Biodiversity Trivia for World Environment Day
05 Jun 2020World Environment Day is marked annually on 5th June and the theme for 2020 is ‘Biodiversity’. Located in the Maldives, a nation that consists entirely of coral reefs, the most diverse of all marine ecosystems, Prodivers is in a prime position to experience some of the best underwater views that nature has to offer on the planet. From the very small but beautiful nudibranches to the enormous whalesharks, from clouds of colourful fish to magnificent manta rays, if you dive and snorkel with us, you are in for a treat! Let’s celebrate with some trivia facts from our own backyard:
- Nudibranchs get their name from the Greek words ‘nudus’ and ‘brankhia’, meaning ‘naked gills’.
- A octopus has 3 hearts and changes colour to communicate.
- The stonefish has 13 spines on its back and is the most venomous fish on the reef.
- The whale shark is the biggest fish in the ocean, reaching up to 12 metres in length.
- Green sea turtles can remain underwater for 5 hours between breaths.
- Parrotfish poo makes the beautiful soft white sand you love to walk on!
- The wingspan of mantas can reach up to 7 metres.
- The frogfish is carnivorous and has the fastest-known prey engulfment of any vertebrate.
- A group of fish that stay together for social reasons are said to be shoaling and if the group is swimming in the same direction in a coordinated manner, they are schooling.
- Adult Napoleon wrasse can change sex; when a dominant male dies, a larger female will then turn into a male.
We recommend the use of ‘reef friendly’ sun screen so as not to cause damage to the reef with harmful chemical.