Happy Holidays!
We’re taking the week off for the holiday! We’ll be back next week to meet some echinoderm friends! See you then!
camp
Happy Holidays!
Categories: adventure, Animals, camp, Children, conservation, Environment, nature, oceans, science, Today's Post, wildlife
Tags: animals, blog, education, nature, oceans, science, wildlife
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We Spy What Cephalopod
We Spy What Cephalopod
We are giving you some clues to see if you can guess the cephalopod we are meeting today!
- We spy a cephalopod who calls the deep ocean its home.
- We spy a cephalopod that is rarely seen.
- We spy a cephalopod with 40 ft arms.
- We spy a cephalopod who has the longest tentacles of any cephalopod species.
- We spy a cephalopod who has the largest eyes of any animal in the world.
- We spy a cephalopod who is well known in stories and literature.
Can you guess who we spy?
Scroll down to see the answer.
It’s the Giant Squid!
Categories: adventure, Animals, camp, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, oceans, science, Today's Post, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, education blog, environment, nature, nature blogs, oceans, science, wildlife
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One Weird Cephalopod
One Weird Cephalopod
We are meeting a strange cephalopod today. It’s not an octopus or a squid or a cuttlefish! This animal actually has a hard outer shell. Any guess on who we are meeting?
NAUTILUS FUN FACTS:
- There are 6 species of nautilus.
- Unlike their cephalopod relatives who only live 1-2 years; nautilus live up to 15 years.
- Nautilus have chambers in their shells. They are born with 4 chambers and grow more as they get older.
- These chambers also help them with buoyancy. They can allow water in or out to go up and down in the ocean.
- Nautiluses use a siphon tube near their eye to expel water to propel themselves in the water.
- They do not have arms- they have cirri or cirrus (the plural form). They can have up to 90 cirrus.
- These carnivores use those cirrus to grab prey like crab and fish.
- They have poor eyesight, but an excellent sense of smell.
How cool are these cephalopods? They look like aliens if you ask us! What’s your favorite thing about these ocean going aliens.
Categories: adventure, Animals, camp, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, oceans, science, Today's Post, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, education, education blog, envrionment, nature, nature blogs, oceans, science, wildlife
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There’s an Octopus in Your Coconut
There’s an Octopus in Your Coconut
We’re meeting a neat little octopus today during Cephalopod Week! These little invertebrates are called the Coconut Octopus- can you guess why?
COCONUT FUN FACTS:
- These octopus are not very big- usually around 6 inches long.
- They are known to find coconuts and shells and use them to hide in.
- They are also 1 of 2 species of octopus known to walk (yes- walk on the ocean floor) with 2 arms (bipedal). This happens when the octopus uses their other arms to carry their preferred hiding mechanism.
- Scientists also consider their use of shells and coconuts tool use. They are using them to protect themselves.
- These carnivores eat clams, shrimp and crabs.
- They are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
We love these amazing animals. Octopus are known for their intelligence and to learn that some of them are tool users is even cooler.
Categories: adventure, Animals, camp, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, oceans, octopus, science, Today's Post, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, childeren, conservation, education, educational, envrionment, nature, nature blog, oceans, octopus, science, space
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Know Your Echinoderms
Echinoderm Fun Facts:
- Echinoderms include sea stars, brittle and basket stars, sea urchins and sand dollars and sea cucumbers.
- They have been around for around 500 million years.
- Their name comes from Greek and means urchin and skin. They all have spines- some larger and sharper than others.
- Most Echinoderms have radial symmetry- body parts are arranged around a central point.
- Echinoderms do not have blood- they use water to circulate throughout their body. Water also helps them move their tube feet which they use for locomotion.
- Some Echinoderms can regenerate their body parts. Sea stars are known for regrowing arms.
We’ll meet some neat Echinoderms this summer at camp? Do you have a favorite? We love sea stars and sand dollars in particular.
Categories: adventure, Animals, camp, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, oceans, science, sea stars, Today's Post, wildlife
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Meet a Hog?
Meet a Hog?
We’re back on the Camp E&E boat today to meet some other fish! We may even done our snorkeling gear tomorrow! Today we’re saying hello to a species that is named after another farm animal- but this time they are named after a hog!
Meet the Hogfish
FUN FACTS:
- Hogfish have long snouts that they use to root around the ocean floor looking for prey.
- They often make a grunting noise when looking for food too. This is where they get their famous name- the hogfish.
- These carnivores are big fans of crustaceans.
- Hogfish are Sequential hermaphrodites. That means they change their sex during their lifetime. All hogfish start off as female and change to male as they mature.
- Males have a large black spot on their behind their pectoral fin and are a bright orange or red. Females are grey or brown.
- They are members of the wrasse family, but are closely related to parrotfish.
- These popular recreational fish are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. The number of individuals that are fished is controlled to avoid overfishing.
Categories: adventure, Animals, camp, Children, conservation, education, endangered species, Environment, nature, oceans, science, Today's Post, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, education, education blog, endangered species, envrionment, fish, nature, nature blog, oceans, science, wildlife
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Hello Sea Snail
Hello Sea Snails
After our boat ride – we met a little creature buried in the sand right at the waves line of the beach. It’s amazing what you’ll find when you are looking. These snails have great shells and again have cow in their name! Do we see a theme here at camp so far? Hehehehe!
Meet the Atlantic Deer Cowrie
FUN FACTS:
- These cowries are one of the largest species of cowries and grow up to 7 1/2 inches.
- These herbivores eat algae.
- Cowries constantly clean their shells keeping them shiny.
- Keeping their shells so shiny and smooth keeps barnacles and sponges from attaching.
- Cowries are marine gastropods, or snails.
- They have no operculum- a trap door or covering.
- They have few predators, but some octopus can drill through the shell!
We love looking for shells on the shore. The rule is campers may take shells that have no animals in them. We’ll be learning more about shells at camp later! What’s your favorite shell to find on the beach?
Categories: adventure, Animals, camp, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, oceans, science, Today's Post, wildlife
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Moo?
Moo?
Hello campers! We’re heading out on a boat ride today to meet one of animals that calls the ocean just offshore from camp home. Any guess on the elasmobranch we’re going to meet from our title clue? Could cow be in the name?
Meet the Cownose Ray
Fun Facts:
- These adorable rays are named after that blunt square- cow shaped nose.
- They are typically found near the surface of the ocean.
- Cownose rays give birth to a live pup once a year.
- These carnivores feed on oysters, clams and other mollusks. They have crushing plates – not teeth- to crush open shells and get to the soft bodies of their prey.
- They do have mildly venomous barbs, but only use those when threatened. When rays are known to be in local waters, its a good idea to shuffle your feet when walking in the ocean as to not step on one accidentally.
- These little sea flapper (hehehe) flap their fins to swim. They belong to their own group of rays.
- These cartilaginous (skeletons made of cartilage) fish, are known for their migrations from the Gulf of Mexico to the Chesapeake Bay. They can be seen in schools with up to 10,000 individuals.
These amazing animals are one of our favorites. They are often spotted in aquariums too. Like other rays they have spiracles that pass water over their gills when they rest on the bottom of the ocean.
Categories: adventure, Animals, camp, Children, conservation, education, Environment, fish, nature, oceans, science, Today's Post, wildlife
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Camp E&E Info
Camp E&E Info
Hello! We are so excited to have everyone join us this summer! We’re going to spend most of our time at Camp E&E by the sea this summer! First we want to go over some rules for all campers:
- Be courteous & kind to all your fellow campers and animals.
- Bring your reusable water and coffee mugs with you.
- Leave all habitats the way you found them. Pick up all trash.
- When packing for picnics, bring your reusable napkins, utensils and sandwich bags.
- When visiting the beach at night, no pictures or lights are allowed. You must only use a red flashlight to not distract nesting sea turtles.
- Campers may collect shells as long as they are empty.
- Please do not feed wild animals.
- Enjoy all activities and have fun!
We are so excited to meet our animal friends next week along with sharing stories, making s’mores by the campfire and making new friends! What are you most excited about?
Categories: adventure, Animals, camp, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, oceans, science, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, camp, children, conservation, education, educational, environment, nature, oceans, science, summer, summer camp, wildlife
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CAMP E&E IS BACK
CAMP E&E
Hello and welcome to Camp E&E this summer! We are so excited to head to the beach for our first part of camp! We’ll meet so many cool animals, talk about ways to keep the beach clean and tell great tales! We have missed all of our readers and friends- so we are especially excited for this years camp!
So campers- it’s time to pack your bags and get your cabin assignment. Camp E&E is kicking off summer!
Packing list:
Sheets
Flashlight
Bug spray
Hiking shoes
Water shoes
Swimsuits or trunks
Mud SPF 50 sunscreen
Your favorite stuffed animal to sleep with
Sleeping bag
Refillable water bottles
Swim goggles
Binoculars
Nature journal
Categories: adventure, Animals, camp, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, oceans, science, Today's Post, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, conservation, education, education blog, envrionment, nature, nature blog, oceans, science, wildlife
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Today’s Post
The Adventures of Ellie and Edmond 