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Marine & Freshwater Environmental Education
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Everyone loves Shark Week!
It really feels like a phenomenon – especially when Poets.org is also celebrating Shark Week! Here is a good one from the site by Isaac McLellan (poem “The Bluefish“): The weaker tenants of the main Flee from their rage in vain, The vast menhaden multitudes They massacre o’er the flood; With lashing tail, with snapping […]
Are stingrays related to sharks?
Stingrays and sharks are very closely related. They belong to a group of fishes called the elasmobranchs. All elasmobranchs have 1) skeletons made of cartilage (the flexible material that makes up the tip of our nose and ears) and 2) 5-7 gill slits. Elasmobrachs includes sharks, rays, and skates. It’s not entirely incorrect to think […]
It’s as easy as A, B, Sea: C for Chitin
Chitin (kai-tin) is the main material for 1) the exoskeleton of shrimp, crabs and lobsters, 2) the beak of squid and octopi and 3) the radula of mollusks. It is very similar in make up to glucose and similar in function to keratin (which is what makes up our hair, skin and nails).
Can’t blame just Big Oil
Yesterday I wrote a post about pharmaceuticals affecting aquatic life our waterways and finished it up with a question, “Have you heard of any other ways fish or aquatic life are affected by what we put in our waterways?” Well, I’m too excited to share another culprit. We all know how oil spills affect wildlife […]
Which “holiday” crustacean am I?
Here are five facts to help you identify the featured “holiday” crustacean from the BCS “Christmas/winter-themed marine organisms” Pinterest board. 1. This crustacean belongs to a group (including species from five different families) which prefer the habitat of caves, pools, crevices, or wells in limestone or lava rock that is flooded by seawater. 2. This […]
Test your knowledge: Alphabet soup
See if you can guess what these marine-related acronyms stand for with the clues provided. AFS: Organization of fisheries professionals. Seattle is hosting their conference this year. BCS: A nice and funny blogger who enjoys making marine science entertaining (and it has nothing to do with college football). CBP: A regional partnership that has led […]
Have you visited the Sant Ocean Hall?
I’m lucky enough to live and work in the DC metro area, one of the biggest reasons I love this city (besides being able to feel the thrill and excitement of the Inauguration this past weekend) is the access to free museums. If you’re an ocean lover you might be surprised to know that there […]
8 reasons to kick your heels about eels
In no particular order here are some interesting (and exciting) facts about eels. In college I built some eels ladders for a stream in southern New Jersey so these little critters do have a special place in my professional heart. Moray eels have the ability to tie their bodies in knots and use this to […]
Do all jellies sting?
Yes, they do. All jellies have specialized structures called cnidoblasts. Inside the cnidoblasts are capsules called nematocysts. Inside each nematocyst is a coiled, hollow thread. Nematocysts are triggered by mechanical (touch) or chemical stimuli. When they fire, the thread turns inside out, pierces its prey and delivers its venom. A jelly’s tentacles and oral arms […]
Crocodile Hunter’s dad working to save dugongs
Dugongs, a relative of manatees, are found off the coast of Africa and Australia. Steve Irwin’s dad, Bob, is on a mission for an “immediate moratorium on the hunting of endangered dugongs and sea turtles around the Australian coastline by Indigenous hunters.” Politicians have also been calling for the end to the hunting of dugongs […]
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Top posts & pages from BCS …
- Hurricane vs. Cyclone vs. Typhoon
- A House for Hermit Crab
- How to handle a horseshoe crab
- Snot's your house
- Wednesday Wisdom: Various quotes (Alaska scenes)
- A naturalist's must-see destination: Fossil Hunting at Bayfront State Park in Chesapeake Beach, MD
- Belly biology creates lasting memories
- Five awful puns about courtship in the sea
- Horseshoe crabs confirmed as members of arachnid family
- Beyond the bag: Other plastics being banned
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