Marine & Freshwater Environmental Education
It’s critical that you do not disturb seals when viewing. All marine mammals (e.g., seals, whales, walruses, porpoises, dolphins) are federally protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. If you do see an animal in distress contact your local member of the Northeast Region Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding & Entanglement Network.
Each diamondback terrapin is a work of art. Their skin color ranges from pale to dark gray, or even black. The underside of their shell (plastron) ranges from yellow to green, or even black. But, those variations aren’t the reason for its name. If have the opportunity, be sure to check out the mesmerizing diamond-shaped […]
My husband isn’t happy about this … But, recently, I have found a new love of birds. It’s because we live in the woods and not near the ocean, so those flighted friends have stolen my heart just like fish did back some many years ago. My husband thinks it is hysterical since we grew […]
That seems like a fun question. And, worthwhile, especially since we wrote about the best beach movies this winter. But…Are we talking non-fiction or fiction? Let’s just say for the sake of relaxation you are asking about fiction. I can name some that come to mind, but, would love to hear feedback from others as […]
From far away you can probably only see the fin, right? The Atlantic bottlenose dolphin will have a dorsal fin that is hooked while the Atlantic Harbor Porpoise will have a triangular dorsal fin. If you are closer you will see other differences. For instance, the dolphin is about 7-12 feet as an adult while […]
Actually, before there was life on land there was life in the ocean. Life in the ocean began about 3.1 to 3.4 billion years ago. Life on land began only 400 million years ago. Do you have another great question? Email info@beachchairscientist.com and let me know!
I have two answers for you here – Mole Crabs or Sand Hoppers. Mole Crabs: Unfortunately, not all crabs are as interesting in appearance or function as the great Atlantic Horseshoe Crab, but the mole crab has some merit. Mole Crabs, or one type of sand fleas thingees, are properly referred to as Emerita analoga. […]
It might be very difficult to imagine, but it’s true. Manatees (also known as ‘sea cows’) share a common ancestor with elephants which might come as a surprise if you thought manatees shared a common ancestor with other marine mammals such as dolphins, whales, or sea lions. Here are 10 facts that link manatees and […]
A living fossil is not Russell Johnson (the professor from Gilligan’s Island) or dear Zsa Zsa Gabor (God bless you for holding on!). I’ll chop it down to say that a living fossil is an organism that more closely resembles a fossil than anything living. For instance, the Atlantic horseshoe crab resembles the fossil record […]
Coral bleaching is due to the fact that the algae part of the coral reef ecosystem can no longer photosynthesize properly – therfore, losing the “reef” structure and the corals remain white – since the zooxannthellea are not around (that’s the algae – and responsible for the color of the coral). This occurs due to […]
In case you have not had the opportunity to get your hands on the new book, Horseshoe Crabs and Velvet Worms, about animals that have remained unchanged through time (Richard Fortey) here is a video from the BBC on how the horseshoe crab has been able to survive through the ages. I am particularly fond […]
Copyright © 2026 · Free Wordpress Install by FreemiumPress.com
What people are saying …