Cnidaria

Crabs are a type of crustacean that occur within mangrove ecosystems and can be found from high tide through to low tide levels. Crabs shelter underneath logs and in cool places to avoid drying out and many create burrows for refuge from larger prey, it can also be the site of mating and incubation. Other crabs use burrows to store their food as the water tide rises or lowers. Red fingered marsh crabs and fiddler crabs are commonly active at low tides where they are often out looking for food,…

Trophic Cascade: Effect of Hemigraspus sanguineus on Intertidal Food Chain Abstract Hemigraspus sanguineus (Asian crabs), an invasive species, are found in multitude on east coast and more precisely along the long island sound. The end goal of this experiment is to see what long term effect of having this invasive crab could have on other organisms in the tides, more specifically littorina littorea (periwinkle snails). This would be achieved by studying the interaction between Asian crabs,…

Species Name What is their common and their Genus species name? The common name of the Octopus Cyanea, also known as the Blue Octopus, is “Octopodidae”. The Genus species name is “Smoothskin Octopus”. Characteristics Describe the characteristics of your animal. The Octopus Cyanea is a marvelous creature. Their color varies, but they are usually a dark color, such as gray or brown. Even though they have a solid color, they have the ability to rapidly change their skin texture and color. The…

There are many different organisms and mammals that inhabit the oceans of our world and each one is unique and special to their environments. Each organism has a vital role to play and each is important in keeping our oceans balanced. Two of my favorite animals that I’d like to explore further is the sea otters and the manatees, both amazing marine mammals. Both animals are now considered endangered and many have taken acts towards conservation for them to perhaps strive once again in the future…

Octopus Vulgaris and Memory Octopus Vulgaris are invertebrates who are a species of cephalopods that are among the smartest and most functionally diverse animals not only in the ocean, but of the planet. Octopus Vulgaris have been tested for their knowledge with memory and survival through experiments. Memory is an important part of O. Vulgaris life because they need to have a mental map of where they went so they can remember where their home base is. They also need good memory to remember how…

Over the past decade the accounts of various coral diseases have been on the rise which had lead to the decimation of keystone species of corals throughout mainly the world’s tropical oceans. Since the mid-1990s, 18 coral diseases affecting at least 150 scleractinian, gorgonian, and hydrozoan zooxanthellate species have been described in the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific (Sutherland et al. 2004). Most of these diseases have been caused by bacterial, fungal, and protist type pathogens as well the…

BLOG Nature’s Wonder - The Indian River Lagoon The Indian River Lagoon is one of Florida’s natural wonders and its northern end begins at Volusia County’s Ponce de Leon Inlet. The Lagoon stretches 156 miles to the south where it ends at Jupiter Inlet. This place where fresh water mixes with sea water is known as “the ocean’s cradle,” an “underwater rainforest” and “North America’s most diverse estuary.” It is home to more than 4,000 species of plants and animals including sea turtles,…

Just north of Key Biscayne in sunny Miami, Virgina Key is a protected barrier Island in the Atlantic ocean. Consisting of 863 acres of land, it was once much larger, extending into the Ft. Lauderdale area. Between 1835 and 1838 hurricanes eroded the beach, creating inlets and dividing the island in two. The other portion became Fisher Island, which sits at the southernmost tip of Miami Beach. Virgina Key was a part of the civil rights movement. In a time when blacks were prohibited from going…

Cuba is by far, the largest and most ecologically diverse island in the Caribbean, with several archipelagos equaling or exceeding the Florida Keys in length. Cuba’s extensive coastal areas are still home to massive mangrove wetlands, tropical wet forests, coastal mountains, and a variety of associated habitats for a diverse range of plants and animals. It has a great variety of marine ecosystems, including many diverse coral reef habitats, extensive grass beds, and more than a dozen enormous…

What is a small blue frog that is poisonous? The blue poison dart frog of course. Blue poison dart frogs are very interesting animals. They are interesting because they are the most poisonous type of frogs. The animal I chose is the blue poison dart frog also known as the Azureus. The phylum it belongs to is Chordata. Characteristics of the Chordata phylum are: most have vertebrates in other words animals with a backbone, they live in water for part of their life, they have no…