I have been overwhelmed, as I’m sure many others have been watching Blue Planet 2, (a BBC tv nature documentary centering on life in our oceans) and we’re only on episode 4! The beautiful imagery, close ups and footage of our oceans and it’s inhabitants are stunning. Added to that the soothing, knowledgeable narration by Sir David Attenborough. I’ve felt compelled this week to draw some of the amazing creatures featured and highlight those that touched me.
Care
Walrus and her calf.
A mother walrus and her calf, held so tenderly, struggle to find a safe place to rest in the first episode due to ice melt.
Friendship
False Killer Whale and Bottlenose Dolphin.
Friendships between two separate species, the False Killer Whale and the Bottlenose Dolphin. It is thought that when they meet each other out in the ocean they actually remember individual members.
Symbiosis
Venus’s Flower Basket and Sponge Shrimp.
A beautiful relationship between two species living in a difficult situation in episode 2. The Venus’s Flower Basket Sponge creates a safe place for the Sponge Shrimp to live, feed and rear it’s young in the depths of the ocean. It’s habitat in peril due to overfishing.
Co-operation
Reef Octopus and Grouper fish.
The amazing cooperation of two absolutely different species, the reef octopus and the grouper fish in episode three. The grouper fish changes colour to attract the octopus and performs a headstand to point out where fish are hiding, the octopus then crawls into the space capturing it’s prey and flushing others out for the grouper to catch.
Partnership
Turtle, Blenny and Surgeonfish.
A partnership that has mutual benefits for both parties. The turtles trip to ‘Turtle Rock’ in order to have parasites and algae nibble away by blenny and surgeonfish. The coral reef home of these fish also in peril due to warming seas.
Emotions
Short finned pilot whale and her calf.
The strong bond and emotions felt by a short finned pilot whale towards it’s dead calf in episode 4. Emotional scenes highlighting the intelligence of these animals. The suspected death of the calf due to raised chemical toxins in our seas.
These scenes are only the ‘tip of the iceberg’, there is so much more out there for us to learn from the sea and it’s creatures. I’ll leave you with one image that really stuck out for me, that epitomised our relationship to these animals and their environment.
Female clownfish and plastic bottle.
A female clownfish looking for a suitable home to lay her eggs, comes across a plastic bottle floating on the bottom of the sea.
There are ways we can help if we change our behaviour and habits. If you also felt moved by some of these scenes, please take a look at the following resources to help reduce your use of plastics, and protect our seas.
Less Plastic – Inspiration, strategies & products to tackle ocean plastic. Enabling individuals & businesses to save money & reduce plastic waste. #UseLessPlastic.
Greenpeace – 9 ways to reduce plastic use.
Practically Plastic Free – Practical solutions for reduced plastic living
Plastic Is Rubbish – Hundreds of plastic free resources and products
Good Fish Guide – A guide to sustainable fish. You can play a key role in securing the future of our seas and marine wildlife by making more environmentally responsible choices when buying seafood.
Thanks for reading Ang x
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