Marine & Freshwater Environmental Education
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What lives in the spooky burrows on the beach?
The answer is appropriate for this time of year … those quarter-sized holes are the home the ghost crabs or fiddler crabs. Ghost crabs emerge to scavenger upon anything they can get including crabs or clams, bugs or insects, plants or dead stuff (detritus). The burrows are personal territories (i.e., not colonies like on Meerkat […]
One Big Wave, and Millions of Lost Legos
On Feb. 13, 1997, about 20 miles off the coast of England, a massive wave hit the freighter Tokio Express, toppling 62 giant containers into the rough north Atlantic seas. Trapped inside one of them: nearly 5 million Legos. Many floated to the surface. Carried by currents, they’re still being found on beaches around the world […]
How to track a horseshoe crab
Today I am excited to bring a new video produced by Coastal Kingdom TV, a television series dedicated to sharing the unique and diverse habitats of the South Carolina lowcountry. Host Tony Mills demonstrates the best way to track horseshoe crabs in the tidal flats of South Carolina and does a superb job enlightening us […]
Are horseshoe crabs dangerous?
No. I mentioned in the very first BCS blog entry that the horseshoe crab is a “sweetheart of an animal” and I will continue to defend that statement. Some people may think that the tail spine, or telson, is poisonous. What the telson is simply used for is to flip the animal over when a […]
70 Degrees West project
I’m continuing the theme of “We affect what goes in our watershed” this week (see posts on pharmaceuticals and oil) and introducing you to an adventurous and creative couple, Justin Lewis and Michelle Stauffer, working together on the 70 Degrees West project. They launched this project almost a year ago in April of 2012 and have […]
Crocodile Hunter’s dad working to save dugongs
Dugongs, a relative of manatees, are found off the coast of Africa and Australia. Steve Irwin’s dad, Bob, is on a mission for an “immediate moratorium on the hunting of endangered dugongs and sea turtles around the Australian coastline by Indigenous hunters.” Politicians have also been calling for the end to the hunting of dugongs […]
Where is the coral triangle?
After some research I scored a wonderful description of where the world’s most ecologically diverse marine ecosystem lies. Spanning over six countries this 6 million kilometers squared coral triangle is significant because it is home to six of the seven species of sea turtles. This infographic, produced by World Wildlife Fund, gives a rundown of […]
Why is the blood of horseshoe crabs blue?
Horseshoe crabs use hemocyanin to distribute oxygen throughout their bodies. Hemocyanin is copper-based and gives the animal its distinctive blue blood. We use an iron-based hemoglobin to move oxygen around. The blood of this living fossil has the ability to clot in an instance when it detects unfamiliar germs, therefore building up protective barriers to […]
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 […]
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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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