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Beach Chair Scientist’s Top Ten Posts

December 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Now that we have posted 200 entertaining posts of random beach trivia we thought it would be fun to review the most visited posts to see what our audience enjoys reading from us. So during this holiday season let’s make a toast to the top ten most read entries.

Thanks for reading all the posts from BCS and let us know if you have a questions while digging your toes in the sand!

What about blob (fish)?

The First Beach Chair Scientist post is about my favorite animal – The Atlantic Horseshoe Crab

Break it down. It’s hammertime … (doooo doo doo dut .. doo dut ..doo dut.)

10 facts about manatees

What do you mako this?

How much salt is in the ocean?

What eats sea urchins?

Do lobsters mate for life?

Swiped bass

Who is afraid of Atlantic wolf (fish)?

Filed Under: Ocean

National Hagfish Day is October 20th

October 19, 2010 by Leave a Comment

You may not know it, but, tomorrow is National Hagfish Day. The day was created to draw attention and appreciation of all marine animals and plants. So please do not forget to appreciate not only the charismatic bottlenose dolphin, but, also the not-so-charismatic hagfish, sea cucumbers and horseshoe crabs.

Here is a little bit of background information on the hagfish.

The hagfish was thought to be a jawless lamprey when first discovered in Norway in 1747. This cartilaginous fish has no jaw, scales or fins and lives in temperate regions in the southern and northern hemispheres. When a hagfish is born it is born with both female and male reproductive organs. They often change from male to female by seasons. The over 70 species belong to the family “Myxinidae”. The prefix myxi- means slime and relates to the animals ability to produce a slime as a form of defense.

Another interesting fact is that the hagfish is practically blind as it has its eyes located under its slimy skin.

Filed Under: Fish Tagged With:

Test your knowledge: Coral reefs

September 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Fishing in the Maldives

Image via Wikipedia

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 …

  1. It has been found that some coral reefs have been growing since a) 10 million years old b) 50 million years ago c) 1 million years ago.
  2. Single coral organisms, called polyps, can live on their own. true or false?
  3. Coral reefs are typically found in which zone of the ocean? a) the twilight zone b) the sunlight zone c) mid-day zone
  4. Coral reefs are simply coral colonies that have joined together. true or false?
  5. Corals are a) insectivores b) carnivores 3) herbivores.
  6. Corals are a) endangered b) threatened 3) extinct.
  7. What is credited to the diverse colors of coral reefs?
  8. Coral reefs support over a) 10% b) 25% c) 50% of life in the oceans.
  9. Corals are closely related to a) horseshoe crabs and spiders b) sea anemones and jellies c) crabs and shrimp.
  10. Corals will die immediately if they do not feed off the byproducts of photosynthesis of the algae they host. true or false?

Find your answers here.

Filed Under: Coral Reef Ecosystems, Test Your Knowledge

About BCS

Do you have a great question Beach Chair Scientist needs to answer? Chicagoland (yes, that’s right – I am in Chicagoland!) – Are you interested in having the Beach Chair Scientist visit your classroom, camp, or community event? Skype is always a possibility, too! Or, do you just want to tell us how we’re doing? Please leave a comment below or email info@beachchairscientist.com. You can also find Beach Chair Scientist on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

Ann McElhatton

Teacher. Storyteller. Environmental Educator. Science Communicator. Ann has defined what it means to be a 21st century armchair scientist. She finds creating opportunities that make marine science accessible to the general public (those without science degrees or in the science field day-to-day) to be a very rewarding experience. In fact, Ann enjoys it so much that in 2008 she founded Beach Chair Scientist!

Ann has been a field biologist and a naturalist instructing various audiences for over a decade. As a south Jersey native, she loves any teachable moment where she can demonstrate the gentle and extraordinary attributes of the Atlantic horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus.

Ann has a B.S. in Marine Resources Management from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and an M.Ed. in Environmental Education from Florida Atlantic University. She is a member of the North American Association of Environmental Educators and National Marine Educators Association. Ann also follows many land-to-sea initiatives and is co-lead of the Illinois Ocean Coalition.

The site has been featured in Diver Magazine, the NOAA’s Information Exchange for Marine Educators, National Science Teacher’s Association blog, NewsWorks, and linked on numerous websites and blogs (including Ian Somerhalder Foundation, USGS, WildCoast, Wild New Jersey, and Conservation Law Foundation). Ann has also presented at various conferences, such as the American Fisheries Society and Science Online Oceans, sharing knowledge of online writing techniques.

Lastly, Ann loves spending time with her husband, daughter, son, and precocious dog in and around Oak Park, IL. Her favorite piece of literature is The American Scholar by Ralph Waldo Emerson. “The day is always his who works in it with serenity and great aims.”

Other Contributors

Dr. J. G. McCully

Jim is a retired medical doctor, who wrote Beyond the Moon: A Conversational, Common Sense Guide to Understanding the Tides. See publisher’s link: http://www.worldscibooks.com/environsci/6015.

Jim Wharton

Jim Wharton is the Director of Conservation and Education at the Seattle Aquarium. After 8+ years in Florida working for the Smithsonian Marine Station and Mote Marine Laboratory, he feels at home again in the Pacific Northwest where he started his career in marine science education as a volunteer, then educator at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Jim is also deeply involved with the National Marine Educators Association (NMEA) where he is a member of the Board of Directors. You can learn more about Jim at about.me/jimwharton. Follow him on Twitter for more marine science miscellanea @jimwharton.

A Few Lines from Rehoboth Beach by Fleda Brown

August 4, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Dear friend, you were right: the smell of fish and foam
and algae makes one green smell together. It clears
my head. It empties me enough to fit down in my own

skin for a while, singleminded as a surfer. The first
day here, there was nobody, from one distance
to the other. Rain rose from the waves like steam,

dark lifted off the dark. All I could think of
were hymns, all I knew the words to: the oldest
motions tuning up in me. There was a horseshoe crab

shell, a translucent egg sack, a log of a tired jetty,
and another, and another. I walked miles, holding
my suffering deeply and courteously, as if I were holding

a package for somebody else who would come back
like sunlight. In the morning, the boardwalk opened
wide and white with sun, gulls on one leg in the slicks.

Cold waves, cold air, and people out in heavy coats,
arm in arm along the sheen of waves. A single boy
in shorts rode his skimboard out thigh-high, making

intricate moves across the March ice-water. I thought
he must be painfully cold, but, I hear you say, he had
all the world emptied, to practice his smooth stand.

Read more about this author here.

Filed Under: Algae (Seaweeds), Atlantic Horseshoe Crab, Beach, Egg Cases, Ocean, Random Fun! Tagged With: , , , ,

Just Flip ‘Em

June 25, 2010 by Leave a Comment

If you do not already know, the Atlantic horseshoe crab is my favorite animal. It just breaks my heart when I am home and see a few crabs stranded along the wrackline. One thing that can be done for the animals that are still alive is to ‘Just Flip ‘Em’ (JFE).

JFE is a program from the Ecological Research & Development Group, Inc. that promotes to the public the importance of flipping the gentle crustacean over so they can get back into the sea. A lot of folks are hesitant but the horseshoe crab cannot sting or bite you. The most important piece or information to remember is to flip them from the sides of their shells. This simple act can save thousands of crabs.

Image (c) horseshoecrab.org

Filed Under: Atlantic Horseshoe Crab, People, Wrack Line Tagged With:

Happy Birthday, Beach Chair Scientist!

July 13, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Today marks the one year anniversary of the first Beach Chair Scientist post!

Thank you all so much for all of your amazing contributions. Without your insightful inquiries the forum would not be nearly as entertaining.

To mark this occasion I thought we would simply count down the top ten most visited posts over the past year.

10. What are jellyfish? from July 21, 2008

9. What is the biggest fish in the sea? from November 18, 2008

8. What are those tiny colorful clams? from July 23, 2008

7. What are those tiny black pods with tendrils hanging on the ends? from October 24, 2008

6. How much salt is in the ocean? from November 22, 2008

5. What eats sea urchins? from September 10, 2008

4. How do sea spiders get their nutrients? from November 21, 2008

3. How many plants and animals are in the ocean? from November 21, 2008

2. Do lobsters mate for life? from November 24, 2008

1. Why are horseshoe crabs amazing? from July 13, 2008

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!

Filed Under: Ocean

How do sea spiders distribute nutrients throughout their bodies?

November 21, 2008 by Leave a Comment

If anyone has ever come upon a sea spider you immediately think – where are its guts and stuff? huge-sea-spiderThe answer is that their stomach, intestines and reproductive parts are housed within the sea spider’s legs. The animal breathes and manages waste by direct diffusion along the surface of it’s bodies. They can be a foot across – but, most types are barely more than 0.05 of an inch across! They do have a global distribution.

Sea spiders are not in the same exact family as other spiders. However, the sea spiders and terrestrial spiders are in a class together…along with one other creature, Horseshoe Crabs! Yup, horseshoe crabs are more directly related to spiders than other types of crabs.

Image (c) sethwhite.org

Do you have another great question? Check out www.beachchairscientist.com and enter your request!

Filed Under: Arthropods

What are those sand flea thingees and why do they follow me home?

August 4, 2008 by Leave a Comment

I have two answers for you here – Mole Crabs or Sand Hoppers.

Mole Crabs:

Unfortunately, not all crabs are as interesting in appearance or function as the great Atlantic Horseshoe Crab, but the mole crab has some merit.

Mole Crabs, or one type of sand fleas thingees, are properly referred to as Emerita analoga. A pretty dignified, but boring sounding Latin name – rather appropriate for the critters too.

Here is why:

  • They look like tiny lobsters, but are more closely linked to hermit crabs.
  • At low tide they are quite the efficient tunnelers and use their back legs to dig down to six inches and wait for the next high tide.

Sand Hoppers:

These little guys truly are harmless. Sand hoppers, or the other type of sand flea thingees, are properly referred to as Orchestia. They are most often found in clumps of rotting seaweed – which they eat. They resemble small shrimp and are about a half an inch long and “hop” by using their tails and last three sets of legs.

Do you have another great question? Check out www.beachchairscientist.com and enter your request!

Filed Under: Crustaceans Tagged With: , ,

What is the difference between a marine biologist and an oceanographer?

July 27, 2009 by 6 Comments

A marine biologist studies the life in the ocean (“bio” = life). An oceanographer studies the physical elements of the oceans.

A marine biologist will study dolphins.

An oceanographer will study tides.

A marine biologist will study jellyfish.

An oceanographer will study the salt content of seawater.

A marine biologist will study algae.

An oceanographer will study the volcanic activity of the sea.

A marine biologist will study horseshoes crabs.

An oceanographer will study the plate tectonic action of the ocean.

Of course, I do not think they are at all exclusive. But, that is the general break down of who studies what.

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!

Filed Under: Ocean