The Strait of Messina is one of the point of interest in the whole Sicily. Both from the historical point of view and from the logistic one the Strait of Messina represents a crucial junction in commerce and a fundamental place in literature. Located west of the Region it is only 1.9 miles wide at its narrowest point, between Villa San Giovanni and Torre Faro.
The biosphere
The hydrological conditions of the Strait of Messina are extraordinary, and quite peculiar and special are the populations that it houses. In fact, the intense hydrodynamism and the chemical characteristics of the waters of the strait are able to condition the organisms that live in it and, indeed, they manage to influence the whole biological asset of the environment determining an extraordinary ecosystem, unique in the Mediterranean for biocoenosis and abundance of species; the Strait of Messina, therefore, constitutes a fundamental reservoir of biodiversity.
The intense and alternating currents, the low temperature and the abundance of nitrogen and phosphorus salts transported to the surface by deep waters determine the availability of a large amount of organic substance used both by pelagic organisms and, above all, by coastal benthic populations. All this, together with the associated phenomena, determines a real ecological rearrangement that tends to simulate an “atlantic” condition in the prevalently western species. In fact, many purely Atlantic species, such as laminaria (large brown algae), although present in some other area of the Mediterranean Sea only in the Strait of Messina manage to form well-structured communities forming real underwater forests to prove optimal environmental conditions.
In this regard, it is important to point out that both the low-depth laminaria (Sacchoryza polyschides) and the deep populations at Laminaria ochroleuca, and the associated plant communities, are strictly dependent on the physical and biological characteristics of the substratum. As is known, in fact, to complete their life cycle, these organisms require a solid substratum already colonized by calcareous rodophyceae, in the absence of which the settlement can not take place.
The Strait of Messina, a border between the two western and eastern basins of the Mediterranean Sea, is an important point of observation of the migratory flows of the species found in the two basins. In this area planktonic communities arrive, or even from distant, both Eastern and Atlantic origins. Among the benthic species, of particular importance is the presence of Pilumnus inermis, previously considered exclusively Atlantic, which is one of the most relevant species in the association to Errina aspera (hydrozoan), known endemism of the Strait of Messina, on which lives a Cipreide mollusk (Pedicularia sicula), found at the level of the saddle between 80 and 110 m, where there are many other species including the Ophiactis ofiura dances and the crustaceans Parthenope expansa and Portunus pelagicus (lessepsian immigrant) . The giant dog’s tooth (Pachylasma giganteum) is also worth mentioning. Great biological and ecological importance is also due to the aforementioned Laminariales of the Strait (Sacchoryza polyschides and Laminaria ochroleuca). Finally, it seems necessary to highlight both the presence of Albunea carabus and of significant settlements of Pinna nobilis and, as regards plant populations, the presence of calcareous Rodoficee and of vast Posidonia meadows. oceanica, widely distributed by range and depth. Also worthy of note for plant organisms is the presence of Phyllariopsis brevipes, Phyllariopsis purpurascens, Desmarestia dresnayi, Desmarestia ligulata, Cryptopleura ramosa, which are considered extremely important because they are present only in this area or in a few other areas. restricted areas of the Mediterranean Sea.
From the point of view of wildlife, the Strait of Messina has always been considered the paradise of zoologists, due to the enormous biodiversity that characterizes it. The benthic invertebrate species are the ones that arouse the most interest. The backdrop is enriched by a great variety of shapes and colors due to the abundance of coelenterates (actinias, madrepores and corals).
Beach Rock
Along the Sicilian and Calabrian coasts of the strait there is a coastal biotope of considerable interest, consisting of a biocenotic complex that, due to its particular origin and structure, can not go unnoticed (in fact, on the Sicilian shore, it falls within the boundaries of the Lagoon Nature Reserve of Capo Peloro). It is an extended stretch of coast between Capo Peloro and S. Agata, affected by the presence of a rocky bench which, from the beach line, goes up to a few meters of depth.
This formation, interpretable as a beach rock, is situated in a position of connection between the mesolittoral plane and the upper fringe of the infralittoral plane. This structure is the only natural hard substrate for the benthic communities within this bathymetric belt, along the Sicilian side of the strait.
Moreover, for its particular morphology, for the topographic distribution, and according to the particular conditioning determined by the hydrodynamic regime of the strait, the structure hosts completely original benthic communities, compared to what is known for the generality of related Mediterranean biotopes. In addition to its significant interest in terms of geological documentation (evidence of Tyrrhenian age) and anthropological (formerly used as a quarry for millstones), the structure is of great importance as it hosts extensive formations in Vermetus, that is a protected biotope at community level . These formations also represent a unique case in the Mediterranean Sea, as they are located on the surface of the conglomerate, rather than arranged in the typical trottoir formation.
Bird Migrations
The Strait of Messina is a fundamental and obligatory junction of the migration of migratory birds that cross its characteristic bottleneck shape to go to reproduce or search for food mainly in the northern European countries, managing to cover distances of thousands of kilometers driven by a sense guidance that even today, after thousands of years, fascinates scientists as not yet fully disclosed.
There are numerous species observable in flight over the Strait of Messina, over 250, ranging from the most accidental ones like the bird of the tailed storms, the gregarious lapwing and the white pelican, to the most frequent among which the birds are the main birds. from prey among which deserve a special mention the hawk hawk whose sightings count the greatest number of individuals every year and the albanella whose number of sightings is unparalleled in the rest of Europe.
Ulysses between Scylla and Charybdis
Ulysses, with his cunning, managed to overcome and survive the long series of deadly obstacles encountered during his journey. After leaving the Island of Circe and having unscathed through the Sirens from the enchanting voice, now has to choose between two impossible routes: the first passes between the beating rocks, the second between Scylla and Charybdis. Scilla is a terrible sea monster with twelve legs and “six long necks, with a hideous head on it and three rows of teeth, thick and numerous, filled with black death”. In front of her is Cariddi, a gigantic whirlwind that turns without stopping, swallowing everything and approaching it and regurgitating it to the surface; if Ulysses were to get too close, he would risk ending up at the bottom of the sea with the ship and all his crew. Ulysses orders his men to avoid the beating rocks and to aim at the canal: the Strait of Messina, Scylla and Charybdis. “We were sailing through the strait: on one side it was Scylla, on the other the clear Charybdis began to suckle the sea-water sauce. When he vomited, it bubbled all over, like a leech on a big fire: from above the foam fell on the top of both rocks. But when he sucked the sea-water sauce, all shivering appeared on the bottom, the rock around bawled horribly, from below appeared the black earth of sand.
A pale anguish took them. We turned to look at it, fearing the end, and here Scilla took the six best companions for my arms and strength from the ship. ” Ulysses and his crew were not able to pass the test unharmed: the hero maneuvered the ship so as to pass closer to Scilla, as losing the whole ship would be much worse than losing only a part of its crew. For Ulisse it turns out to be just this the worst moment of the whole trip. His companions are dragged into the water from the mouths of the monster, but he is powerless and, moreover, aware that those men are dying because of his decision. After all, even the most humane among the commanders knows that sooner or later he might find himself having to sacrifice some of his men to accomplish the mission.
