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My favorite posts from 2012

December 31, 2012 by 2 Comments

This isn’t the typical list of the most popular Beach Chair Scientist posts throughout the year. Those posts typically include questions typed into a search bar such as ‘Do sharks have bones?’ or ‘How much salt is in the ocean?’. Not surprisingly, my favorite posts aren’t focused on straight up interpretation, but rather have more stewardship and conservation as their subject matter. Here is a list of my favorite posts from 2012 and why I enjoyed writing them.

And here is one of my favorite images posted from this year:

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Filed Under: Conservation, Environmental Education, Inspiration, Ocean Conservation, People

Merry Christmas!

December 20, 2012 by 3 Comments

I just want to extend a simple wish for a safe holiday! Here is an image of a driftwood ‘tree’ that my daughter and nephews decorated with clam shells.

Image (c) Jim McElhatton

Image (c) Jim McElhatton

“A song, a song, high above the trees,
With a voice as big as the sea,
With a voice as big as the sea,
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
do you know what I know,
In your palace warm, mighty king,
do you know what I know?
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold,
Let us bring Him silver and gold,
Let us bring Him silver and gold,
Said the king to the people everywhere,
listen to what I say,
Pray for peace, people everywhere!“

Lyrics from one of my favorite holidays tunes “Do You Hear What I Hear?”

Filed Under: Random Fun!

Share your love of the ocean with these unique and inspiring gifts

December 13, 2012 by 1 Comment

With less than two weeks before the big ‘gift-o-rama’ day, it’s time to hunker down and get those gifts in time for wrapping and shipping (after all, shipping ground is a lot less harmful for the environment than air). Here’s a list of gift ideas that will inspire anyone on your list to follow your lead to take an active role in loving and learning about the ocean.

1. Beach Amazonite necklace from Peace of Mind on Etsy: It’s a piece to be treasured with a sweet little charm that hangs  on an 18″ sterling silver ball chain with a lobster style clasp. Also, $10 from the sale of each necklace will be donated to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.
2. Cutting board from Waypoint (pictured): Avalon_CB-250x250This sturdy piece features the coordinates of ‘where you want to be’ and is made of solid maple and mahogany. It makes an interesting decoration or is perfect for serving appetizers. The double cleat board features two stainless steel 5” Herrschoff nautical cleats and measures approximately 8″ x 20″. This classic piece was a big hit as a recent gift for my father-in-law who has a cottage in Falmouth, UK. Made in the USA.
3. Driftwood hat or coat rack from nestibles on Etsy: Check out this sturdy, repurposed, shabby chic hook set for your entryway. The wood was collected from Long Island Sound and was sanded with a yellow paint wash.
4. Horseshoe crab pillow from Outer Banks Trading Group: It’s a hand sewn 14″ x 24″ pillow printed with environmentally friendly pigment ink on an organic cotton/hemp blend with a knife edge. Made in the USA.
5. Marine rope doormat from Gaiam: This durable doormat, made from reclaimed lobster trap float ropes, is resistant to mildew and indestructible. It’s 33” x 20½”  and is available with the options of black/teal and blue/green, although they vary because the availability is based upon the float ropes traded in by the Maine lobstermen.
6. Messenger bag from United By Blue: This bag is perfect for any beach adventure. It’s made of 100% organic cotton and United By Blue removes 1 pound of trash from our oceans and waterways around the world for every item sold.
7. Salts of the world from Uncommon Goods: Six varieties of exotic salts for presentation or cooking. It’s set in a groovy and stylish rack made of reclaimed cedar. The salts are from around the world but the tubes are made in the USA.
8. Tumblers from Tervis: These sturdy insulated cups keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold by harnessing air and sport all sorts of designs from the Maryland blue crab to your alma mater. Made in the USA.

Check out these fun finds for the kids:

1. 10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle
2. Lionfish puzzle from Fat Brain Toys
3. Sea life bath puzzle from Abe’s Market
4. Sea plane from Green Toys

These are just some ideas if you’re sitting at your desk shopping. But, why not get out there are check out the gift shop at your local nature center?

Filed Under: Conservation, Inspiration, Ocean Conservation Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Ho, ho, ho! Look who’s coming to town … it’s the bearded seal!

December 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The rather short snout with thick, long, white whiskers gives this true seal it’s appropriate common name. The bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus) can be as long 8 feet and weigh up to 800 pounds. I guess now we know what idiom they use under the sea instead of “the 800 pound gorilla in the room …”. These seals tend not to be seen in packs like their more social counterparts we view along harbors.

Bearded seals spend most of their lives in the Arctic waters, although one was recently found in southeast Florida. They enjoy feasting on arctic cod, shrimp, clams, crabs, and octopus and have been known to live up to 25 years. For more information on the conservation efforts and status of the bearded seal population please check out this page created by the NOAA Fisheries Service Office of Protected Resources.

Adult bearded seal by by wildlife photographer Paul Souders

Adult bearded seal by by wildlife photographer Paul Souders

Image (c)  www.telegraph.co.uk

Filed Under: Animal Homes, Biodiversity, Marine Mammals, Marine Science Tagged With: , , , , ,

Jingle shells, jingle shells, jingle all the way

December 5, 2012 by 3 Comments

Oh, you know it’s stuck in your head. If not the Christmas carol, than the image of the beautiful shell that leaves a twinkle in the sand as you walk along the shoreline. Many people assume jingle shells are juvenile oysters because they’re often attached to them. But, jingle shells are their very own species known as Anomia simplex. Here are 10 facts for you to better get to know this treasured beachcomber’s find.

1. Jingle shells have thin, translucent shell halves that look like frosted nail polish.
2. Jingle shells have also been nicknamed “Mermaid’s Toenails”, “Saddle Oyster”, or  “gold shell”.
3. Jingle shells appear all year and are found in shallow waters, beaches, oyster beds, and mollusk shells as far north as the coast of Nova Scotia, and all the way down south to Brazil.
4. The jingle shell is a bivalve mollusk, similar to mussels, oysters, and scallops, which all have two separate shells or “valves”. The upper valve is rounded and movable. The lower valve is typically flat and forms to the object which it is attached. It has a hole in the top where tufts of filament, the animal’s byssal threads, grow out to attach it to another surface (i.e., Jingle shells are epifaunal just like bromeliads).
5. The raw meat of the jingle shell is sharply bitter to the taste.
6. The jingle shell can reach up to 1-3 inches.
7. The lower valve of the jingle shell remains white, while the upper valve ranges from shiny lemon yellow, golden, brownish, silvery black, or pale buff. The shiny iridescence of the jingle shell is retained even after death.
8. Jingle shells take in water and filter nutritious plankton and other food through ciliated gills.
9. Jingle shells were given their common name because of the sound they make when strung together. Beachcombers often use jingle shells to make jewelry or wind chimes. Julia Ellen Rogers noted in her 1931 The Shell Book that “Pretty lampshades are made by piercing the valves of jingle shells near the hinge and stringing them, then attaching the strands so as to fit over the outside of a plain glass or porcelain shade, whose brightness is pleasantly mellowed by the network of shells”.
10. Fishermen have been known to disperse jingle shells over oyster beds in a process known as “shelling” to create a habitat for oysters can settle.

jingleshells_mitchellspublicationsdotcom

 

 

Filed Under: Bivalves, Mollusks Tagged With: , , , , , ,

It’s a happy holidays giveaway

December 4, 2012 by 7 Comments
Horseshoe Crabs and Velvet Worms by Richard Fortey

Horseshoe Crabs and Velvet Worms by Richard Fortey

Let your heart be light … It’s officially the holiday season! I am seeing twinkling lights throughout the neighborhood, trees trimmed in the window, and I seem to be baking up a storm.

It’s also my favorite time of year to tell those around me how much I appreciate them. If you read this blog, ‘like’ Beach Chair Scientist on Facebook, or ‘follow’ Beach Chair Scientist on Twitter you’re certainly keeping me going and I am very grateful for your support. It’s been a fantastic adventure answering your questions and creating entertaining and educational answers. Also, it’s such a pleasure each time I (virtually) meet new people that continually inspire me.

From now until the end of Wednesday, December 12th I’ll throw your name into another giveaway to win a copy of the New York Times best seller, Horseshoe Crabs and Velvet Worms by Richard Fortey, if you 1) comment on any post here or 2) comment on any post on Facebook or 3) retweet any content on Twitter (@bcsanswers). Each time you comment or retweet will be another chance to win. The book is an incredible gift for the natural history buff on your list or even for yourself!

Update (12/13/2012): Thanks to Random Picker for helping make the raffle so efficient! The winner of Horseshoe Crabs and Velvet Worms is a Twitter follower! Thank you to everyone that participated your support means the world!

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Filed Under: Inspiration, Ocean Conservation, People, Random Fun! Tagged With: , ,

Monday Inspiration: Persian Ceiling by Dale Chihuly

December 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This past weekend I took a road trip to Richmond, VA and was thrilled to be introduced to the ethereal artistry of the glassworks created by Dale Chihuly at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. In particular from this exhibit, the piece ‘Persian Ceiling‘ is an experience I wanted to share. As I gazed up into the illuminated glass ceiling with the gleaming and luminescent art densely piled up (practically to the sky!),  I was certain I had been transformed to another point in time.

It was as if I was witness to the Great Barrier Reef at its apex in species diversity and brilliance of color. I wondered how he created such movement in still objects – spectacular! No doubt I was head-over-heels impressed due to the beautiful daylight that was paired with the exhibit space. I also found it incredibly playful how Chiluly interspersed echinoderms, mollusks, and cephalopods to give the illusion that you’re indeed walking under the sea (see if you can spot them in the images below). If you have the opportunity, you cannot go wrong with investigating the work of Chihuly. If you’re lucky enough to see his work first hand, it will surely brighten your day and have your feeling inspired.

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Images (c) Beach Chair Scientist

Filed Under: Inspiration, Random Fun! Tagged With: , , , , ,

If you gooble, gooble the turkeyfish know your source

November 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

006The extravagant fins of the lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific, resemble the plumage of turkeys and have thus earned the additional common name of ‘turkeyfish’. What is so ironic about that particular nickname is that scientists and fisheries managers have urged us to ‘gooble’ up this exotic looking creature. What’s happened over time is a gradual introduction of the lionfish along the southeast coast of the U.S., the Caribbean, and in parts of the Gulf of Mexico by way of too many releases from fish tanks in the late 1980’s and early 1990s. Unfortunately, these fish have become quite a nuisance in their new neighborhood. In 2010, Juliet Eilperin wrote this on how the lionfish are destroying the reefs along the southeastern Atlantic coast, “As a top predator, it consumes juvenile snapper and grouper along with algae-eating parrotfish, all of which help keep reefs healthy. Between 2004 and 2008, local densities of lionfish increased by roughly 700 percent in some areas; there are now 1,000 lionfish per acre on certain reefs”. As part of the plan for recovering the reefs, in 2010 a campaign was launched to catch lionfish and deep fry, blacken, sautée, or even turn it into an ingredient in sushi. Although, it is imperative that your know you’re source. This past summer, the FDA tested almost 200 lionfish and found there was a high level of the toxin that causes ciguatera in nearly a quarter of the fish. However, according to Michael Dimin, founder of Sea to Table, sautéeing them is still the best way to regain a more natural balance.

Not interested in eating them? You can even help to control the population by becoming a lionfish hunter yourself!

Filed Under: Biodiversity, Environmental Education, Fish, Marine Science

Do all horseshoe crabs molt?

November 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Once a horseshoe crab reaches their full size they stop molting. Their shells then come to host many sessile creatures, including slipper snails.

Once a horseshoe crab reaches their full size they stop molting. Their shells then come to host many sessile creatures, including slipper snails.

All horseshoe crabs molt – until they reach adulthood. They grow on average a quarter of their size each time they shed. Females grow to be about two feet across and males a bit smaller. Molting occurs several times during the first few years and slows as they age. It usually takes 17 molts to reach sexual maturity  at age 9-11.

Studies have proven that adults do not molt because the age of organisms living of the crab’s shell. For instance, scientists Bottom and Ropes (1988) completed a study to determine that large slipper snails (Crepidula fornicata) were at least 8 years old on a sample of specimens. This would then make the average age of horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay to be 17 years old.

Also, the deteriorated carapace of some horseshoe crabs, as well as the presence of internal chitinous rods that hold the carapace in place are also evidence that older horseshoe crabs do not molt.

Filed Under: Atlantic Horseshoe Crab, Environmental Education, Marine Science Tagged With: , , ,

New benthic species discovered off the coast of California

November 9, 2012 by 1 Comment

You might think all the animals that live in the ocean are floating throughout the sea, but there are entire communities of benthic animals and plants that live in a two-dimensional way just like we do on land. ‘Benthos’ are animals and plants that live in or on the ocean floor. These benthic animals live by one of three strategies: 1) attachment to a firm surface, 2) free movement on the ocean floor, 3) burrowing in the sediment. Sometimes a species may live by more than one of these strategies.

Recently, a newly described benthic animal was discovered in the deep-sea off the coast of California. Here is a video produced by the Monterrey Bay Aquarium and Research Institute of the carnivorous sponge, known as the harp sponge (Chondrocladia lyra).  It got the common name – harp – because the sponge has evolved up to 6 veins with structures fanning out from the spine to maximize ocean currents. The elaborate ribs have velcro-like hooks used to ensnare tiny prey and are also useful for distributing eggs. These animals use a rhizoid to anchor itself to the sea floor.

Filed Under: Invertebrates, Sponges Tagged With: , , , , ,