The World is Just Awesome

“Chondrichhye,” is the class of fish, sharks belong to. — data

About 350 different kinds of sharks are already known to mankind, but, usually most researchers are of the opinion that there are other sharks that have not been discovered as yet. — inference

A shark has two dorsal fins on its back, one beneath its body, which is weird looking, its called the pectoral fin (All species do not have that!) and the tail which is the caudal fin. –opinion.

sharks are very fastinating creatures–oponion

                                           cat got your fish??        http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/opinion/22greenberg.html                                        

in this article i learned about fish being in fish meals for cats and just plain fish oil. In the article it explains about a story of someones pet cat that past away but it made it less sad for them because they knew it was one less fish killed for food. This is a fact from the article that The use of wild fish in animal feed is a serious problem for the world’s food systems. Around a third of all wild fish caught are “reduced” into fish meal and fish oil. The pet food industry now uses about 10 percent of the global supply of forage fish. poultry takes as much as 22 percent which means even when the cat was only eating chicken he was indirectly eating fish. The article mentioned something about how we should insist that our land based animals stick to land grown feed. I personally think that is a great idea.

Rising Acidity Is Threatening Food Web of http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/31/science/earth/31ocean.html

in this article i read that gas and acid are really taking a tole on our oceans. this is a fact, marine scientists says this acidity is accelerating so fast it threatens the survival of coral reefs, shellfish and the marine food web generally. i read that they had a panel comprising 155 scientists from 26 different countries and other international groups. these groups said that there have been detectable decreases in shellfish and shell weights, and interference with the coral skeletons. everyone didnt really notice that this was taking place because we were to worried about global warming to even think about this. oceans absorb about a quarter of carbon dioxide but as the gas dissolves it turns into cabonic acid. But in the end there is really nothing anyone can do.

U.S. Requires Ships to Cut Speed in Waters Used by Right Whales http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/us/10whales.html

in this article i learned that they are reducing speeds of boats that are 65 feet or longer in patches of ocean within 20 miles of the Atlantic coastline from Massachusetts to Florida. a fact is that Fewer than 400 right whales now exist, scientists estimate. it would be horrible if the amount went lower than that only beacuse of boats.  people tried making this take place by 2006 but it never happened. it now is in 2009 so it has been a long dragged out process but it was worth it in the end. Vicki Cornish, vice president of marine wildlife was thrilled that this is taking place. only because the population of the whales are already decreasing losing only one female could make a large difference. i think that this is and excellent thing for the safety of our whales.

by: Tiffany May

New York Times; online; April 20, 2009; By Henry Fountain:

Why Mussels’ Grip is Stiff but Stretchy;

In this article I learned about mussels and why they’re so stiff. Mussels are stiff because the shell contains Calcium Carbonate, and without Calcium and Iron the mussels wouldn’t be as stiff as they are today. One fact I found was: A hard material will crack when you try to stretch it where as a soft material is flexible and anything but stiff. However there was no data to support this. An inference about this article i found was: “removing calcium and iron from the cuticle of a mussel reduces it’s stiffness by 50 percent” (thanks to researchers J. Waite & N. Holten-Anderson who released their findings in this article). I believe that if mussels didn’t have either iron or calcium in their body’s they wouldn’t have the strenth they do now and might not be able to survive because they would be an easy prey for other animals.

New York Times;  online; April 17, 2009; By Lauren Porcardo Dorment:

Gaurdian of the Fish with the Golden Eggs:

The fist part of this article stated a very broad fact: Dr. Doukakis is on a mission to protect the sturgeon, a fish particularly vulnerable because its eggs are used to make caviar. This article jumped out at me because i thought of the convenience stores such as Safeway in town, or the Sushi Restaraunt in Bonneylake where caviar is available. I’ve heard of people loving caviar and eating it at fancy dinner’s but it never occured to me how harmful eating such a dilectable food could be. Although no data proved present this article intrigued my insterests, because i have recently heard of caviar being sold in the Black Market illegally which was mentioned toward the end of this article.  I am a pescitarian but i have never had cavair (nor do i wish to) and i believe Dr. Doukakis is doing a great thing to protect “The Fishes Rights” by “Whacking” the overfishers/wrong do-er’s because the numbers are becoming increasingling smaller out there in the big bad ocean.

New York Times; online; April 15, 2009; Andrew C. Revkin:

Coral Fossils Suggest That Sea Level Can Rise Rapidly:

Everyone has a different theory about Global Warming whether it be: “it’s a hoax” or “start stocking up now, it’s coming” and i personally dont know what to believe yet. The author of this article claims: “Evidence from fossil coral reefs in Mexico underlines the potential for a sudden jump in sea levels because of global warming, scientists report in a new study” as a fact. But how is anybody expected to believe this without any real data? I believe that the waters are rising and may in fact be due to global warming, but i also believe that this whole thing is blown completly out of proportion. The coral reefs in the ocean near Mexico have in fact shown signs of the waters rising but both humans and animals (marine life included) cant do anything drastic at the moment to prevent this from occuring. I think we all just need to calm down, take a breather, and find some recent data to support our ‘theories’.

-Aundrea; Blog #2

During the movie we watched I learned lots of interesting little tid-bits on everything from crabs that measure only 1 centimeter to Orca Whales that can exceed weights of 1,000 pounds.  One thing I learned was that when orca whales eat, they do not just have snack time, they also have play time.  They keep the seal alive for about 30 minutes while they toss it into the air and bat it with their tail.  Another reason they keep the seal alive for so  long is to let the young whales practice catching a live and moving seal.  Some scientists believe they do this to break up all the bones in the body of the seal.  That way the meat and blubber and skin goes down easily. 

Some more interesting things I learned about was the way Elephant Seals live.  When they are in the freezing water their skin is actually a white color.  Once they leave the water they actually get sunburnt and turn a gross pink color.  For a male elephant seal to earn the right to mate he has to prove his manhood.  Only the largest of the males are able to mate and all the females on the beach are part of his territory.  Smaller Elephant seals will try to wait on the beach for females to come in and they will try to mate with them before the larger males see them.  If they are spotted a huge brawl will erupt and can sometimes end in death for one of the seals.  Baby seals are often squashed in these battles because they fight up and down the beach.

By: Jon

  just recently we had watched a very exciting and fact rich video on tides and coastlines.  it seems as though it gave me not just more knowledge, but also a thirst to read on and discover more about the coast and the animals which dwell around its surf. 

  The marine food chains are affected by the tidal changes quite regularly, some predators become prey when the water is out, the birds and other mammals can come in and feed on the many creatures which get stranded upon dry land.  when the water comes back in then they become much safer under their protective layer of water.

  The intertidal zone is also quite a harsh environment.  The creatures who live in this area have adapted to withstand the extreme change in moisture and salinity as the tides change.

  My favorite part of the video was the elephant seals established dominence among the males.  they fought for the right to mate in a bloody battle royale the weapon of choice being their heads!!  When the less dominate males tried to find as lady friend they were beat off by the larger more dominant males.

Posted by Brett

Fact:  Corals are from the class Anthozoa

Data:  Scientists have predicted that over 50% of the coral reefs in the world may be destroyed by the year 2030

Inference:  Scientists fear that ocean acidification may inevitably result in the severe degradation or destruction of coral species and ecosystems.

Opinion:  Reefs also provide recreational scuba diving and snorkeling tourism

Claim:  Scientists have predicted that over 50% of the coral reefs in the world may be destroyed by the year 2030

Premise:  Millepora boschmai colonies near Panamá were bleached and died within six years – this species is now thought to be extinct

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral

Kylie