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Marine & Freshwater Environmental Education
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Do isopods live in the ocean?
Yes. There are 45,000 different types of marine isopods. Isopods are crustaceans and have a body divided into three parts: head, thorax and abdomen. Actually, isopods are the most diverse of all the types of crustaceans and are unique because they are the most widely distrubed crustacean out there! When in doubt, call it an […]
5 fun facts about seahorses
The female lays her eggs in the male’s tummy pouch, he then incubates them for about 30 days, then they hatch. Seahorses do not have a stomach; they eat constantly to help get enough food to digest. Seahorses do not have teeth; they have a fused jaws, so they kind of suck up their food […]
How do sandbars get started?
The current closest to the ocean floor is moving offshore and dumps small piles of sand right at the wave break area. The sand accumulates to various degrees, and regardless it makes the water much shallower where you stand. Now, the sandbars that I am thinking of are very long and are parallel to the […]
Eight quotes to remember
I’ve been exploring a lot of new museums lately since I just moved to the Chicagoland area. One thing I’ve noticed is the abundance of inspirational quotes on walls. I love this method of making use of space and design. However, many (many, many) of them are quotes from men. It’s no surprise given that […]
Test your knowledge: Coral reefs
Every once in a while it is fun to test your knowledge and see if you are as smart as you think you are in a certain subject. Today it is time see how well you know coral reefs. Have fun with these ten questions … It has been found that some coral reefs have […]
What are the tiny colorful clams you find under the sand when digging?
These tiny colorful clams are commonly known as coquina clams. Did you see them wriggle under the sand? They use a muscled foot to dig a burrow and hide from their enemies: crabs, sea stars, and snails. They can feed themselves with the muscle coming out of the other end, called a siphon. The siphon […]
Oh, Bermuda Triangle, where art thou?
Do you have another great question? Check out www.beachchairscientist.com and let us know what you always ponder while digging your toes in the sand or e-mail beachchairscientist@gmail.com. Image (c) behindblondiepark.com
Is a starfish really a fish?
No. The classic common name is very misleading. Scientists and environmental educators are transitioning their language to seastar when referring to this animal because, well, it is not a fish. The seastar is in the same family as the sea urchin, sea cucumber, sand dollar and a few others that all have these things in […]
How do fish float?
There are a few different answers – depending on what type of fish we are asking about. The most sophisticated types of fishes – bony fishes – have a swim bladder. These fish can inflate their swim bladder with gas from a special gas gland. The gas is basically oxygen from the fish’s blood. Bony […]
5 most dangerous shark species
Since you asked … but, I’d like to preface this list of the 5 most dangerous sharks with this excerpt taken from an article in Time by Terry McCarthy. “In California there is only one shark attack for every 1 million surfing days, according to the Surfrider Foundation. You are 30 times as likely to […]
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