Bearded seals spend most of their lives in the Arctic waters, although they’ve been seen in southeast Florida! They enjoy feasting on arctic cod, shrimp, clams, crabs, and octopus and have been known to live up to 25 years. Learn more here.
Marine & Freshwater Environmental Education
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A little dose of ocean conservation inspiration
This is a whimsical – yet still direct and profound – image I wanted to share from from my Ocean Conservation Inspiration Pinterest board. Do you have a particular phrase or image that drives you?
Huddle Up!
I am bringing you a post about Emperor penguins. I realize these penguins do not visit the beach (they live on the ice of Antarctica). But, if you enjoy the beach, you may have watched The Blue Planet and I am sharing one of my favorite clips from the series. It is a clip where […]
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 […]
Did the squid warn of an earthquake?
Is it possible that squid can warn us of earthquakes? I say yes. It was pointed out in the The Yomiuri Shimbun earlier this month that fishermen saw in increase of their catch of squid right before several major earthquakes, including this recent one in March 2011. The article stated that “According to Agriculture, Forestry […]
12 good non-fiction books about fish
Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food by Paul Greenburg (read a review here.) Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky On the Run: An Angler’s Journey Down the Striper Coast by David Dibendetto Giant Bluefin by Douglas Whynott The Last Fish Tale: The Fate of the […]
The Fisheries Industry is a Ponzi Scheme?
Yes, it is unfortunate. Please read the article from the New Republic “Aquacalypse Now: The End of Fish” by Daniel Pauly (pictured) to find out more. Daniel Pauly is a professor at the Fisheries Centre of the University of British Columbia and the principal investigator of its Sea Around Us Project. Image (c) carmelfinley.wordpress.com
Why don’t fish freeze in the Arctic Ocean?
Fish species that frequent the cold temperatures of the Arctic Ocean (e.g., toothfish, cod, ice fish, etc.) have special ‘antifreeze’ proteins within their blood stream that enables them not to freeze in the cold waters of the northern hemisphere. This discovery was made about 50 years ago. Recently, scientists from the Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany […]
Test your knowledge: National Ocean Science Bowl sample question
The National Ocean Science Bowl is a high school challenge program run by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership and is dedicated to preparing the next generation of scientists, teachers, policy makers, environmental advocates and concerned citizens to “continue the exploration and develop strategies for managing the oceans’ resources.” Here is a sample question taken from […]
Merry Christmas!
I just want to extend a simple wish for a safe holiday! Here is an image of a driftwood ‘tree’ that my daughter and nephews decorated with clam shells. “A song, a song, high above the trees, With a voice as big as the sea, With a voice as big as the sea, Said the […]
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 […]
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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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