SLJ – Sea Creature Poem (Kick Start!)

For this poem, I chose a heroic path for the well-known Piranha, with the poem showcasing it’s past of not really wanting to hurting other creatures. However, this is more on the imagination path other than a realistic one, since I’m pretty sure Piranhas deliberately hurt to protect themselves, its that a thought just popped in my head; “What if Piranhas took a more passive move and decided to stop hurting other creatures and just feed on plants?”, so there are many unrealistic bits in my thought for sure.

Fun Fact: Despite their reputation, piranhas rarely attack humans.

SLJ – Among Us Sea Safari (Step it up!)

Since this was just my second year inhabiting Aotearoa New Zealand, I would’ve never ever thought of an activity such as this one. It’s really suprising to me, since I never encountered anything like this. Excitement filled me and I immediately get to work as soon as I saw the post.

Warning: I may have made the questions a little difficult…

SLJ – Sea Safari (Kick Start)

My discovered species is the finned turtle, which might not make a lot of sense to you since you may wonder: ‘Don’t turtles already have fins?’. Well, that  thought is incorrect, for sea turtles have flippers, not fins. My species are found amongst the depths of the Indian ocean, specifically near the Madagascan Island, just 200 kilometers further. The turtle does not resurface to land, for they completely rely on ocean prey. These turtles do not have noses, but the leaves connected to its shell collects it for the turtle, by swimming up only on water to gain oxygen. The turtle needs oxygen every 20 hours. This turtle does have a pair of flippers, to paddle around, the fin’s purpose is to make prey (Shrimp, Plankton, Tinier fish) swim around it, thanks to the fin’s sticky substance on it, it traps the prey, then the turtle releases a poison-whilst being completely safe from it-to paralyze the prey, which then hits them on rocks to devour them.

Fun Fact: Turtle shells are actually part of its skeleton! Unlike what many people think, a turtle’s shell is not something that can be removed. The shell is integrated with its ribs and spine, so it’s a part of the turtle’s body. This makes the shell incredibly important for protecting the turtle, and it also helps them maintain balance and stability.

SLJ – Fish N’ Chips (Kick Starter!)

I am not a professional in making menus or picking foods to put in the menu, so I just chose the more common and regular ones you would find in your average restaurant. This was a challenging task, as it required me to really think about the prices and the sides, even now am I unsure whether or not my prices are overpriced or underpriced.

How would you have done yours?

Fun Fact: In 2001, a pizza was delivered to astronaut Paolo Nespoli, making it the first ever pizza delivered on space.

   Fun Fact 2: French Fries is not french, but more likely originated in Belgium, as it was common for locals to fry potatoes.

 

SLJ – Beluga Whales (Step it up!)

I was really looking forward to these activities, and it was fun designing a card for these two related species. Really prompted me to think and research on what their abilities would be, that’d still make sense.

Fun Fact: Belugas and narwhals are closely related, being the only two members still in existence of the Monodontidae family.

What ability would you put in for these interesting swimmers?

 

SLJ – Masks of Te Moana (Step it up!)

 

My mask was hidden beneath the earth for thousands of years. The sole purpose of the mask was to cover a creature’s face. But the creature wasn’t from land, but sea. The indigenous speculated the creature to be the owner of the seas, apparently spotted many times by fishermen . This gave it the name Fish’s Bait, indicating the creature died due to a large group of unknown species from the sea. The roots indicate growth, as this mythical creature is believed to have summoned multiple different unknown species only the indigenous ancestors saw. The spirals support the roots, meaning that a larger more powerful creature was in charge. The fish indicates the Marine life this creature was in charge of.

 What fish would you put for your mask?

Fun Fact: A Devils Hole pupfish is the rarest in the world!

 

 

SLJ – Masks of Te Moana (Kick Starter!)

For this mission, I chose to make the mask a face mask, which will only cover the mouth of the owner. This mask is a made-up mask and has no historical background whatsoever, however, the Mask does contain 3 species, a spear and a slug. The mask is to indicate the diverse ecosystem of the wide ocean, showing a stingray, sea turtle and a fish. The mask isn’t solely dedicated to a single fish, but each symbol does have a reason.

The stingray indicates strength, a human and species necessity to fight off any threats.

The turtle symbolizes our shelters and fish habitats, which is supposed to mean that it’s difficult to leave your loved ones and home behind.

Spear symbolizes the strategies of species, each specie has their own survival strategies to escape, hide or fight any predator.

The fish shows the diverse cultures and way of life of humans and other animals, showing difference in all species.

The slug indicates parasites, not just parasitic insects, but other ‘parasite’ individuals which cause harm to the people of Aotearoa and beyond.

Apologies if the symbols didn’t make a lot of sense.