Blue Crab paragraph and photo from the Learning commons!

Blue Crab
The scientific name of the blue crab is Callinectes sapidus. They live in estuaries of Nora Scotia, Gulf of Mexico, and Uruguay. The domain is eukaryote, the kingdom is animalia, the phylum is arthropoda, and the class is crustacea. The order is decapada, the family is portunidae, the genus is Callinectes, and the species is sapidus. The blue crab has bilateral symmetry meaning that it can be divided once right down the middle. The crab is 9 inches long and it’s blue and olive green with bright blue claws. Crabs have claws which is a structural adaptation. These claws help crabs catch prey and defend themselves. Another structural adaptation of a crab is, they have a carapace as a main part of their body. This hard shell protects the crabs internal organs and also helps them with attacks from predators. The last adaptation is a behavioral adaptation. To start the process of molting, crabs hide away from predators where they can then stop eating which causes them to absorb water and swell. The shell slowly splits across the back allowing the crab to back out of it which is then discarded. Next, the crab pumps water into tissues to inflate the shell to its new size. The new shell will be about one third larger than the new shell and the new shell will reach its full size six hours after molting.
An interesting fact about the blue crab is that its scientific name comes from the greek words “beautiful” and “swimmer.” The predators of the blue crab are fish like croakers and red drum. Also bird eating fish and humans. The prey of blue crabs are clams,oysters, mussels, and small crustaceans. Blue crabs are heterotrophic and they are ectothermic which means that their body temperature depends on the temperature of their environment. Two sources of the blue crab are Blue Crab - Chesapeake Bay Program and Blue Crab - National Geographic.

White Shrimp

The white shrimp lives in warm, shallow waters with muddy bottoms from New York to Florida. They have bilateral symmetry. White Shrimp are normally 25cm. long. They have a dark brown antenna. They also have 5 pairs of legs and 3 of them are walking legs. A behavioral adaptation of a white shrimp are that they have a tail flex that helps them escape from predators. A structural adaptation is that they are covered with a tiny exoskeleton that gives them protection. A functional adaptation is that they have 3 pairs of walking legs to help them get around when they are not swimming.  An interesting fact about the white shrimp is that they can jump from out of the water to invade predators with a rapid tail flex. The predators of this animal are blue crabs, grass shrimp, and humans. The prey of White shrimp are plankton, crabs, other shrimp, and small fish.  White shrimp are heterotrophic and exothermic.

Scientific name: Litopenaeus Setiferus

Domain: eukaryote

Kingdom: animal

Phylum: arthropod

Class: malacostraca

Order:Decapoda

Family: Penaeidae

Genus:Litopenaeus

Species: Setiferus

Stripped Burrfish

The stripped burrfish is the most commonly known type of puffer fish. Their scientific name is Chilomycterus scheopfii. Lets see how we got that scientific name. Lets start with the domain. The domain is the broadest of groups. The stripped burrfish is in the Eukarya domain. The Kingdom group comes next. It is in the Animalia kingdom. Phylum comes next the burrfish is in the Chorodata phylum group. Next is class they are in the Actinoptery Class. Order comes next, the burrfish is in the tetraodontiformes order. Next is Family they are in the diodontidae family group. The secong to last group is Genus, they are in the genus Chilomycterus. Lastly the most specific group is species. They are in the scheopfii species. And that gives us the scientific name Chilomycterus scheopfii.

The stripped burrfish is most commonl found in areas near bay grass beds. They are mostly bottom dwellers. The sripped burrfish’s main food source are invertibrates such as barnecles and hermit crabs. The burrfish is a hetertroph because it feeds on other living organisms. Another facts about the stripped burrfish is that they are not very good swimmers so they move faster by suirting water out of their gills to propel them forward.

By:Merritt Davis

 field trip reflection
this field trip was really fun. I loved how I got to see so many animals I had never seen before. The tour guide was really fun because he thought us a lot but he made it seem like it wasn't a lot and he made learning alot more fun for the whole class. My favorite part was the saining because I got to see really cool organisms, and touch them too. The only sad thing about it was that there was really high tide and it was kinda more challenging then it would be if it was low tide. we were all crammed up on the island it was actually kinda funny. but overall I am kinda glad that it was high tide because we had to use team work to see how staying on the sand would. This overall was one of my favorite field trips ecspecially because mrs.cookie was the bus driver

Georgia Arnold

Science/Mrs.Cook

10/21/15

Striped Burrfish

The Striped Burrfish, or Chilomycterus schoepfi, is a yellow green color with brown/black spikes. It can grow up to 10 inches long, and has yellow spikes covering its entire body. Its characteristics include brown spots cover the dorsel fins,  as well as black spots. To swim, the striped burrfish squirts water out of its gills propelling them forward. They eat snails, barnacles, and other small fish. When they eat something like a snail, their teeth crushes the shell, making it easier to digest. The striped burrfish does not have any main predators, but a shark is one of them. It is in the Eukariot Domain, Animala kingdom, Chordata Phylum Actinopterygii Class, Diodontidae Family, Chilomycterus Genus, and finally Schoepfi Species. The striped burrfish is usually found from Virginia to Maryland to the Gulf of Mexico. They usually live in estuarys with sandy/rocky floors.  A behavioral and functional adaptation of the striped burrfish is that they puff up when threatened. They are able to deflate their bodies, a structural adaptation.

AH squid squad Lookdown fish with the drawing I drew

Rajwan Mohammed

Science/ English

10/16/15

Lookdown Fish

Common name of organism is: Lookdown fish

Scientific name: Selene Vomer

Domain: Eukaryote

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Perciformes

Family: Carangidae

Genus: Selene

Species: Selene Vomer

The lookdown fish has bright silver and gold glowing body and it’s forehead is extremely blunt it’s also really thin.The back and belly parts are straight. The habitat and region of this fish are that they are most found in sandy areas near bridges and pilings. Most of the times they live in small schools close to the bottom. My favorite fact about this fish is that when it’s under stress lookdown will grunt noises with their swim bladder and teeth. This fish is a prey and also it is heterotrophic because it gets it’s energy from other organisms but not from the sun. Well the adaptations lets silvery fish reflect light without polarization, and also something that I couldn't believe was that the lookdown fish can open its mouth enough to feed on shrimp, fish, crabs and worms and they are big. This fish doesn't have an eyelid she has circly small eyes and her two eyes are just mutual. This fish is an exothermic fish.

Natalie Richards

Science blog

Friday, October 18

Look-down fish

The Look-down fish lives in marine tropical estuaries on the east coast in the United States. It’s scientific name is Selene vomer. The order of classification for the Look-down fish’s domain of eukaryotes. Next, the kingdom is animalia, the phylum is chordata, and the class is osteichthyes. Next, the order is perciformes, and the family is carangidae. Lastly, the genus is Selene, and the species is vomer. The genus and species make up the scientific name. The look-down fish’s main meal is small fishes, crabs, and worms. It’s bright silver compressed body helps it fit into small spaces. A physical adaptation is that the Look-down fish has a bright silver body. It helps it because it’s body reflects light, so predators can’t see the fish very well from far away. A structural adaptation is that the Look-down fish has a very large, extendable mouth that helps it feed on larger prey. Lastly, the Look-down fish seeks shelter in floating debris. This is a behavioral adaptation because there are many worms around the debris, so food isn’t scarce.

Red-Tailed Hawks

The Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a large bird with rounded wings and a short wide tail. It is brown above and pale below. The Red-Tailed Hawk has excellent vision and can see in color (which is a structural adaptation). It has strong, sharp talons for ripping apart their prey (which is a functional adaptation). It also has a hooked beak for pulling out the meat from its prey (which is a functional adaptation).The Red-Tailed Hawk’s Habitat is tropical beaches and marshes. It’s prey is Rabbits or Squirrels, and it’s Predators are Raccoons, Great Horned Owls, and Red Foxes. The Red-Tailed Hawk has a bilateral symmetry, also it is a heterotroph (animal) and endothermic (warm-blooded). The Order of Classification for the Red-Tailed Hawk is…

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Falconiformes

Family: Accipitridae

Genus: Buteo

Species: jamaicensis

and lastly an interesting fact about The Red-Tailed Hawk is Red-Tailed Hawk have a loud descending call sounding like “keeeep.”

This is my Knobbed Whelk Paragraph with my picture off of the Learning!

Knobbed whelk

The scientific name of the knobbed whelk is Busycon carica. This animal lives in estuaries from the Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Florida. The domain of this organism is eukaryote. The kingdom is animalia, the phylum is mollusca, and the class is gastropoda. The order is neogastropoda, the family is melongenidae, the genus is Busycon, and the species is caria. The knobbed whelk is asymmetrical, meaning that it has no symmetry. The length of the knobbed whelk is 5-9 inches. Its shell is white, tan, and gray, and its inner shell is yellow and orange. A structural adaptation is the shape and hardness of the knobbed whelks shell. It is hard and curved which protects it from predators and allows the whelk to hide deep in the shell. A behavioral adaptation of a knobbed knobbed whelk is that they are scavengers meaning that it feeds on dead animal and plant material in its habitat. Another structural adaptation that the knobbed whelk has is it has an operculum that is a little oval shaped door that the whelk can close to protect itself from predators. Some interesting facts of this organism are that they’ve been existent for more than 30 million years and they are the state shell of New Jersey and Georgia. The predators of the knobbed whelk are crabs, urchins, and sea stars. The prey of the knobbed whelk are clams, oysters, mussels, and other bivalves meaning that it’s a heterotroph. The knobbed whelk is ectothermic meaning their body temperature fluctuates with the temperature of their surroundings. These are two sources I used Knobbed Whelk - Chesapeake Bay Program and Knobbed Whelk - SC Department of Natural Resources.
By Hannah Pierce

Blue Crab Picture- Jane Goldstein

Off Learning Commons!

Lookdown fish by Emory Meyer

Sea Star Photo Grace!! ;)

Common Sea Star

Asterias forbesi

Grace Richards

Grace Common Sea Star

Grace Richards

Mrs. Cook Science

Friday, October 16, 2015

Sea Star

Asterias forbesi

The Common Sea Star, or Asterias forbesi, has five-part radial symmetry. It lives in shallow, rocky areas with a sand bottom, in salty waters of the Southeastern Atlantic Ocean, and usually has five pointed arms, with yellowish purple coloring. The Sea Star is classified in the Domain Eukaryote, the Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Ehinodermata, and the Class Asterozoa. Its Family is Asteriidae, the Genus is Asterias, and the Species is forbesi. The Sea Star has spines all over its body and tiny tube-like feet on its underside. This organism has many adaptations to help it survive in its habitat. One of its structural adaptations is that it has tough, spiny skin to protect itself or to fend off predators. Sea Stars are ectothermic. A functional adaptation is their regeneration. When a Sea Star loses its leg, it will quickly regrow a new arm or maybe even two new arms! This is regeneration. A behavioral adaptation is how a Sea Star uses its strong tube-like feet to pry open the shell of its prey. Its diet includes a variety of animals(it is a heterotroph), due to its capacity to pry open almost any shell with its tube feet. Sea Stars are heterotrophic, and eat many organisms including snails, clams, mussels, oysters, or even barnacles. Sea Stars have few predators because of their tough, spiny skin, but some crustaceans or fish occasionally eat them. One interesting fact about the Sea Star is that it can travel a mile in about one week! Sea stars use their tiny tube-like feet to “walk.”

www.chesapeakebay.net, www.eol.com

My Great Egret photo :) Off of learning commons:))

Emory Meyer

English, Science

October 20, 2015

Lookdown Fish

Selene Vomer

           

Selene vomer, more commonly known as the Lookdown fish, are found in sandy areas near bridges and pilings. They live in small schools near the ocean floor. They are heterotrophic organisms, which means they get energy by eating autotrophs or other heterotrophs. They are also ectothermic meaning they are cold-blooded and they have bilateral symmetry. The Lookdown fish is flat and it is silver. It has long thin stripes on its tail and anail fin. The Lookdown fish gets its name because of how it appears to “look down” as it swims. Its prey is small worms, fish, and crustaceans. Its predators are larger fish, some fishermen, and some aquarium collectors. Its Domain is eukaryotes and its Kingdom is animalia.  Its Phylum is chordata, its Class is osteichthyes, and its Order is perciformes. Its Family is carangidae, its Genus is Selene, and its Species is vomer. Two functional adaptation that they have are: they can open their mouths very wide so they can feed on prey and they have small eyes that lack any form of adipose eyelid. A structural adaptation that they have is: their metallic color confuses predators when they swim in schools or groups.

Blue Crab

Jane Goldstein

English, Science

Friday, October 15th 2015

Blue Crab

The scientific name of a blue crab is Callinectes sapidus. A blue crabs habitat is in fresh salty waters. The domain of a blue crab is eukaryote, the kingdom is animal, the phylum is arthropod, the class is crustacea, the order is decapoda, the family is portunidae, the genus is callinectes, and the species is sapidus. Blue crabs have bilateral symmetry. They have 5 sets of legs, one pair are the claws, another pair are the swimming legs. Blue crabs grow up to 9 inches. They also have an olive green shell. One adaptation of a blue crab is their claws. The claws help them defend themselves, and to catch prey. Another adaptation is the mouth, because it has jaws that hold and push food into the esophagus. One more adaptation is that the blue crab has one pair of swimming legs to help them swim much faster. A fun fact about blue crabs is that as they grow, they shed their shell! A blue crabs predators are sharks, eels, striped bass, and red drum fish. The prey of a blue crab are clams, snails, shrimp, worms, fish, and other crabs. Blue crabs are heterotrophic, and exothermic.

Hastings Witt

English, Science

Friday October 15th

Blue Crab a.k.a. Callinectes sapidus

    The Callinectes sapidus more commonly known as the Blue Crab. This organism is most commonly found in estuaries with brackish waters. They can be found in various depths from the low tide line to 120 feet deep in the ocean. This organism’s Domain is Eukaryote and its Kingdom is Animalia. Its phylum is arthropod and its class is is Malacostraca. Its order is decapod and its family is Portunidae. Finally its genus is Callinectes and its species is sapidus. This organism has many adaptations such as its big claws that help the crab grab food and defend its habitat, this is a structural adaptation, which means a physical adaptation. Another one is its adaptations is its hard shell which protects its soft center, this is a structural adaptation. Also this organism has hind appendages which are like paddles to help it swim better, this is a structural adaptation. Also, this organism has many different characteristics but some of the most striking are that the front of its body is bright blue. It has ten legs with two main claws on its front side. The claws are bigger that any of its other legs. This organism is endothermic which means it is warm blooded. Also this organism has bilateral symmetry that means that it can be divided into two symmetrical parts and they should be mirror images. Some adaptations that One interesting fact about this organism is that it attracts males with a liquid substance in its urine. This organism is heterotrophic and that means it eats producers and or smaller heterotrophs. Some of this organisms predators are Red Drum, Atlantic Croaker fish, Herons, Sea Turtles, and humans. I can’t wait to learn more about this organism and other organisms too!       Blue Crab!