The Pacific Science Center has a variation on a popular numbers game.
Do you Sudoku? Well, here’s a twist we think you’ll love. We call it PacSci-Doku…Instead of filling in the blanks with numbers, use letters. Hidden in one of the columns or rows is the answer to a science question. The question in this edition is:
What ancient sea reptile lived during the age of the dinosaurs in what is now Europe?
To find the answer, complete this PacSci-Doku using the following nine letters:
A O U S D L R P C
![Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure Poster [PDF]](http://cephalopodcast.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/pic-natgeo-seamonster.jpg)
This might be a fun supplement for educators following along when National Geographic premieres its new giant screen film Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure on October 5th.
Stunning photo-realistic computer-generated animated transports audiences back to the Late Cretaceous, when a great inland sea divided North America in two. The film follows a curious and adventurous dolichorhynchops – familiarly known as a ‘dolly’ – as she travels through the most dangerous oceans in history. Along the way, she encounters long-necked plesiosaurs, giant turtles, enormous fish, fierce sharks, and the most dangerous sea monster of all, the mosasaur.
Sadly, it doesn’t appear to be playing anywhere close to me. 
However, it’s not only a movie, it’s also a multimedia marketing blitzvideogame for the Wii
, Nintendo DS, and Playstation 2.
I have to think that combining these games with the standards-based lesson plans would make for a pretty interesting classroom assignment.
![Turtles in Trouble, thetravelfoundation.org.uk [150x217, 16K]](http://www.cephalopodcast.com/img/pic/pic_070508_mcsturtles.gif "Turtles in Trouble, thetravelfoundation.org.uk")
Take eight minutes out of your day and watch this clever little animated PSA about sea turtle conservation. Even though it is targeted at European travelers, its message is global.
The short film explains how UK tour operator practice can make a positive difference to the conservation of endangered loggerhead and green turtles during the summer holiday season at destinations in Greece, Crete and Turkey.
It’s not nearly as dry as it sounds. In fact, it is delightfully moist.
More oceanic adventures from PBS. They updated the site to include an educators guide.
VOYAGE OF THE LONELY TURTLE
Premieres Sunday, April 15th at 8 p.m.
A solitary loggerhead turtle in the middle of a vast ocean may not sound like an adventure film, but stick with her. Along her 9000-mile voyage to nest, our loggerhead tour guide in VOYAGE OF THE LONELY TURTLE encounters hammerhead sharks, deep ocean tempests, and man-made death traps in the form of fishing nets and hooks. Her body of well-suited armor and specialized adaptations for deep-ocean dwelling will help the sea turtle evade many of the ocean’s menaces. But this is just one set of challenges to overcome. Here is another: she must find her way across the Pacific, from Baja to a small stretch of beach in Japan, a precise location that she has been to just once before, as a two-inch hatchling, decades ago.
![Humpback whale's tail [200x150, 6.8K]](http://www.cephalopodcast.com/img/pic/pic_070413_NOAA.jpg "Humpback whale's tail; Captain Budd Christman, NOAA Corps;")
Hey, NOAA has updated their online photo library. Because most of these images are taken as part of the normal operations of this federal agency, they are copyright free and in the public domain. All they ask is that proper photo credit is given.
Bizarrely, the search function is currently not working, making perusal of the collection a somewhat arduous expedition.
- More than 10,000 new images.
New search capability.- Many new albums that better reflect NOAA’s stewardship role and range of operations.
- Hundreds of Hurricane Katrina images that help record the extent of damage of this American tragedy.
- Thousands of stunning ocean exploration photographs, coral reef photographs, and polar regions photographs.
- New additions to albums including remarkable lightning photography, coastal photographs detailing the nooks and crannies of our American coastline including a medley of American lighthouses, and new images detailing the Treasures of the NOAA Library.
- And in this, the 200th Anniversary of the Coast Survey, NOAA’s oldest ancestor agency and America’s first science agency, thousands of newly digitized historical photographs detailing the work of the Coast Survey, Fisheries Commission and Weather Bureau.
In addition to still images, NOAA also makes available a number of copyright free video clips. The quality is a bit mixed, but it’s a nice way to build a royalty-free library.
NOAA maintains a library of video footage, which is compiled and categorized by subject. It’s available for the cost of reproduction on a public domain basis—no license or clearance required. It’s requested that you credit “NOAA” or “National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,” when using the footage.
![Great Turtle Race, Yahoo trading card [200x150, 22K]](http://www.cephalopodcast.com/img/pic/pic_070410_yahooturtle.gif "Great Turtle Race")
Leatherback sea turtles are the largest and most ancient lineage of marine turtles. Eleven of them have been fitted with satellite transmitters as part of the Great Turtle Race, which begins on April 16, 2007.
The event is organized by The Leatherback Trust, Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP), Conservation International and Costa Rica’s MINAE. Some of the turtles are sponsored by Plantronics, Yahoo and West Marine, among others.
The whole site is a pretty slick production and includes Flashified trading cards for all the animals and a Flickr page. No word on whether the sponsors got to stencils their logos directly onto the turtles.
The sponsored turtles…are “racing” toward feeding areas south of the Galapagos Islands after nesting at Playa Grande in Costa Rica’s Las Baulas National Park, the primary nesting area for leatherbacks in the Pacific. The leatherback is a 100 million-year-old, massive sea animal that outlived the dinosaurs but is now dangerously close to extinction. Leatherback numbers have decreased at Playa Grande from thousands of nesting turtles 10 years ago to fewer than 100 in the last five years. This online event will raise funds to protect Playa Grande and raise awareness about what individuals can do-no matter where they live-to help protect sea turtles in our daily actions.
Lesson plans for K-5 and 6-12 grades are hosted by ERIC. Additional educational materials are supposed to be available in the “Sea Turtle School” area at www.GreatTurtleRace.com.
UPDATE: Stephen Colbert devoted part of his monologue to the leatherback race. One of the turtles is named after him.
More tentacle tinglage coming up from PBS. Sadly, no lesson plans or prepared companion guides for educators. Originally aired December, 2005.
ENCOUNTERING SEA MONSTERS
Airs April 8, 2007 at 8pm on PBS
NATURE follows Bob Cranston in his quest to film and understand the world’s most mysterious cephalopods.
Continue reading ‘PBS Special: Encountering Sea Monsters’
Trolling the Google for sharky news so you don’t have to:
Swim At Your Own Risk is your daily dose of all things sharky… oh, and we’ll also try to fill you in on any other aquatic antics we stumble upon.
Mi hombre no necesita huevos de tortuga
My man does not need turtle eggs.
The folks over at Deep-Sea News, along with Argentinian supermodel Dorismar, want to remind all Catholics that sea turtles are not fish and make an inappropriate option for Lent fasting.
Because of the common misconception of sea turtles as ‘fish,’ it is estimated that as many as 10,000 endangered green, loggerhead, and olive ridley turtles are taken for feast food each year during Catholic religious holidays. Other species, such as leatherbacks, are also at risk as their eggs are poached in massive quantities throughout Latin America.
Continue reading ‘Send a message to the Pope: My man does not need sea turtle eggs.’
PBS is airing its tenth installment of Journey to Planet Earth series tomorrow. The show is hosted by Matt Damon, which is kind of annoying. Expect a disheartening survey of the many ills facing our planet’s oceans interspersed with optimistic words about mankind’s resourcefulness and the hope that technology and international cooperation will someday solve all these problems.
STATE OF THE OCEAN’S ANIMALS
Premiers March 28th, 2007 at 8pm on PBS
Check local listings
Nearly half the world’s marine animals may face extinction over the next twenty-five years. Global warming, over-fishing, and habitat destruction are emptying the world’s oceans. Join host Matt Damon as “State of the Ocean’s Animals” takes a hard look at the future of our watery natural world: the beauty, the incredible animals, and the dangers that threaten them.
Features scenes from the Pacific Northwest (whales, salmon and sea otters), Florida (sea level rise and its effect on loggerhead turtles), Japan (the slaughter of dolphins), China (shark fin trade), and the Antarctic (threats to Emperor Penguins).
[via CTURTLE]![The Anatomy of Sea Turtles, by Jeanette Wyneken, Ph.D. [200x150, 12K]](http://www.cephalopodcast.com/img/pic/pic_070307_seaturtleanatomy.jpg "The Anatomy of Sea Turtles, by Jeanette Wyneken, Ph.D.")
Download a free PDF copy of the Anatomy of Sea Turtles by Jeanette Wyneken, Ph.D. Not for the squeamish if parasagittal dissections make you squick. It includes black and white illustrations by Dawn Witherington and color photographs.
…a fundamental background, reference photos of normal anatomy, and diagrams to guide novice or professional biologists, stranding personnel, and veterinarians. Species identification, standard dissection techniques, standard measurements, and basic anatomy are covered with a diverse audience in mind.
A classic major discovery, according to one post on the Sea Turtle Listserv:
A FLATULENT turtle set off an aquarium’s fire alarm after being fed a Christmas treat of Brussels sprouts.
It broke wind and the bubble it created was so strong, it set off an emergency sensor inside its tank at the Sea Life Centre in Weymouth, Dorset, yesterday.
It indicated the water was at a dangerously high level, so marine biologist Sarah Leaney rushed to the aquarium.
Perhaps if the turtle was given access to the Attack of the Sprouts game, the results would have been less alarming 8O.
The Delaware SeaGrant program produces short radio announcements on ocean topics called SeaTalk. They have material going back to 1998 in wav and mp3 formats. Wouldn’t take much to syndicate this stuff and turn it into podcasts. How about it Delaware? Don’t keep your content bottled up. Let me know if you need help. 
As a public service in conjunction with more than 35 area radio stations, Delaware Sea Grant produces SeaTalk, a bimonthly series of 30- and 60-second radio announcements on subjects ranging from sharks to sand dunes to current marine science research. The series has been in production at the University of Delaware for more than 30 years.
SeaTalk Sampler
Sea turtle webcast on Friday, 07/14/2006
This sounds very interesting:
On the night of July 14, 2006 , Megotta, Inc., with the cooperation and supervision of the Caribbean Conservation Corporation/Sea Turtle Survival League, will broadcast the first-ever live web cast of a nesting sea turtle in the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge.
From their website, it looks like Megotta, Inc. is located on the Florida Space Coast and is developing a business giving individuals and groups the technology needed to share educational and ecological content. It was started by graduates from Florida Tech and as part of its mission, they launched their MeGotta Careâ„¢ program. Initially they are working with local groups supporting marine ecology. Sounds pretty neat.
Additional sea turtle links
Hey, a new aquatic podcast!
![TWiST: This Week in Sea Turtlesfe thumbnail [4K, 80x60]](http://cephalopodcast.com/img/pic/pic_060513_twist.gif "TWiST: This Week in Sea Turtles podcast")
Hot topics in sea turtle research and conservation.
Hosts: Michael Coyne, Matthew Godfrey and Manjula Tiwari
This is an experiment. We aren’t entirely sure where this will go, but we hope it will stimulate discussion and inform and educate the sea turtle community. It also gives the geeks another outlet! We plan to make this a weekly show, so listen and enjoy!
Box Lunch Media offers video resources for marine educators. I have not had any pesonal experience with them, but their media products look interesting:
- Biodiversity
- Biomes
- Education Models
- Marine & Coastal
- Native American Stewardship
- Rain Forest
- Stewardship
- Wetlands
- Teachers Guides
I am thinking about ordering the Journey of the Loggerhead DVD created by Environmental Media. Anyone ever seen this video, or have experience with Box Lunch Media? Let me know. Thanks!
Jason Robertshaw
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