Indian Sea Turtles live most part of their lives in the sea. They are found in the shallow coastal waters of temperate and warm seas. There are seven surviving species of sea turtles. They are the Green Turtle, Loggerhead Turtle, Kemp`s Ridley Turtle, Olive Ridley Turtle, Hawksbill Turtle, Flatback Turtle and Leatherback Turtle. Snails belong to the kingdom, Animalia and phylum, Mollusca. They are the largest in the family of the molluscan class, Gastropoda. They have coiled shells, during the adult stage.
A type of snail called land snail serves as agricultural and garden pest. Crustaceans form a large group of arthropods comprising almost 52000 species. They belong to the kingdom, Animalia; clade, Pancrustacea; and subphylum, Crustacea. Several crustaceans are consumed by humans. Indian Sponges are the simplest form of multi-cellular aquatic animals, which do not have nerves. Thus, they maintain a regular flow of water through their body in order to get oxygen and food and to discard waste. Spider is an insect that possess eight legs and are air-breathing chelicerate arthropods and the chelicerae are modified to become fangs which injects venom. They are found all over the world. Amphibians are those species which lay their eggs in water and spent their adult life on water. Amphibians are somewhat similar to reptiles. Amoeba belongs to the family of protozoa. The amoeba is remarkable for its very large genome. Horn Shell is univalve and available found in plenty in fresh as well as brackish waters. It tends to move from sea to land where it suitably adjusts to the new environment. Garden Harvestmen resemble spiders but they are not actually spiders. They feed on small insects, wood lice, spider lings, etc. Volutes are sturdy and compact shells which are found in parts of Gulf of Mannar and various other places like the Lakshadweep in India. Threadfin is a type of fish which is found in different parts of Indian waters. These fishes possess large tail fins which helps them to swim with high speed. Turtle belongs to the order Testudines and the super order Chelonia. It possesses a distinct cartilaginous or bony shell which is developed from the ribs of the turtle and it does the function of a shield. Babur and Jahangir were the biggest contributors to the Indian natural history in Mughal period. Slugs are Gastropod Mollusc which does not possess a shell. There are both land and sea slugs of which the sea slugs are the most wonderful and curious ones. Mudskippers are fishes which belong to the subfamily Oxudercinae in the family Gobiidae. They feed on small fish, copepods, prawns, etc. Barnacles are entirely marine and they generally in tidal and shallow waters, mainly in erosive settings. Piddocks are also called stone-borers even if they do not bore hard stones. They make burrows on hardened mud and peat. Sea Horse is a special type of marine creature found in Indias coastal waters. The male member of this family bears the eggs till it hatches and grows up. Mantid is usually a large insect which is mainly predacious. In India there are about two hundred species of mantids. The Bombay Duck is not a duck but essentially a lizard fish which is generally found in the waters of the Arabian Sea near Mumbai and Kutch. Arachnids are essentially invertebrates belonging to the sub-phylum of Chelicerata. Flying Fish is mostly found in the south western Indian seas. This fish can fly a maximum distance of about four hundred metres over the surface of sea water. Caecilian is an amphibian which resembles snakes or earthworms and it lives mostly hidden under the ground. Water spider or Diving bell spider or Pirate spider lives it whole life under water and breathes air by a very clean process. Thrip is the name of a small insect which lives in colonies and feed on fungi, mites and other insects. Establishment of museums was the most significant thing in the Indian natural history in British period. Small Cats inhabit various parts of India and they comprise of a large variety. Mullets are estuarine fishes found mainly in tropical and coastal temperate waters. Their food includes green algae and various other small aquatic plants. Barracuda is a fish with ray fins which is famous for its large size and frightening appearance. Pomfret is among the most sought after edible fishes in the markets of India due to their flavour. Sea Lilies are more like a plant than an animal. These are the most attractive but little known creatures which live in the deep oceans. Sea Anemones possess a cylindrical body with an adhesive basal disc and an oral disc. These creatures dwell lonely in the seas and seldom live in colonies. Hydra is a very tiny freshwater animal bearing radial symmetry. It possesses great power of regeneration and if cut into pieces it grows into new wholes. Clams is a general term of all bivalve mollusks. They mainly refer to marine bivalves. Cockroach is an insect which is found in large numbers in almost all parts of India. This insect is also considered to be the scavenger of the insect world since it feeds on all types of dead animal or plant body. |