Marine & Freshwater Environmental Education
Follow BCS on Twitter
My TweetsWant updates on BCS posts?
Scroll through the BCS archives …
Learn more on …
Random posts from BCS …
Do all horseshoe crabs molt?
All horseshoe crabs molt – until they reach adulthood. They grow on average a quarter of their size each time they shed. Females grow to be about two feet across and males a bit smaller. Molting occurs several times during the first few years and slows as they age. It usually takes 17 molts to […]
More reasons why I love the Atlantic Horseshoe Crab…
As I mentioned before, the horseshoe crab is a rather frightening looking creature, however quite the opposite is true, they are the steadfast, strong member of the ocean community. This animal, not only is a vital part of the Atlantic coast food chain, but has remained rather unchanged since before the time of the dinosaurs! […]
Do isopods live in the ocean?
Yes. There are 45,000 different types of marine isopods. Isopods are crustaceans and have a body divided into three parts: head, thorax and abdomen. Actually, isopods are the most diverse of all the types of crustaceans and are unique because they are the most widely distrubed crustacean out there! When in doubt, call it an […]
The Cove
The Oscars are this Sunday and there is one documentary which you may want to check out. I have posted a review of “The Cove” by Kenneth Turran, a film and book critic for the Los Angeles Times. Have you already watched the film? I would love to know what you think.
Is there seaweed in ice cream?
Some products need a little something extra to basically hold it together. Certain ice creams, lip sticks and even beer use a derivative of red seaweed, called carrageenan, to emulsify the products. Do you have another great question? Check out www.beachchairscientist.com and let us know what you always ponder while digging your toes in the […]
Giveaway!
Spring break is right around the corner and I am in a great mood and ready to send a gift off to a giveaway winner! If you’re preparing for the rugged outstretched beaches of the Outer Banks, or the soft and sandy beaches of south Florida, or the rocky shores of Maine then this 32-page […]
No, sharks do not have a sixth sense
Sharks really do have a sixth sense. It is the electrosensory organ that we spoke of with the hammerhead sharks. The electrosensory organ is called the ampullae of Lorenzini. Sounds intimidating, however, it’s really just a jelly filled canal that starts near the nose and helps them find food under the sand and figure out […]
Snapple real fact #800: Most lipstick contains fish scales
Yes, that is correct. Not a surprising real fact once you realize the shiny fish scales are used to create that pearl essence look. The scales are taken as a by product from a relatively large scale commercial fish processing industry of herring. Herring are one of the most abundant and most important fish groups […]
UDub’s Dewey Decimal System of Ichthyology
I always love to share a new resource. When I stumbled upon the fish collection at the University of Washington I became extremely jealous. Don’t get me wrong … my undergraduate school had many other amazing attributes that were gems for studying fish (being situated next to an ocean in the middle of the pine […]
No balloons at the celebration for the Beach Chair Scientist …
Today is the fourth birthday of the Beach Chair Scientist blog. Despite the fact that some companies label latex balloons as ‘biodegradable’ and therefore, ‘safe’ for the environment, I will not be decorating any birthday celebration with balloons. Balloons blow! What has been widely spread is that latex balloons breakdown at ‘the same rate as […]
Resources & more …
Flickr photos …
What people are saying …
- Robert Emahiser on Why you should never walk on dunes
- Lesa on 10 brief facts on bioluminescence
- Lisa on Limulus Love
- Beach Chair Scientist on 17 facts about the wee sea potatoes
- Bernard Rejterada on 17 facts about the wee sea potatoes
- Brian on What is the difference between a summer and winter flounder?
- Inbound marketing on 15 facts about the Portuguese man-of-war that’ll have you saying “Didya know…?”
- Donnie Huckabee on Wordless Wednesday | Shell art
- John on Why you should never walk on dunes
- ItzJaylaD on What I know about whale sharks
Top posts & pages from BCS …
- Hurricane vs. Cyclone vs. Typhoon
- A House for Hermit Crab
- How to handle a horseshoe crab
- Snot's your house
- Wednesday Wisdom: Various quotes (Alaska scenes)
- A naturalist's must-see destination: Fossil Hunting at Bayfront State Park in Chesapeake Beach, MD
- Belly biology creates lasting memories
- Five awful puns about courtship in the sea
- Horseshoe crabs confirmed as members of arachnid family
- Beyond the bag: Other plastics being banned
Congrats. Welcome aboard.