earth science

List of marine vertebrates of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay

List of marine vertebrates of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of marine vertebrates of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay rather than just read about it. In short: The list of marine vertebrates of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay is a list of marine and shore-based vertebrate animal species that form a part of the fauna of South Africa and that have been recorded from this geographical range. In some cases they are an important part of the local ecological community, and others may have been passing through, or were carried out of their natural ranges by the vagaries of ocean…

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Reference excerpt

The list of marine vertebrates of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay is a list of marine and shore-based vertebrate animal species that form a part of the fauna of South Africa and that have been recorded from this geographical range. In some cases they are an important part of the local ecological community, and others may have been passing through, or were carried out of their natural ranges by the vagaries of ocean currents or winds. Some of the animals are deep within their range of endemism, or near its borders, while others are cosmopolitan or recently arrived aliens. This list includes animals which live entirely marine lives, or which spend critical parts of their lives at sea, or rely on the sea or intertidal shore for the major part of their diet. The geographical range is from Bloubergstrand at the north of Table Bay to Cape Hangklip, the south eastern limit of False Bay, in the Western Cape province of South Africa and includes the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area (TMNP MPA), the Helderberg Marine Protected Area, and part of the Robben Island Marine Protected Area. Most of the shore is within the City of Cape Town, except for a section of the east coast of False Bay, south of Kogel Bay, which is in the Overstrand Local Municipality The region is near to several universities and research institutions in Cape Town and Stellenbosch, which has led to many studies of the organisms and of the marine ecology, particularly those organisms that are easily or incidentally collected. The popularity of these waters for recreational diving has led to an increase in reported underwater photographic observations in recent years.

Fishes

Agnatha – jawless fishes (cyclostomes)

Order Myxiniformes – hagfishes Family: Myxinidae

Sixgill hagfish or snotslang, Eptatretus hexatrema (Müller, 1834) (Walvis Bay to Durban) Fivegill hagfish, Eptatretus profundus Barnard, 1923 (off Cape Point) Cape hagfish, Myxine capensis Regan, 1913 (Cape of Good Hope)

Gnathostomata – jawed fishes

Chondrichthyes – cartilaginous fishes

Elasmobranchii – sharks and rays Order Myliobatiformes – stingrays Family Myliobatidae – eagle rays

Manta, Manta birostris (Donndorff, 1798) (possibly circumtropical, from the Cape eastwards) Eagle ray, Myliobatis aquila (Linnaeus, 1758) (Namibia to KwaZulu-Natal) Bull ray, Aetomylaeus bovinus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817), also recorded as syn. Pteromylaeus bovinus (Saint-Hilaire, 1817) (south-western Cape to Zanzibar)

Order Rajiformes – rays, skates and guitarfish Family Dasyatidae – stingrays

Short-tail stingray, Bathytoshia brevicaudata (Hutton, 1875) recorded as syn. Dasyatis brevicaudata (Hutton, 1875) (False Bay to Delagoa Bay) Thorntail stingray,Bathytoshia lata (Garman, 1880), recorded as syn. Dasyatis thetidis Ogilby, 1899, (TMNP MPA). Blue stingray, Dasyatis chrysonota (Smith, 1828) (Central Angola to Delagoa Bay) also recorded as Dasyatis marmorata (Steindachner, 1892) Diamond ray, butterfly ray, Gymnura natalensis (Gilchrist & Thompson, 1911), (TMNP MPA). Whiptail stingrays, Dasyatis spp. (TMNP MPA). Family Rajidae – skates

Bathyraja smithii (Müller & Henle, 1841) (Agulhas bank and west of Cape Town) Cruriraja durbanensis (von Bonde and Swart, 1923) (off Western Cape province) Cruriraja parcomaculata von Bonde and Swart, 1923 (Lüderitz to Durban) Slimeskate, Dipturus pullopunctatus (Smith, 1964) recorded as syn. Raja pullopunctata Smith, 1964 (Lüderitz to Mozambique) African dwarf skate, Neoraja stehmanni (Hulley, 1972) (west of Cape Town to south of Agulhas Bank) Munchkin skate, Rajella caudispinosa (von Bonde and Swart, 1923), recorded as syn.Raja caudaspinosa von Bonde and Swart, 1923 (Lüderitz to Cape Point) Thornback skate, Raja clavata Linnaeus, 1758 (Walvis Bay to Durban) Twineye skate, brown ray, Raja miraletus Linnaeus, 1758 (False Bay to Durban) Smoothback skate, Rajella ravidula (Hulley, 1970), recorded as syn. Raja ravidula Hulley, 1970 (off Cape Town) Amblyraja hyperborea (Collett, 1879) recorded as syn. Raja robertsi Hulley, 1970 (west of Cape Town) Malacoraja spinacidermis (Barnard, 1923) recorded as syn. Raja spinacidermis Barnard, 1923 (off west coast) Thornback skate, Raja clavata Linnaeus, 1758, (TMNP MPA). Twineye skate, brown ray, Raja miraletus Linnaeus, 1758, (TMNP MPA). Biscuit skate or false thornback skate, spotted skate, Raja straeleni Poll, 1951 (West Africa to East London) Blancmange skate, Leucoraja wallacei (Hulley, 1970) recorded as syn.Raja wallacei Hulley, 1970 (Cape to Limpopo river mouth) Bigthorn skate, Rajella barnardi (Norman, 1935), recorded as syn. Raja confundens Hulley, 1970 (West coast from 19°S to east of Cape Point) Ghost skate, Rajella dissimilis (Hulley, 1970) recorded as syn. Raja dissimilis Hulley, 1970 (west of Cape Town) Leopard skate, Rajella leoparda (von Bonde & Swart, 1923), recorded as syn. Raja leopardus von Bonde and Swart, 1923 (west coast from 18°S to 35°S) Spearnose skate, bottlenose skate, Rostroraja alba (Lacepède, 1803) (West Africa to Madagascar) (syn. Raja alba or Raia alba Lacepède, 1803) Family Rhinobatidae – guitarfish

Lesser sandshark or lesser guitarfish, Acroteriobatus annulatus (Müller & Henle, 1841), recorded as syn. Rhinobatos annulatus Smith in Müller & Henle, 1841 (Cape Columbine to Mozambique) Bluntnose guitarfish, Rhinobatos blochii Müller & Henle, 1841 (Cape to Walvis Bay) Order Torpediniformes – electric rays Family Narkidae

Onefin electric ray, Cape sleeper ray, or torpedo ray, Narke capensis (Gmelin, 1789) (Atlantic coast of Cape Peninsula to Madagascar) Family Torpedinidae

Blackspotted electric ray, blackspotted torpedo Torpedo fuscomaculata Peters, 1855 (Cape Columbine to Mozambique) Marbled torpedo, Marbled electric ray, Torpedo marmorata Risso, 1810, (TMNP MPA). Atlantic electric ray, Atlantic torpedo, Torpedo nobiliana Bonaparte, 1835 (Western Cape coast to Algoa Bay) Torpedo spp.

Order Carcharhiniformes – ground sharks Family Carcharhinidae – requiem sharks

Copper shark, Carcharhinus brachyurus (Günther, 1870) (Namibia to Durban) Spinner shark, Carcharhinus brevipinna (Müller & Henle, 1839), (TMNP MPA). Blacktip shark, Carcharhinus limbatus (Müller & Henle, 1839), (TMNP MPA). Dusky shark, Carcharhinus obscurus (Lesueur, 1818) (Cape Point to Mozambique) Sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827), (TMNP MPA). Blue shark, Prionace glauca (Linnaeus, 1758) (off south-western Cape coast) Family Scyliorhinidae – catsharks

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of marine vertebrates of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of marine vertebrates of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of marine vertebrates of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of marine vertebrates of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of marine vertebrates of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay

In research: List of marine vertebrates of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of marine vertebrates of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of marine vertebrates of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fauna of South Africa, Fauna of the Atlantic Ocean, Lists of biota of South Africa, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of marine vertebrates of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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Frequently asked questions

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