Posted by seahunt on May 06, 2004 at 21:32:14:
In Reply to: Abalone racing posted by Aaron on May 06, 2004 at 18:00:51:
Picking up a picnopodia is a bit gross.
J. Cousteau commented somewhere that abalone could travel 3 to 5 meters a minute over sand.
There is the story of the abalone farm where they staff came in in the morning and all the abalone were out of the tanks. The pumps had sucked in a picnopodia in the night.
A picnopodia might be the equivelent predator to a bob cat or something. Truely a fiercesome predator of the reef. The solaster star is is even worse... In places, half their diet is other solasters.
Enjoy the beauty and wonder of diving, seahunt