Undersea - Flora
| Fauna
Surface - Flora
| Fauna
Undersea
Flora
Coral
Corals are colonies of made up of tiny animals called
polyps. Hard corals have polyps with 6 tentacles, or multiples of 6 tentacles.
Soft coral polyps have 8 tentacles. The oldest coral would be a Porites
and is probably about 1,000 years old. Tiny algae called zooxanthellae live
in the flesh of most corals. The algae photosynthesise and transfer energy
to the coral. Therefore, coral reefs (which are built mostly by these corals)
are generally confined to shallow waters because like other plants, the
algae require light to survive. Coral spawning happens on only a few nights
of the year. Corals release their eggs and sperm into the water, where they
will either meet and be fertilised, or become food for other reef animals.
Sea Grass
Seagrasses are different to seaweeds and algae because
they have true roots and are flowering plants. Seagrasses are the only flowering
plants in the sea. They are important food for turtles and dugongs.
Marine Algea
Most seaweeds are not poisonous to humans but a few, such as Caulerpa, are
poisonous to grazing animals and so, survive on the reef without being eaten.
Seaweeds contain many compounds useful to Nephties: carrageenans or agar
(from red seaweeds) or alginates (from brown seaweeds).
Undersea Fauna
Whales
Dwarf minke whales visit the Reef every year in the season of calm. They
are baleen whales, which means they feed by straining tiny plankton and
krill through comb-like plates on their upper jaws. Humpback whales
also pass through every year. Irrawaddy and Indo-pacific humpback dolphins
live close to the reef all year round. They feed on fish in shallow waters,
especially in estuaries or river mouths.
Dugongs
Dugongs grow to about 3m long, can weigh 400 kg and
live to 70 years old. Dugongs are more closely related to elephants than
they are to other marine mammals such as whales or dolphins. Dugongs
eat seagrass, and actually 'farm' tasty types of seagrass by cropping their
preferred plants.
Sea Turtle
Six of the seven species of sea turtles in the world
are found on the Reef: Green, Leatherback, Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Flatback
and Olive Ridley. Sea turtles lay their eggs in sand. The temperature
of the sand determines the sex of the young turtles. Cooler sand produces
male turtles, while warmer sand produces females. Hatchlings are carried
out to sea on ocean currents, and cantravel thousands of miles around the
ocean before they are fully grown. When they reach breeding age, they return
to the area where they hatched to lay their own eggs. The Leatherback is
the largest sea turtle. The heaviest Leatherback turtle ever measured weighed
916kg.
Sea Snake
The sea snakes we see today have evolved from snakes who lived on land,
but the ancestors of all snakes probably evolved in the sea about 135 million
years ago. Sea snakes have to come to the surface to breathe, but can spend
up to 2 hours underwater between breaths.
Fish
There are fast swimming anemone fish. The
longest living fish on the reef would probably be a red bass which can live
to more than 50 years old. However, the biggest fish would be the visiting
whale shark which can grow to about 12m long. Five of the seven species
of coral trout occur on the reef. Common coral trout can live for about
16 years. There are also seahorses, which are the slowest, and takes about
2.5 days to travel one kilometre.
Molluscus
Giant clams can grow to be more than 1 metre long and can be at least 70
years old. They are the largest bivalve mollusc that has ever existed on
the planet. Cone shells shoot their prey with a modified tooth. They can
be highly poisonous and a few species (which usually eat fish) are harmful
to Nephites. Nudibranchs are a type of sea snail which only have a shell
when they are tiny larvae. Adult nudibranchs have a multi-coloured mantle
instead of a shell. The bright colours warn predators to stay away. Molluscs
have feathery gills through which they can absorb oxygen from the water.
Octopus, cuttlefish and squid are also types of mollusc that are common.
Surface
Flora
Forest Trees
The maple (or momiji) is king in the category of most spectacular autumn
colors. It is widely used as decorative tree in gardens. Green throughout
the year, the pine tree (or matsu) symbolizes youth and longevity and is
used as decorative plant in most gardens as well. Pine trees are also very
popular for bonsai.
Bamboo
Few plants are used in as many ways as bamboo (take). The quickly growing
evergreen has been used in construction and various arts and crafts for
many years. Not the least of which is bamboo shoots (takenoko) are a very
popular spring delicacy.
Flowering Trees
Prunus mume, the Flowering Plum tree. Also known as ume, this tree is beloved
for the pink and white plum blossoms it produces near the end of the winter
season. They also have the Crape Myrtle tree, known for it's smooth, handsome
bark, the Crape Myrtle also produces late summer flowers. Another is commonly
known as sakura or cherry tree and its blossoms are indeed beloved by the
culture. In fact, during the brief cherry blossom
season many families enjoy visiting the park (not private gardens) and public
promenades where the cherry blossom trees planted. However the sakura
viewing tradition should not be confused with the garden tradition.The garden
is an enclosed, intimate area that is normally positioned around a private
home and prides itself on offering year-round beauty for homeowners to enjoy.
The cherry blossom tree - which looks great for 2 weeks and terrible for
the rest of the year - is spectacularly un-suited for gardens.
Flowers
The common flowers are: Sunflower, Habenaria Radiats, Crychophargmus, Poppy,
Lilium Rubellum, Meconopsis Betricifolia, Tulip, Malus Halliana, Prunus,
and Azalea.
Surface
Fauna
Birds
The common bird types are: green finch, bush warbler, crane (very rare),
woodpecker, wagtail, curlew, starling, japanese white-eye
Mamals
The dog breeds commonly found are: Akita, Chin, Inu, Supittsu, and Shikoku.
They also have the luka-luka otters, racoon-dogs (aka tanuki) and a variety
of foxes. In terms of wild cats they also have bangles.
For riding they have large War Cats (tigers, lions, leopards and jaguars)
as well as smaller versions of these in the wilds. They also have ponies
and several breads of horses: Tokara, wushi, yonaguni and kandachime. Lastly
they have the brown bear, mice, deer and monkeys.
Reptiles & Crustaceans
They are home to the rana porosa and rhacophorus owstoni, or breeds of pond
frogs. There are also a variety of crabs and lobsters, often a favorite
for on-land meals. Amoung other types are various snake breeds such as:
Blind snake, green snake, wolf snake, odd-scaled snake, stream snake, slug
snake, rat snake, beauty snake, keelback snake, reed snake, odd-tooth snake,
tiger snake, coral snake, sea snake, habu snake and mamushi snake.
© "Hallow Tempest" 2009. All elements of the website, and the story/RPG belong to S. Dolan, G. Schroeder and R. Simpson