Seven silly sea science words

Somewhere along the line people got the idea that science is scary and intimidating. But, like so much of this world … science is much more than what we first think. Science can be silly. Science can be fun. Science can be collecting and analyzing data. But, science is creating questions. And, science is sharing results.

Science can even make you smile. To prove it – here are some silly sounding words that make me laugh every time I say them. I actually had to have my daughter narrate this short film because “caudle peduncle” is just too much sometimes. Hopefully this clip will make you curious to explore new words and realms within science. It’s bound to make you smile at least! By the way, do you have a favorite sounding sea science word?

What's your faorite sea science word?

Seven silly sea science words Music by Colin Miller/Narrated by Winnie Miller

 

Christmas critter countdown: Cookie cutter shark

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.

Christmas critter countdown: Cookie cutter sharks

Christmas critter countdown: Christmas tree worm

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.

Christmas critter countdown: Chrsitams tree worms

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.

Superlatives of the sea

This past Friday I had a particularly curious and enthusiastic fifth block Oceanography class. All of their questions were marine science related so I broke out some notecards and asked them to write all of their burning inquiries down. I wanted to tackle them thoughtfully … here I am! My students are amazing inspiration and I’m quite grateful to them for some fun reason to get back to writing here.

My most entertaining question was “What’s the most extravagant animal in the ocean?” I mean, there are just so many ways to think on it. I asked on Twitter and got lots of good ideas … Since I spend my days in a high school, I went with some superlative options. These are a few I came up with but I am looking to see what you all might think: Octopus (Most likely to win a Noble Prize in Physics), Frogfish (Most confident), Erect-crested penguin (Coolest hair), Leafy sea dragon (Best dressed), or the Whale shark (Biggest life of the party).

What the most extravagant animal in the sea?

What is the most extravagant animal in the sea?

Please send some other suggestions!

 

 

A quiz on the geography of the ocean (i.e., oceanography)

I’m joyfully studying for an earth science test this month to teach high school oceanography (one day)! I thought I’d share some fun questions here to test your knowledge. And, here’s an image of features of the ocean floor on the from glogster to help jog your memory!

abyssal-plain-jpg

1. The deepest ocean is the
A. Pacific
B. Atlantic

2. Which feature is formed where oceanic plates are separating?
A. submarine canyon
B. rift

3. Which of the following describes a seamount?
A. underwater mountain range
B. isolated mid-ocean volcano

4. A small area of ocean that is partially surrounded by land is called a(n)
A. sea
B. continental shelf

5. A large flat area on the ocean floor is called a(n)
A. rift valley
B. abyssal plain

Comment your answers below (or Facebook or Tweet ’em!)! All correct answers will be dropped into a raffle at the end of the month for a copy of 10 Beachcombing Adventures: A guide for investigating the Atlantic coast shoreline.

Wednesday Wisdom: Albert Einstein

lookintonature_beachchairscientist

Find more great ocean and conservation quotes here and please feel free to share with your friends and family!

Also, ask away! If you have a question about something you found on the beach or just something you’re curious about just send an email to info@beachchairscientist.com or tweet us!

Marine Mammal Monday: The Marine Mammals of Virginia

From Robert A. Blaylock of Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) (thirty years ago!) is a pretty fun guide to look through if you’re into historical documents. Yes, that would be me. It is not very up to date on endangered species listing, but was does a fantastic job setting out on its intention “To aid citizens in identification, this guide describes the natural history of marine mammals. This guide is organized by taxonomic orders and families; within a subfamily, species are listed by their frequency of appearance in Virginia waters. Space limits descriptions of the species’ habitats and distributions to the western North Atlantic.”

Find more Marine Mammal Monday here!

MarineMammalofVA_Blaylock

Wednesday Wisdom: Wendell Berry

wendellberry_beachchairscientist

Find more great ocean and conservation quotes here and please feel free to share with your friends and family!

Also, ask away! If you have a question about something you found on the beach or just something you’re curious about just send an email to info@beachchairscientist.com or tweet us!

Marine Mammal Monday: Elephant seals

elephantseals_beachchairscientist

Please feel free to share with your friends and family where you learned something new about elephant seals today!

Also, ask away! If you have a question about something you found on the beach or just something you’re curious about just send an email to info@beachchairscientist.com or tweet us!

Wednesday Wisdom: Sarah Kay

Becausebeautiful_BCS

Find more great ocean and conservation quotes here and please feel free to share with your friends and family!

Also, ask away! If you have a question about something you found on the beach or just something you’re curious about just send an email to info@beachchairscientist.com or tweet us!