tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63466233330927028832024-02-06T20:43:09.200-08:00Biological Tales from the Brine QueenBrine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.comBlogger200125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-22036757719507570832013-05-07T11:46:00.002-07:002013-05-07T11:48:34.761-07:00It must be spring...So in finding a new spot for my staghorn fern, I inadvertently made a perfect nesting site for some carolina wrens, who moved in a mere two weeks afterwards.<br />
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A week so later, I peeked in and saw some eggs...</div>
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Today I noticed a lot of activity going on at the nest, with the birds bringing lots of food in.</div>
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Peeking in the nest I saw why... The eggs had hatched.</div>
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While I watched the pair brought 3 bugs in under 15 minutes.</div>
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Carolina wrens like to nest in odd places like mailboxes and broken taillights, and will nest a couple of times a season. The chicks will fledge in 12-14 days.</div>
Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-33634005984951096762012-08-19T18:40:00.001-07:002012-08-19T18:41:18.491-07:00My very own (false) earthstar...So I was wandering through my garden when I noticed this lovely mushroom that got me really excited. At the time I thought it was an earthstar mushroom, which are my favorite mushrooms. Yes, I do have a favorite mushroom...<br />
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Earthstars start out as a round ball. When they are ripe the outer layers peel back and the inner chamber releases spores. After observing it for a couple of days, I realized that this was not an earthstar mushroom, but a false earthstar mushroom. I had not known false earthstars existed until I did a little online research trying to pin down exactly which earthstar it could be. I was a little crushed until I realized that false earthstars were even cooler then earthstars, and they became my new favorite mushroom.</div>
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What distinguishes the false earthstar from an earthstar? Well, mycologists separate them based on the thin chamber walls inside the area where the spores are developed, the nature of the split in the spore sac, the absence of sterile tissue at the base of the spore sac, and the size of the spores themselves. </div>
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Perhaps the easiest way to differentiate them (and what makes them so cool) is the hygroscopic properties of the outer 'sun-like' rays. This special property means that when moisture is present in the air, the rays absorb it and uncurl. This pushes the spore sac up in the air, so that spores are dispersed farther in the correct (moisture-rich) conditions. When the air is dry, the rays 'dry out' and curl up to protect the center of the spore sac. Few 'true' earthstars have this property. What a neat thing to find in my backyard!</div>
Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-59984680498074893862012-07-21T21:03:00.000-07:002012-07-21T21:05:04.535-07:00Homosassa springs wildlife state park<a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/homosassasprings/" target="_blank">Homosassa Springs</a> is not your typical state park. Unlike most state parks there are very few hiking trails... but there are a lot of animals. Homosassa serves more as a nature center, where they accept injured animals that cannot be released back into the wild and display them. So most of the animals there are native to the florida region.<br />
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They had reptiles and mammals; like alligators, snakes, red foxes, cougars, and bobcats.<br />
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They also had a variety of birds, including several species of owls and hawks. They had just opened a new exhibit, a walk-in aviary, when we went. This exhibit featured many shorebirds like ospreys, herons, and my new obsession, the spoonbill. This was very much my favorite part of the park.</div>
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The start of the Homosassa river was located on the grounds of the park, a lovely spring which turned the waters all shades of blue and green and kept the water temperatures at 72 degrees (22 degrees Celsius) year round.<br />
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Of course, the park's most notable residents were found in the spring... the manatees. These manatees were non-releasable, and so could not swim out of their paddock, but plenty of their wild relatives can be seen in the lower river and near-by Crystal River, especially during the winter.</div>
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Not all of the wildlife was there to be rehabilitated. Some of them were just there to pick up some free food. This Great Blue Heron joined the pelicans for feeding time, and then promptly flew off.<br />
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There were almost hourly talks being given at various spots in the park, so there was always something to check out. For the most part, the talks were interesting and informative, and tended to coincide with feeding time for that particular animal. My one regret was the very last talk we went to, where the presenter didn't show proper respect for the baby alligator he was handling. That was very distressing to watch, but may be a bug for that particular presenter and not the others as a whole.<br />
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So, if you're looking for a place to go hiking and possibly get a glimpse of animals in the wild, Homosassa may not be the place for you. But if you're in the mood for a zoo-like atmosphere and a chance to see some of the native animals up close and personal, this is a good place to go.Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-29309511039144867802012-07-08T19:05:00.002-07:002012-07-08T19:07:48.394-07:00Florida Caverns State Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today we went to visit the <a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/floridacaverns/" target="_blank">Florida Cavern State Park</a>. It is home to one of the only "tour caves" in the Florida. To be honest, after being at <a href="http://brinequeen.blogspot.com/2009/03/reviewing-alien-landscapes-carlsbad.html" target="_blank">Carlsbad</a>, I was not expecting much. Perhaps a small cave with one or two formation. I was pleasantly surprised at what I got though. The tour lasted ~45 minutes more or less, and we went through at least 6 "rooms". In each was a wide array of formations, all the ones I love... Columns, draperies, soda straws, etc. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The waterfall room</td></tr>
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The caves themselves were full of interesting reminders of Florida's geological history. The ceilings in most of the rooms boosted tons of fossils; mostly clam shells, but our guide pointed out a shark tooth and a nautiliod shell.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGKKM8-HPZklUq-rcOSEarv0ufJF4EUVlhqK1xYxCILnBJ7IjJS7qo-uDbfsXXOILyKcHOxDoyAWg2ByGL28D6RrRDmSKPAaLIs360htvhVK65cnwNezCrN9Xc2i7OooV4nSrrExgYWW0/s1600/Urchin+test.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGKKM8-HPZklUq-rcOSEarv0ufJF4EUVlhqK1xYxCILnBJ7IjJS7qo-uDbfsXXOILyKcHOxDoyAWg2ByGL28D6RrRDmSKPAaLIs360htvhVK65cnwNezCrN9Xc2i7OooV4nSrrExgYWW0/s320/Urchin+test.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea urchin test and clam shell on the cave ceilings</td></tr>
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We also were lucky enough to see some cave life, including a bat. After the cave tour there was still plenty to see, so we went off on one of the most recommended hikes, the flood plain/ tunnel trail. It was interesting to see the different habitats in the area. Just outside the cave exit, the cool cave air allowed for these liverworts and mosses the thrive.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkMhJuAgUDMTY19QwbIsp83rgyl0BOs53IPcBELen7hif7JNABWeMt8al9YxPEjANIULdoFogm2zbN7pV2LzfZedj2FIX01A-BZ9VIcMmMBNlFMqMr4OTkHeIgJtm0PHw4tP1te1QbZc/s1600/snail+and+liverworts.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkMhJuAgUDMTY19QwbIsp83rgyl0BOs53IPcBELen7hif7JNABWeMt8al9YxPEjANIULdoFogm2zbN7pV2LzfZedj2FIX01A-BZ9VIcMmMBNlFMqMr4OTkHeIgJtm0PHw4tP1te1QbZc/s320/snail+and+liverworts.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A snail active at noon, made possible by cool air blowing out of the cave<br />
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There were pockets of limestone and mini cave openings everywhere, but the flatter parts (the flood plains) had all the hallmarks of a cypress swamp. There were columbine plants everywhere, and I made a resolution to come back in the spring to see all the wildflowers blooming. From the pictures in the visitor center, it looks amazing!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_1lpI0b9n7EeXsxy1hNkE3Bj8eopVEl0VUY6J_SLb-a4w_WhfzAmSKMydd8jR_spiMZwVrzvNc-472W8_9JICN-xrSZskRk3ZaAo-rmi_JQfQVFVMAQ890oBodn94VLkI7Hl998xWeIY/s1600/minicave.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_1lpI0b9n7EeXsxy1hNkE3Bj8eopVEl0VUY6J_SLb-a4w_WhfzAmSKMydd8jR_spiMZwVrzvNc-472W8_9JICN-xrSZskRk3ZaAo-rmi_JQfQVFVMAQ890oBodn94VLkI7Hl998xWeIY/s320/minicave.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the bluffs, it's all hardwood forest</td></tr>
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There was also a lot of wildlife. Being Florida, a lot of it was bugs. We saw beetles, golden orb weaver spiders, golden silk spider (BIG), spiny orb weavers, and a new one for me, harvestman. As a matter of fact, when I stopped to take a picture of a beetle, a cool-looking true bug landed on me. There were tons of butterflies near the flower field in front of the visitor center. I counted at least four different species in five minutes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6RWx88tm-XXQzgFfU5Mha96qe6Dr14RO2xuXA4UHMoRHLf7rYCvaJ4bhgiwWuVOIdhdjAqXjik4IeZJbgbIuQ29E03IS6oafqPalgn4O7mOGkY-XUO7yFvO2X-Z6iYd6dptxh3WhbPY/s1600/harvestman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6RWx88tm-XXQzgFfU5Mha96qe6Dr14RO2xuXA4UHMoRHLf7rYCvaJ4bhgiwWuVOIdhdjAqXjik4IeZJbgbIuQ29E03IS6oafqPalgn4O7mOGkY-XUO7yFvO2X-Z6iYd6dptxh3WhbPY/s320/harvestman.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harvestman</td></tr>
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There was also some reptiles out and about, including a bunch of five-lined skink young. There were a couple of adults out as well, but they aren't as colorful.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXk8P8d2G3cmXnyUKxzXk6QKQK6SSIioXNFSbkCy5hi3WuBJdtiD5ENk165k-OmgbUj4ASWFLkTbZiP_QRb4oFJg4hWTMXo_1_SHovBnGUWT0m68tIFqTOHbvAB3t3n2meSjEXXY7gX94/s1600/5+lined+skink+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXk8P8d2G3cmXnyUKxzXk6QKQK6SSIioXNFSbkCy5hi3WuBJdtiD5ENk165k-OmgbUj4ASWFLkTbZiP_QRb4oFJg4hWTMXo_1_SHovBnGUWT0m68tIFqTOHbvAB3t3n2meSjEXXY7gX94/s320/5+lined+skink+01.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This little one caught a bug</td></tr>
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All and all a must see stop in the North Florida region... Like most state parks, getting in is fairly reasonable, $5.00 for a car of up to 8. The cave tour itself costs extra, but at $8.00 for an adult, it is still pretty modest. I will be going back again, for sure!</div>Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-23020326011165003372012-06-25T17:51:00.000-07:002012-06-25T17:52:33.695-07:00Jumping spiders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9ZQ7AsjPWEywIebNJWfMIjNF0O7nYh3I3BZ17A9YxtCpXPTpP3XKkRkHC5n_xf7eTS5W1sHG_FYpStCvOHq-QfYemTTaEBy0Lrwaa7X8zDJuo1d1l7kYoB0uK3TsxMQie-zISNtWlVU/s1600/DSCF6153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9ZQ7AsjPWEywIebNJWfMIjNF0O7nYh3I3BZ17A9YxtCpXPTpP3XKkRkHC5n_xf7eTS5W1sHG_FYpStCvOHq-QfYemTTaEBy0Lrwaa7X8zDJuo1d1l7kYoB0uK3TsxMQie-zISNtWlVU/s320/DSCF6153.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a woodland jumping spider, <i>Thiodina sylvana.</i> They are members of the family Salticidae, which contains all of the jumping spiders and is the largest spider family. Like all spiders, these little guy have eight eyes, but their eye arrangement is slightly different then other spiders. Their eyes are in a single row around their head, with two large eyes right in the middle. Those eyes have a movable retina, and are able to focus very well, but have a very narrow field of view. They also posses 4 different photoreceptive layers which each focus at a slightly different plane. By comparing the focus of the different colors against the perfectly-focused deep layer, they can get a sense of how far an object is away from them [<a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/335/6067/469" target="_blank">1</a>].<br />
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They use this knowledge to stalk their prey and jump out at them. As their name implies they are superb jumpers and can jump up to 30 times their body length. That would be like a human jumping 180 feet (or 54 meters)! They often attach a dragline before jumping, just in case they miscalculate.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCj1H-bsRpGoKlkwBrbE0SccP4gAcncQraxwWLFZQHaC6HqsPy_kQg0xfM83HV2BFkrXH3NSCHdEnfGvq1RSFUyb_0lpnU-ENI1xKrcxTFHIckQCKvdxcapGqPnKryeLWhWLsjXW8oJU/s1600/DSCF6161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCj1H-bsRpGoKlkwBrbE0SccP4gAcncQraxwWLFZQHaC6HqsPy_kQg0xfM83HV2BFkrXH3NSCHdEnfGvq1RSFUyb_0lpnU-ENI1xKrcxTFHIckQCKvdxcapGqPnKryeLWhWLsjXW8oJU/s320/DSCF6161.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This spider is preparing to jump up to the leaf above it.</td></tr>
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They also have a fairly complex courtship, with males displaying different colors on their body, including UV patches, and producing sounds to entice the female to mate with them [<a href="http://www.bio-nica.info/biblioteca/Lim2006Salticidae.pdf" target="_blank">2</a>.<a href="http://nature.berkeley.edu/eliaslab/Publications/Girard%20et%20al%202011.pdf" target="_blank">3</a>]. Several sources seem to imply that there is a color-based sexual dimorphism in this species, with the females being lighter in color then the males.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3aU4-VzwXrMf6AIM3CTdl8fUA6vqB0x-zbyk0vbAinwsD84Xv_K_3jcJqMfVhFTbBneRgSsp5NY6JB0GKRug1y9A1SgKww7kWiBmUqAowlzLMEVMPn4xMwSoM_t6ZMlGuJF1G5F4t29g/s1600/DSCF6150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3aU4-VzwXrMf6AIM3CTdl8fUA6vqB0x-zbyk0vbAinwsD84Xv_K_3jcJqMfVhFTbBneRgSsp5NY6JB0GKRug1y9A1SgKww7kWiBmUqAowlzLMEVMPn4xMwSoM_t6ZMlGuJF1G5F4t29g/s320/DSCF6150.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male woodland jumping spider?</td></tr>
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Since these pictures were taken on the same plant, and the lighter markings were the same, I'm inclined to agree that this was a male female pairing. Enjoy some video of these guys in acton... and in the second clip, look for the dragline as the male jumps down stalks his prey.<br />
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</div>Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-27578015529165494092011-12-04T12:49:00.000-08:002019-06-27T05:36:43.725-07:00Mysterys and metamorphosisI am being more and more drawn to the mysterious bug world that seems to be invading my life. Now I can experience the thrill of invertebrates on land! When I noticed this strange bug the other day I was completely taken aback. I could not figure out even what kind of bug this could possibly be. I suspected that it might be something larval, as I saw a few shed exoskeletons which might have been the same thing. But still, what was it? Not a caterpillar that was for sure. It had six legs, so it must be an insect... not a spider. But no wings? Hum...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1fKLePEmhQOZJSkmKZOYphXqgteZiulg0A1fEBhACDh4YTDBevWCA-OiQo45onF9J2q2evNzDByAhjJlkXfIS6tQXOPZBY9ncdtNKLx68bbpGoYIAqxp9HCotgxgZqFAaOkjEfZGux8/s1600/Larva.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682380371324938434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1fKLePEmhQOZJSkmKZOYphXqgteZiulg0A1fEBhACDh4YTDBevWCA-OiQo45onF9J2q2evNzDByAhjJlkXfIS6tQXOPZBY9ncdtNKLx68bbpGoYIAqxp9HCotgxgZqFAaOkjEfZGux8/s400/Larva.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 332px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>To top it off, I noticed yet another strange bug near by. It looked like it might have been a beetle, but there was no hardened wing coverings and the abdomen was just to darn long. And what was with those crazy 'feet' at the end of the abdomen?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1_A8Hm2jQfTOpOgq6uhOsbNBpBUuHzL2roeefe8zP2v5iZLlsV5UgH_NW-l6rxIvpCxKkE1wYTunlvEa6M3m48p1_yM6ud7i-uOPASLY3G-_2veiUypByDnPvIA8IIw4DElwHrkZ1pU/s1600/Pupua.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682380372115138850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1_A8Hm2jQfTOpOgq6uhOsbNBpBUuHzL2roeefe8zP2v5iZLlsV5UgH_NW-l6rxIvpCxKkE1wYTunlvEa6M3m48p1_yM6ud7i-uOPASLY3G-_2veiUypByDnPvIA8IIw4DElwHrkZ1pU/s400/Pupua.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 343px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Puzzled I took some photos and went on my way, thinking I would never know for sure. I tried some searches for my mystery bug number one, and thought it might be some kind of mealy bug, but I was not totally convinced.<br />
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So a few days pass, and I go out to my plants where mystery bug number two is hanging out and low and behold I see a new bug, this one fairly recognizable:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDqyg7WS2ipgPxaJQvFMfxlv4FTeDzj0rfPpfYOT9ocbcwoV6JtjPWpcrqhdEqb5rR6qY9OPXck2oP8-pOvBQWumIEweyxMqmctMo4E7YhY5ohl4E0C5KjfgXgMM6tQtIfIzbsb1eC5w/s1600/Adult.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682382905023748306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDqyg7WS2ipgPxaJQvFMfxlv4FTeDzj0rfPpfYOT9ocbcwoV6JtjPWpcrqhdEqb5rR6qY9OPXck2oP8-pOvBQWumIEweyxMqmctMo4E7YhY5ohl4E0C5KjfgXgMM6tQtIfIzbsb1eC5w/s400/Adult.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 292px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Well, well a ladybug hanging out where mystery bug number two is... Maybe mystery bug number two is a larval form of the lady bug. They are the same color, and you can see the spots starting to form. So I do a little searching and find out that this lady bug is <span style="font-style: italic;">Harmonia</span><span class="style3" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span class="style3"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"> axyridis</span>, an asian ladybug. Lucky for me, I also get to solve the identity of mystery bug number two AND number one.<br />
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As I suspected, mystery bug number two is a pupal form; of the asian ladybug. Number one is the larva of that same individual. What I took for 'feet' was actually the discarded molt of the larva at the end of the pupa. Metamorphosis is so cool... but I can imagine that it drove early entomologists up the wall trying to identify things, much like it drives us plankton-lovers up a wall!Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-92056395280773052852011-10-22T18:48:00.000-07:002011-10-22T19:17:55.662-07:00St. Marks Wildlife Preserve<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjno5qvjkDx9aNu4TW96f63SwP1Zv7WOYiPn6O3K6DKYFEM7tvEjjoD1UjFYz6LZE03gRZWR48y-tCZ2mflXQP_IW9BQpvQHttxfwWdxLW6PioYpRt_7YnHlVmpCA06ncFYQAqt8USznBA/s1600/lighthouse+1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 102px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjno5qvjkDx9aNu4TW96f63SwP1Zv7WOYiPn6O3K6DKYFEM7tvEjjoD1UjFYz6LZE03gRZWR48y-tCZ2mflXQP_IW9BQpvQHttxfwWdxLW6PioYpRt_7YnHlVmpCA06ncFYQAqt8USznBA/s400/lighthouse+1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666498897453921554" border="0" /></a><br />Today I went to St. Marks for their Monarch butterfly festival. They were tagging butterflies that use the preserve as a stop over for their migration to Mexico.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7splwAq5t1GXVrHupn8SUSsYaBOGgfDXgXswfFHz7M31VMiJuhy6u-ZHYDqnxjzoQ_1FFCnaqdgHAWhI9VSRWdIQc3HpAxidldwB63R0fG4QpFK0VrJybm0uuPqToB9KjamKV83l-oQ/s1600/DSCF2066.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7splwAq5t1GXVrHupn8SUSsYaBOGgfDXgXswfFHz7M31VMiJuhy6u-ZHYDqnxjzoQ_1FFCnaqdgHAWhI9VSRWdIQc3HpAxidldwB63R0fG4QpFK0VrJybm0uuPqToB9KjamKV83l-oQ/s400/DSCF2066.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666498900206771090" border="0" /></a><br />There were quite s few pollinators out... Like this Gulf Fritillary and bee friend.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesuxQT0KOba6Fj6hc_5jk0QhesJMfcM1F02z_PIOlclRB81pQomUpKQI5jB7qys6J9fq_xXYRx8haHX42YC-d9sjj1FhARvSMiJGD5v7brQFTH9rTLBgL41Yq2UtZ5gF4PpzD8zfqy-k/s1600/PA160423.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesuxQT0KOba6Fj6hc_5jk0QhesJMfcM1F02z_PIOlclRB81pQomUpKQI5jB7qys6J9fq_xXYRx8haHX42YC-d9sjj1FhARvSMiJGD5v7brQFTH9rTLBgL41Yq2UtZ5gF4PpzD8zfqy-k/s400/PA160423.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666499797703869266" border="0" /></a>And Buckeye butterfly...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xGlj77txumGLGqcfdy5JmO8aqdzHtfdFea67XFc8vFUIzOiyiRwFbrjhWLxQkDk1NCmUkB5OG0Sw6HzjBv8YmgHIcpqfz4C9s0cHY2HmoDPeKxmEqK1b8WfD6Ds3AyUYIT4BO8xXsIw/s1600/buckeye.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xGlj77txumGLGqcfdy5JmO8aqdzHtfdFea67XFc8vFUIzOiyiRwFbrjhWLxQkDk1NCmUkB5OG0Sw6HzjBv8YmgHIcpqfz4C9s0cHY2HmoDPeKxmEqK1b8WfD6Ds3AyUYIT4BO8xXsIw/s400/buckeye.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666499804905166562" border="0" /></a> I was fascinated by this plain-looking butterfly called a long-tailed skipper. It looks pretty dull from the side...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoKfG7ryoMj4bl6DRyO3oiUolk8011LSqmM0bsxStRg40I0f6nEtN9PWm2u_JphtKzidRwwp7OlPX4ZNYHjrnZg6xO2cPHL-nDExd1xx5GEOB4SQ-MK9UyleNXaliHWL8ArXcWpeP0RE/s1600/long+tail+skipper+side.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoKfG7ryoMj4bl6DRyO3oiUolk8011LSqmM0bsxStRg40I0f6nEtN9PWm2u_JphtKzidRwwp7OlPX4ZNYHjrnZg6xO2cPHL-nDExd1xx5GEOB4SQ-MK9UyleNXaliHWL8ArXcWpeP0RE/s400/long+tail+skipper+side.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666501710618537842" border="0" /></a>But the back are beautiful and delicate shades of blue and green<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCwmxn2DSpMkeH_b92d2lQt5QgJXv5zlgK9YlZ4RyheyZltnTiZ3lLn4CK7WVwW9Las8aIb7e30EFvrh8pEMdOuRzhQwgosDVqGn1REYrOF9Z19yS1mGnKTTkEPKEMmHpChhjqjINYgo/s1600/long+tail+skipper+back.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCwmxn2DSpMkeH_b92d2lQt5QgJXv5zlgK9YlZ4RyheyZltnTiZ3lLn4CK7WVwW9Las8aIb7e30EFvrh8pEMdOuRzhQwgosDVqGn1REYrOF9Z19yS1mGnKTTkEPKEMmHpChhjqjINYgo/s400/long+tail+skipper+back.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666502670017587378" border="0" /></a> There were also plenty of birds about... like this mocking bird.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4MU7am02MZBODYcRUREzkrtdI75VTFf0R-XXxGopLq7InHrjIp9j7G1nvJOVf2ABBIbpL8FM6S8BxPEhsb543GwvIRHSqjdpyXAr0dm1d2Qax2Bfj54cFELv0weVbQ_KDUbGpVXTESc/s1600/mocking+bird.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4MU7am02MZBODYcRUREzkrtdI75VTFf0R-XXxGopLq7InHrjIp9j7G1nvJOVf2ABBIbpL8FM6S8BxPEhsb543GwvIRHSqjdpyXAr0dm1d2Qax2Bfj54cFELv0weVbQ_KDUbGpVXTESc/s400/mocking+bird.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666502670418523234" border="0" /></a>And crazy-looking caterpillars. If you look closely, it's back end has a false head for the birds to eat.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZI1I_0DdrKcxX7VywQ8PYB7QdTscCFaUratuCvCeGzQ4MtjC8Mvebt6Pjy9BMXWVsyrpaJcAvbUp8J0Of1PGgwXpwS4sy-nKDUxCTc8LlClLMSUO2obeD5v5gMYVF2rJa6DxRrqqOQ4/s1600/inchworm+1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZI1I_0DdrKcxX7VywQ8PYB7QdTscCFaUratuCvCeGzQ4MtjC8Mvebt6Pjy9BMXWVsyrpaJcAvbUp8J0Of1PGgwXpwS4sy-nKDUxCTc8LlClLMSUO2obeD5v5gMYVF2rJa6DxRrqqOQ4/s400/inchworm+1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666504161539802498" border="0" /></a>All around was nature in action... like these dragonflies mating.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkiw0t7aKIDp_NjBGK04E4l_cBHdrd7aTsBedhe7OGZagWQO88l8Hf-UUqM0CzHV7dQ4oqpCjtk4kStxJHsu7XAEFeRZfsG6Mcv2YizOd4qgm_T1lveN2iCTQgQCvAI4Wa5Qp_Y7ryDlQ/s1600/DSCF2182.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkiw0t7aKIDp_NjBGK04E4l_cBHdrd7aTsBedhe7OGZagWQO88l8Hf-UUqM0CzHV7dQ4oqpCjtk4kStxJHsu7XAEFeRZfsG6Mcv2YizOd4qgm_T1lveN2iCTQgQCvAI4Wa5Qp_Y7ryDlQ/s400/DSCF2182.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666504165540744834" border="0" /></a>And this mantis taking advantage of the bounty of butterflies!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8UTcxj8ICVOeOvaZlom4Lif_iQxIWEig7q2lH36olV3qSv8zyOTfFNd_ZSfreT87FoS7nDxItbOGZWIC7ANYwKknhN_cXCL4boJLwBJF0PpRfU7PVM2tFiVP4WPRd6HfNdfbA5HwOqg/s1600/mantis+3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8UTcxj8ICVOeOvaZlom4Lif_iQxIWEig7q2lH36olV3qSv8zyOTfFNd_ZSfreT87FoS7nDxItbOGZWIC7ANYwKknhN_cXCL4boJLwBJF0PpRfU7PVM2tFiVP4WPRd6HfNdfbA5HwOqg/s400/mantis+3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666505278976501586" border="0" /></a>All and all a great place to go if you are into birds, bugs, or flowers... I will definitely return. To see what's new and maybe get a glimpse of the illusive spoonbill!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8780d9YOVPOakZkJYiE8L_O1TsQjbjGFeG6ZvLpj6VWxCc5OpCggC05IZiQ0yjZYEUtQ6cIuCiMzq0xLM0_GWNxk8BeePuXQLK37_bzljQw3VVzaYS0eRoHnLDvC7ASk08IEM9rAKsCY/s1600/bird+yellow+flight.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8780d9YOVPOakZkJYiE8L_O1TsQjbjGFeG6ZvLpj6VWxCc5OpCggC05IZiQ0yjZYEUtQ6cIuCiMzq0xLM0_GWNxk8BeePuXQLK37_bzljQw3VVzaYS0eRoHnLDvC7ASk08IEM9rAKsCY/s400/bird+yellow+flight.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666505274294104610" border="0" /></a>Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-5639377025320125112011-09-11T15:03:00.001-07:002011-09-11T16:10:32.051-07:00Leon Sinks State ParkToday I went to Leon Sinks State Park. It is part of a larger park, but is an area where there are some sink holes. Basically the entire area is made of limestone and there is an extensive aquifer under the ground. As rain water and the ground water eat away at the limestone, sink holes form. Some of the "sink holes" were fairly unimpressive, as they were just places where the ground was lower than the surrounding area, but a few were very sharp. The most impressive was the big dismal, which had a sharp drop of 100 feet, to water which was also 100 feet deep.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOt0j2a9vlBC9a3fai1EgcAhXBP4WcECln6bDxzOM7lC0S8WV2opY5ooYVIwgK-3tBGsehfbziMCCmwLN8vLlcwNdLLVas7jHVqN7ehsG3XGykE37vUTDNgI-4TPBV4WM5qFjFto7aGo/s1600/DSCF5325.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOt0j2a9vlBC9a3fai1EgcAhXBP4WcECln6bDxzOM7lC0S8WV2opY5ooYVIwgK-3tBGsehfbziMCCmwLN8vLlcwNdLLVas7jHVqN7ehsG3XGykE37vUTDNgI-4TPBV4WM5qFjFto7aGo/s400/DSCF5325.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651227368006663026" border="0" /></a>There was also some swamps in the area. But unlike the wet sinks, they were mostly dry. The forest itself was dry and a lot of the foliage was turning brown. However, we still got glimpses of some beautiful flowers hidden here and there.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6wOBrmyLzgGIytPLg3G-ijOCe25IMZHuDD5VMaJtgNP6RwL38u0Awv8YyclcATNGydNPix3kO4ALVZEVmGQzhBEzhw4jXNfTE0IZwkoQIQ5C0qeN3FtHCxRALFegXMpRNAfqFCyQIZ4/s1600/DSCF5295.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6wOBrmyLzgGIytPLg3G-ijOCe25IMZHuDD5VMaJtgNP6RwL38u0Awv8YyclcATNGydNPix3kO4ALVZEVmGQzhBEzhw4jXNfTE0IZwkoQIQ5C0qeN3FtHCxRALFegXMpRNAfqFCyQIZ4/s400/DSCF5295.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651226347697592114" border="0" /></a>There were also a surprising number of mushrooms about especially given how dry it was. This one looked awesome, it may be a <span style="font-style: italic;">Russula pulchra</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic;font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#006666;" ><strong></strong></span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKl6C-xX5NX7R_zUtCOC_Ad6jj2bXUSk6HVR0Mu4wLNQzcYeg2meXl5WBi7Uqu0KumNXRc6W6CaCASrMpH37YAoJQ95HmKJWwAWjlOrw0x_Drr3Ax86gDtP46e4lFrcKv7NlSvM_FZN7Q/s1600/DSCF5303.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKl6C-xX5NX7R_zUtCOC_Ad6jj2bXUSk6HVR0Mu4wLNQzcYeg2meXl5WBi7Uqu0KumNXRc6W6CaCASrMpH37YAoJQ95HmKJWwAWjlOrw0x_Drr3Ax86gDtP46e4lFrcKv7NlSvM_FZN7Q/s400/DSCF5303.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651226348136476818" border="0" /></a>There was also this crazy-looking batch of mushrooms which I am fairly sure are earthstars, or some other puffball type mushrooms. These explode spores out through the top of their body when they get ripe enough. The white ones are unexploded, and the brown one has already released its spores. Probably the best thing that I saw in the park!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9pOdCq-ykHh9B9xDRwZCvXbF9Zix90K7oRYtZ64CC0HzVu6UMIY44xQFfecxL1z4NfBszcM_um-Do8FMm3QlFVXZtkvhtjzEcJewVWDeljENjg2VIX-SDWn090Weo_8AyIxU9zP1kvc/s1600/DSCF5338.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9pOdCq-ykHh9B9xDRwZCvXbF9Zix90K7oRYtZ64CC0HzVu6UMIY44xQFfecxL1z4NfBszcM_um-Do8FMm3QlFVXZtkvhtjzEcJewVWDeljENjg2VIX-SDWn090Weo_8AyIxU9zP1kvc/s400/DSCF5338.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651228743158961154" border="0" /></a>Of course what I've learned about Florida is that it is all bugs, and things that eat bugs. We saw our fair share of dragonflies, bees, gnats, and a lot of grasshoppers. We also saw this <a href="http://brinequeen.blogspot.com/2008/11/kingdom-animalia-phylum-arthropoda.html">Golden Orb Weaver</a>, which I had originally seen in the LA Natural History Museum's spider pavilion. It was definitely something to see it in the wild! I though it was from some far away country like Malaysia.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmMPh8ZwpwevWmyeODCy9u2ynA5dCQCtmSOGraq0u-6vHeCwEz4cV1U3tyTo36Wn7bOC0F_kSnLrfA7T8ZSax7tgkfTror1CUfbXfrvqmBU8CDYE3dRiB4CT42c8EXzfZx59MAZqyRfQ/s1600/DSCF5353.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmMPh8ZwpwevWmyeODCy9u2ynA5dCQCtmSOGraq0u-6vHeCwEz4cV1U3tyTo36Wn7bOC0F_kSnLrfA7T8ZSax7tgkfTror1CUfbXfrvqmBU8CDYE3dRiB4CT42c8EXzfZx59MAZqyRfQ/s400/DSCF5353.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651236554434145170" border="0" /></a>We also saw these awesome beetles. They were quite large, about the size of my thumb, or a little smaller.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6lXS8bLjkn-HsPmwJmCafsnXy7NWvo9ok90rALZQKfRySRJLS2qWRea54lJ-n_-4SChKukEDV2riIHi1KBqS7nd-fpxbxoL_x-EnWze1gP599NAv5CBn_AMTCzMvbxn3qpOw7ggq7M4/s1600/DSCF5344.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6lXS8bLjkn-HsPmwJmCafsnXy7NWvo9ok90rALZQKfRySRJLS2qWRea54lJ-n_-4SChKukEDV2riIHi1KBqS7nd-fpxbxoL_x-EnWze1gP599NAv5CBn_AMTCzMvbxn3qpOw7ggq7M4/s400/DSCF5344.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651228744754629298" border="0" /></a>The biggest find of the day was this beautiful five lined skink. We saw it near the big dismal sink, where it was hanging out inside the tree.<br /><br />Of course, I nearly had a heart attack when a big group of people stomped by and scared it away before I could get a picture... But a little patience and it came back again and I got the shot!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSyoQdoEn_cR2XpaaWSc8hOEdjpX_g_SqZQeiK_EIFTV_sgbYCCV00Duf70lUi36Cp6LNH6bPwm3uOReq3O9vZG0bh432UMfiNMMi_pQRO6Yb86wy3DymbM5Yl0PWPD_LPtuHdA_hgG4/s1600/DSCF5329.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSyoQdoEn_cR2XpaaWSc8hOEdjpX_g_SqZQeiK_EIFTV_sgbYCCV00Duf70lUi36Cp6LNH6bPwm3uOReq3O9vZG0bh432UMfiNMMi_pQRO6Yb86wy3DymbM5Yl0PWPD_LPtuHdA_hgG4/s400/DSCF5329.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651227376846674434" border="0" /></a>Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-1568967535484315742011-08-20T13:28:00.000-07:002011-08-20T14:44:34.670-07:00Snorkeling in a hard-bottom gulf community...Snorkeling in the gulf in a rocky bottom area brought some new animals and some old... The beach itself was more peopled and it was mostly a sandy bottom habitat with a man-made break wall. It was that break wall that was the object of my snorkeling activities.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpV9bREfNAGWe2j9ee0uQj3PGY375MUpfX8yLLtLt9Ao_sluLSVbjkVB49HgTDiVcKqOdOb8SdWK6EUY1asPqLdwVUQg8o8h7Be4g_wHSRyyLM4CfEmbdE1gQ_PxxbdHUOKxsXjSoIrw/s1600/St+andrews+beach.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpV9bREfNAGWe2j9ee0uQj3PGY375MUpfX8yLLtLt9Ao_sluLSVbjkVB49HgTDiVcKqOdOb8SdWK6EUY1asPqLdwVUQg8o8h7Be4g_wHSRyyLM4CfEmbdE1gQ_PxxbdHUOKxsXjSoIrw/s400/St+andrews+beach.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643043415790575602" border="0" /></a>There were many more types of fish in the rock areas than in the sandy-bottom area that I had previously visited. The rocks provided an excellent surface for algae to grow. Which in turn, provided excellent foraging opportunities for many fish, like these sergeant major fish.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71B4uSo9Zo8F8yaa9cuggx02JTtLWN7TQ7mM4-1zXpoN9MRP1m7H67j6RQysaip_dGX-pH8woyLYv1VTrvHbFka0zqQdXXU8xapK_J4uEf8DeBPD8ZBB8q_zakP-JpwQlRFEjqGgm3Kg/s1600/Convict+fish+02.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71B4uSo9Zo8F8yaa9cuggx02JTtLWN7TQ7mM4-1zXpoN9MRP1m7H67j6RQysaip_dGX-pH8woyLYv1VTrvHbFka0zqQdXXU8xapK_J4uEf8DeBPD8ZBB8q_zakP-JpwQlRFEjqGgm3Kg/s400/Convict+fish+02.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643038639660268114" border="0" /></a>
<br />There were also some predatory fish, like the mini-barracuda which I spotted, but did not get a good photo of, and this large sheephead (not to be confused with the California sheephead) with its attendant remora.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroPNyMfTSK9JyUyWsOjsEdy3TaMmixQpKDrAyTS1jqAx2HsLBvncaYCy-7TD5mMd-eI1QIywAi-9oesd4V7rEeZK-LJEzsIb_W8ldF5-nNohr4Ixdfiig5EqaP2UvB7LrpOIniBZG64M/s1600/Sheephead+01.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroPNyMfTSK9JyUyWsOjsEdy3TaMmixQpKDrAyTS1jqAx2HsLBvncaYCy-7TD5mMd-eI1QIywAi-9oesd4V7rEeZK-LJEzsIb_W8ldF5-nNohr4Ixdfiig5EqaP2UvB7LrpOIniBZG64M/s400/Sheephead+01.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643055477140906066" border="0" /></a>
<br />There were also some fish that were present in both spots, like flatfish and this toadfish. Although I did not see the toadfish in the sandy-bottom area, I knew it must have been present because <a href="http://www.fishbase.us/physiology/FishSoundsSummary.php?autoctr=192">I could hear it</a>. It drove me nuts trying to pinpoint the noise coming from this fish. It was so loud that if I was swimming over it, I could feel it vibrate through my body.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDstL6iNgFh1oErRpPpRBaxgZ_eYpEJcgkVk8iOUCXGG171sG7IfS-TNSDvd9zgTNA4-WhM3pd44vUIrOm-7kszqJHMZ0OcPahfkrw0Jj7mXa3C67Sg_ki8InovPfE5MCVXe9sLvKhLf4/s1600/Toadfish.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDstL6iNgFh1oErRpPpRBaxgZ_eYpEJcgkVk8iOUCXGG171sG7IfS-TNSDvd9zgTNA4-WhM3pd44vUIrOm-7kszqJHMZ0OcPahfkrw0Jj7mXa3C67Sg_ki8InovPfE5MCVXe9sLvKhLf4/s400/Toadfish.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643043420472333602" border="0" /></a>There were also many invertebrates, most noticeably crabs. But unlike the sandy-bottom habitat, most of these crabs did not decorate themselves, nor did they bury themselves in the sand. Instead they hid in rocky crevices. You can also see some of the large colonies of compound tunicates in this shot...
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcR6Fc4MchzOdOdSwsCvSxD9Utxsi0ykLlSUhhL3mDjKEXkJJoXXNAHujoQe128ntyGRxIxLn3G5EdEvI7BSGCR0JanR6Iyy2CUgus8oPWk5LtIEuK4LDJ8zkxjyhr0iy5nffeezLmAQ/s1600/stonecrab+02.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcR6Fc4MchzOdOdSwsCvSxD9Utxsi0ykLlSUhhL3mDjKEXkJJoXXNAHujoQe128ntyGRxIxLn3G5EdEvI7BSGCR0JanR6Iyy2CUgus8oPWk5LtIEuK4LDJ8zkxjyhr0iy5nffeezLmAQ/s400/stonecrab+02.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643048641029262274" border="0" /></a>There were some snails, which were laying eggs on the rocks...
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfo1yqO9QSzWEbMcvkDvIeWuwQG1QOER3U282f3cxAfzO4F3G_ydGpxrEV_EFYi5DHrwOyHTwEVj559L5mFAUV6HbzKaiGer1RBsztgcrLLZziwrlTF2qehj6OgP-EjWt8QvgLqoFxn0w/s1600/snail+eggs+01.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfo1yqO9QSzWEbMcvkDvIeWuwQG1QOER3U282f3cxAfzO4F3G_ydGpxrEV_EFYi5DHrwOyHTwEVj559L5mFAUV6HbzKaiGer1RBsztgcrLLZziwrlTF2qehj6OgP-EjWt8QvgLqoFxn0w/s400/snail+eggs+01.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643049623818430194" border="0" /></a>and some blennies that were living in the holes of the rocks.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9ijeI8PtLa-CosOm5agxXyhmpq8EToIwC_Hb4B0j_4P8-2_tBkyu366GaHSUYxapADDxWwC_N12NcRYcSs-GP2WGTjacrUE9bDGppT3S3DLy_W9TpYGIaGPfndKK03rAbf1Ui5-q9YY/s1600/DSCF4905.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9ijeI8PtLa-CosOm5agxXyhmpq8EToIwC_Hb4B0j_4P8-2_tBkyu366GaHSUYxapADDxWwC_N12NcRYcSs-GP2WGTjacrUE9bDGppT3S3DLy_W9TpYGIaGPfndKK03rAbf1Ui5-q9YY/s400/DSCF4905.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643050444346940130" border="0" /></a>Of course there were also some soft corals at the base of the rocks, many compound tunicates, and urchins... But my favorite find of the day was these beautiful jellyfish.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRPO1ZRLPlB_z__uevQckRwX81leiJnYwETz9VPON7nqld7ii1PoGL9jCTC9RO7i99tC57V38Rp16QLVxpPeQbPSCQRy-cxifcHAV-_maLSbjvVWYHCSh4guL15lYtNqXJW5g9Cb1Y58/s1600/jellyfish+04.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRPO1ZRLPlB_z__uevQckRwX81leiJnYwETz9VPON7nqld7ii1PoGL9jCTC9RO7i99tC57V38Rp16QLVxpPeQbPSCQRy-cxifcHAV-_maLSbjvVWYHCSh4guL15lYtNqXJW5g9Cb1Y58/s400/jellyfish+04.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643048645436277618" border="0" /></a>
<br />They had a very mild sting, but I did not know that at the time so I kept my distance. If I had known, I probably would have gotten closer. At times, some individuals played host to fish, and I found out that there may have been crabs living in their bell as well.
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<br />My final critter of the day was this octopus, which was caught by a fisherman on the break wall. He let it go and I was able to grab this shot before it scuttled off.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNXiOzF-uQOuwFg6mzzGeSNGVvfMBbG5SzQZ8WEZH0NKS9m9l6gKlc4dsYduaPDhF9vXNqxo6xUmWyAL80EkcEH7Eq7zZzhcK7UIiNdhfACA3UsQf_BtlLYjVxR7gkXM6JFofMqiSou8/s1600/octopus+03.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNXiOzF-uQOuwFg6mzzGeSNGVvfMBbG5SzQZ8WEZH0NKS9m9l6gKlc4dsYduaPDhF9vXNqxo6xUmWyAL80EkcEH7Eq7zZzhcK7UIiNdhfACA3UsQf_BtlLYjVxR7gkXM6JFofMqiSou8/s400/octopus+03.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643049628999013234" border="0" /></a>Pretty neat, and definitely a higher diversity of fish than in the sandy-bottom area. I can't wait to compare it to a more natural hard-bottom habitat, such as a coral reef habitat! Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-65931330757616486302011-08-17T19:02:00.000-07:002011-08-17T19:34:06.377-07:00Snorkeling in the gulf...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1x8hRwOoJD1DX4UckpTNm_f3GrbBudnPwrUBKKl4C41Tb_5JphjPNKokxYbkfxv4MSUoB9B3h531E55j_Ej-MOmDZJ0ucflyE04fXePxeCn7DifBMG8nRukWujsksqv3NsOCv_cfzD4/s1600/St.+joes.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1x8hRwOoJD1DX4UckpTNm_f3GrbBudnPwrUBKKl4C41Tb_5JphjPNKokxYbkfxv4MSUoB9B3h531E55j_Ej-MOmDZJ0ucflyE04fXePxeCn7DifBMG8nRukWujsksqv3NsOCv_cfzD4/s400/St.+joes.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642013574782245106" /></a>
<br />I went snorkeling a few days ago, in a nice sandy-bottom habitat. Unlike the west coast, the gulf sandy-bottoms are very shallow for a long way out... and warm!
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<br />I saw some large sand dollars, a ton of snail tracks, and worm castings. All evidence of a thriving infaunal community.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZGJ4jOXRMWOJ0mfptdORyFsnlR19tKEAa5M8iSaRAn4U0gb_3O_w_tkembvUoYlPGgHu2tYF9315yYo4W_cJUGLcGTHlo21OH8gDUYiix9jm5JktHxJWqcT_eLhjDbyWZfW_SxfrZEU/s1600/Sand+dollar.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZGJ4jOXRMWOJ0mfptdORyFsnlR19tKEAa5M8iSaRAn4U0gb_3O_w_tkembvUoYlPGgHu2tYF9315yYo4W_cJUGLcGTHlo21OH8gDUYiix9jm5JktHxJWqcT_eLhjDbyWZfW_SxfrZEU/s400/Sand+dollar.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642013585342998866" /></a>
<br />There were even many egg masses, like this, poking up from the sand.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH366tx9XTGBMcb6UQYrV_LC7H-hZTU15Y_PDe5eccEWPs2s44ibY9upqeCUEW_9KPFaACF4N1BGCJzA-Q9kejOzHb3eyHElzY0as8s2NHRf4KjixMbQd2LYuxWSpgSOfjZALDV6MFa20/s1600/egg+mass.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH366tx9XTGBMcb6UQYrV_LC7H-hZTU15Y_PDe5eccEWPs2s44ibY9upqeCUEW_9KPFaACF4N1BGCJzA-Q9kejOzHb3eyHElzY0as8s2NHRf4KjixMbQd2LYuxWSpgSOfjZALDV6MFa20/s400/egg+mass.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642014724500956434" /></a>
<br />Most of the life was focused in and around patches of sea grass. It was here you had a lot of the megafauna, like this blue crab, hanging out.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CDxg4fFODDbV6v2omUS30nW7Jo53y0jJHE9wTvUabYnhojXkuEmR4srZUYfL725ytu4oDkPaFH9AFU6spFyHKAe6BHy1_RIAE9z6Jo2svChhK8am9wfoqBfisk0zBDGO97k-m3PltDk/s1600/blue+crab.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CDxg4fFODDbV6v2omUS30nW7Jo53y0jJHE9wTvUabYnhojXkuEmR4srZUYfL725ytu4oDkPaFH9AFU6spFyHKAe6BHy1_RIAE9z6Jo2svChhK8am9wfoqBfisk0zBDGO97k-m3PltDk/s400/blue+crab.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642014726121019202" /></a>
<br />I also saw this puffer fish, and a couple of stingrays...
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_On4-GOfq41Vy2WmiyDgxyIGW6QCJEqke7Ro1dsyR-qu8pMAspPneIOsMsEjJCPEs1R1i-GQdA3GGzQydf2jJmyaodGZQHAa_twAx8Khm7FGsDm2NrCZs2OAKOBWxfu5O3k_IEqrQ9g/s1600/puffer+fish+close.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_On4-GOfq41Vy2WmiyDgxyIGW6QCJEqke7Ro1dsyR-qu8pMAspPneIOsMsEjJCPEs1R1i-GQdA3GGzQydf2jJmyaodGZQHAa_twAx8Khm7FGsDm2NrCZs2OAKOBWxfu5O3k_IEqrQ9g/s400/puffer+fish+close.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642015376750034754" /></a>
<br />Of course, I did not really see the stingrays until they moved and swam away from me!
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSp3V7mqYXP4myuOHreOEpqjrQkF1qfVBOovf5tVA-saaqr2C10WetxJVhA6S5ohOLm0JIe3bZ_S4drG4h3Ehw8UG3wtQKHgLvUNsU-TylsmbMt5z5Y7hkgr1C203UUVWQtRJoYFSOX0/s1600/stingray.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSp3V7mqYXP4myuOHreOEpqjrQkF1qfVBOovf5tVA-saaqr2C10WetxJVhA6S5ohOLm0JIe3bZ_S4drG4h3Ehw8UG3wtQKHgLvUNsU-TylsmbMt5z5Y7hkgr1C203UUVWQtRJoYFSOX0/s400/stingray.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642015378900232562" /></a>
<br />There was a lot of crazy interactions happening all around me too. Like these snails... I don't quite know what's going on here, but I think the one snail is being eaten by the other!
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxl6HanzSFtcnCfrMyCcXT2VUGx75HYleoJ6Y13QHwB4YJwXk7SNG-E3IMDGQSxicmd7GC9gDL9oeBbYfGCp6Iw1KoKOHBbc9wd1VypVJZgmzgJxY4QRylo28tvus64FgB3MvtQ8gQII/s1600/snails+fighting.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxl6HanzSFtcnCfrMyCcXT2VUGx75HYleoJ6Y13QHwB4YJwXk7SNG-E3IMDGQSxicmd7GC9gDL9oeBbYfGCp6Iw1KoKOHBbc9wd1VypVJZgmzgJxY4QRylo28tvus64FgB3MvtQ8gQII/s400/snails+fighting.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642016061144854482" /></a>
<br />And of course, the obligatory battle between fiddler crabs on land...
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNc9lsEaZyedpQhkONkuDRt7QYAQP8ZtVHaXBzHL13QQHmtcS4hSVwsP6TQL9ibjOxKM7TaN94k5qGeXu2SbISM2nIACfmI9DA19ZIk3Ak84UFQzY03fW71rM5ecDdZDOlJ-o-FIdDeA/s1600/fiddlers+fighting.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 322px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNc9lsEaZyedpQhkONkuDRt7QYAQP8ZtVHaXBzHL13QQHmtcS4hSVwsP6TQL9ibjOxKM7TaN94k5qGeXu2SbISM2nIACfmI9DA19ZIk3Ak84UFQzY03fW71rM5ecDdZDOlJ-o-FIdDeA/s400/fiddlers+fighting.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642016060934815074" /></a>
<br />All and all a good time... and surprising too. While I expected to see the stingrays, sanddollars, worms, and snails. I did not expect to see urchins, tunicates, and mussels which generally prefer harder, rocky substrates. Many of them were nestled in the sea grass. Perhaps the mussels had settled in the root system of the sea grass, and the tunicates settled on them.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFf3Y0OfCQLMZ22GOL-7unzJVPotV_46TMGLa0K8dpUea1acEJuDoweRRevyKJ1BMOA1ylrDplgIdoJeNgmKCseL7UdFNi_Dq6dLDsOF3U-RxbCnHYRvqfPj4QvUwm6G7LXE1mygyB9E/s1600/tunicate.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFf3Y0OfCQLMZ22GOL-7unzJVPotV_46TMGLa0K8dpUea1acEJuDoweRRevyKJ1BMOA1ylrDplgIdoJeNgmKCseL7UdFNi_Dq6dLDsOF3U-RxbCnHYRvqfPj4QvUwm6G7LXE1mygyB9E/s400/tunicate.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642017680001746226" /></a>
<br />I can't wait to see what a rocky-bottom habitat holds in store!Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-59056673089290379512011-08-15T16:02:00.000-07:002011-08-15T16:54:05.645-07:00Florida Museum of Natural HistoryI went to the Florida Museum of Natural History not knowing quite what to expect. On one hand, the website was very well managed and made it look like a decent-sized museum with all the trimmings. On the other hand, I knew it was part of the University of Florida campus, and many other campus 'museums' are generally one room affairs with minimal signage and virtually no learning opportunities.
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<br />I was happy to learn that the museum lived up to the website's promises more than my expectations of a campus museum. It is housed in its own building, surrounded by a couple of art museums in the corner of campus. It had three main exhibits, a Florida fossil exhibit, peoples of Florida, and a rotating exhibit which happened to be on canoes. There was also a discovery center for the kids and another hands on display about 'wild music'. As the wild music cost extra and there was a day camp in the discovery center, I did not hit either of these two sites.
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<br />The Florida's Fossils section was well laid out, first taking you through a series of picture timelines showing generally what flora and fauna dominated which era, then you got to get an idea of what animals could be found in Florida by viewing the fossils. Each animal plaque was topped with a miniature bronze statue depicting how the animal would have looked in life, making it easy to pick out the animals you want to read more about and compare the skeleton to the fleshed-out version.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UpizIsASzpakhLXbhjV8qxE3nKAmbYvNM4dKc6V-ZTOggyj_XBco-kRu3vEsW52Z57Xq10AqFGFeaEsoegUbcDRacgGharm5-AmCK6B58vFtvKFDBo94Y-PLPY7Sibxcrg47tx0y-aI/s1600/gaint+sloth.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UpizIsASzpakhLXbhjV8qxE3nKAmbYvNM4dKc6V-ZTOggyj_XBco-kRu3vEsW52Z57Xq10AqFGFeaEsoegUbcDRacgGharm5-AmCK6B58vFtvKFDBo94Y-PLPY7Sibxcrg47tx0y-aI/s400/gaint+sloth.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641226267804880642" border="0" /></a>
<br />There was an amazing giant sloth, much larger than anything I had seen at the Page museum, and a glyptodont (a giant armadillo-like creature), which I absolutely adore!
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxR42ikwRj2OP5i1ZOFt6Xc-7_x5nBUbE34YUAplidfNgm2lx44NDvWEH3IFZBiYVWsFdlEdPHFgEY4OUKLugHOb-aS9E4NUE41H2bsXRx-YoGhJeffl2PlNa40UdtGlFRDtUU580dk0/s1600/Glyptodont.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxR42ikwRj2OP5i1ZOFt6Xc-7_x5nBUbE34YUAplidfNgm2lx44NDvWEH3IFZBiYVWsFdlEdPHFgEY4OUKLugHOb-aS9E4NUE41H2bsXRx-YoGhJeffl2PlNa40UdtGlFRDtUU580dk0/s400/Glyptodont.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641226268260746962" border="0" /></a>
<br />I also learned that there were many cats found in the Florida region including American Lions [err... I mean Jaguars], the smaller precursor to the saber-tooth cat found in CA, Dirk-toothed cats, and Nimravids. Nimravids look just like dirk tooth cats but one of the bones in their skull (the post-orbital process) is solid, unlike 'true' cats.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDWut90M-2Sy4wgTrFPmeEYa-GmorCKmfxWBFEpGCoHQ8t33w6wElU146XcApFRmm-jyHNmF4K96nSAv0Rba_PCFR2TJsrOiWCD0sX_TDI9ViJExVWyDYHeom2UQQIDp3GumkB_HI8Z8/s1600/Nimravid.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDWut90M-2Sy4wgTrFPmeEYa-GmorCKmfxWBFEpGCoHQ8t33w6wElU146XcApFRmm-jyHNmF4K96nSAv0Rba_PCFR2TJsrOiWCD0sX_TDI9ViJExVWyDYHeom2UQQIDp3GumkB_HI8Z8/s400/Nimravid.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641227178157807874" border="0" /></a>
<br />The peoples of Florida exhibit was a little more chaotic. This could have been due to the fact that we may have entered it backwards, but since we could not tell for sure... well, I guess that was part of the problem. Either way, in the middle of the exhibit there was a corridor filled with larger than life models of common sea animals of Florida.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fqXXoTCA4_BaHm-1YVCeXmlt4OWegYGiiL2csUv0PUDM0IkDcX7S0yKQ2dNjdtcDCUTzqmOtEE2L4MKVjWEaLwc9TY9ypaZlbddwMG6Fm2gpEHw7wRhEJZsMlDv83-vJ6yGHGUyDnDw/s1600/blue+crab.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fqXXoTCA4_BaHm-1YVCeXmlt4OWegYGiiL2csUv0PUDM0IkDcX7S0yKQ2dNjdtcDCUTzqmOtEE2L4MKVjWEaLwc9TY9ypaZlbddwMG6Fm2gpEHw7wRhEJZsMlDv83-vJ6yGHGUyDnDw/s400/blue+crab.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641224252742569298" border="0" /></a>It was very fun, and I think I may have spotted my future research animal there... I was confused as to why this exhibit was in the middle of a hall devoted to the peoples of Florida, though.
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<br />The rest of the hall focused on some of the main native groups of Florida. The Seminoles were one group, and the other was a group called the Calusa. The Calusa lived in southern Florida and were excellent wood workers. Their wood carvings and art really impressed me. I loved their style.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vjuO4B1MhkwIcA8_E_Y24eZES_JQdw7RQhtqYLkHLvRmzS9oJoYFWESs5f7spW8mP5tpWHdBOZGxRLfFGhjpBXkpoIWKSmzGCpZXMH3XCTfmTSzdYEjpkn3meFXuwpN_eANAoFAq2ZU/s1600/Calusa+art+01.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vjuO4B1MhkwIcA8_E_Y24eZES_JQdw7RQhtqYLkHLvRmzS9oJoYFWESs5f7spW8mP5tpWHdBOZGxRLfFGhjpBXkpoIWKSmzGCpZXMH3XCTfmTSzdYEjpkn3meFXuwpN_eANAoFAq2ZU/s400/Calusa+art+01.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641230791539427874" border="0" /></a>
<br />In addition to the main building, we also went to the butterfly rainforest, which costs extra, but was so worth it. The butterfly rainforest, unlike many other butterfly pavilions was a permanent display, and because of that, the habitat was wonderfully lush.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7puv0iwI9yOSMCV4jTa61ywEYOtJpTCwSEEY2qryIuirLZkLbzZtDu0gh-0IQ2dzIjVdeE6gk2kxq3lm_4QFQZlQIUTVucrIRuevVj7fs499PojUSH9LM2nmVsdKE4w_oogVhwNTTa9I/s1600/Butterfly+forest.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7puv0iwI9yOSMCV4jTa61ywEYOtJpTCwSEEY2qryIuirLZkLbzZtDu0gh-0IQ2dzIjVdeE6gk2kxq3lm_4QFQZlQIUTVucrIRuevVj7fs499PojUSH9LM2nmVsdKE4w_oogVhwNTTa9I/s400/Butterfly+forest.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641224412772151842" border="0" /></a>There were many different types of butterflies... all fluttering around.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibY0EuKpdFiLpiF3K6HcDbGAOQaib90xnkgvdQbWTEXP4MtkGlZ40ocngHLkWD5J9G_wTxXwPjsALA9OSLJLz_PC94vSNaIeo26FdECTOK5P0iaGuTSYC_q8A_b0C2hARxuzhmtKVoM8s/s1600/Green+Birdwing.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibY0EuKpdFiLpiF3K6HcDbGAOQaib90xnkgvdQbWTEXP4MtkGlZ40ocngHLkWD5J9G_wTxXwPjsALA9OSLJLz_PC94vSNaIeo26FdECTOK5P0iaGuTSYC_q8A_b0C2hARxuzhmtKVoM8s/s400/Green+Birdwing.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641229426311922146" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHCLcUWxAJpfussJAor7GESbHxaUFSAJZwz7_daEKSfpvJ_n0bjPJVJVnrL13eWEOajVCyBEpA5b2Bpp73rczz2ITZ878YpQuCUu7UlRnMA3wWJzXVN6XauzAGhtoeMeVYNEkuIwYlBQ/s1600/Tailed+Jay.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHCLcUWxAJpfussJAor7GESbHxaUFSAJZwz7_daEKSfpvJ_n0bjPJVJVnrL13eWEOajVCyBEpA5b2Bpp73rczz2ITZ878YpQuCUu7UlRnMA3wWJzXVN6XauzAGhtoeMeVYNEkuIwYlBQ/s400/Tailed+Jay.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641229429805364258" border="0" /></a>
<br />My biggest gripe was that there was no good guide for them. They had some hand held deals which did not even have a 4th of the butterflies picture on them. Their website has an excellent guide, however, so I was able to id these beauties after the fact fairly easily.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdA4YVxvmFKmlGsiEMBon1zRnn6ZjmWbt7yinkPu_fWy_TZEDplanHc4QuhWsOzMkM5uEY_Ngvhp0NP_B5orH1CRheolt_L5gqewhFcN52gnXaKHoUDdYI13cwyVtGhURTXCECxtovphE/s1600/Orange+weaver+finch.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdA4YVxvmFKmlGsiEMBon1zRnn6ZjmWbt7yinkPu_fWy_TZEDplanHc4QuhWsOzMkM5uEY_Ngvhp0NP_B5orH1CRheolt_L5gqewhFcN52gnXaKHoUDdYI13cwyVtGhURTXCECxtovphE/s400/Orange+weaver+finch.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641227179246402898" border="0" /></a>In addition to butterflies, they also had some birds flying about, like this orange weaver finch... which made Carlos happy. It's definitely a beautiful place to sit and watch. Since the entrance to the main halls were free, I felt okay spending the cash to get into the butterfly rainforest and I am glad I did!
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<br />All and all a good place to go and see some things unique to the Florida area. You can decide what you want to see based on what you want to pay for. They also have discounts for Florida residents and students (but only Florida college students).
<br />Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-23920878612684154902011-08-12T19:39:00.000-07:002011-08-15T10:46:15.719-07:00Pyrosomes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXc3QlBRwhZEwDjUy_MM9cROZxXOillyCOz6G7WCjbI-un2sZO3xT4-JtFD8QBfpGNzCRG37ECrv-NuYFBkNnml__FChE8xMQ3KwwWfe-BtKqCOP5b_Ao6j41m82OznDvmgczdKPMdfRg/s1600/Pyrosome+whole.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXc3QlBRwhZEwDjUy_MM9cROZxXOillyCOz6G7WCjbI-un2sZO3xT4-JtFD8QBfpGNzCRG37ECrv-NuYFBkNnml__FChE8xMQ3KwwWfe-BtKqCOP5b_Ao6j41m82OznDvmgczdKPMdfRg/s320/Pyrosome+whole.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617822086829512578" border="0" /></a>
<br />So I ran across these crazy animals called <span style="font-weight: bold;">pyrosomes</span> a while back and I have been completely fascinated by them. When I was first presented with them, I could not figure out what they were! It turns out that they are a type of tunicate... and indeed looking at them under a microscope does help point that out.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRqzxu-9nYBuneRHVNO6rcpNJxQHXimVoSG3TXRvxuV84FmM6xZiI4LUgRAIT3tFvnD-GYnqIrPmLEx63BAbWM4sZzFeOue571AdANYHi3FFrFqd6jH12A3DD3bc3nBnUwhg5jKwMw00/s1600/Pyrosome+individ.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRqzxu-9nYBuneRHVNO6rcpNJxQHXimVoSG3TXRvxuV84FmM6xZiI4LUgRAIT3tFvnD-GYnqIrPmLEx63BAbWM4sZzFeOue571AdANYHi3FFrFqd6jH12A3DD3bc3nBnUwhg5jKwMw00/s320/Pyrosome+individ.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617530316055552610" border="0" /></a>
<br />Here you can see an individual of the tunicate colony, making a u shape, and surrounded by a clear tunic. The left side of the U is most likely the endostyle, a structure which gives support. On the right side of the U, the thicker side, is the pharynx, which they use to filter their food. Below that, the thick, pinkish structure is most likely the gut.
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<br />Each of those pyrosome colonies were made up of hundreds of these individual zooids, each of which captured its own food by filtering water through its pharynx. However unlike regular tunicate colonies, where the filtered water comes out somewhere along the surface of the colony, in pyrosomes (which are shaped like a cone with the smaller end closed off) the filtered water is shuttled to the inside and then comes out the large end. This allows them to swim!
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<br />It's hard to imagine these very dense, hard colonies swimming, but that's just what they do. Additionally, their name (pyrosomes = fire body) comes from one other unique feature that they possess. At the tip of each of the zooids they have a light producing organ, which allows the colony to light up like a christmas tree. I would love to see one drifting along, shining gently in the dark sea...
<br />Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-35961126103519747312011-07-08T12:06:00.001-07:002011-07-08T12:17:23.846-07:00Abalone development<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kO4iuyIc2RMnYlT6BE37hdvBIyHz7XfDQu_SQnJykJwV7jzMQagAulT07csCw0CsstP6C2b7j_ucPPPj_HafLZECVF5KcZt26Ljs_G_3Z2mMOEusk8bjirJOmehAd-G7fy-HqbD7XhA/s1600/Spawning+female+01.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kO4iuyIc2RMnYlT6BE37hdvBIyHz7XfDQu_SQnJykJwV7jzMQagAulT07csCw0CsstP6C2b7j_ucPPPj_HafLZECVF5KcZt26Ljs_G_3Z2mMOEusk8bjirJOmehAd-G7fy-HqbD7XhA/s400/Spawning+female+01.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627061673084428258" border="0" /></a><br />I recently got to be a part of an abalone spawning team, where we induced abalones to release their gametes. It was very fun to see the fertilized eggs develop, and interesting for me because it was the first time that I had actually seen <a href="http://cronodon.com/BioTech/Animal_embryos.html">spiral cleavage</a> in action! It was so different looking than radial cleavage...<br /><br />I did not manage to get pictures of all of the stages, as I had to sleep, so expect some gaps. But I hope you enjoy this abalone development slide show that I put together of the stages I did see.<br /><br /><object height="349" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Emi_XydtMgA?version=3&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Emi_XydtMgA?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="349" width="425"></embed></object>Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-14849362209885027922011-06-27T21:09:00.000-07:002011-06-27T21:25:50.743-07:00Grunion Development: Day 9<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFgJI6WXQ1UUq17JmehWV_9iaLRKIB46skvGQ2mrcB8RR8mJA7-KG8YZ0k-DhD_shkKcCeJh4clk3KoDZvfRu77PKFwD5GwohHgQPfb_qoc1TrLvcyABN5qDPknYw_uhGepkXVSFEsDs/s1600/Day+9a.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFgJI6WXQ1UUq17JmehWV_9iaLRKIB46skvGQ2mrcB8RR8mJA7-KG8YZ0k-DhD_shkKcCeJh4clk3KoDZvfRu77PKFwD5GwohHgQPfb_qoc1TrLvcyABN5qDPknYw_uhGepkXVSFEsDs/s400/Day+9a.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623121831334771394" border="0" /></a><br />Not much seems to have changed from day 8 to day 9. The grunion is still the same size, and has not gained any new pigmentation. The yolk has decreased a bit, but at this point no major developmental; changes are visible. However, on day 9 they are much easier to hatch!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdAa6JgDvan-aPHT9h-9JtKiog2s2c4CrXTXGGzyNlqAdNvI4Ya4WwefM0a9w9-Nz8TIAnleeKdXHvBbagB89MfLSvxHT3BQNUiTHjkGuuxynQhA-gj3znPG1DVr4-SxR0XS8GJEx6z4/s1600/Day+9b.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdAa6JgDvan-aPHT9h-9JtKiog2s2c4CrXTXGGzyNlqAdNvI4Ya4WwefM0a9w9-Nz8TIAnleeKdXHvBbagB89MfLSvxHT3BQNUiTHjkGuuxynQhA-gj3znPG1DVr4-SxR0XS8GJEx6z4/s400/Day+9b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623121842534336258" border="0" /></a><br />You can still see the remnants of the yolk in the young fish's stomach.Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-80192112706865295862011-06-26T23:00:00.001-07:002011-06-26T23:07:24.709-07:00Grunion Development: Day 8<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ECJupIyRRea7t0dB2_67Kw8g_0kaHeIMKSwwmZmwvNdqGigBsrkbsWNqeDJr87jVHLXPbU3TKcXqCatrq1YdJ9oa4V11q4XDgXT27WgBh5fprYjzBKRhPT2CJfEbpN1_MCMuS_WU5Ys/s1600/Day+8.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ECJupIyRRea7t0dB2_67Kw8g_0kaHeIMKSwwmZmwvNdqGigBsrkbsWNqeDJr87jVHLXPbU3TKcXqCatrq1YdJ9oa4V11q4XDgXT27WgBh5fprYjzBKRhPT2CJfEbpN1_MCMuS_WU5Ys/s400/Day+8.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622777176603623426" border="0" /></a><br />The eyes are fully pigment, and the body as well. The body has grown to such a length that it wraps around the inside of the egg a little over 2 times. The oil droplets have been completely depleted, and there is a little yolk left. What you can't see is that the embryo is very active, with eye and body twitches being quite common.Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-20108706602561910562011-06-24T22:08:00.004-07:002011-06-24T22:15:42.310-07:00Grunion Development: Day 6<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxw9qUk8uh6gD3o6eeCNjaKDS2iCzTTFQaIrHgAF-1cfSUwqVe_I6U_xr_AMIQkwVm_T0TP4msa8uOkd8YgXtGmgD7hdBOVNaLXvEdxK0w9mim-TyjSh0gK-84CPR8mNtAFnOXH9ILZY/s1600/Day+6.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxw9qUk8uh6gD3o6eeCNjaKDS2iCzTTFQaIrHgAF-1cfSUwqVe_I6U_xr_AMIQkwVm_T0TP4msa8uOkd8YgXtGmgD7hdBOVNaLXvEdxK0w9mim-TyjSh0gK-84CPR8mNtAFnOXH9ILZY/s400/Day+6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622021639270567874" border="0" /></a><br />The embryo has grown, with the tail wrapping all the way around the egg and back around the head. The eyes have a lot of pigment and the body is starting to get a little pigment. The oil droplets are almost all used up and the yolk has a lot of blood vessels connecting it to the embryo.Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-61745820370176413792011-06-22T18:34:00.000-07:002011-06-22T18:34:00.307-07:00Grunion Development: Day 4<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4Yx8ZXNzQRv7D07joE3Mp-HH5o5VWhTvl5aSkwAyFldwmurcmuTsUAozV1HfEmd5MUomObsy7o1AKCVi2gZj0p6-1FRDOhwkXLPoqE5gUboaZG2JaxyeL5FPJGA0cql7BzfcYd09eyo/s1600/Day+4.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4Yx8ZXNzQRv7D07joE3Mp-HH5o5VWhTvl5aSkwAyFldwmurcmuTsUAozV1HfEmd5MUomObsy7o1AKCVi2gZj0p6-1FRDOhwkXLPoqE5gUboaZG2JaxyeL5FPJGA0cql7BzfcYd09eyo/s400/Day+4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620853426142116434" border="0" /></a><br />The embryos are noticeably larger, and structures are becoming readily apparent. You can see the nerve cord running down the center of the embryo. gill arches forming behind the eye, and the eye itself has an indented pupil.<br /><br />What you can't tell from the picture is that the heart is also nociable and pumping, and there are musculature visible along the length of the tail.Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-16601254327736951752011-06-21T18:38:00.000-07:002011-06-21T18:38:00.112-07:00Grunion Development: Day 3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98jP5vnHTgLtiamtCzPSuUE0K8EU4nMCuPaxWPQCnJUErh69sO6KF9JD2_Hl_61juEcCBzvSfeDP3Ttc4-g1xsqWVHnwzd7Wgm-cjQ94bAfC63E8-lsvMgCGqOwf9N02_5mine1WtSoY/s1600/DSCF3710.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98jP5vnHTgLtiamtCzPSuUE0K8EU4nMCuPaxWPQCnJUErh69sO6KF9JD2_Hl_61juEcCBzvSfeDP3Ttc4-g1xsqWVHnwzd7Wgm-cjQ94bAfC63E8-lsvMgCGqOwf9N02_5mine1WtSoY/s400/DSCF3710.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620498529059183202" border="0" /></a><br />Now you can clearly see many features of the developing embryo. It has also grown large enough to wrap around the back of the egg, with the tail just peeking out on the left hand side. The oil droplets are being used up and condensed into one large drop right in the center.Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-78359892514486415852011-06-20T19:18:00.000-07:002011-06-20T19:18:01.004-07:00Grunion Development: Day 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNBP1mVzhqHuuwqmppFscPkQIt_sWaNYnNjHVS3IqD12LF9uDUQPCkQAaHh6XMCIFMhvOddXH4nwJjWcoNJG4NaxTB84s-XoZQ8W58A-BoALO9JXuj6Eke4s3TWVOKKP9fuG38Ra7rmY/s1600/DSCF3697.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNBP1mVzhqHuuwqmppFscPkQIt_sWaNYnNjHVS3IqD12LF9uDUQPCkQAaHh6XMCIFMhvOddXH4nwJjWcoNJG4NaxTB84s-XoZQ8W58A-BoALO9JXuj6Eke4s3TWVOKKP9fuG38Ra7rmY/s400/DSCF3697.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620122417089933650" border="0" /></a><br />Now it's approximately 37 hours after fertilization. You can still see the oil droplets off to the left, but the embryo has under gone some big changes. Instead of being a cap of cells it now has a definite form, with the head and developing eyes in the center, and the rest of the body trailing off to the top right.Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-48287484430954942742011-06-19T18:57:00.000-07:002011-06-19T19:33:26.055-07:00Grunion Development: Day 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbDMu9I64T-ub1iMen_W7eqUt4iyJHrc2XmQetp5OuIHvODAMRhFJGMG_00p8vVLl6uKa3U70U20SZVLGKwiLahSJ0J5xUt4UAvV5XaRd3UMhLIX7IMxojrkkQ0ndGRJYIjwOMw1M0ws/s1600/DSCF3686.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbDMu9I64T-ub1iMen_W7eqUt4iyJHrc2XmQetp5OuIHvODAMRhFJGMG_00p8vVLl6uKa3U70U20SZVLGKwiLahSJ0J5xUt4UAvV5XaRd3UMhLIX7IMxojrkkQ0ndGRJYIjwOMw1M0ws/s400/DSCF3686.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620120192057491714" border="0" /></a><br />I thought I'd take some pictures of grunion eggs as they develop, just because I could. Here is day 1, approximately 13 hours after fertilization. You can see the dark orange oil droplets in the center, and a pale yellow cap of cells off to the left. That is the developing embryo.Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-35887737457855639762011-06-12T17:48:00.000-07:002011-06-12T19:38:10.863-07:00Catalina Above and BelowSo I went on a trip to sample some of the sea life found around Catalina Island this past weekend. In the deeper parts we found some hag fish, which produce copious amounts of slime with the slightest provocation. The slime has microfibers in it and makes it particularly strong.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwr1-KRdykSBIQS_O0zy46oI4GlFxASzhNAJ0DvSlHuMyDXeEYKQwhb-PjFWnJsPEeA4Dt4OSKN-Z8JEaDD6nQt_FQbJOzxzpSj1olAQfpErqvBbfDlffvpWCfjZe5gkshK9vTxaB8Cbw/s1600/DSCF3587.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwr1-KRdykSBIQS_O0zy46oI4GlFxASzhNAJ0DvSlHuMyDXeEYKQwhb-PjFWnJsPEeA4Dt4OSKN-Z8JEaDD6nQt_FQbJOzxzpSj1olAQfpErqvBbfDlffvpWCfjZe5gkshK9vTxaB8Cbw/s320/DSCF3587.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617510197976042242" border="0" /></a>We were also lucky enough to get a deep sea octopus. This one might be a big-eye octopus, as it lacks the spots of a two-spot octo, and was caught in very deep water.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKiVR7BaRdeWkJovGF31WxzFwHOhRMdFsX6F_GvAw_rRzkIevY_wjw6BT2n0Vv25Hz3HAZDdA4nhNGywNW0mUlHvYPDMp6KVTbnDPmE_J5lTohqlGmqync-BEp7nWesS263_vXXRdc0g/s1600/DSCF3614.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKiVR7BaRdeWkJovGF31WxzFwHOhRMdFsX6F_GvAw_rRzkIevY_wjw6BT2n0Vv25Hz3HAZDdA4nhNGywNW0mUlHvYPDMp6KVTbnDPmE_J5lTohqlGmqync-BEp7nWesS263_vXXRdc0g/s320/DSCF3614.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617511843329118642" border="0" /></a>This trip was filled with all sorts of cool mollusks, like this very large black sea hare. It was probably around 13 pounds. We caught about three of these beauties. The black sea hare is the largest gastropod in the world! Luckily for me, it does not ink.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Re8D4kT6HznWnW5c98bU6X948IDzvq2qBEQgceq1f2g1Kg3W-8_xXR1Rr6JmvrYLuB1-R338aRLXGcVS-HCvyeBL2r_6W4-HR2nrQT75qyDNphyphenhyphen2gky3FjOu3wD2igpbUnM4Yvdxqw8/s1600/DSCF3629.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Re8D4kT6HznWnW5c98bU6X948IDzvq2qBEQgceq1f2g1Kg3W-8_xXR1Rr6JmvrYLuB1-R338aRLXGcVS-HCvyeBL2r_6W4-HR2nrQT75qyDNphyphenhyphen2gky3FjOu3wD2igpbUnM4Yvdxqw8/s320/DSCF3629.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617515415757126658" border="0" /></a>We also got a lovely navanax. The navanax is a predatory snail that follows the slime trails of other snails then swallows them whole. After digesting them, it will spit out the cleaned out shell.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizQa8Jo0Cq8tMwaObACIf8NfZrqKySAtrcwjOihyzWdtF8BEypIENfMSxyIaj971NLD6TpPKFochRdE2PSSgnZNWaQ_pIL8u0nQV-w0cQeocsrlNnARgCgSlQA0zKBv9xKITXBiLostY/s1600/DSCF3625.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizQa8Jo0Cq8tMwaObACIf8NfZrqKySAtrcwjOihyzWdtF8BEypIENfMSxyIaj971NLD6TpPKFochRdE2PSSgnZNWaQ_pIL8u0nQV-w0cQeocsrlNnARgCgSlQA0zKBv9xKITXBiLostY/s320/DSCF3625.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617513593031832994" border="0" /></a>We also found a couple of different types of nudibranchs. The ones pictured below are pelagic nudibranchs and are commonly found on drift wood or drift kelp. Their color depends on what they eat, with brownish individuals dining one pelagic barnacles (also in the photo) and purplish ones dining on the by the wind sailor.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1fG7c8B4V0ji2wvRXd_X5iFk-g923dNIw6krfhbhMviEhiCeBxB7DuzLPlphwB3dFcW1taANYliZr-wbkfSxlZP4HSrBUd0yQ4JfHTczAPX5W8l1jb6Mu3WC7ztm2D40svcCYikHvUM8/s1600/DSCF3662.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1fG7c8B4V0ji2wvRXd_X5iFk-g923dNIw6krfhbhMviEhiCeBxB7DuzLPlphwB3dFcW1taANYliZr-wbkfSxlZP4HSrBUd0yQ4JfHTczAPX5W8l1jb6Mu3WC7ztm2D40svcCYikHvUM8/s320/DSCF3662.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617518430273754402" border="0" /></a>We did not have any luck chumming for blue sharks this year, but we were very lucky to see this crazy critter come by our boat. Yes my favorite fish ever, the mola (or ocean sunfish) swam near our boat. Judging from the size of the fin sticking out of the water, this beauty was huge! It made my trip!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxXJcaHGjbw40OjKqt1obUL7X1X7GiN0RalKdqe69_KqYTs2MEPEJ1ccQpI28wG5OSsdSxVmqyuu4HK28b3zs7bcthjqjEuXxLpRUSYekR_J4NryA8DKl-xGefd6l8a5VWwLPNtRH88Ys/s1600/DSCF3660.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxXJcaHGjbw40OjKqt1obUL7X1X7GiN0RalKdqe69_KqYTs2MEPEJ1ccQpI28wG5OSsdSxVmqyuu4HK28b3zs7bcthjqjEuXxLpRUSYekR_J4NryA8DKl-xGefd6l8a5VWwLPNtRH88Ys/s320/DSCF3660.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617520145932071426" border="0" /></a>We also were lucky enough to see a variety of marine mammals. These pictured below were Risso's dolphins, the largest dolphin in our area. We also saw bottle-nose and pacific white-sided dolphins.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K4o6igs7PPv5cbBN3fx0zWrtQc3olJ_MVaxe5bbFg3SVhkPFVG1jUFzEOq_w7fwupRkbscCVqE1wuVhqh0EqKsvb0Rwjfr0-V6TD_q5F3PLXu9507vaIYfmFbkzrvI8nSv9UHKiWoi8/s1600/DSCF3676.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K4o6igs7PPv5cbBN3fx0zWrtQc3olJ_MVaxe5bbFg3SVhkPFVG1jUFzEOq_w7fwupRkbscCVqE1wuVhqh0EqKsvb0Rwjfr0-V6TD_q5F3PLXu9507vaIYfmFbkzrvI8nSv9UHKiWoi8/s320/DSCF3676.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617523250288019298" border="0" /></a>Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-76656144055259551522011-04-11T20:45:00.000-07:002011-04-15T20:01:51.792-07:00Mohave National PreserveSo we went on a trip to the Mohave natural preserve, with the idea that we were going to see Mitchell caverns, the only limestone cavern in the CA park system. Based on some of the pictures it looked like a mini <a href="http://brinequeen.blogspot.com/2009/03/reviewing-alien-landscapes-carlsbad.html">Carlsbad cavern</a>, so I was very excited. Of course, the first thing to greet us after the four hour drive was this...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-JqbKq8fExoFMb_iPImetb2lJ6MOz6FEjZUj1SjaTXoT54DXzigv1V9pC4hRGTv5KNNDSmpVtEHQiJuM7ObrWRRiiPqdHvCFDwaVEI23OnV4EpQkhGbSVHtdyA5nN8xTSr2lY_r6GCM/s1600/caves+closed.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-JqbKq8fExoFMb_iPImetb2lJ6MOz6FEjZUj1SjaTXoT54DXzigv1V9pC4hRGTv5KNNDSmpVtEHQiJuM7ObrWRRiiPqdHvCFDwaVEI23OnV4EpQkhGbSVHtdyA5nN8xTSr2lY_r6GCM/s320/caves+closed.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594868662404042690" border="0" /></a><br />The caverns had been closed since December of last year for 'maintenance', supposedly to re-open in October... So we decided to drive around and see what else there was to offer, hoping to see some neat fossils that we had heard might be around the area.<br /><br />There was a nice stand of Joshua trees on our drive...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwamn3bMy_cpw8BonkKvRj3A6JZSr1WpbIOJI-OEluxUyYNABeKfqn6Y-7T1cogAz6-4OpZXVp8DUFvYWoiQ63BD-TiM9fIXhnGqGX5At9NF-J1njcS0u2vyorjjOXb_q72F5nfNLCc8/s1600/josua+trees.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwamn3bMy_cpw8BonkKvRj3A6JZSr1WpbIOJI-OEluxUyYNABeKfqn6Y-7T1cogAz6-4OpZXVp8DUFvYWoiQ63BD-TiM9fIXhnGqGX5At9NF-J1njcS0u2vyorjjOXb_q72F5nfNLCc8/s320/josua+trees.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594871148945832178" border="0" /></a><br />and some other nice pockets of desert flora...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbA2e_TWKAIfq3Y13SpjArJ8MyRcYSjEds5dYBf9eo2VnUh7avrhtFpB46TmvX4BviS7nTDciVy_sPSukRnsFMPibkFs8OCzqqNnAMBoBBPPnaSj08nMaKKmwSrQqhPNyxSmO6IqfLw5g/s1600/desert+plants.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbA2e_TWKAIfq3Y13SpjArJ8MyRcYSjEds5dYBf9eo2VnUh7avrhtFpB46TmvX4BviS7nTDciVy_sPSukRnsFMPibkFs8OCzqqNnAMBoBBPPnaSj08nMaKKmwSrQqhPNyxSmO6IqfLw5g/s320/desert+plants.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594873498069474258" border="0" /></a><br />After a confusing talk with the rangers at Kelso station, we (and the rangers) finally learned where the fossil sponges were located, from their on-call geologist. While not much to look at, it was still something that I had never seen.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuv9a0Ur7lIG4dxSDmsz1O6GacLa3fHtkCCU269d84TW-utC8T9hoz1Adt9qgcbeGpBYmxWe1zy5fuojNzLpsOQCxcjZ5_0oWPEtW4pFYh3m_qmNL9_fICqztoQWB27Rx7dRLEcjD4cg/s1600/fossil+sponge+close.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuv9a0Ur7lIG4dxSDmsz1O6GacLa3fHtkCCU269d84TW-utC8T9hoz1Adt9qgcbeGpBYmxWe1zy5fuojNzLpsOQCxcjZ5_0oWPEtW4pFYh3m_qmNL9_fICqztoQWB27Rx7dRLEcjD4cg/s320/fossil+sponge+close.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595071473069111842" border="0" /></a><br />There was also some evidence of modern life too...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEI2UqVQZkq35Qvzaq1XbM4FL-vs-cybyfEoD8VV148Xkiy8pJXUKwhe54wywPHkxEQ6v5KOjBSzHiLS55xXgY4IA9yZLPry6KjJC4sCuVdoLRsZ0Xs8DFWXbRkFK_U2YA7xx7fLrnSXA/s1600/spider+burrow.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEI2UqVQZkq35Qvzaq1XbM4FL-vs-cybyfEoD8VV148Xkiy8pJXUKwhe54wywPHkxEQ6v5KOjBSzHiLS55xXgY4IA9yZLPry6KjJC4sCuVdoLRsZ0Xs8DFWXbRkFK_U2YA7xx7fLrnSXA/s320/spider+burrow.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595073531622228322" border="0" /></a><br />And of course, the Kelso dunes themselves...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcynoXUWf9QedKPkaYDJabBmGyEDoDBbciyphoDsY_IX3j8LmPFkayaxG_pToS5lgL03h7vmP6evTvJs4B1EdKCwO56_o88v67oo6MWSHBwU1LJ9ZvShQ1NiH7mBicU9J7iX1BJfZo4o/s1600/Kelso+dunes.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcynoXUWf9QedKPkaYDJabBmGyEDoDBbciyphoDsY_IX3j8LmPFkayaxG_pToS5lgL03h7vmP6evTvJs4B1EdKCwO56_o88v67oo6MWSHBwU1LJ9ZvShQ1NiH7mBicU9J7iX1BJfZo4o/s320/Kelso+dunes.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596010978857503426" border="0" /></a><br />All and all an okay trip. I was definitely disappointed about the caves, and would have planned a trip to Joshua Tree National Park instead if I had known ahead of time. What was really nice about the trip was the people. The rangers were very willing to chat, and helps us find places to see, or places that were at least open...Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-44729768399722151572011-04-11T19:34:00.000-07:002011-04-11T20:21:46.840-07:00My time with a heteropod<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2D_KNi1P8BHxd87dZStE12-t7VAfacJwpouE4fYf8_qlrGCsdDxWveSMs9XGksa_8AKI4_pmWc5MUVGMe8XYaA5kVNIWknVO9x-CkI5_t-fkg6o5Aupt_s7MJM1b4LdDHRMV1PA_MO3g/s1600/Heteropod+best.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2D_KNi1P8BHxd87dZStE12-t7VAfacJwpouE4fYf8_qlrGCsdDxWveSMs9XGksa_8AKI4_pmWc5MUVGMe8XYaA5kVNIWknVO9x-CkI5_t-fkg6o5Aupt_s7MJM1b4LdDHRMV1PA_MO3g/s400/Heteropod+best.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594523401077388898" border="0" /></a><br />We got a new addition last week, a <span style="font-style: italic;">Carinaria japonica</span> an unusual animal commonly called a sea elephant, after its long snout-like proboscis. It is generally around 13 cm (5 in) but can get to 50 cm (20 in) long. This one is about 30 cm (12 in). This animal is a type of snail, called a heteropod, that is modified to spend its entire life swimming in the water column.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqZoCX-PKnPkGES5aDmdU9L0j9Tc0j04ICbLRWDa5ICnPxne9tXRsqnt6HLqfHZtv9Lrs5VE5EFPN0plzrmEb47OM6AA9IEt_e6EN-DjetKURUCeHz2VVDllRAITnuB_zlXe5NcWiFqo/s1600/Heteropod+shell.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqZoCX-PKnPkGES5aDmdU9L0j9Tc0j04ICbLRWDa5ICnPxne9tXRsqnt6HLqfHZtv9Lrs5VE5EFPN0plzrmEb47OM6AA9IEt_e6EN-DjetKURUCeHz2VVDllRAITnuB_zlXe5NcWiFqo/s400/Heteropod+shell.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594523407393521762" border="0" /></a><br />Its shell is very reduced, to decrease the weight on the animal, and located on the bottom of the creature. Because of the shell's weight, small that it is, the animal spends its life swimming 'upside down'. The flap that it uses to swim with is a modified foot, and it has a large radula at the end of its proboscis for capturing prey.<br /><br />It has very well developed eyes for a snail, complete with spherical lenses and ciliated retinas. The retinas themselves are interesting, because they are a thin strip, rather that a large patch. Because of that its vision field is only a few degrees high, and 80 to 180 degrees long [<a href="http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/96/1/427.pdf">1</a>]. Some species solve that problem by constantly sweeping their eyes up and down.<br /><br />They eat other things in the plankton, preferring things like arrow worms, salps, copepods, and krill [<a href="http://www.springerlink.com/content/u47550q1743kp15p/">2</a>]. The prey is ingested whole, and digestion generally takes place without any mastication. There really is not much known on how they capture their prey, and I'd like to make a few comments based on observations made while feeding this little guy.<br /><br />I have been feeding him by hand, which is certainly not natural, but I have noticed that when I drop food or put food near him, he cannot capture it without some sort of pressure behind it. The jaws of the radula seem to push out, then open, clamp the food then drag it back in. If there is no pressure behind the food, the radula just pushes it away. He generally solves the pressure problem by maneuvering his proboscis so that the food is trapped between it and the wall of the tank.<br /><br />Obviously, that trick would not work in the wild, but I have noticed a second trick which would work in the wild. With floating food, he sometimes curls in to a circle and traps it between his proboscis and his large broad tail. This may be a behavior which helps them capture food in the wild... we won't know for certain until someone seriously takes a look at that.<br /><br />In the meantime, I will continue to observe and marvel at my new companion...<br /><br /><object height="330" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CgKLyFQXEFY?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CgKLyFQXEFY?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="330" width="400"></embed></object>Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-40606585834477393622011-02-12T18:53:00.000-08:002011-02-12T19:16:33.550-08:00You know how I love me some <a href="http://brinequeen.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-little-squids.html">developing squid</a>... Here is some before and after shots of the common market squid.<br /><br />You can see that baby still in the capsule with the yolk coming out from the tentacles. When the squid is ready to hatch, the capsule and the chorion (which surrounds the embryo) are greatly thinned. However, they still present a considerable barrier. Squids have a hatching gland, called the organ of Hoyle, which produces an enzyme that dissolves the chorion and the capsule wall.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4Wvpmta3kxB3CLwu59R7JyJarPHRURArLlgDN-mTs93fUw-mbv0H3SHapj6zVbkX_4VVIHSihMGnrrWPl4sQVemwf-XPY5aO17Qe1NiMATCv-pWg1ccym0wiiRdvnas1_umyRe1YDIM/s1600/Squid+in+egg.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4Wvpmta3kxB3CLwu59R7JyJarPHRURArLlgDN-mTs93fUw-mbv0H3SHapj6zVbkX_4VVIHSihMGnrrWPl4sQVemwf-XPY5aO17Qe1NiMATCv-pWg1ccym0wiiRdvnas1_umyRe1YDIM/s400/Squid+in+egg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573005621287551394" border="0" /></a><br />Here's a nice quick shot of a post-hatch baby. You can see some of the chromatophores, pigment-containing cells, as black dots on their body.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OezzbeVfMediR1gfAiKOpRv-KGufuVfh7sDQz768o8V0LYFHXcZwAZ3NZ8-VCSfIgLLgfXlPXfhWNaw_k09yRWJ_TgOtqdUp5XewL1vwCCy4G_mkObYBtaPecRD1TZpHM71JAHYQaOY/s1600/Squid+hatched.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OezzbeVfMediR1gfAiKOpRv-KGufuVfh7sDQz768o8V0LYFHXcZwAZ3NZ8-VCSfIgLLgfXlPXfhWNaw_k09yRWJ_TgOtqdUp5XewL1vwCCy4G_mkObYBtaPecRD1TZpHM71JAHYQaOY/s400/Squid+hatched.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573005624481931426" border="0" /></a><br /><br />To round off this post, I thought I'd close with a video of those chromatophores in action!<br /><br /><object height="330" width="400"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/MEt4Ua1LTVU?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="https://www.youtube.com/v/MEt4Ua1LTVU?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="330" width="400"></embed></object>Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6346623333092702883.post-31697418246586657272011-01-19T19:28:00.000-08:002011-01-19T19:55:57.638-08:00Story of a black jelly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJpaSD2L_itFyEPMIJJHyxDzWdTHP79zBoAaECkXP3PWIGVxqTBZ1-C47lSMEila3X5MVgqjwKFPAVJXncqEb6CBW-hVUtMcy1l0c5B0Ktjp8a0cE3DUg_mD9_dWdJHMDP7WToHoevYw/s1600/Black+jelly+capture.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJpaSD2L_itFyEPMIJJHyxDzWdTHP79zBoAaECkXP3PWIGVxqTBZ1-C47lSMEila3X5MVgqjwKFPAVJXncqEb6CBW-hVUtMcy1l0c5B0Ktjp8a0cE3DUg_mD9_dWdJHMDP7WToHoevYw/s320/Black+jelly+capture.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564109322519620930" border="0" /></a><br />Last summer we had a rare event. Tens of black sea nettles (<span style="font-style: italic;">Chrysaora achlyos</span>) washed ashore on our beach. These guys are pretty rare, so we jumped at the chance to get some gonadal tissue to start a new culture of jellies. We collected the adults from the beach, and I extracted the gonadal tissue from the insides of the bell. (This was a rather painful process which involved me getting stung for three days.)<br /><br />I used bits of the tissue to sex the animals; females had eggs, and males had packets of sperm. After I figured out who was what, I put a little bit of male gonads and female gonads together in a petri dish and mixed them up, to beak open the male's sperm packets. (It felt a bit like making red scrambled eggs.)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Male sperm packets</div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7HyhS7dpk_imKPamU6TErNZZRaA7n2i0ZAkafInbu4CM8tbD6xrxDlYT2n8G_UausVXT8Krg24NTlz_t3i75eiRGBatw6XCJY-TcbbCOmYNFphU9Rd5THmdM4dYJrxgO0m5tGfZTZWTc/s1600/B+jelly+sperm+packets.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7HyhS7dpk_imKPamU6TErNZZRaA7n2i0ZAkafInbu4CM8tbD6xrxDlYT2n8G_UausVXT8Krg24NTlz_t3i75eiRGBatw6XCJY-TcbbCOmYNFphU9Rd5THmdM4dYJrxgO0m5tGfZTZWTc/s320/B+jelly+sperm+packets.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564109334515172066" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Female tissue with eggs<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4re_76d7OVK5LdcGRts_nJUkbOnR6yTflhkn4KU8gOB4K2AsqX7SwWmNJq-UPWm4dWSDeLnm-FaeGLEbfx1ytPT_1C6bRJJx0B6NKuVJ4RwGxwC7mcjdGCnRKv2CF8ei2JsrHinvZBU/s1600/B+jelly+female+gonad.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4re_76d7OVK5LdcGRts_nJUkbOnR6yTflhkn4KU8gOB4K2AsqX7SwWmNJq-UPWm4dWSDeLnm-FaeGLEbfx1ytPT_1C6bRJJx0B6NKuVJ4RwGxwC7mcjdGCnRKv2CF8ei2JsrHinvZBU/s320/B+jelly+female+gonad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564109330958378882" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After 3 days, planulae were spotted swimming in the petri dishes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBte4PElvHPAz11_s2o6Ob_ZrTZLZB8Rt8RbiMurL11SFXQUA-DubLpBmqzz_BjH_48YZ2rnGmTdvGtt66sgpxea43Yt_8Fvg6uDNiHUeE9efxZHrL_5-InzXJLVvtT7hzOE_dsB19_g/s1600/B+jelly+planula.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBte4PElvHPAz11_s2o6Ob_ZrTZLZB8Rt8RbiMurL11SFXQUA-DubLpBmqzz_BjH_48YZ2rnGmTdvGtt66sgpxea43Yt_8Fvg6uDNiHUeE9efxZHrL_5-InzXJLVvtT7hzOE_dsB19_g/s320/B+jelly+planula.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564109338599072498" border="0" /></a><br />After 5 days, the planulae settled to the bottom to become polyps. These are newly settled with only 2 fully formed tentacles.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbPscOknTsVfjEUOlO1gf5KsNg3F4I4cwO8joh56E3Fm2qigE7eNSdYLtnC1Qhyn_7AcHMnli4N65whwXtuaXSuBB5UQmmYecz8ZQMXMbfUE5aLt77oevnhtM-ThKySlaLmzgS0cgP1E/s1600/B+jelly+polyp.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbPscOknTsVfjEUOlO1gf5KsNg3F4I4cwO8joh56E3Fm2qigE7eNSdYLtnC1Qhyn_7AcHMnli4N65whwXtuaXSuBB5UQmmYecz8ZQMXMbfUE5aLt77oevnhtM-ThKySlaLmzgS0cgP1E/s320/B+jelly+polyp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564109342472858610" border="0" /></a><br />Four months later, I am very happy to say that my polyps have begun to strobilate. I have some beautiful ephyrea, that will become (in my opinion) the prettiest-colored jellies ever.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZPqSNcfYb1vpeje2_AulTvWa_1cHPl7lsI9dWtpzSKWBoHVD0FDC_TDNAegDbo7g-4t6eSFCsbmQ9PHgloZ-EygPyANVdsaIj2NQbL1Lo8_kjEUgPyUDf4e4YzIMQZG3Hu0w20ycTtI/s1600/C.+achlyos+ephyra.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZPqSNcfYb1vpeje2_AulTvWa_1cHPl7lsI9dWtpzSKWBoHVD0FDC_TDNAegDbo7g-4t6eSFCsbmQ9PHgloZ-EygPyANVdsaIj2NQbL1Lo8_kjEUgPyUDf4e4YzIMQZG3Hu0w20ycTtI/s320/C.+achlyos+ephyra.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564110109272470018" border="0" /></a>Brine Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590457703177814575noreply@blogger.com1