The world’s fastest fish is the Indo-Pacific sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus. This sport fish can swim up to 68 miles per hour by standards (a cheetah can run up to 70 miles per hour). Check out this incredible video from PBS which aired in August of 2010. Marine biologist, Rick Rosenthal, witnesses a rare moment of a sailfish feeding at night. You’ll also see a baby sailfish drawn into the light by Rick’s flashlight. Enjoy!
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Christmas critter countdown: Bearded seal
Bearded seals spend most of their lives in the Arctic waters, although they’ve been seen in southeast Florida! They enjoy feasting on arctic cod, shrimp, clams, crabs, and octopus and have been known to live up to 25 years. Learn more here.
Test your knowledge: What am I?
I am a bivalve that grows in the Atlantic Ocean. I do have several species closely related to me that live in freshwater. I am very closely related to clams and oysters. I tend to grow to about 4 inches long. I live in colonies and attach to bulkheads, rope and rocks very easily. To […]
My favorite posts from 2012
This isn’t the typical list of the most popular Beach Chair Scientist posts throughout the year. Those posts typically include questions typed into a search bar such as ‘Do sharks have bones?’ or ‘How much salt is in the ocean?’. Not surprisingly, my favorite posts aren’t focused on straight up interpretation, but rather have more […]
Mother Nature vs. Santa Claus? 13 reasons Mother Nature should always win
Say it isn’t so! Unfortunately, it’s the truth: Toys ‘R’ Us has pitted Mother Nature against Father Christmas. In case you missed the buzz in late October and early November about the Trees vs. Toys commercial I’ll share some of the outrage (that I share, but haven’t expressed until now) from Twitter. So how exactly […]
When did life in the ocean begin?
It is said that Earth was created about 4.5 billion years ago (bya). Life began about (note “about”) 3.5 bya. And, in fact, it is thought that life began in the oceans! Follow the evolution of the whale on the National Museum of Natural History’s Sant Oceans Hall on-line ocean portal and see if the […]
What do you spy with a horseshoe crab eye?
What advantages do horseshoe crabs have with their compound eyes (1000 tiny lens less than 1/10 of an inch in diameter)? Discovery Education produced this video on how horseshoe crabs see as a part of the Science Investigation series. Watch to see how Dr. Robert Barlow from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute uses a CrabCam to […]
Happy as a clam
Lately everyone has been asking me how the junior Beach Chair Scientist is doing and I often find myself saying, “Oh! She’s as happy as a clam!” It occurred to me that I didn’t fully understand the expression since clams are not known to smile. I did some research and found out that the phrase […]
How does a sea star move?
I came across this image of a dissected sea star and had to share it. It does a great job of identifying intricate details of the sea star physiology that are involved with the locomotion and vascular system of the invertebrate. The vascular system is part of the circulatory system that helps transport nutrients back […]
Myth debunked: Delaware Bay not an annual pit stop for all shark species
A fan of Beach Chair Scientist on Facebook recently asked me to demystify a rumor she had heard. This is what she wanted to know: “I was told that over the course of a year, at least one of every species of shark can be found in the Delaware Bay. Do you know if this […]
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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Unbelievable video. I don’t think I would have the courage to scuba dive in the dark. Who knows what is going to come out of the shadows!?
Great post and video. Thanks for the comparison to the cheetah – my son asks me questions like that all the time.
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