Marine & Freshwater Environmental Education
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GIVEAWAY CONTEST: How to politely refuse a plastic straw (BINGO edition!)
We’re making great strides of reducing the need for single use plastic bags and now the next great hurdle is letting go of plastic straws. They’re used for ten minutes but stay on the earth for centuries. Seabirds, sea turtles, marine mammals, and other ocean creatures have all fallen victim to ingesting them. Not too […]
How do fish float?
Bony fish have a swim bladder, a gas filled sac. The swim bladder originates as part of the belly. The swim bladder aids in creating an equilibrium with what is going on inside the fish and the surrounding water. Some fish have a bladder that is part of the respiratory system, called an air bladder. […]
Beach trivia
Can you name the world’s longest beach (at 76 miles long!)? Want to find out the location of the famous beach from the movie “From Here to Eternity“? Did you know that a beach on the west coast of Florida is the top spot to find seashells in the U.S.? You can learn all these […]
Why don’t fish freeze in the Arctic Ocean?
Fish species that frequent the cold temperatures of the Arctic Ocean (e.g., toothfish, cod, ice fish, etc.) have special ‘antifreeze’ proteins within their blood stream that enables them not to freeze in the cold waters of the northern hemisphere. This discovery was made about 50 years ago. Recently, scientists from the Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany […]
Take a guess! What do you think this lobsta weighs?
Image (c) Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. Do you have another good question for the Beach Chair Scientist? Go to http://www.beachchairscientist.com and let us know. Or you can e-mail your question to info@beachchairscientist.com.
The First Beach Chair Scientist post is about my favorite animal – The Atlantic Horseshoe Crab
Some might say that the horseshoe crab is quite possibly the scariest looking creature along the shoreline. However, I disagree. There’s actually a sweetheart of an animal underneath that tough, pointy, chitin exoskeleton. I am certain that the horseshoe crab has survived since before the time of the dinosaurs due to its ability to adapt […]
Eight quotes to remember
I’ve been exploring a lot of new museums lately since I just moved to the Chicagoland area. One thing I’ve noticed is the abundance of inspirational quotes on walls. I love this method of making use of space and design. However, many (many, many) of them are quotes from men. It’s no surprise given that […]
More on marine debris …
Healthy autumn eating tips Home » Health and Wellness Articles » Nutrition » Healthy autumn eating tips A change in season often means a change in diet and routine. You may feel more inclined to seek the warmth and comfort indoors once you notice it getting a little cooler outside. Avoid falling into the trap of sabotaging the healthy habits you […]
Can we eat sea cucumbers?
There’s a funny animal that lives on the floor of the ocean and likes to eat what most of us would only wipe off the bottom of our shoes. It’s name is the sea cucumber. The sea cucumber is an echinoderm and is closely related to sea stars, sea urchins, and sand dollars.To protect itself […]
April is National Frog Month
Yes, that is correct – April is National Frog Month. However, this is not a post about the amphibian, but is all about the frogfish! Contrary to popular belief, it’s easy being green if you’re a frogfish. First of all, you can change colors from green to black, or red, or orange, or yellow, or […]
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- 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
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