Adaptations of Mangroves

Mangroves have pores on their leaves that excrete salt and keep in the fresh water.

Their roots are filled with a spongy tissue and small holes that offer structural support and allow oxygen to be transferred to the roots trapped underground in the anaerobic soil.

Their seeds grow with a root that helps it stick in the ground when it falls from the branches.

Overfishing

Overfishing has become a major concern in our world today. What some people don't understand is that when fishing boats use giant trawl nets to catch a large amount of fish, they can also catch by-catch, which are marine animals that are accidentally caught when using these big nets. These animals are taken out of their homes when they weren't even supposed to. Also, it takes more smaller fish to catch and feed fewer bigger fish. If we keep this up we could completely wipe out species of fish. That means less seafood for us to each, which is a great source of protein. We can help by supporting our politicians to speak up and stop using trawl nets and support local fisheries.  

Whale Lab

Today in my Aquatic Science class we did a lab where we had to identify different whales based on pictures of their flukes. When a whale comes to the surface, most of the time only it's fluke is revealed. This is how scientists identify them because each fluke is unique. Some have scars, some have chunks taken out of them, and some have tiny bumps or notches that are just a little more prominent than other flukes. This helps scientists distinguish between the different whales so they can study what type of whale lives where and conduct research easily on one whale simply by looking at the fluke.

In this lab we were given a folder full of whale flukes like the picture above. We were given a manilla envelope that contained four whale flukes and my partner and I had to identify which one it matched in the folder. The hardest part was the further along we got and the more we just wanted to get it over with, the more they all started to look the same. But this was a good experiment to get us to work together and be "whale detectives". I wouldn't change anything about it.

Sea Otter

Common Name: Sea Otter

Scientific Name: Enhydra lutris kenyoni

Habitat: Sea otters live in shallow, coastal waters. Their habitat has two areas: 1) The ocean floor where they find their food
2) The ocean surface where they eat, groom, rest, and play

Adaptations: Sea otters have paws that are fused together to create a paddle for moving through the water. Their tail acts as a rudder and also propels the otter through the water. They can also live on land but can't move as well as they can in the water. Sea otters have very thick fur with natural oils that repels water and traps tiny air bubbles, which provides a layer of warm air between their skin and the environment. 

Status: Sea otters in California are threatened because that species is hunted for its beautiful fur.

Current Issues: Oil spills, infectious diseases, parasites, boat strikes, entanglement, and toxins

Why I Chose It?: Sea otters are really cute and I was interested to learn about their lifestyle.