrates, crustaceans, and squids. Barracuda living predomenantly in the surface but can be found in the deepest water like 325 feet and commonly occur in sea grasses, mangroves, reefs, and sandy bottoms.
Theres not lot information about their reproduction but female barracuda usually spawn during spring and releases their eggs into water then fertilised externally. When the baby already grown up, they will have some natural predators, such as sharks and killer whales. Human also become predators for barracuda because humans usually hunt them for their meat and after that cook into dishes.
On the other hand, Barracuda is easily to found because their colors, which is brownish or bluish gray on the dorsum and in the upperside also greenish cast shading on the sides and white belly. We also easily can found barracuda in Atlantic Oceans, from Massachussets to Brazil, Gulf of Mexico, and Carribean Sea as well.
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3. Butterfly Fish (Chaetodontidae)
Butterfly fish is classified as small species of marine fish which easily found in tropical and sub tropical waters, especially around coral reefs. Butterfly fish has small body, and its only about 4-5 inches in length and the largest was about 30 centimeters.
There are about 114 species of butterfly fish and their primaly colors are blue, red, orange, and yelow. They also have another unique appearance which is have dark spots around ayes and this can confuse their predators because the predator doesnt know which one is the end and which one their direction to flee.
Butterfly fish classified into diurnal animals, which mean they looking for foods during the day and will resting on the coral when night comes. Some species of butterfly fish is omnivore, so they also eat marine algae beside plankton is their primary food for them. They also have some natural predators, such as: eels, sharks, and snappers.
They can live longer in aquarium (like 10 years) than in the wild (only about 7 years) because they hard to adaptation and need very specific water condition and it means we have to monitoring them regularly. For breeding season, female butterfly fish will release their eggs into waters and when it hatch, the baby will develop armour plates on their bodies for protect them. Nowadays, butterfly fish considered into endangered one because they due to water pollution and lose their habitats which will caused they have less food and easily caught by predators.
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4. Clown Fish (Amphiriprioninge)
I think is not something new again for us because we all know if its a Nemo! 🙂 in ocean ecosystems, clown fish also known as ameno fish, which classified into small species of fish that easily found around tropical coral reefs. There are like 28 species of clown fish, but most common to found is clown fish with orange and white marking. We also can found this easily at north Red Sea and Great Barrier Reef (Australian east coast).
For their breeding, female clown fish will lay their eggs on flate surface close to the sea and they can lay about hundreds to thousand eggs at one time.
Male clown fish also has job here, which is to guards the eggs until hatched and female usually lay their eggs around same time as full moon. Another surprising facts about clown fish is all of them born as male but when they already grown up they can change their sex and their change is irreversible.
Clown fish is omnivorous animals, and it means they eat both plant and animals, such as: algae, plankton, molluses, and some small crustaceans. Because their small size, clown fish has some natural predators which are big fishes, sharks, and eels also humans because human will caught and keep clown fish in the aquarium as a pet.
5. Manta ray
Manta ray is one of large flatenned fish and considered as largest species of ray because they can reach until 9 meters in length. Manta ray is a “shy” animal because they usually avoid contact with humans and dont represent a significant threat to humans but maybe attack if disturbed.
We can found this type easily in warm or tropical waters, especially around coral reefs or in the confinental shelves where they can found so much food in there. Unlike many sharks, manta ray doesn’t have any teeth and the way they eat is use tiny plates in their mouths. They usually eat some little marine organism, such as: microscropic plankton, small fishes, and crustaceans.
Instead manta ray considered as largest ray in the world, they still have some natural predators like great white shark, killer whales, and also humans. For breeding seasons, manta ray will do that in aplacental viviparity, which means female manta ray will lay their eggs and hatch it inside her. The egg will hatch after 6 weeks and then we can get 1-2 baby manta ray at one time. Fortunately, population of manta ray doesnt considered as endangered or almost extinct like some marine animal because their population has been increase quickly in recent years.
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6. Flounder (Paralichthys)
Flounder is one of flat fish which can be found easily in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. There are five different species of flounder, and we can found three of them in western Atlantic Ocean, which exactly include summer, winter, and southern flounder. All flounders are very similar in appearance, but vary in their size, which between 5-25 inches. However, over all, their body is around and flat with medium sized flat tail snot.
Flounder is considered as carnivorous and a proffesional predators because they usually hide in the sand of sea floors waiting the prayers to come. They primary food include some sea creatures, such as small fishes, shrimps, and crabs. Flounder dont have worry about natural predators because they can easily camouflages theirself so predators can found them easily. For breeding, female flounder doesnt lay their eggs in any leaf or plants but they will release it into waters and it will hatch in couple weeks.
7. Moray eel (Muraenidae)
Moray eel is large species of eel which easily found in warm and temperate waters in all ocean, especially in both deep also swallow waters in tropical and sub tropical regions. Even theres like 200 species of moray eel, most of the species has same appearance in elongated body and slightly flatenned towards the tail.
Their range size is from 90 cm until 2 meters in length. Moray eel is another “shy” animal because they spending so much time hiding in holes and crecive amongst the rocks or in coral the ocean floors. With hiding in holes, predators can catch them easily instead they able to catch any prey which pased near them.
Moray eel considered as carnivorous animal and their main source food are fishes, squids, cuttle fish, and crabs. When they catch their prey they have specific technique, because they will grab the prey and wrap its body until become flattened enough to be swallowed or tear a part and moray eel will eat them in one bite. Moray eel also has some natural predators, such as grouper, barracuda, also humans. Even its usually hunted by human and commercially fished, fortunately they’re not become endangered.
When its coming to breeding seasons, moray eels prefer to occur in summer. Their fertilisation is oviparous, which mean eggs and sperm are fertilised outside the worm in the surrounding water. More than 10,000 eggs can be released at one time and larvae will become part of plankon. Usually, larvae will take years to grown up so they able to swim individually down to the ocean floors to join the community below. Moray eel can survive live between 10-30 years.
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8. Puffer fish (Tetraodontitae)
Puffer fish is known as blowfish or toadfish which belong to medium-sized species of fish that live in warm or coastal waters around the world. There are like 120 species of puffer fish and it can be found easily in tropical waters and they rarely go to cooler waters.
Their range size can be from 1 inch long and can reach unil more than 2 feet (61 cm). What make them different with another creatures is they have ability to expand their body extremely quickly (especially in danger) and unaviling long poisonous to cover their body.
According to fisherman who usually hunt them, they never touch puffer fish’s spike because it has highly toxic both for humans and animals. Puffer fish can grow up to 60 cm in length and can be found variety colors but sometime hard to identify them when theyre no inflated. Their venom can kill 30 humans in one puffer fish.
Puffer fish considered as omnivorous animals so they eat variety animals and plants, even their favorite food is algae which grows in rocks and corals also the intervebrates around the sea, such as shrimp, crabs, and molluscs. Even puffer fish protect their body with toxic, some animals like shark can eat them without being harmed. Its also important to know if not all species are actually poisonous.
Beside they have deadly venom, some species of puffer fish are edible in Japan and Korea also served into local delicacy. Puffer fish is called as Fugu in Japan and its extremely expensive also only can be prepared by trained licensed chef who know how to serve it.
Not only their defensive methods which unique, but also their breeding methods. Why? The male will guides female puffer fish to the shore where she can releases between 3-7 eggs and it will float to the surface of water until it hatch in week. Their baby wont fully developed until it has hard shell which will protect their limbs until grown and it will cracks off when the tail and fins start develop. Some species of puffer fish are classified into vulnerable because of pollution, habitat loss, and overfishing but mostly of them are considered as stable one.
9. Wrasse (Labridae)
Wrasse is one of typically small species of fish which can easily found in the coastal waters also often seen along side another marine animals, such as sharks.
These are more than 500 species of wrasse which can be found in the world wide, especially in the shallower coastal waters and coral reefs of the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, also Atlantic Ocean. Cleaner wrasse is the most well-know species because they often seen going to another big marine animal to remove the dead materials inside their mouth.
Wrasse has variety colours and its depending by their species also relatively small in their size because usually its less than 20 cm in length. Wrasse considered as carnivorous animals with protractile mouth, which means their mouth is capable for extending forwards. They usually eat small invertebrates, small fishes, also some food particles in he water. Because their small size, they have lot natural predators such as: lion fish, dog fish, barracuda, and also small species of sharks.
For their breeding, wrasse will releasing their eggs and sperm into water and when it fertilised, it will become part of plankton and will join the reef when they big enough. Female wrasse can lay thousand eggs in one time, thats why their population are relatively high. They often exhibit distinctive colour changes when they already mature.
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And thats it some Fishes in Atlantic Ocean. Beautiful, right? 🙂 so its our turn to protect our ocean so its become clean and species which live there wont become endangered or extinct. So, are you ready to make a change? 🙂