A lot has changed in the last thirty years and that includes the starfish. For those of you out of the loop, the starfish is no longer a starfish, it’s a sea star. Why is that? Because a sea star is not a type of fish, it’s an echinoderm. Echinoderms are members of the phylum… [read more]
Archives for July 2010
The bald eagle: a salute to our national emblem
In 1782, six years after the Declaration of Independence was signed and a new nation was born, Congress chose the bald eagle to be the national emblem of the United States. Today, the eagle is printed, painted and carved on everything having anything to do with our government. But how often do Americans even notice… [read more]
Meet the market squid
Introducing the market squid, a very common cephalopod along California’s coast. And little did you know that market squid have mating orgies sometimes right along the coast in public! According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s website, market squid swarm into shallow waters, mate like crazy, then females lay delicate rod-shaped capsules each containing 180 to… [read more]
The moray eel
Eels are technically fish, so that makes the moray eel one crazy, cool looking fish. Moray eels or Gymnothorax mordax can grow up to five feet and are the only eels along California’s coast that don’t have pectoral fins. If you get really bothered by loud mouth breathers, then you would probably find the moray… [read more]
Happy July 4th to the bald eagle!
Today is July 4th and the perfect day to give a shout out to the bald eagle, the national emblem of the United States. Bald eagles are awesome for many reasons, so stay tuned for the July 8th post where I discuss many of these great attributes in my next Easy Reader Wild Things column.… [read more]
Scorpionfish…don’t touch!
Don’t touch the spines on a scorpionfish or Scorpaena guttata. (And here I thought that nothing rhymes with with the famous Lion King phrase- Hakuna matata.) It’s called a scorpionfish for a reason. The sharp spines within its fins are poisonous and the toxin is effective even after the fish is dead. Talk about an… [read more]