[...]... a bottom half Sea cows (dugongs) may be the basis of this myth, although their whiskery faces are not particularly beautiful! Sea serpents Oarfish have an eel-like body of up to 23 ft (7 m) long and a bright red crest along their backs They probably inspired many stories about sea serpents Devilfish The huge but harmless manta ray (see page 137) was once thought to be able to drag ships out to sea by... 30 ft (9 m) WEBSITES www.noaa.gov www.oceanconservancy.org The US Government’s official National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website Offers news and educational information Information on < /b> how you can help conserve the oceans www.bbc.co.uk/nature/blueplanet Sea monsters Sailors used to believe that the sea was filled with deadly sea monsters Sightings of huge whales probably gave rise... can kill a man in only a few minutes The victim becomes paralyzed and stops breathing LIONFISH CONE SHELLS The tiny, poisonous “harpoon” of a striated cone (Conus striatus) RED TIDES Not oil or pollution, but billions of tiny, single-celled creatures called dinoflagellates have caused this red slick on < /b> the sea (below) The presence of sewage in the water has caused a population explosion Dinoflagellates... from breaking waves begins to be blown in streaks along the direction of the wind Moderately high, long waves; foam from crests is blown in well-marked streaks along direction of wind High waves; dense streaks of foam along direction of wind; crests of waves begin to topple, tumble, and roll over Very high waves with long, overhanging crests; the resulting foam is blown in dense, white streaks along... UK BBC’s online guide to the natural history of the oceans http:/ /earth.< /b> google.com/ocean/ Google Earth< /b> s ocean section allows you to dive below the waves and explore the seafloor You will need to download the latest version of Google Earth < /b> to use its new ocean feature www.montereybayaquarium.org/ Watch sea otters, turtles, a kelp forest, and many other marine wonders on < /b> the live webcams at Monterey Bay... “harpoon” on < /b> the end of a long proboscis One stab of venom and it is all over Not all species are poisonous, but some can kill a person— so these shells should never be handled BLUE-RINGED BITER Compared with the giant octopus, whose stretched-out arms could envelop a bus, the tiny blue-ringed octopus—often smaller than a human hand—seems quite harmless Nothing could be further from the truth Although its bite... problem faced by many defenseless, bite-sized animals such as juvenile fish, shrimps, and small crabs One ingenious solution involves living with a partner, who acts as a bodyguard A favorite choice on < /b> coral reefs is the giant sea anemone, Here, a large grouper is having bits of food because it has powerful stinging tentacles and debris removed from between its teeth Anemonefish live with these anemones... males are only 6 in (15 cm) long; females are 7–8 in (17–20 cm) long Most common shark Spiny dogfish Common worldwide and sometimes caught by the million by fishermen Most dangerous invertebrate Box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) Its sting can kill— see page 142 Most venomous fish Stonefish (family Synanceiidae) These well-camouflaged fish are easily touched by accident and possess sharp spines containing... research expedition The RMS Titanic sinks Echo sounding equipment first used Aqualung (scuba) equipment is invented The bathyscape Trieste reaches the deepest part of the ocean Extraordinary animals are found around deep-sea volcanic vents The wreck of the Titanic is found and filmed by a submersible The amount of water contained by the oceans is around 326 million cubic miles (1.4 billion cubic km) The... Large colonies of these strange fish live in sandy areas near to coral reefs Swaying gracefully from side to side, the eels rise up out of their burrows to feed on < /b> passing plankton They are very sensitive to vibrations and to the noise made by scuba divers’ air bubbles As a result, they are very difficult to photograph underwater 140 SLEEPING PARROT Like their bird namesakes, parrotfish are brightly . sting, but it is unlikely to kill a person. The tiny, poisonous “harpoon” of a striated cone (Conus striatus) CONE SHELLS LIONFISH STONEFISH COLLECTING SHELLS The beauty of cone shells belies. attacks by fish. This rainbow sea slug Dendronotus iris (below) has eaten all the tentacles off a large tube anemone. CLOWNFISH WITH LARGE SEA ANEMONES LION’S MANE JELLYFISH EVERYTHING ON EARTH 140 T HERE. side, the eels rise up out of their burrows to feed on passing plankton. They are very sensitive to vibrations and to the noise made by scuba divers’ air bubbles. As a result, they are very