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Dear friends,
Welcome to the third Skubaskool News in which we will talk about a great men association The Banjar; Massimo Boyer got few beautiful shots of the incredible Oceanic Sunfish, Mola mola which will, as you guest, be the subject of our Info Bio section. Although, if you have any comments about this page, any subject you would like we talk about, any question, please drop us a line at info@skubaskool.com |
BALI NEWS
Bali is a very particular island in Indonesia, very different from every other Indonesian island for its religion, customs and organisation.
Each village is subdivided into several banjar, which is the association of 50 to 70 Pekarangan, traditional Balinese house.
In the middle of the banjar called Banjar suka duka, banjar in the happiness and sadness, there is an open house with a temple, where all the head-family wearing traditional sarong meet every 35 days of the Balinese month for the banjar assembly.
The social work is the origins of this extraordinary members solidarity. Every activity, decision is made regarding a very accurate and complicated traditional law, which might change from one banjar to another.
The banjar member elects the klian, head of the banjar who will lead the meeting and discussion, distribute the duties, make the decision and give the fine.
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PHOTO OF THE MONTH
Photo copyright Massimo Boyer |
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INFO BIO
It is the third year, at the same period; I am looking for the king of Bali water, the majestic Oceanic Sunfish. I will probably never be able to describe the filling when, from far you recognize the unmistakable look, and then getting closer you see it. Spending an all dive just watching it is simply magic…
The Mola mola is the world’s largest know bony fish. It has an eccentric roundish shape with huge fins but nearly no discernable tail. Its body is large and flattened and their eyes and mouth are very small. The dorsal and anal fins are large and look like paddles. They are flapped synchronously from side to side and can propel the fish at surprisingly good speed. The scaleless body is covered with tough, leathery skin about 15cm thick, silvery to brownish grey or blue mottled colour.
Its characteristic body shape is unique and is about the most peculiar sight you might encounter while diving.
CLASSIFICATION
Family: Molidae
Genus: Mola
Species: Mola mola
WORLD HABITAT
Sunfish are found in all oceans in subtropical, tropical and temperate climates, but prefer Open Ocean. The Mola mola has been sighted in the ocean near every continent, excluding Antarctica.
Its habitat is usually in the pelagic zone of the ocean, where the sunlight can still penetrate through the water. The range in habitat depth is from the surface to 400 meters, spending most of their life in deep water. There has been a noted occurrence of Mola swimming to a depth of 1000 meter but it is believed to be extremely rare.
Molas, covered with parasites, are commonly found several miles away from shorelines, following drifting kelp to recruit small fishes living there to clean them. They also surface to allowed seagull to pick these parasites off them. In Bali the Mola mola comes relatively close to the reef to certain cleaning stations where groups of bannerfish (Heniochus diphreutes) literally attack them, eating the parasites.
FEEDING BEAHAVIOR
Mola mola eat a variety of foods, but mostly gelatinous zooplankton (jellyfish and scalp) as well as squid, sponges, serpent star, eelgrass, crustaceans, small fishes and deep-water eel larvae. They are adapted to eat jellyfish because their skin provides armour against the stinging barbs.
REPRODUCTION
Mola mola considered being among the most fecund of all vertebrates, producing more than 300 million eggs, each about 2 to 3mm large. Whether or not many of these eggs are fertilized is unknown but the numbers are still staggering. The larvae looks much like their close relatives, the puffer or porcupine fishes with needle like spikes. As grow (around 40cm) its body flattens and the spines and their tails disappear. Mola mola grow from being few mm to 4 meter from fin to fin. Some records show molas weighing over 2000kg. Breeding is likely take place in the tropical to subtropical regions of the ocean.
EVOLUTION
According to Schwartz and Lindquist (1987) molas have been seen in the ocean since the Greek and Roman days, 1200BC – 400AD, but have been there many years before humans records. Russian scientists have found fossil remnants in southwest Russia belonging to the molidae family, which date back to the Eocene period approximately 37-58 million years ago.
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