What kind of car do you drive in the sea? An otter-mobile.
I know that was pretty funny, I know. Here are some memes to celebrate Sea Otter Awareness Week (this September 24-30) that really illustrates the breadth of sea otters.
Marine & Freshwater Environmental Education
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Test your knowledge: What am I?
I am a bivalve that grows in the Atlantic Ocean. I do have several species closely related to me that live in freshwater. I am very closely related to clams and oysters. I tend to grow to about 4 inches long. I live in colonies and attach to bulkheads, rope and rocks very easily. To […]
It’s a contest! So you think you know famous ocean explorers …
Can you tell me which accomplishments and/or quotes can be attributed to Sylvia Earle or Jacques Cousteau? Everyone that sends all 18 correct answers before I post the answers 10pm tomorrow will be entered in a drawing to win a copy of one of my favorite resources, Ocean (American Museum of Natural History, paperback edition). […]
Take a guess! What do you think this lobsta weighs?
Image (c) Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. Do you have another good question for the Beach Chair Scientist? Go to http://www.beachchairscientist.com and let us know. Or you can e-mail your question to info@beachchairscientist.com.
Otter personalities
What kind of car do you drive in the sea? An otter-mobile. I know that was pretty funny, I know. Here are some memes to celebrate Sea Otter Awareness Week (this September 24-30) that really illustrates the breadth of sea otters.
Does the ocean freeze?
That all depends upon the salinity of the water. For more information about salinity, or how much salt is in the ocean, click here. Generally the higher the salinity the lower the freezing point. So the ocean of the Mid-Atlantic, with an average salinity of 32 ppt, doesn’t tend to freeze when the rain turns […]
What are the nubby little things on pilings near the beach?
Most likely, acorn barnacles. Let me guess, they look like tiny volcanoes? And they hurt if you rub up against them? That is the outer shell made of calcium. They put this protective layer up when they are not under water. When it is hide tide the acorn barnacle opens up the volcanoes structure and […]
Simple coral bleaching teaching
There are some things that we want to stay white, such as snow and Kris Kringle’s beard. Coral reefs are not one of them. Unfortunately, The Nature Conservancy noted that 2011 was the most extensive coral reef bleaching event for the Florida Reef Tract since 2004. Scientists working on the Florida Keys Reef Resilience Program […]
The Daily Ocean
I’d like to take the time out to applaud one of the best ocean blogs out there, The Daily Ocean. I cannot tell you the countless hours I have spent drooling over Ms. Bayles world-wind expedition of collecting trash (beginning in Santa Barbara, CA). It is so exciting (I’m really not kidding)! Not only is […]
What are those yellow looking things that look like a floppy spinal cord?
The strand of half dollar sized pods is an egg case. Actually each pod has about twenty tiny animals in each pod. The tiny animal that will grow from this egg case is the knobbed whelk. This is basically a northeast version of a conch (pronounced conk). If you hold the tiny discs up to […]
Getting to know three … Echinoderm edition
Sure you know that some animals are related to one another. Often though it’s difficult to pinpoint their similarities. Well, on the third day of every month I am going to explain three features that are common among the animals of a certain group. Each group generally has more than three representatives, but I am […]
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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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