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Britain’s ISIS robot submarine is a van-sized
bundle of technology and is being used for the first time to
explore a vast valley the size of the Grand Canyon, just off the
coast of Portugal. Researchers are able to view previously
hidden features up to 5 Km (three miles) deep in the Nazare
Canyon, and the ISIS vehicle can bring specimens back to the
ships deck. The Census explorers of the continental margins have
discovered a new Macro microbe, a protozoan. The single cell of
this fragile new species of Xenophyophore was found at a depth
of 4,300 metres, and is enclosed within a plate-like shell, 1 cm
in diameter, composed of mineral grains.
The Census team of researchers have also been
investigating the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and among 80,000
Organisms—encompassing 354 families, genera and
species, they have discovered a new species of
Squid,
Promachoteuthis
sloani.
A squid that
chews.
A very embarrassing shark attack occurred on
Folkestone Pier when a tackle shop owner, fishing off the pier
with a friend, caught a lesser-spotted dogfish, a member of the
shark family. He shouted to his friend, “Hey mate, look at this
whopper” but when his friend approached to have a close look, he
accidentally nudged the arm of the jubilant catcher and the
fish catapulted itself up to his nose with its mouth wide open.
It clamped around his nose and wouldn’t let go. The fisherman
said afterwards, “It didn’t just hang on either, I could feel it
chomping it’s teeth as if it wanted me for it’s last meal, and
everyone on the pier was watching me jumping up and down with a
shark hanging off my nose and singing the Jaws theme tune –I’ve
never felt so embarrassed” He finally managed to get the fish
off and was left with bloody gashes and rows of tiny teeth
marks. He said, “ I was too embarrassed to go to the hospital
because I didn’t want the doctors to laugh at me too.”
A rare shark was caught off Cornwall and landed
at Newlyn Market. The media was calling it a Kitefin Shark but
is correctly named Darkie Charlie
Dalatias licha,
This species is not usually found in UK waters, but more
commonly in
 deeper waters of Continental Europe in depths of 200
to 600 metres. They grow up to 6ft long and feed off deepwater
fish, squid and crustaceans. The shark was bought at the market
by a firm of Taxidermists with plans to stuff and mount the
unusual creature.
There were 18 reports of Bottlenose Dolphins
during July, all from Watergate Bay on the north coast around to
Penzance on the south., except one report of a pod of about 30
well out off Fowey on the 6th July. Four reports of unidentified
dolphins were also probably Bottlenose. Common Dolphins were
spotted 4 times, the largest pod being 16. There were 14
sightings of Harbour Porpoises, around West Penwith from
Penzance to Pendeen, the largest number being 6 off Pendeen.
There was however another unusual sighting of a very large pod
of Harbour Porpoises off Nare Head on the 31st of the month.
They were heading west over a wide area with dozens of their
backs breaking the surface at a time and the estimated number in
the pod was at least 100 12 reports of Ocean Sunfish were all
around the western tip of the county from St. Ives to Porthcurno.
The largest number of reports were of Basking
Sharks, these again were all around the western tip from Pendeen
to Porthcurno except for one sighting of 2 off The Rumps, near
the Camel Estuary on 10th July. A shark was seen to jump clear
of the water off Pendeen, it was thought to be a Blue Shark.
A Minke Whale was seen off Porthgwarra on the
18th and the 20th of the month, and a pod of 3 whales, probably
Minkes were seen off Cudden Point on the 20th.
The only report of a Grey Seal was from The
Rumps. Three very large Triggerfish were seen by divers near The
Cow & Calf Rocks off Port Quin. And a colony of Buoy Barnacles
were found washed up at Stanbury Mouth, east of Bude. |
