Learn About a Fish That Has a Reptilian Appearance

This fish looks more like a reptile than a fish, which explains the name. In addition to the appearance, this fish generally stays still on the floor of the ocean, similar to the characteristics of a reptile.

Do not let it fool you though; the Lizardfish is alert and watching what is happening around it, while it is resting, not moving.

They are not easy to spot because the colors of this fish make it blend in well with the surrounding coral, sand and vegetation of the sea floor. For this reason, it can be in the open, in plain sight and yet concealed at the same time. At other times, the Lizardfish will bury itself in the ocean sand, with just the eyes and maybe the very end of the snout sticking out from the sand that is covering it. This makes it possible to hide out and wait for prey to come by close enough to grab for a meal.

The mouth of this fish is large. When the mouth is open, you can see that the numerous teeth have the appearance of thin, sharp needles.

Some Lizardfish are found in Hawaiian waters, especially within reefs, where they like to live among corals. Divers have not reported this type of fish as posing any danger to humans.

If caught by a fisherman, they may quite often be thrown back into the water as they are not commonly considered good for eating.

Generally, Hawaiian Lizardfish do not grow to more than 12 inches long. In other parts of the world, the largest lizardfish has been known to grow to around 24 inches in length.

The scientific name for this family of fish is: Synodontidae, with genus species Saurida and Synodus.

Within the genus species Synodus, found in the Indo-Pacific oceans are the Arrowtooth, Engleman's, Two-spot (also called Sand) Lizardfish, and others.

In the Pacific Ocean, the Capricorn Lizardfish may be found.

The Inshore Lizardfish inhabits waters on the East Coast of the United States from North Carolina and South to as far as Brazil. In these waters, the Lizardfish may be found resting on a mud ocean floor, instead of the sand ocean floor which would be found in some tropical waters.

Within the genus species Saurida are the Brazilian Lizardfish, living mainly in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Shortjaw Saury living in the Pacific Ocean and the Clouded Lizardfish in the South Pacific, just to name a few.

There are around 60 species of Lizardfish. The few named in this article can be a start for you to know a direction for further research of the specific types, if desired. The site fish.explore-topics.com/articles is a great resource for information about many different types of fish and anything related to the fish topic.

Five Tips for Removing an Unwanted Tree

Having a yard and garden you can be proud of and enjoy with family, neighbors and friends is one of life's simple pleasures. Unfortunately, the process of creating a garden is not always so simple. Aside from the usual concerns about watering, lawn feeding and pest control, you may occasionally find that you have to remove a tree from the landscape. The process of removing a tree requires careful planning and preparation.

Controlling the Fall
Think before you cut a single branch. You want to know exactly where each limb will fall when you cut it. It is particularly crucial to know where the tree trunk is going to fall. To bring down the truck, make a wedge cut inward almost to the center from the direction you want the tree to fall. Then make a higher cut on the opposite side. You should be able to drop the tree within a few feet of where you want it. No one should stand anywhere near the spot the tree to fall.

Incremental Removal
For large or even medium sized trees, you should avoid simply cutting them whole thing down at once. It is much safer to slowly trim away smaller branches first, and then tree limbs. After that, you should cut sections from the top until you get close enough to the ground to safely drop the rest of the tree.

General Safety
Anyone involved in the process of cutting down trees should take all necessary precautions'. They should wear a protective helmet, goggles, and gloves. Steel-toed boots are also a smart idea to protect your feet from crushing injuries. Since you will almost certainly be using chainsaws, you should also wear ear protection.

Other Equipment
You will need a chainsaw for this process, since axes can be far more dangerous for those who do not know how to use them, as well as more exhausting. If it is a small tree, you may need only the saw, but for larger trees, you may have to rent a crane to lift you into position for the higher branches and the top of the tree. Using straps and boot spikes to climb a tree the cut the top branches is inadvisable unless you have a great deal of experience and are in decent shape.

Disposal
There are several ways to get rid of the remnants of your tree. One is to cut part of it as firewood for you or others if the wood is a type that will burn well. For the smaller pieces, a rented wood chipper will let you turn it into mountains of mulch for your garden.