Thursday, May 27, 2010

Lion's Mane

You know by now that I am the BayWatcher for Save the Harbor / Save the Bay, and that I teach Boston Harbor history and marine science at Boston University.

You probably don't know that I am also an avid fan of Sherlock Holmes - so when I began to get reports of Lion's Mane jellyfish in the Harbor, I was a bit concerned. I had a mental image of primordial monsters, lurking in tidal pools attacking unwary visitors to Boston Harbor this Memorial day weekend - probably inspired by this illustration:
If you recall, Holmes deduced that this fantastic creature was responsible for a mysterious - and agonizing - death in the classic short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle "The Lions Mane".

After a couple of calls (to the MWRA's senior scientist Dr. Andrea Rex, and the New England Aquarium's Dr. Billy Spitzer) I concluded that the two small (6-8 inch diameter bell) jellys reported to me - one by a thoughtful and observant ranger in the Harbor Islands National Park, and another by a reliable and experienced marine mechanic with 50 years on the water - were in fact small Lion's Mane jellyfish.

A little research led me to discover that Lion's Mane Jelly's are not that unusual in Mass Bay, though somewhat rare in Boston Harbor in my experience.

In fact, according to the often reliable and extraordinarily convenient Wikipedia, the largest recorded Lion's Mane washed up on shore in Massachusetts Bay in 1870 - and had a bell diameter of 7 feet 6 inches. That's one big jellyfish.

Here's a picture of a smaller one - and a link to the Wikipedia entry on the subject

Lion's Mane do sting, and though they are not particularly toxic - as far as jellyfish stings go - though some people can have a nasty allergic reaction to the Lion's Mane sting.

(If you do get stung, experts advise that you rinse the affected are with water. If you have an allergic reaction seek medical attention, or at least check out webmd.com)

Dr. Rex sent me a link to a great old book Seaside Studies in Natural History written by Elizabeth Agassiz (wife of Louis) and Alexander Agassiz (son of Louis) in 1865 on the marine animals of Massachusetts Bay.

They describe the Cyanea arctica (Lion’s Mane) in detail, including the effect of its sting.

Here's a copy of a really interesting woodcut done by Alexander too, which accompanies the text at Google Books.


Lion's Mane Jelly's have been around for a long time, and given the recent northeast winds and it makes sense that they would make their way into the harbor from time to time - especially if currents are happening to move this way as well.

My advice?

Don't panic if you see one in the water or on the shore - just leave it alone. And don't get into a tide pool with a seven foot jellyfish.

Have a great Memorial Day. See you on Boston Harbor.

Bruce

PS. Don't forget to check out Save the Harbor's Boston Harbor events and activities page on facebook.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Additional evidence.



Here is some additional evidence that there are indeed striped bass under my boat at Constitition Marina on Boston Harbor at the mouth of the Charles River.

SNAIL'S TALES: Do snails grow on trees?


I want to thank my friend and fellow nature blogger Aydin Orstan for posting this on his great - and extremely rational - blog at Snails Tales.

SNAIL'S TALES: Do snails grow on trees?

If you are interested in these tree climbing snails, you can find more about them by searching this blog.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Meanwhile, on Boston Harbor...

Here is some evidence that both the bait...



and the Striped Bass

have arrived at the mouth of the Charles River.

You can see more images (often live) at
http://www.bostonharbor.com/webcam.html

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Drill, Baby, Drill!


I thought you might enjoy this thoughtful
and reasoned argument in favor of offshore drilling. I know I did!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

It Could Happen Here - And It Has


Oil spills of the magnitude that we are seeing in the Gulf of Mexico are relatively rare - but it doesn't take 5,000 barrels a day to destroy the environment.

Serious spills do happen here, On Cape Cod, in Boston Harbor, and in Nantucket Sound. Remember the Argo Merchant, which broke apart off Massachusetts in 1976.


We need to remember the lessons we have learned - or we will repeat the mistakes we have made. Take a look at this recent article in the Boston Herald - to refresh your memory.

State has seen share of spills