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Sardines, anchovy and plankton

A Sardine is not an Anchovy, and an Anchovy is not a Sardine!

 

Sardine Size: 15 to 30 centimetres long

Anchovy Size: 11 to 17 centimetres long.

 

Sardine Age: up to 13 years

Anchovy Age: up to 4 years. They have a very high mortality rate.

 

Food and Feeding

Sardines eat Phytoplankton which is plant plankton. They swim with their mouths open so that they can filter feed on plankton as they go.

Anchovies eat Zooplankton which is animal plankton. Zooplankton are larger than phytoplankton, so anchovies can feed by selectively picking individual zooplankton.

 

Eggs

Sardines can lay up to 27,000 eggs at spawning time

Anchovy eggs take just 2 days to hatch!

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Plankton are are marine drifters and are carried along by currents and tides. They are tiny, and mostly cannot be seen by the human eye.

There are two types. Phytoplankton, which are plants, and Zooplankton that are animals.

Making their Own Food!

Phytoplankton turn the sun’s rays into energy, meaning they make their own food. This is called photosynthesis. Because they need the sun’s energy, they are found near the water’s surface.

Lungs of the Planet

When Phytoplankton make their own food, they absorb carbon dioxide and secrete oxygen. They make nearly half of the world's oxygen!

Who are Zooplankton?

Zooplankton are microscopic animals like jellyfish, krill, young fish, sea snails and pelagic worms. 

Zooplankton are seen from Space

Most zooplankton eat phytoplankton.

During the daylight hours, they drift in deeper waters to avoid predators.

At night, they go up to the surface to feed on phytoplankton. The many trillions of zooplankton on this journey can be seen from space! Far out!

 

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