Some are long and smooth, others are colourful and have lots of arms. Enjoy the funny and true facts about some of our most characteristic animals at Havets Hus.
- The cuckoo wrasse can start out as a she and then become a he. Some cuckoo wrasses are born as males. Others change sex around the age of seven and become very beautiful, in their orange and blue colours. During the spawning season in the spring the male creates a big habitat with up to 40 females. A true harem then.
- The squid has three hearts and the blood is blue or greenish. The colour of the blood is due to a copper compound.
- Anemone eats and poops with the same mouth – that’s actually no bullshit.
- The conger eel can whistle and the gurnard growls. Yes, some fish actually make sounds. The gurnard makes the sound with its swim bladder.
- The lobster grows up to 15 millimeters each time it moulds. Males often mould each year, while females typically mould every second year.
- The edible crab has three teeth in the stomach that help to crush the food. It is our most common crab species and is often called just crab.
- The Bootlace worm is the longest animal in the world, it can be 50 metres long. It belongs to the genus ribbon worms, also called proboscis worms, and lives along the Swedish west coast.
- The sea cucumber has a slightly odd defense system: When it gets really scared it spits out all its bowels. At worst, it dies in the process as it cannot eat anymore, but often it actually grows new intestines.
- The dragonet has tasteful colours. The male is tinged with yellow, brown and blue, and during the mating season the head turns blue too. In spring, it is fascinating to see females and males dancing together in the water.
- If the starfish looses an arm, it soon grows a new one. There is an eye at the tip of each arm, which allows the starfish to perceive light differences.
- The lesser spotted dogfish can go deep, in the Mediterranean sometimes as deep as 700 metres. Here, in the Skagerrak and Kattegat Seas it is usually found at 10 – 110 metres depth.