Sea Life II Australia 2011-2012 Perth Mint Pure Silver 5-Coin Set Full Perfect

Description

AUSTRALIA
2011-2012
AUSTRALIAN SEA LIFE
SERIES II -
THE REEF
(FULL SET OF
5
COINS)
5 x
50c
, 1/2 Oz each, pure 99.99% silver proof coins with color, individually packaged in original Perth Mint presentation cases.
Australian waters host some of the most famous reef systems in the world and the largest -
Great Barrier Reef
. Reefs form a haven for thousands of fascinating (and often brilliantly colored) marine animals. From spectacular tropical corals to towering forests of kelp, these dynamic environments are teeming with aquatic life.
Celebrating next five intriguing reef dwellers, the second release of stunning Perth Mint "Great Reef" series of pure silver proof collector coins includes:
Taku Turtle
,
Sea Star
,
Surgeonfish
,
Octopus
, and
Manta Ray
ALL COIN
S ARE IN
PERFECT MINT CONDITION
. EACH COIN
COMES WITH SERIALIZED COA
AND
IN ORIGINAL PRESENTATION CASE WITH ILLUSTRATED OUTER CARTON B
OX
.
The
obverse
of each coin shows the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, facing right, with ELIZABETH II, name of issuing country, denomination, and the year of issue
circling in a legend around the coin's edge.
The
reverse
designs include:
The
Hawksbill Sea Turtle
(
Eretmochelys imbricata
; known in Fijian as Taku) is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family
Cheloniidae
. It is the only species in its genus; as such, it has no close living relatives and is distinctly unlike other sea turtles in many respects. The species has a worldwide distribution, with Atlantic and Pacific subspecies. The hawksbill's appearance is similar to that of other marine turtles. It has a generally flattened body shape, a protective carapace, and flipper-like arms, adapted for swimming in the open ocean.
E. imbricata
is easily distinguished from other sea turtles by its sharp, curving beak with prominent tomium (or cutting edge of its beak), and the saw-like appearance of its shell margins. Hawksbill shells vary slightly in color, depending on water temperature. While this turtle lives part of its life in the open ocean, it spends more time in shallow lagoons and coral reefs where it feeds on its primary prey, sea sponges. They also feed on other invertebrates, such as comb jellies and jellyfish.
Starfish
(also called sea stars) are
echinoderms
(meaning "spiny skin"). There are about 1,800 living species of starfish; they reside in all the world's oceans, including the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian as well as in the Arctic and the Great Southern Ocean (i.e., Antarctic) regions. Starfish are among the most familiar of marine animals and possess a number of widely known traits, such as regeneration and feeding on mussels. Starfish exhibit pentamerism or pentaradial symmetry as adults. Most (but not all) starfish typically have five rays or arms, which radiate from a central disk. However, several species frequently have six or more arms. Several groups, such as the
Solasteridae
, have 10-15 arms, whereas some species, such as the Antarctic
Labidiaster annulatus
can have up to 50! It is not unusual for species that typically have five rays to sometimes possess six or more rays due to developmental abnormalities. Most starfish species are predators, eating mollusks such as clams, oysters, sea snails, and some other animals too slow to evade attack (e.g. other echinoderms, or dying fish or squid). Some species may consume coral polyps, sponges or even suspended particles and plankton. The processes of feeding and capture of prey may be aided by special parts; one American sea star uses a set of specialized tube feet to extend itself deep into the soft substrata of the sea floor to extract prey (usually clams). Starfish (and other echinoderms) pump water directly into their bodies, via the water vascular system, as they find it. This makes them vulnerable to all forms of water pollution, as they have little ability to filter the water of toxins and contaminants.
Surgeonfish
belongs to Acanthuridae family, which includes about 86 extant species of marine fish living in tropical seas, usually around coral reefs. Many of the species are brightly colored and popular in aquaria. The distinctive characteristic of the family is that they have scalpel-like modified scales, one or more on either side of the peduncle of the tail. The spines are dangerously sharp and may seriously injure anyone who carelessly handles such a fish. The dorsal, anal, and caudal fins are large, extending for most of the length of the body. The mouths are small and have a single row of teeth adapted to grazing on algae.[ Surgeonfishes sometimes feed as solitary individuals, but they often travel and feed in schools. Feeding in schools may be a mechanism for overwhelming the highly aggressive defense responses of small territorial damselfishes that vigorously guard small patches of algae on coral reefs.
The
Octopus
is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusk of the order
Octopoda
. Around 300 species are recognised, and the order is grouped within the class
Cephalopoda
with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like other cephalopods, the octopus is bilaterally symmetric with two eyes and a beak, with its mouth at the center point of the eight limbs. The soft body can rapidly alter its shape, enabling octopuses to squeeze through small gaps. They trail their eight appendages behind them as they swim. The siphon is used both for respiration and for locomotion, by expelling a jet of water. Octopuses have a complex nervous system and excellent sight, and are among the most intelligent and behaviourally diverse of all invertebrates. Octopuses inhabit various regions of the ocean, including coral reefs, pelagic waters, and the seabed; some live in the intertidal zone and others at abyssal depths. Most species grow quickly, mature early, and are short-lived. Strategies to defend themselves against predators include the expulsion of ink, the use of camouflage and threat displays, the ability to jet quickly through the water and hide, and even deceit. All octopuses are venomous, but only the Australian blue-ringed octopuses are known to be deadly to humans.
The genus
Manta
contains two species of manta rays: the
Reef Manta Ray
(
Manta alfredi
) and the Giant Oceanic Manta Ray (
Manta birostris
), which are the largest species of the rays in the family
Mobulidae
, and the largest rays in the world. Oceanic mantas reach at least 23 feet (7 meters) in width, while reef mantas reach about 18 feet (5.5 meters) in width; an average manta ray weighs over 2,000 pounds (1 ton)! Despite their huge size, mantas are gentle and harmless to humans (although they are often confused with the dangerous stingrays) - they do not have stingers in their tails, and they have only vestigial teeth. In fact, manta rays are filter feeders - they strain tiny plankton and fish larvae from the water as they swim. Individuals swim in slow vertical loops while feeding, possibly in an effort to concentrate prey items. The fleshy projections on either side of the mouth also funnel prey; when not feeding, these lobes are either furled or closed in front of the mouth. Manta rays display curiosity around humans, and swim among divers. Mantas are circumglobal and are typically found in tropical and subtropical waters, although oceanic manta rays can be found in temperate waters. Oceanic mantas reside in deep water, pelagic zones, making periodic visits to cleaning stations at seamounts and coastal reefs. Minimal concrete information exists on oceanic manta movements, but they are generally believed to be more transient and migratory than the smaller reef mantas, which tend to be resident of shallower coastal habitats.
Country
Australia
Year of Issue
2011-2012 (5 coins)
Face Value
5 x 50 cents
Weight
15.573 g x 5
Diameter
36.60 mm
Mintage
10,000 (each)
Finish
Proof with Color
Composition
99.99% Fine Silver
Edge
Serrated
Artist
Wade Robinson
COA/Case
Yes/Yes
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