Seastars literally turn inside out when they are feeding! To start their meal, stars will force open the shell of the invertebrate (such as the cockle shown here) using their underbelly suction discs, after which they insert their stomach through their mouth parts and into the shell. The stomach will secrete digestive juices that breakdown…
Sci Hero: Minakata Kumagusu
Minakata Kumagusu loved nature, folklore, and cultural traditions so created his own learning path that went far beyond the walls of a classroom!
Science Heroes: Minakata Kumagusu
Science Heroes: the column highlighting scientists and naturalists that if you don’t know, you should! This month highlights naturalist, folklorist, and philosopher MinaKata Kumagusu!
Field Frame Friday: Plumbing Project or Pinniped Puzzle?
Before my field season, my garage turns into a Santa’s workshop- if Santa were a seal and the workshop made only food puzzles. Prepping for my field season means lots of trips to the hardware store and getting confused looks from the employees on why I have my arms full of PVC pipes while I…
Arts & Crafts: Radiant Red
Check out this young explorer’s radiant red bird!
Field Frame Friday: Shake that tail feather!
Spotted on the border of Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo, this male African Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis) uses his long tail feathers to attract a mate, for life. During the mating season his 2 central tail feathers will grow to be 30 cm (or almost a foot) long, so that he can put on…
Ask a Scientist: Web Wonders
Why do spiders make webs?
Field Notes: It takes a village
After last year’s field season was canceled because of the pandemic followed by a full year of virtual meetings, conferences, socializing, and the never-ending pinging of emails in my inbox, sitting at my laptop was about the very last place I wanted to be at the start of summer. Contrarily, being in the fog of the Marin Headlands,…
Field Frame Friday: Harbor Seal Class of 2021
The best part of my field season is seeing the subjects that I worked with while they were in rehabilitation get released back into the ocean! These harbor seal pups came to The Marine Mammal Center (MMC) in Sausaltio, CA as young as a few days old, malnourished, and separated from their moms. But after…
Arts & Crafts: Silly Swimmers
Check out this young explorer’s crafty sea otter!
