In the ocean, any hard surface will be colonized by encrusting organisms. This basketball must have spent a few weeks or more drifting. It's got a distinct waterline which means it mainly floated in one position instead of rolling around willy-nilly.That was probably helped by the counterweighting as more algae and gooseneck barnacles attached to it on the wet (green) side.
The ball was also used as a perch by seagulls. If you look at the dry side (shadow side) you can see the light and dark streaks of sea gull "poo" running down the sides.
And even though they left no evidence, you can bet that as it floated, a variety of small fish swam close beneath it, trying to avoid larger predatory fish.
In the big blue, any structure is precious.
10 comments:
Maybe that's Wilson from Castaway... :-)
I thought the exact same thing!!!
Swamp,
I think it just might be a picture of a tanned Wilson relaxing at the beach...either that or his cousin Spaulding...
Zanne,
You and Swamp are too funny. That movie never crossed my mind when I was writing that post.
I liked that movie, but never understood why he wanted to leave it...
Of course, I got in trouble when I expressed that thought out loud...
When I saw the basketball it reminded me of a photograph someone sent to us the other day. It was of a catfish that had a child's basketball stuck in its mouth. A fisherman saw a ball moving strangely on the surface of the water and figured out that a fish was attached to it. He was able to get to the fish and free it by deflating the ball.
Floridacracker-- I'm with you--why would anyone want to leave that Castawayisland? On the other hand, I suppose being alone might not be so much fun, no matter how witty that basketball turned out to be!
I can't believe y'all thought it was Wilson. Wilson was a Volleyball...silly people.
Heh.
I wouldn't want to be alone on that island either, but he sure lost a lot of weight. Maybe...
Hick, don't you know wandering alone at sea can change a person?!
;)
I was just musing in my blog about the importance of cover for fish in a river system. I didn't see any basketballs there, however!
Thing,
You know it. The smallest, weirdest floating object can hold fish beneath it.
Deb,
I enjoyed your description of the river survey.
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