The smell of the city-
The Koli fisherfolk are some of the oldest inhabitants of Mumbai, living here before the city was formed by reclaiming land between islands. Their traditional lifestyle revolves around the sea, and no one knows the sea better than they do. Formal education doesn’t compare to the practical and generational knowledge they have.
Their livelihoods are now threatened by the planned coastal road. Thousands of fisherfolk will lose their livelihood, marine and intertidal creatures will lose their lives, and flooding will cause recurring problems in Mumbai, all for a tiny fraction of the upper class to drive by the sea in their private vehicles.
One of the quintessential smells of Mumbai- rows of drying Bombay duck fish, could soon be a thing of the past.
Protective equipment: Humans only
Scientists have discovered a new behaviour in certain sea creatures in the recent months. As Humans have turned to plastic PPE kits, gloves and masks to protect themselves from the Coronavirus, sea creatures have apparently tried to protect themselves too. Except, unfortunately, they don't always know how to handle it properly, and it has led to strangulation and choking, and has ultimately led to fatalities. Scientists have found out that, unlike humans, they don't need to wear such safety equipment. Hence, Humans are humbly requested not to donate their safety gear into water bodies.
Seashells in jars
Remember those wonderful days where you would walk by the beach, picking up beautiful seashells to put in your jar of memories?
Yea, don't do that. You're disturbing the coastal ecosystem, where a lot of animals, like this soft-bodied Hermit crab, depend on shells for protection. Leave the shells at the beach, because not only do they provide shelter for small fishes and crabs, they also help prevent erosion, as well as provide nutrients for other organisms once they break down.
Countershading
Have you ever wondered why the Whale shark has such a pretty dark blue back and a plain white belly?
Whales, sharks, penguins, and many other sea creatures have a lighter belly and a darker back. When viewed from below, the animals lighter belly would blend in with the lighter sky above. When viewed from above, it’s darker back would blend in with the dark ocean bottom underneath.
This is a phenomenon quite common in fauna, known as countershading. Countershading is seen in many species, including land animals, insects and birds.
The Ocean Sunfish
The Mola mola, also known as the Ocean Sunfish, is a very strange, fascinating fish. It's the largest bony fish in the ocean- they can grow as large as 14x10 feet. Its mouth is perpetually open, it doesn't have a proper tail, it often lays flat on the ocean surface- thus getting injured by passing ships.
Google 'The most useless fish', and the Mola mola is what comes up. It's got a reputation of this sort, but dig a little deeper and you'll realise that anything that eats jellyfish is definitely not useless. Jellyfish overpopulation is a growing problem we really don't want to have.
Also why do creatures have to be useful? Can't they just exist because they do?
