Coral

Distribution: The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is found from northern Florida to southern Georgia and through the Gulf states into Texas (Nichols, M. 2007). It can also be found in more northern areas such as Kansas, Illinois, and Indiana; there have also been sighting as far west as California and Arizona. The alligator snapping turtle is confined to river systems in the United States that drain into the Gulf of Mexico (Clarke 1981). The most common sightings include the…

The Las Vegas Natural History Museum This is not a large museum; the type you would come to expect from the large cities in the United States. But considering that it is located in a city known for its gambling, this museum is surprisingly good. Some of the highlights of the museum include: -An African room, where you can see life size replicas of all of the most prominent animals that live in the African savanna. -A desert animal exhibit. To many people's surprise, there are many…

Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to explore and delve deep into the ocean. I dreamt of breathing underwater and discovering a vastly unknown world that surrounds all of us. This lead to my interest in Marine Biology and how it has pushed my character past any interfering influence. There were so many media outlets that helped drive my passion for the water. The best way I can imagine to spend my time is to relax on a couch watching some of the best ocean films in history. There are great ones…

Bartolome Bartolome is a diverse mix of stunning natural sights and a startling variety of wildlife. It’s named for Sir Bartholomew James Sullivan, a second lieutenant on the HMS Beagle and a friend of Charles Darwin. After a wet landing, your day starts with a hike up a 600 meter wooden boardwalk and stairway through ancient red, black, orange, and green lava fields to the highest point on the island. The journey to the top takes you through the different stages of the island’s formation.…

Description This is the Yellow Tube Sponge, also known as the Aplysina aerophoba. The animal’s name is very self explanatory. This animal, who is commonly mistaken for a plant, has a rough outer, tube-like shell. It is yellow, hence the name. Also, it is hollowed out, with one tube coming out from the top, and it is capable of growing to 3 feet tall. The Aplysina aerophoba in its natural habitat. Habitat The Yellow Tube Sponge lives underwater, near the northern zone of the Atlantic ocean.…

A study into the sexual dimorphism of head length in comparison to body length in the male and female Tenerife Lizard Gallotia galloti Introduction The Canary Islands archipelago is comprised a chain of volcanic islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The largest of these islands being Tenerife with an area of 2,058km2and is located 270km of the coast of northwest Africa (Thorpe and Baez, 1987). The Tenerife lizard Gallotia galloti are an endemic species to the Canary Islands (Bohórquez-Alonso et al.,…

The manta ray is a flat fish that lives in salt water. The Ray is 7-9 metres wide and is around 1350 kg. The fish eats plants and smaller fish. Although manta rays do not attack humans, they would be atrocious pets due to their size, habitat and extreme living. After looking deeper into these reasons, it will be safe to say that the manta ray should be no pet. One reason that the manta ray would make a bad pet is because of it's size. Firstly, the ray would be hard to transport. Secondly, the…

Cyprinodon diabolis also known as The Devils Hole pupfish is a well-known little fish that lives in Devils hole in Nevada a very hot and dry state. These fish are known to be one of the world’s most vulnerable fish. It is known to many in the science community that this species has less than 400 adults. They all live in a cavern like area in Devils Hole. Devils hole is a small body of water that opened up 60,000 years ago. (Riggs & Decon,2004) Researchers have some confusion as to when the…

Ocean acidification is detrimental to calcium carbonate life. As CO2 is absorbed into the ocean, it has a chemical reaction with water and forms carbonic acid, lowering the pH. This acid reacts with the calcium carbonate that many shellfish need to build their homes and protection, forming a different type of molecule, and depleting the ocean’s calcium carbonate resources. While it was obvious in our lab that our four mollusks, wrinkled drill, cowrie, small oyster, and large oyster, were to be…

Business Insider tells “there are 228,450 known species in the ocean — and as many as 2 million more that remain a total mystery” (Reuters).The World Book Encyclopedia states Marine Biology is “is the study of organisms that live in the sea.”(Garrison). Marine biologist pay attention to detail, and it is their main purpose to become more knowledgeable about a species and their habitats. It can range from different jobs such as simply observing, to things more complicated like discovering a new…