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.
Image (c) www.webs.lander.ed
Marine & Freshwater Environmental Education
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Finned foliage
I wanted to share this image of anthias swimming in the Red Sea to usher in the briskness of autumn! As you know it’s my favorite time to beachcomb, but it’s also my favorite time to be surrounded by the brilliant-colored leaves of trees. The reds, yellows, and oranges are as vibrant as a coral […]
Are we breaking up with Mother Nature?
Has it gotten to the point that when you do connect with Mother Nature it seems like an awkward hug? It’s been said time and time again that we’re better off taking a step away from technology to reconnect with Mother Nature as a regular part of our daily lives. The benefits of establishing a […]
‘I’m a Manatee’ by John Lithgow
Back in 2003 Janice Nearing, Media Relations Coordinator with Save the Manatee, interviewed John Lithgow about his new book I’m a Manatee. Here is an excerpt (click here for the full interview). Q: Your new book, I’m a Manatee, has a Seuss-ian feel to it, with rhyming verses and fun illustrations. Does your playful side […]
Who are the deepest divers in the sea?
After gathering data from marinebio.net, the University of California – San Diego, National Science Foundation, Softpedia, and Scientific American the folks from LiveScience.com have presented this amazing graphic of the 8 deepest divers in the sea. As a bonus, it explains how penguins manage to pull off diving to a depth greater than the height […]
Tomorrow: Ocean released by National Geographic
Tomorrow the National Geographic Society releases a special edition ‘Ocean‘ magazine that takes an in depth look at the world’s oceans ecosystem including breathtaking pictures and a pull out of the “Our Water World”. As they put it “Here’s your chance to dive below the surface and examine a dynamic, interdependent ecosphere that is rarely […]
Where do fish sleep?
Well, most fish are just like us and simply want to find a place away from all the chaos of the day to day rat race to take a nap and rest – slowing down their busy lives – gaining energy for the next day. These places could be under logs, coral crevices, or other […]
What they’re into … with David Shiffman (@WhySharksMatter)
This is a series I’ve been featuring each Tuesday this summer to get a special sneak peek at the many different personalities behind the scientists, activists, and educators (including bloggers) who play an integral role in the marine science conservation field. It’s essentially an extension of the overwhelmingly popular and well done Tumblr blog, This […]
Sherman’s Lagoon
In case you have not had a chance to check it out you may want to investigate Sherman’s Lagoon, a comic strip by Jim Toomey. Jim uses Sherman, a shark, and his band of misfit friends (a shrimp, a sea turtle, among others) to bring to light their view of the anthropogenic impacts on the […]
It’s as easy as A, B, Sea: V for Veliger
Veliger is the stage of a mollusk’s life prior to it becoming an adult. This is after it goes through the trochophore larva stage. During the veliger stage a mollusk develops its swimming membrane. Image (c) pbs.org
Did you know what we add to our garden affects the ocean?
It’s officially day 4 of the “We affect what goes in our watershed” week (see posts on marine debris, oil, and pharmaceuticals). This time it’s all about fertilizers. Researchers whom published in the February 2011 edition of the journal Environmental Research Letters pointed out the human use of phosphorous, primarily in the industrialized world, is […]
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