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: Marine mammals
It’s time for another “Test your knowledge” quiz. This time it’s brought to you by page 211 of one of my favorite books, Seaside Naturalist (written and illustrated by Deborah Coulombe). Here’s a true/false quiz all about those marine mammals we all know and love … well, take the quiz and see how well you […]
It’s as easy as A, B, Sea: G for Gorgonians
Gorgonians are a group of corals known as the ‘horny corals’. This is includes the sea whips, sea fans and sea feathers. They are similar to the soft corals because they all have eight-part symmetry. Most jewelry that is made from coral is made from the gorgonians. If you ask me though corals are too […]
10 questions with a marine biologist
Here are some question and answers with Professor Jeffrey Levinton of Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. He is a Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University. He has been lucky to be able to teach college students for many years at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, which […]
Farting on a school bus – bad; Farting as part of a school of herring – ok
Recently two Ohio middle school boys were suspended from riding the bus for farting on the bus. If these boys were part of a school of herring they’d have no repercussions. In fact, they’d be making the grade in language arts. Back in 2003 an article published in the U.K. science journal Biology Letters explained […]
The “Osprey”, they’re bone breakers alright
The Latin name for osprey, Pandion haliaetus, means “bone breaker” and explains quite well how the bird of prey gets his main source of food, fish. Ospreys plummet down from almost 30 stories above water and use their barbed talons to grab onto mullet, menhaden, or other fish found in estuaries. These barbs can be […]
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 […]
What is the biggest fish in the sea?
The whale shark is the biggest fish on the planet. The largest whale shark measures about 66 feet long and 74,957 pounds. Not to be confused with the blue whale, a mammal, which is the largest animal on the planet. The largest blue whale measured about 110 feet and up to 400,000 pounds! The whale […]
How do sandbars get started?
The current closest to the ocean floor is moving offshore and dumps small piles of sand right at the wave break area. The sand accumulates to various degrees, and regardless it makes the water much shallower where you stand. Now, the sandbars that I am thinking of are very long and are parallel to the […]
No balloons at the celebration for the Beach Chair Scientist …
Today is the fourth birthday of the Beach Chair Scientist blog. Despite the fact that some companies label latex balloons as ‘biodegradable’ and therefore, ‘safe’ for the environment, I will not be decorating any birthday celebration with balloons. Balloons blow! What has been widely spread is that latex balloons breakdown at ‘the same rate as […]
6 reasons why Jacques is cooler than punk rock
It may not come as a surprise, but a lot of my friends and family consider George Costanza as the most famous marine biologist they know. Long before Seinfeld, Jacques Cousteau, the world’s most well known deep sea explorer, made studying marine science seem fun and not as intimidating as people once thought. So here […]
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