Snowy plovers are among some of the cutest shorebirds, don’t you think? Or, are they a seabird or a wading bird? Find out what the difference is here.
Christmas critter countdown: Star coral
December 11, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Coral may look like a rock but they’re certainly not! Take some time to learn about the vulnerable species here. It’s climate change we have to worry about but the ocean habitat is up against ocean acidification and the first clue is from coral.
Christmas critter countdown: Angel shark
December 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Hark! Unlike rays and skates, the nocturnal angel shark doesn’t have a mouth on the underside of its body, but rather in front. Learn more here.
Christmas critter countdown: Bearded seal
December 4, 2016 by Leave a Comment
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.
Christmas critter countdown: Jingle shells
December 3, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Christmas critter countdown continues!
Fishermen have been known to toss jingle shells over oyster beds in a process known as “shelling” to create a habitat for oysters can settle. Fishermen want to create habitat for oysters … not so much jingle shells because the raw meat of the jingle shell is sharply bitter to the taste. Learn more here.
Christmas critter countdown: Cookie cutter shark
December 3, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Another day of the countdown. This time it’s the ferocious cookie cutter shark. There’s nothing short of remarkably awesome when it comes to these sharks. They are small but also skillful in their ability to sneak up and eat prey much larger. They even have the largest tooth-to-body-length ratio of any shark (including the great white)! Learn more here.
Deadliest shark: Great white vs. bull?
December 2, 2016 by Leave a Comment
GREAT WHITE SHARK: Most great white sharks average in at about 15 feet in length, but some have been recorded as long as 20 feet. That’s a huge fish! They can reach speeds of 15 miles per hour (mph). So, the great white is a slow but mighty creature. Their bite force can reach up to 4,000 pounds per square inch (psi). Along with that … Great white have several rows of teeth and they are even serrated. Pretty scary mouth, if I do say so.
BULL SHARK: Bull sharks are typically eight feet in length, so already they are significantly smaller that great white sharks. Female bull sharks weigh in at about 290 pounds. A nine foot long bull shark could have bite force of upwards of 400 pounds. It doesn’t sound like much compared to the great white, but pound-for-pound a bull shark’s bite is stronger. Bull sharks can also swim inland in rivers.
MY VERDICT: To me the major concerns are keeping the great white shark’s length in mind while on the other hand taking into account that you could run into a bull shark in freshwater. Add in that scientists have proved that a bull shark’s bite is indeed more deadly that a great white. Bull sharks are also a more territorial species and might even be in freshwater … so that poses even more of running into them. To me, it’s suddenly a no-brainier. Bull sharks are definitely the most deadly species to humans (although, we are never actually what they hunt).
This post was written by Abby Kersh. Abby is a senior at Stonewall Jackson High School. She has been fascinated by the ocean since she could walk. She plans to study marine biology in college. She would like to concentrate of shark behavior when she completes college.
Christmas critter countdown: Christmas tree worm
December 1, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Admittedly, at this point my kind readers know that I’m a nut over some ocean humor (despite the rolling eyes from loved ones!). So if you’ll indulge me this holiday season I now have a list of twelve ornamental-appropriate organisms. My first one to share is the Christmas tree worm.
The Christmas tree worm, found in tropical coral reefs worldwide, has some amazing spiral plumes (i.e., tentacles) are used for feeding and breathing. The Christmas tree worm prefers to feast on phytoplankton floating in the water nearby. Learn more here.
A bromance in the sea
November 27, 2016 by Leave a Comment
There’s an eel – the giant moray – that teams up with the roving coral grouper to hunt for grub (i.e., cooperative hunting). The eel is slick enough to slither into crevices and flush out food for a feast. How’s that for a wingman!?
Look at them hitting the scene!
The giant moray and the roving coral grouper (also, known as a trout). Image (c) Science news
Facts about ‘Finding Dory’ friends
June 26, 2016 by 3 Comments
Maybe it’s because I’m a full-time teacher now, but my favorite character in Finding Dory is the Sting Ray. I mean, if it wasn’t for the class trip to learn about migration Dory – the blue tang with short-term memory loss – may never had thought about “going home” and the trek to look for her parents may never have happened. She is supported on the journey with Marlin and Nemo – a class act father and son clown anemonefish duo. However, they meet some other amazing new creatures and reconnect with some old friends. Here are some of my favorite facts to share about Hank the Octopus, Destiny the Whale Shark, Bailey the Beluga, Crush the Green Sea Turtle, and – of course, the Sting Ray Teacher!
What are your thoughts on the Finding Dory film? Did anyone catch that Dory should now have been able to speak “whale” because of her friendship with Destiny – given Destiny is actually a fish and not a whale?
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