The Ganymede parvipinnis

Introduction

For decades, gaining access to Jupiter’s largest moon, Ganymede, was impossible, but futuristically inevitable and in 2063 first human contact with Ganymede was made. Due to Ganymede’s cyclical shift, the moon, once thought lifeless, locked on a path closer to the sun and perfectly captured in the habitable zone that made it more susceptible to life and an easier target for human exploration. In the year 2070 a group of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, biologists, conversationists, ecologists, and zoologists led by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) professionals ventured to Ganymede Hub II, an international research habitat complete with long-term lodging and a state-of-the-art laboratory. Ganymede’s lunar makeup comprises mostly of scrubland, with some streams, two rivers, and a single ocean approximately the size of the Mediterranean Sea. The Violaceous Sea is similar to our own, however further study is required to determine the sea’s scale and biodiversity. For this project, an abundant figure of the Violaceous Sea was studied. Ganymede parvipinnis or the Ganymede small-fin shark is the most well documented aquatic specimen of Ganymede.

Material and Methods

Because of Ganymede’s atmosphere the air is breathable and nearly identical to that of Earth’s, however some adjustments to diving gear, cameras, and vessels needed to be addressed. All vessels were coated with a 3mm layer of stainless steel that usually degrades after twenty hours of use. All cameras required plastic casing, regardless if cameras were used in water or not. All metal-based dive gear (tank, weights, etc) could only be used in water for approximately ninety minutes. Preventing the use of most materials, specifically metal, in the Violaceous Sea is tied to the fungal composition of the water. The Violaceous Sea is composed of an estimated four thousand fungal species, but some mycologists believe this estimate is still too low. Of the many species of fungi identified, a handful of them erode metal, but pose no bodily threat to humans. Tagging equipment that can withstand the fungi are still being designed for future study.

Observations

The Ganymede small-fin shark can be found in the Neritic to Abyssal Zone with one documented at a depth of 4,300m. The greatest depth thus far explored in the Violaceous Sea was 9,145m in the Eugenie Layer. The Ganymede small-fin shark’s ability to inhabit such a vast area makes its diet just as impressive. Of the specimens examined, there appears to be both a primary set and secondary set of dentation. The first set includes three to five rows of serrated-blade like teeth with the second row composed of hair-like projections similar to baleen. Ganymede small-fin sharks were documented preying on coastal gill-less fish, which can grow up to a meter, and displaying an open mouth behavior that appears to be like the grazing behavior right whales perform to feed on plankton. Ganymede small-fin sharks hunt alone and in coordinated, dramatic hunts that take hours to execute and can include up to two-hundred individuals. The largest documented Ganymede small-fin shark weighed 1,401kg and measured 7.3m, however adult size is considered to be 2m and 41kg.

Ganymede small-fin sharks are robust with the distance from primary dorsal fin to ventral aspect measuring up to 3m. With impressive pectoral fins that usually make up to ten percent of body mass, the Ganymede small-fin shark slices through the water at a recorded of speed of 96km/hour despite the lack of a substantial dorsal fin. The secondary and tertiary dorsal fins are subsequently smaller, with the pelvic and anal fins matching in size. The caudal fin is paddle like and similar in shape to the manatee’s tail, albeit vertical. The most noted attribute of the Ganymede small-fin shark is its color; a violaceous luster with white dots that illuminate and move tail to nose and back and can be an accurate indication of heart rate. Further analysis of these white dots proves they are their own fungal species and while a symbiotic relationship exists between the shark and this fungus, further study is needed to better understand the exact reason for the relationship.

Results

Ganymede, despite its size, is proving to possess a biodiversity similar to Earth and with more research comes more questions and discoveries. Future ventures to Ganymede are required if life on the moon is to be documented for future generations and protections. While documenting the Ganymede small-fin shark another hundred species of fish, ray, and shark were also documented along with eighty species of seagrass, seventy-one species of marine bird, twenty species of marine mammal, and ten species of marine turtle with every species challenging current definitions of plant, fish, amphibian, mammal, reptile, and bird.