Zooxanthellae are the photosynthetic organism that live within coral reefs and supply the food to the reef building corals. They have a symbiotic relationship with the other protists but can also live an independent life. Enjoy this quick video about the process!
Marine & Freshwater Environmental Education
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What are those yellow looking things that look like a floppy spinal cord?
The strand of half dollar sized pods is an egg case. Actually each pod has about twenty tiny animals in each pod. The tiny animal that will grow from this egg case is the knobbed whelk. This is basically a northeast version of a conch (pronounced conk). If you hold the tiny discs up to […]
A naturalist’s must-see destination: Fossil Hunting at Bayfront State Park in Chesapeake Beach, MD
The sand cliffs along Chesapeake Bay in Calvert County, Maryland, which run about 24 miles long, formed more than ten million years ago when southern Maryland was covered in warm, shallow sea waters.Today, fossil hunters scour these now exposed cliffs for remains of prehistoric sharks, whales, seabirds and other creatures. I had never heard about […]
Christmas critter countdown: Harp seal
This is the fluffy creature that tugs at our heartstrings and purses to fork over donations. What should you do though if you see a seal coming up on shore and lounging like he doesn’t have a care in the world? Or, if they’ve somehow lost their adorable, cute white fur and are a patchy? […]
Are laughing gulls really funny?
NO! Not at all. Laughing gulls, or Larus atricilla, are quite aggressive. These birds travel up and down the coasts and never have to stray far inland. They are extremely confident and spend their days foraging food from overly-relaxed beach goers. They will easily push larger birds, for instance, a pelican, right out of the […]
5 ocean-themed kid costumes from Etsy
It’s not too late to find a costume for your little one to show-off a growing love of the ocean for this Halloween! Here are five adorable costumes I found on Etsy that are worth some serious consideration. (The only reason I was looking was because I keep checking to see if anyone has made […]
It’s as easy as A, B, Sea: O for Operculum
Operculum is the hard scalelike cover of the gills of bony fishes. Cartilaginous fishes (such as sharks, skates and rays) all lack a gill cover. Image (c) www.webs.lander.ed
How did ‘Take a Child Outside’ Week get started?
If I had to nail down three themes for this blog I would say marine science, ocean conservation, and environmental education would encompass all 406 posts. This one is dedicated to environmental education and more specifically a new initiative that I am a strong advocate for – not only one week out of the year […]
What is bycatch?
Bycatch is a term used to classify the incidental fish, mammals, birds, sea turtles or invertebrates that may be caught while targeting other species in a fishery. One of the biggest victims of these unintentional catches are the black-footed albatross. They frequently swallow bait attached to the lines of long-line fishing boats. At least 300,000 […]
Quick deep sea coral tutorials
Did you know that corals are living in the deep sea? That’s right, they’re aren’t only a part of the vibrant sunny reef ecosystems we’ve grown to know and love while watching movies like Finding Dory or Chasing Coral. Some species of coral live in complete darkness and withstand incredibly cold temperatures. They are just […]
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.
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