This is a photo of some brain coral that I took on a dive in Belize, circa January 2006. There are two genra here. In the front is a groove-brained coral (Diploria sp.) and in the back is a boulder brain coral (Colpophyllia sp.). I never could get these two straight during my QUantitative Ecological Survey Techniques course.
They may not be especially intelligent, but I think they look pretty sharp.
Squid Replicants [via TONMO]
A couple of years ago we need a replica squid beak for a project at work. We ended up going with a custom fabricator, but I always figured there would be a market for a mass produced version. It seems this notion also occurred to the folks at Skulls Unlimited, since they now offer a casting of a giant squid squid beak (Architeuthis sp.) for US$95. According to Clem’s review on TONMO, the folks at SU will soon follow up with a colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis sp.) replica too.
Cephalopod Residents
Also of note on TONMO is a new book by Nancy King and Colin Dunlop called Cephalopods: Octopuses and Cuttlefish for the Home Aquarium (US$40). Keeping these critters in captivity is a challenge even for the most veteran aquarist. This book looks to be a good resource on the husbandry of cephalopods.
Pseudo Pristis pectinata
If a squid beak replica the size of your hand is not impressive enough, you can instead get a replica sawfish rostrum from vivre.com for US$250. The real rostra were a staple marine life curio for many years. But the smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) is the first marine fish to be listed on the U.S. Endangered Species list and possessing any part of an actual sawfish without a permit is now illegal. So satisfy your kitsch with a resin rostrum instead.
We are hunkering down at Cephalopodcast HQ as tropical storm Fay makes her way northward. As you can see, our crack reporting team is standing by in the sideyard to bring you the latest updates as the eyewall approaches. So far, no reports of structural damage, but there is an good chance for sporadic power outages. Stayed tuned for updates.
My subject are these nuisance little crazy ants that infest many homes (and hospitals) around the world. We’ve had them wandering freely around our house for a season now, despite our best efforts at non-chemical control. We’ve resorted to using a commercial insecticide called Terro®. The ants seem to like it. My identification of these insects is tentative, based on macrographic observations and behavior.
Ancient Climate
Even the smallest changes in climate can have a dramatic impact on Florida. Over 600,000 years ago, sea level rise changed the state from a peninsula to an archipelago. Since then, the ocean has receded and risen to different levels. But the dunes of those ancient islands now form a sandy ridge that runs through the center of the state. The geological history of these ridges have created unique scrubby habitats that are home to many endemic species, including the famous Florida Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens). Unfortunately, less than 20% of the original uplands remains intact. The rest has been converted for agriculture (citrus), residential and commercial uses.
Modern Milieu
Next week is the Florida’s Wildlife: On the Frontline of Climate Change conference. The conference is about about the looming changes facing all the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of Florida. Policy makers will be discussing the impact of these changes and how to link any initiatives with conservation goals.
Studying the Ancient Islands Today
The Archbold Biological Station has a free lesson plan on Florida scrub habitat and wildlife. It is weird to stand in the midst of these hot, arid areas and think that they were once beachfront property.
Archbold Biological Station: Discovering Florida Scrub, a curriculum designed for students of grades 3-5.
Archbold Biological Station: Florida’s Ancient Islands, informational Web site about the Lake Wales Ridge.
Coda: While putting this post together, I came across the sad news that Dr. Dave Maehr had passed away. Dr. Maehr was a well-known (and sometimes controversial) wildlife biologist. Back in the early 90s I got to tag along on a trip while his team tranquilized and studied black bears on the Weeki Wachee Preserve. Most Floridians go there whole life without ever seeing a native black bear. Because of Dave’s work, I got that chance. It was the high point of my internship at the Water Management District. Thanks.
But compare this Megatooth tooth to the more needle point teeth of the goblin shark featured in the video below. It shows a goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) coaxedprovoked into biting the wetsuited arm of a scuba diver. I have not heard about this footage before, and I do not understand the (presumably) Japanese dialog. If anyone can translate or offer additional details, I would be obliged. I am especially curious to know what depth the divers were at.
In addition to the teeth, the protrusible jaws of the goblin shark are also remarkable. I’ve seen pictures of dead goblins that show the palatoquadrate sticking out, but seeing them in action is jaw-inspiring. Around the gills you can also see the flaccid skin that is typical of deep water animals like the goblin shark.
If you are interested in learning more about the biting power of sharks and other fish, check out the Web site of Dr. Motta’s lab at the University of South Florida. He and his students study the jaw kinesthetics of elasmobranchs, in collaboration with the researchers at Mote Marine Laboratory (where I work).
My original working files for Pucker and Bloat are stuck on a dead hard drive. So, I am recreating the characters. This is Bloat, the sea cucumber. That’s not a curly tail coming out of his butt either.
As Rick mentioned, I picked up a Flip Mino digital camera. This is the first project I’ve finished using this handy little cam. Edited in iMovie HD and scored in Garageband using pre-installed loops.
So continuing with my mangrove journey from last week, the next creature I came upon was a leafhopper. It was clinging to a mangrove propagule and obligingly held still while I used my little iPhone hack to take a close-up snap.
Colossal
The Squidcam is back as they begin moving the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) out of formalin and into a new display tank. Dr. Steven O’Shea will be working with the specimen.
Tip of the tentacle to Lucy and the Squidblog for details.
In Search of Giant Squid Curriculum Guide (PDF)
Giant
In 2006, the Smithsonian and NOAA put together a series of educational products to compliment their traveling exhibit on the giant squid (Architeuthis spp.). The curriculum guide is geared for grades 5-8 and includes lesson plans, websites, student worksheets, and a teacher answer key. This PDF guide is still available for free. You can also try the Giant Squid Challenge by answering the PDF quiz about the legendary creature:
A giant squid’s eyes can reach the size of _____.
It’s easy to exaggerate the size of giant squid because _____.
Newborn giant squid, or paralarvae, have
been found _____.
The bodies of giant squid have washed ashore in _____.
Male giant squid are _____.
The only known predator of adult Architeuthisis _____.
The giant squid is the world’s longest _____.
You’ll probably never be served a meal of giant squid. They taste disgusting because _____.
When threatened, most squids will squirt out a blob of ink to distract the predator. Scientists call this squid-shaped blob of ink a pseudomorph, which is Greek for _____.
One reason scientists don’t believe giant squid rely on great speed to capture their prey is because their _____ is thinner than those of better-known, very fast squid.
Jumbo
KQED also did a nice video production on the Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) recently.
A mysterious sea creature up to 7 feet long, with 10 arms, a sharp beak and a ravenous appetite, has invaded ocean waters off Northern California. Packs of fierce Humboldt Squid attack nearly everything they see, from fish to scuba divers. Marine biologists are working to discover why they’ve headed north from their traditional homes off South America.
What the Shell Is That? is my series on beachcombing and tidal life. Living on the west coast of Florida, it is mostly about shells, but can also be about other flotsam, fauna and even flora.
Lady-in-waiting venus clam (Chione intapurpurea)
Date: 27 April, 2008 Location: Turtle Beach, Sarasota, Florida, USA; at the top of the beach scarp.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Veneroida
Family: Veneridae
Lady-in-waiting venus clam (Chione intapurpurea)
Report:
It was a rough and windy day with light showers. It was also our first trip to the the infamous Midnight Pass area of Siesta Key. The pass was closed in the 1980s during construction of the bayside Intercoastal Waterway and its reopening has been a hot-button issue in the area ever since. If you click on this link, you can see a Google map image of one of the houses nearly falling into the ocean after storm erosion (circa 2001?). The area appears to have been “renourished” since then.
The venerids are remarkably abundant, perhaps the most abundant shell on the beaches here. The only reason this specimen stood out was because it was the only shell I found that day that had both valves together.
Beach Chair Scientist
I learned about a new Web site at last month’s NMEA conference called the Beach Chair Scientist. It is run by Ann McElhatton and features a companion blog for “anyone with an enthusiasm for learning about the science behind life in the ocean or along the seashore.” So far there are entries on horseshoe crabs, seaweed and ocean exfoliants.
WATERlog
Another blog I learned about recently is run by The National Aquarium in Baltimore and is called WATERlog. The blog is updated weekly and features posts on their conservation efforts and peeks behind-the-scenes. A recent post featured news of the birth of an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin at the Aquarium. The blog’s sidebar shows photos from the National Aquarium’s Flickr Pool, which gives a personable angle on how the guests view the institution. In contrast, the blog’s About page seems terribly formal, as if it was ripped from an annual report. It does not give a clear idea who the primary author, or authors, are for the site. Compare that to The Monterey Bay Aquarium blog called Sea Notes. They list the authors for each of their posts and I wish the National Aquarium would do this too.
As a side note, the National Aquarium blog is hosted at Wordpress and the Monterey Bay Aquarium blog is on Typepad. For anyone interested in comparing the two hosting services, you can see how these two aquariums take advantage of the different blogging hosts. It is also interesting to note that neither one chose to host their blogs on their own servers.
EcoSRQ
Finally, there is also a new Web site for environmentalists in my area of Florida, called Eco Sarasota. If I recall correctly, this site is an outgrowth of the Sarasota environmental Meet-up group. But just like the National Aquarium site, there is a dearth of contact and background information on who is behind it. Hope they add more info soon.
Out of range of reliable bandwidth. But hope to have a double beach feature tomorrow. Too much to post with the iPhone.
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Cephalopodcast.com - The Ocean Podcast: Featuring science education and information about our oceans. Produced in south Florida, it includes news and ideas for marine educators and those who wish to learn more about the other 71% of our planet.
![Underwater shot of two groovy brain corals [240x240, 40K]](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3146/2783165180_a151bb9600_m.jpg "Belize Brain Corals (Diploria sp. and Colpophyllia sp.)")
![Book cover showing the underside and suckers of an octopus. [240x240, 20K]](http://cephalopodcast.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/cephalopodcast-king-dunlop-book.jpg)
![Blue road signed with a stylized octopus and the words CEPHALOPOD ROUTE and a downward pointing arrow [284x521, 44K]](http://cephalopodcast.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/cephalopodcast-evacuation.jpg "Cephalopod Evacuation Route")
![Adorable dachshund in a yellow rain coat [300x225, 28K]](http://cephalopodcast.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/cephalopodcast-tsfay1.jpg "Live blogging the storm with Tupper Puppers, cephalopodcast.com")
![Pharaoh ants feeding in a circle around a yellow drop of Terro® liquid insecticide [240x240, 20K]](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3004/2764612504_69412623b4_m.jpg "Pharaoh Ants Take the Bait")
![These scrub-oak domes provide patches of shade. This one seems to be mimicking the cloud behind it. [240x175, 16K]](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/18/23953678_2ac49baf27_m.jpg "Flickr photo: DSCN0505 by j.s. clark")
![green, cartoon sea cucumber [500x165, 68K]](http://cephalopodcast.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/cephalopodcast-bloat1.png "Bloated")
![Small green leafhopper clinging to the propagule of a red mangrove [240x240, 20K]](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3157/2743232254_e27179205a_m.jpg "Leafhopper (Family Cicadellidae)")
![Seven 7-sided orange stars will purple drops forming a circle [450x450, 44K]](http://cephalopodcast.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/cephalopodcast-doodlebug001.jpg "Doodlebug #1")
)![Cover of the In Search of Giant Squid Curriculum Guide showing a large-eyed squid, PDF [232x300, 20K]](http://cephalopodcast.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/gaint-squid-curriculum-guide.jpg "In Search of Giant Squid Curriculum Guide PDF")
![Carnival Of The Blue logo, a blue sphere half-filled with water. [100x100, 7K]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1148/531775421_125285bc74_t.jpg "Carnival Of The Blue")
![Small brown clam closed to show outer ridges and stripes [240x180, 24K]](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3184/2450159481_cfff12aa79_m.jpg "What the Shell #7: Lady-in-waiting venus clam (Chione intapurpurea, open)")
![Small brown clam opened to show purple markings on inside [240x180, 24K]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2011/2450985396_d47b5b227e_m.jpg "What the Shell #7: Lady-in-waiting venus clam (Chione intapurpurea, open)")
Jason Robertshaw
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