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Why do I always see so many dead crabs along the shoreline?

February 19, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Rest assure those crab skeletons are not all dead crabs. They are the molts from the animals. Crabs, lobsters, horseshoe crabs, and many other crustaceans go through a molting phase and the old shell is basically washed up in the wrack line.

The wrack line is the deposits from the ocean after the tide has gone back out to sea. It’s often defined by seaweed that entangles lots of fun ocean treasures such as sea beans, old leathery sea turtle eggs, and sometimes marine debris. It’s my favorite spot to explore!

Do you have another great question? Email info@beachchairscientist.com and let me know what you always ponder while digging your toes in the sand!

Filed Under: Algae (Seaweeds), Atlantic Horseshoe Crab, Beach Tagged With: , , ,

Who are the top celebrity ocean advocates?

February 19, 2009 by 1 Comment
Actor Ted Danson (cropped from original)
Image via Wikipedia

Wow! What a fun question to research, thank you! (You’ll surely notice I was picky because there are many environmental activists in Hollywood but  and tried to keep the list to those that focus on primarily oceans.)

I am such a fan of giving back no matter how much I believe we all make a difference. I find myself giving my time to local clean-ups, making contributions to Surfrider Foundation, National American Association of Environmental Education, or Mid-Atlantic Marine Educators Associations, and just in general pitching in where I can.

Here is a list of some celebrity ocean advocates.

Ted Danson, recently appeared before the House Committee on Natural Resources to testify again off-shore drilling. Board member of Oceana.

Sam Waterston board member of Oceana.

Pierce Brosnan donates his time and energy to Oceana, Waterkeeper Alliance, Ocean Futures Society, California Coastal Protection Network, among many others.

Cousin Jennifer did some lobbying and convinced me to put Hayden Panettiere on the list. She is an outspoken advocate for marine mammals (including I think a brief brush with the law for some protesting with Greenpeace). One of her main organizations for this platform is Save the Whales Again.

I know also that musician Jack Jackson has done quite a bit on behalf of the oceans.

For all the people listed above I’d like to say ‘thank you’ for giving a prominent voice to the oceans.

Added 5/9: By default I think that Ewan McGregor can be added to the list since he is rumored to play Paul Watson, founder of Greenpeace, in ‘Ocean Warrior‘.

Please feel free to let me know if you think of others. Just e-mail info@beachchairscientist.com!

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Filed Under: Ocean, People, Random Fun!, Test Your Knowledge Tagged With: , , , , , ,

What is the difference between a summer and winter flounder?

February 13, 2009 by 2 Comments

I would suggest laying it flat on a surface with the head facing your left hand. A summer flounder will have their eyes swiveled to the top of their heads and their mouth will be under their eyes.  Their mouth will actually also extend behind their eyes. A winter flounder will have their eyes closer to you while their mouth would then be above their eyes. Also, their mouth is considerably smaller and doesn’t go past their eyes.

Flounder are born with a body type in balanced symmetry, in other words , looking like normal fish. As they continue to grow, their bodies morph to the left or right so their eyes and mouth are on one side. Then they rest on the bottom of the ocean floor on the other side.

That explains that flounder are flat fish with their eyes and mouth on one side of their head. Now, whether the eyes and mouth morphed left or right will be the answer to the question.

OK, quite simply if you were to catch a flat fish and think of only these two options (summer or winter flounder) I would suggest laying it flat on a surface with the head to your left a summer flounder will have their eyes swiveled to the top of their heads and their mouth will be under their eyes.  Their mouth will actually also extend behind their eyes. A winter flounder will have their eyes closer to you while their mouth would then be above their eyes. Also, their mouth is considerably smaller and doesn’t go past their eyes.

Please keep in mind that there are Gulf flounder and bunch of others, but we will keep it simple.

Summer flounder are generally darker. But, that type of answer doesn’t help when you have nothing to compare.

what type of flounder is this?

So, test your knowledge and leave a comment to answer this question: What type of flounder is pictured above? (And it is facing right to throw you off base.)

Do you have another great question? Email info@beachchairscientist.com and share!

Filed Under: Bony Fishes Tagged With: , ,

Do sharks have bones?

January 2, 2009 by 6 Comments

No sharks do not have bones.

Sharks do have skeletons, but they’re made of cartilage rather than bone. Cartilage is the flexible stuff in the tip of your nose. A cartilage skeleton has its advantages. It’s light, flexible, and it heals faster than bone. In some spots though, sharks need a little extra strength. Their skulls, jaws, and spine are fortified with calcium salts, making them much thicker and stronger. Can you think of why a shark would need strong jaws, skulls, and spines?

by Jim Wharton
Vice President, Education Division, Director, Center for School and Public Programs, Mote Marine Laboratory

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Filed Under: Sharks, Skates and Rays Tagged With: , , ,

Are stingrays related to sharks?

January 2, 2009 by 7 Comments
English: Various types shown. Taken at Mote Ma...

Image via Wikipedia

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 of stingrays as flattened sharks. On the inside, they’re just about the same. There are some animals that blur the lines between the two. Angel sharks and wobbegongs are flat, but they’re not rays. Then there are sawfish (which are rays) and sawsharks (which are sharks). Sharkrays are just plain confused. As a general rule, if the gill slits are on the bottom, it’s a ray. If they’re on the side, it’s a shark.

Jim Wharton
Vice President, Education Division, Director, Center for School and Public Programs, Mote Marine Laboratory

Do you have another great question? Email info@beachchairscientist.com!

Filed Under: Sharks, Skates and Rays Tagged With: , , , ,

How much salt is in the ocean?

November 22, 2008 by

salt-773845The amount of salt in the ocean, known as ‘salinity’, is a measure of the of the amount of salt dissolved in 1000 grams of water. The amount is expressed as parts per thousands (ppt).

Refractometers are a tool used to measure the amount of salinity in the ocean. The salinity in the ocean is approximately 32 to 35 ppt. Freshwater has a salinity of zero. The estuaries fluctuate their salinity level depending upon the tides. But, it’s always below the open ocean. The poles have a lower salinity because the cold water does not evaporate as fast.

Do you have another great question? Email info@beachchairscientist.com and let us know what you always ponder while digging your toes in the sand!

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Filed Under: Ocean Tagged With: , , ,

How do fish float?

November 21, 2008 by 1 Comment

wikifishblutangThere 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 fishes that spend most of their lives on the bottom of the ocean floor (e.g., flounder) don’t have a strong swim bladder – therefore, don’t float.

Sharks, skates, and rays are all types of fish. However, these fishes are more primitive – lacking bones. They stay afloat with a liver filled with oil. They use long pectoral fins for balance in mid-waters while maintaining a light framework. The ‘light framework’ is made up of cartilage (the same material found in our nose and ears).

Image (c) wiki-fish.com. (Yellow Tang – a true bony fish)

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Filed Under: Bony Fishes, Fish, Sharks, Skates and Rays Tagged With: , ,

What is the biggest fish in the sea?

November 18, 2008 by 6 Comments
Picture taken at Georgia Aquarium, pictured is...

Image via Wikipedia

The whale shark is the biggest fish on the planet. The largest whale shark measures about 66 feet long and 74,957 pounds.

Not to be confused with the blue whale, a mammal, which is the largest animal on the planet. The largest blue whale measured about 110 feet and up to 400,000 pounds!

The whale shark got its name because the shark’s mouth is shaped just like baleen whales. Baleen whales and whale sharks both munch on krill. For being the largest fish in the sea the whale shark is surprisingly affable to divers and known as a relaxed fish.

How are ‘whale sharks’ and ‘whales’ different?

Whales are mammals, just like people, and must breathe air. Dolphins, seals, porpoises, otters (and some people say, polar bears) are mammals that live in the ocean (ie., marine mammals). Consult the aquarium guide for more details.

Another difference is that mammals raise their young. Whale sharks give live birth like mammals, but, move on right after and don’t raise them. Most other fish do lay eggs.

Fish also have gills to breathe underwater, unlike mammals that must come up to the surface of the ocean and breathe air.

Have another great question for me? Just shoot me an email at info@beachchairscientist.com. Thanks!

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Filed Under: Fish, Marine Mammals Tagged With: , , , , ,

How do sea stars eat?

November 18, 2008 by 4 Comments

StarfishFirst, sea stars grip their prey (e.g., bivalves, such as clams and oysters) with their suction feet and pry them apart to eat the muscle inside the shells. Then, once the bivalve’s shell is open, the stomach of the sea star emerges from the middle of the underside of its star-shaped body to absorb the delicious entrée inside itself. After this happens, the animal is full and not going anywhere soon (e.g., me after Thanksgiving dinner).

A sea star is another common name for starfish. Scientists, and the likes of me, are on a campaign to get people to refer to this echinoderm as the ‘sea star’ instead of a starfish. Since, well, they simply are not fish. Similarly, jellies are not called jellyfish anymore.

Check out this video from the Monterey Bay Aquarium of a sea star chowing down!

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Filed Under: Echinoderms Tagged With: , , , ,

What are those tiny black pods with tendrils near the ends?

October 24, 2008 by 5 Comments

They are egg cases from a juvenile thorny skate. skateThe skate is related to sharks and rays. Sharks, skates, and rays all have a skeleton made up of cartilage, the flexible material that is found in our noses and ears. One tiny skate will hatch from each egg after nine months – hatching under the surface of the water. Usually, what we see wrapped up in the seaweed “wrack line” is the discarded egg cases. Another nickname for these egg cases is the “mermaid’s purse.” Check out this BCS post to learn the difference between skates and rays.

Image (c) NOAA – Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

Do you have another great question? Email info@beachchairscientist.com!

Filed Under: Egg Cases, Skates and Rays Tagged With: , , , , , ,