Operculum is the hard scalelike cover of the gills of bony fishes. Cartilaginous fishes (such as sharks, skates and rays) all lack a gill cover.
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Marine & Freshwater Environmental Education
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The Dating Game: Marine Biologist Edition
With just ten days until Valentine’s Day, I thought I would try to uncover the most sought out after fictional marine biologist. Fill out the survey and on Valentine’s Day, the character with the most votes will be revealed. I do recognize that this is skewed and only includes male marine biologist characters. What can […]
10 fish you don’t see during Shark Week
I confess. I’ve given up on Shark Week. It took 25 years to shake me, but for the first time I can remember, I won’t be watching. When I was 16, you couldn’t schedule enough great white and shark attack programming to satisfy me. Danger Beach, Vic Hislop, Air Jaws … it was all good. […]
The First Beach Chair Scientist post is about my favorite animal – The Atlantic Horseshoe Crab
Some might say that the horseshoe crab is quite possibly the scariest looking creature along the shoreline. However, I disagree. There’s actually a sweetheart of an animal underneath that tough, pointy, chitin exoskeleton. I am certain that the horseshoe crab has survived since before the time of the dinosaurs due to its ability to adapt […]
Do sharks have bones?
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 […]
The world’s horseshoe crab research finally finds a home
This month the Ecological Research & Development Group (ERDG) released a one-stop-shop for research, conservation, and education initiatives on the world’s four species of horseshoe crabs. This was a result of the discussions from the 2011 International Workshop of the Science and Conservation of the Asian Horseshoe Crabs held in Hong Kong. Be sure to […]
Strike a pose with Shark Stanley for shark conservation
Surely you’ve taken pictures with Flat Stanley, a tool used to advance children’s literacy – But, did you know that you can now take a shark on your adventures? Grab a Shark Stanley printout and show your support for shark conservation by participating in this initiative of the Shark Defenders. Help them reach their goal […]
Deep sea neighborhood sees improvement when philanthropic vents release Fool’s Gold
“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” King Solomon There is not a lot life down in the deep sea. Fortunately, it is convenient that the hydrothermal vents down there share a wealth of minerals to the otherwise desolate neighborhood. More notably what was just uncovered is that iron particles (known as […]
New benthic species discovered off the coast of California
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 […]
Who owns the oceans?
We all own the oceans … no, wait! No one owns the oceans. Sometimes it is very confusing to answer this question. Since the third United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea the jurisdictions of the oceans are known as this: 0-3 nautical miles from the coastline of the country is considered a […]
It’s as easy as A, B, Sea: K for Knot
Knot is a measure of nautical speed. More specifically one knot equals one nautical mile per hour. One nautical mile equals 6,080 feet. The term knot came from how sailors calculated speed. They threw a log with a rope attached to it overboard. The rope had knots evenly spaced (every 47 feet and 3 inches). […]
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