Snowy plovers are among some of the cutest shorebirds, don’t you think? Or, are they a seabird or a wading bird? Find out what the difference is here.
Marine & Freshwater Environmental Education
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Spend your tax refund at United by Blue!
United by Blue is an organization that is dedicated to making and seeing a difference in our world, with particular attention on the oceans. Brian Linton started the company in May of 2010 and sells amazing apparel, jewelry, and bags and makes certain to remove 1 pound of trash from the world’s oceans and waterways […]
Everyone loves Shark Week!
It really feels like a phenomenon – especially when Poets.org is also celebrating Shark Week! Here is a good one from the site by Isaac McLellan (poem “The Bluefish“): The weaker tenants of the main Flee from their rage in vain, The vast menhaden multitudes They massacre o’er the flood; With lashing tail, with snapping […]
Ninja-like crustacean
Excerpt from the Blue Planet. Do you have a question for the Beach Chair Scientist? e-mail info@beachchairscientist.com.
National Hagfish Day is October 20th
You may not know it, but, tomorrow is National Hagfish Day. The day was created to draw attention and appreciation of all marine animals and plants. So please do not forget to appreciate not only the charismatic bottlenose dolphin, but, also the not-so-charismatic hagfish, sea cucumbers and horseshoe crabs. Here is a little bit of […]
Osprey platforms: Foundations that helped a comeback
Those huge platforms along the causeways are there for a very important reason. Osprey build their nests on them. They’ll also build their nests on any open platform free from predators and near shallow water. But, the man-made platforms have really help to bring back populations of osprey after their sharp decline in numbers due […]
What is the difference between a swamp and a marsh?
Swamps and marshes are easily interchanged as they are both areas of vegetation that are susceptible to flooding. In North America they are defined a little differently (check out this BCS post for a quick lesson in wetland ecology – image below). A swamp is a place where the plants that make up the area […]
Ringing in the New Year with Carnival of the Blue
Here it is January and we’ve all sang our last rendition of ‘Auld Lang Syne’. Conversely, what this Beach Chair Scientist has to say is that these marine science bloggers should not be forgotten! As the host for the Carnival of the Blue No. 44, I proudly bring to you these powerful, poetic, funny, insightful […]
Cirque Du Baille (or Circus of the Sea)
Now that my little one is getting to the age where she’s off on fun excursions with daycare (today she went to the National Zoo!), I started having nightmares she might ask her father and I to take her to the circus. I haven’t been to the circus since I was 6 and am not […]
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
“WhaleTimes created Hagfish Day last year to ‘celebrate the beauty of ugly.’ Hagfish are the perfect example. These deep-sea scavengers ooze slime — buckets of slime. They also play an important role in their ecosystem.” What other creatures do you think should be recognized on Hagfish Day?
What makes the swirly tracks at the ocean edge?
What I think you are referring to is the trail of a moon snail, or sometimes called a sand snail. This univalve animal has a cinnamon bun swirled shell. The shell is extremely thick to protect itself from the ocean and other animals that may try to eat it. If you try to pick it […]
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- Robert Emahiser on Why you should never walk on dunes
- Lesa on 10 brief facts on bioluminescence
- Lisa on Limulus Love
- Beach Chair Scientist on 17 facts about the wee sea potatoes
- Bernard Rejterada on 17 facts about the wee sea potatoes
- Brian on What is the difference between a summer and winter flounder?
- Inbound marketing on 15 facts about the Portuguese man-of-war that’ll have you saying “Didya know…?”
- Donnie Huckabee on Wordless Wednesday | Shell art
- John on Why you should never walk on dunes
- ItzJaylaD on What I know about whale sharks
Top posts & pages from BCS …
- Hurricane vs. Cyclone vs. Typhoon
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- 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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