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Arnie ain’t no anglerfish

May 17, 2011 by 1 Comment
The Humpback anglerfish uses a modified dorsal...

Image via Wikipedia

Well, well, well, Arnold Schwarzenegger has a love child. As a newlywed I shook my head when I heard the news and said “surely they’re not all like that.”

I decided to investigate to find out if there are any truly monogamous species out in the blue sea.

Also, I did watch March of the Penguins. As much as I admire the Emperor penguins for staying together to raise their young, they are not lifelong monogamists. Each season they usually procreate with a different partner.

However, one group of anglerfish, from the family Ceratiidae, has a very faithful male (a little to clingy though if you ask me). Highly sensitive olfactory adaptations have evolved in these male anglerfish that allow them to smell out females. This is very useful as they are in the desolate landscape of the deep sea. Once they sniff out a mate, the males basically bite into the flesh of the females and fuse their mouth into her bloodstream. After that, these males will degenerate and simply be a source of sperm for the females.

Without this process the males would not be able to survive. The males of this family do not grow ’em tall due to the lack of a alimentary canal, essential for feeding. The males are scientifically smaller than the females and several males can be attached to one female. It took researchers some time to uncover the mystery that is the male anglerfish. For the longest time they couldn’t figure out why they were only collecting females specimens. But, unbeknown-st to them, the males were there too.

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Filed Under: Bony Fishes, Fish, Penguins Tagged With: , , ,

Who has the longest commute in the sea?

May 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment

An animal lives to eat and breed. In order to do this, some animals that call the ocean habitat ‘home’ have to travel great distances to find food or reach a particular breeding ground. Here is a breakdown of some of the most impressive migrations in and around the sea.

Perhaps the longest migration of any mammal on Earth, the gray whales travel 12,000 miles round trip. They spend the summer months in the Bering Sea area between Alaska and Russia. Eventually they make their way to the west coast of Canada and the United States and finally end up in the quiet lagoons of Baja California during the winter months. In the spring they make their way back to the Bering Sea. Also, notable is the migration of the humpback whales. They can travel up to 5,000 miles.

Arctic terns fly over 25,000 miles to the Southern Ocean. Sooty shearwaters travel 64,000 miles over the Pacific Ocean in figure eight patterns.

Leatherback sea turtles travel over 3,000 miles to get to their nesting beaches.

Here is a video from PBS’ Jean-Michel Cousteau Ocean Adventure that gives a nice overview of the migration of the gray whale.

Image (c) mistertoast.blogspot.com

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Filed Under: Birds, Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles, Test Your Knowledge Tagged With: , , , , ,

84th Street Beach

May 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment
A Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), taken at ...

Image via Wikipedia

Gloria admitted to not liking Manny’s poetry on this week’s episode of Modern Family. Let’s see what my mother has to say about mine on this fine Mother’s Day! Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers, step-mothers, mother-in-laws, dog moms and everyone that is maternally nurturing to anyone or anything!

The vast emerald sheet glistens,
Sending the summer daystar onward.
Gulls gawk at the disappearance of
Usual shoobie game to seize.

They begin to beeline west towards
evening barbeques –
Invading those who intrude
My seashore paradise of home.

Petite sandpipers scurry,
Enjoying the outstretched beaches
And the near solitude
As their own.

Waves wash over my feet –
Tingling the toes,
Cleansing away the remains
Attached during the journey
Across the sandy desert.

Ocean breezes produce
Whistling dune grass,
A soft symphony cherished in my ears.

On the horizon
A majestic great blue heron
Stands four feet sturdy,
A token of liberty
For the unilluminated prairies below.

2001

Filed Under: Beach, Birds Tagged With: , , , , ,

It’s as easy as A, B, Sea: F for Fulmar

February 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis mallemuk Ma...

Image via Wikipedia

Fulmar is a name given to the group  of scavenger seabirds that inhabits the North and South Poles. Shearwaters and petrels are in this group of birds that have been nicknamed ‘stinkers’. The great fulmar of the Antarctic has a wingspan of over 6 feet and is almost 3 feet tall.

Filed Under: Birds Tagged With:

What is bycatch?

January 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Bycatch is a term used to classify the incidental fish, mammals, birds, sea turtles or invertebrates that may be caught while targeting other species in a fishery. One of the biggest victims of these unintentional catches are the black-footed albatross. They frequently swallow bait attached to the lines of long-line fishing boats. At least 300,000 sea birds are killed by long line fishing each year.

Filed Under: Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles Tagged With: , ,

The “Osprey”, they’re bone breakers alright

September 24, 2010 by Leave a Comment

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 thought of as backwards facing scales that allow them to be very precise in clutching their food source.

Image (c) grit.com

Filed Under: Birds Tagged With: , ,

Penguin’s plight progresses

August 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Good news for five of the twelve species of penguins that were petitioned by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) to be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The lucky species that get a break for a time being include the Humboldt penguin of Chile and Peru and the yellow-eyed (pictured top), white-flippered, Fiordland crested and erect-crested (pictured bottom) of New Zealand.

Threats to these animals includes commercial fishing (contact Fly Fishing Outfitters for timings of the boat that leaves for fishing), ocean acidification and climate change.

Two other species, the African and southern rockhopper penguins, are awaiting a decision in September 2010 and January 2011. The other five species that the CBD wanted to list on the Endangered Species Act were not deemed in danger enough by the Interior Department. However, the CBD and Turtle Island Restoration Network are planning to file a suit for two of the five denied species to be reconsidered. Read more

Image (c) yellow-eyed magazineenz.com; erect-crested flicker.com.

If you have a question you’d like answered by the Beach Chair Scientist? Ask us at info@beachchairscientist.com!

Filed Under: Ocean, Penguins Tagged With: ,

What is the difference between a tern and a gull?

February 7, 2010 by 1 Comment

Wings: Terns have long-pointed wings while gulls have broad wings.
Beaks: Terns have sharp bills while gulls have hooked beaks.
Body size: Terns are smaller.
Predatory practice: Terns dive to water to grab fish while gulls float on water to pick up prey.

Tern (l), Gull (r)

Image (c) cheasapeakebay.net (tern), wikipedia.com (gull)

Do you have another great question for the Beach Chair Scientist? E-mail info@beachchairscientist.com or just let us know at http://www.beachchairscientist.com.

 

Filed Under: Birds Tagged With: , , ,

Heeeeeeeere’s Carson (Rachel)!

February 6, 2010 by 3 Comments

Spring time is right around the corner (or so I hope) and with the change comes migrating birds of course!

One of my favorite sites is a female osprey tending her nest on an uplifted platform.

Each time I see one I am so grateful for Rachel Carson who had the courage and gumption to write Silent Spring. The book was published in 1962 as the launching pad for the environmental movement. The subject matter was the basis to ban the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, or DDT, in 1972. Ms. Carson was able to link DDT to a decrease in the thickness of the eggs of large birds of prey, such as the bald eagle and osprey. This led to very few bald eagles and ospreys being born.

Although, sometimes I feel a lot of distress being an environmentalist one major success is the increase in numbers of mating pairs of ospreys since the ban on DDT. I am proud to say that prior the the ban there was fewer than 8,000 pairs and almost thirty years there are approximately 16,000 pairs. This is yet, another reason to say “Go Ospreys!” other than the fact that they are my college mascot.

Image (c) Fish and Wildlife Service.

Do you have another great question for the Beach Chair Scientist? E-mail info@beachchairscientist.com or just let us know at http://www.beachchairscientist.com.

Filed Under: Birds, People

Huddle Up!

January 26, 2010 by Leave a Comment

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 the Emperor penguins demonstrate their defense mechanism of huddling in quite a dramatic fashion. In this clip they are vigilantly monitoring the whereabouts of their predator the Leopard seal. The main reason they tend to huddle up is to protect themselves from the wind and conserve warmth. They take turns being on the outskirts of the huddle.

(Also, note the delicious breakfast of champions the mama penguins brings make to her baby: fish from the sea, freshly regurgitated.)

Do you have another great question for the Beach Chair Scientist? E-mail info@beachchairscientist.com or just let us know at http://www.beachchairscientist.com.

Filed Under: Birds, Marine Mammals