Sea Stars – Because “Starfish” Aren’t Really Fish At All
For years, scientists have been trying to get us to stop calling these wonderful creatures “starfish.” Relatives of the sand dollar, sea urchin, and sea cucumber, a better name would be “sea stars.” There are almost 2,000 species of identified sea stars in the oceans and they vary widely in color, texture, size and shape. […]
10 Cool Facts about Manatees
Marine & Oceanic Sustainability Foundation fan, 7-year-old Ava, asked us to write about her favorite underwater animal, the manatee. When we asked Ava why she liked manatees, she told us, “I like their cute faces and want to know why they are vegetarians like my momma.” Well, we don’t know why they are vegetarians, but […]
The Fishes In the Deep Blue Sea
Oceans cover more than 71% percent of our planet – and those oceans contain 97% of all the water on Earth. More than half of that water is deeper than 1 km (that’s only about ½ mile down.) Scuba divers and explorers have never explored most of the water this deep because it would kill […]
Galapagos Penguins
I don’t know about you, but when I think of penguins, I think of cute little birds in tuxedos playing in the snow. I recently learned that there are actually penguins that live in the tropics, right near the equator in the Galapagos Islands. There several islands in the Galapagos archipelago (a group of islands), […]
Fireflies of the Sea
Have you ever seen a firefly? It glows due to something called bioluminescence. Our oceans are full of creatures that use bioluminescence. Why are these creatures glowing? There are actually many different reasons why they glow or flash. They could be calling for help or trying to attract a meal – they might even be […]
The Mystery of the Ocean
You would think an animal the size of a school bus would be easy to find. Yet the giant squid, which weighs over a ton and is over 42 feet in length, is still one of the biggest mysteries of the ocean. Scientists all over the world are trying to learn more about this elusive […]