Unusual Sea Creatures - by Horst Max Cerni

Recently I saw a photo of a beach in Maine covered completely by - it looked like copper plates. I then remembered, “Donkey years ago” (as they say here in the Virgin Islands), that was around 1972, that we visited my colleague Horst Halens in Rye, NY. It’s a nice town, but what fascinated me was the beach area. It wasn’t crowded with people anxious to swim, but rather with hundreds of these copper looking disks - which were Horseshoe Crabs. It must have been mating season and thousands of little eggs were buried and fertilized in the sand.

In September of 2006 the WAWIG (xUNICEF) group met in Tilghman Island in Maryland, on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay (organized by Monica Stecher and Jake Jacobsen). We had an extensive program, including going to the maritime museum and taking an ecological tour where we learned about creatures living in the Bay, like Horseshoe crabs.

In the photo are former colleagues Carl Tinstman and Sally Kellock. The Horseshoe Crab has existed for millions of years and looks pre- historic, or futuristic like a flying saucer with its strong shell and tail . It is not really a crab, but more like a spider or a scorpion, but it does not sting. As a matter of fact, Horseshoe Crabs provide some very important medical substance, since their blood detects bacteria.

In 1962, I was trying to take a swim in the Rio Negro in the Province of Corrientes in Argentina. I didn’t get very far, I barely had my legs in, when I felt little bites all over. That didn’t feel like mosquitoes, and under water? Fish biting? 

Sure enough, I rushed out in time before any damage was done, Later I was told that the river is full of Piranha and can finish a whole cow (which was exaggerated). Anyhow, I was lucky that I did not get eaten up… And a I bought a souvenir sculpture to keep this experience in my memory.

There are so many other unusual sea creatures which Mother Nature has created and maybe forgotten to adjust. For example, on the Ocean floor in the Galapagos Islands lives a little monster that doesn’t like to swim. Instead, it uses its finns to walk or crawls on the seafloor, It’s the Red- Lipped Bat Fish, named so because of its unique “make-up” of its red lips, which seem to attract potential meals. 

Another fish which doesn’t swim is the Tripot fish, It just stands there, with its mouth open, and let the current supply his meal.

On the more active side is the Flying Fish which lives typically in the Caribbean. The island of Barbados has adopted it as its national symbol and is referred to as the “Land of the Flying Fish”. 

 We experienced a flying fish also on our island, but a much smaller kind.  Our son Karl was visiting, and we had a pleasant swim in the calm sea, and then just stood there chilling out and talking. We were like a triangle, and when a school of small fish approached, most avoided the obstruction and swam to the right and left of us. But at least one thought of being able to jump over us and practice its flying skills. Well, it hit Isabel right on the forehead near her eyebrow. She started bleeding and her left side of the face turned blue. Fortunately, the damage was superficial, but she was worried that people might think she had been in a fight. The poor little fish (maybe the size of a finger) obviously didn’t survive the impact.

Of course, there are also the real big ones, like Dolphins, which fly (or rather jump), and so many colors and variety of other fish. The wonders of nature are amazing.