Whale Watch.... The Unexpected Experience

08/01/2014

Hello All!

I woke up on Friday extremely excited about the whale watch field trip as I had never experienced one and I had always wanted to see a whale up and close. Unfortunately, the trip was not as I expected it to be but the end result made it unforgettable.

Everything started when we boarded the Catamaran. This boat was definitely much faster than all the other boats we have boarded in the past (pictures above). The weather was pleasant, but the wind did not help the boat ride. As we started to go deep into the ocean, the boat was going against the tide and current and the movements of the boat caused me to get seasick. Lets just say the feeling during our ride to meet the whales was not enjoyable. I tried to pay attention to our surroundings and the tour lady who was talking about the whales and where we were, but unfortunately I was not able to give my full attention due to the circumstances. Here is what I was able to learn and observe:

The whales migrate to the Boston area during the summer and they locate themselves in one of the most unique parts of the ocean called the Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary. The water around the sanctuary is greener than all the other surrounding ocean areas as there is greater amount of vegetation in the bottom of it.

All the whales we saw were Humpback whales. Sometimes they would emerge together, while at other times they would emerge separately. One of the whale's name was North Star. The tour lady announcing and teaching us about them mentioned a couple of  other names as they have identify them to learn about each and follow their lives as the years go by. 

I learn that when the whale goes down into the ocean and its tail is shown (pictures below), they are diving to obtain food. They stay submerge for about 3 to 4 minutes and then they come back up. 

 

 

This beautiful specie can grow to about 50 feet and they can weight about 35 to 40 tons per what I was able to learn. I also observed that the whales I saw were black and had some white on them, which are characteristics that identify them. Moreover, their tails are also used to identify them as they can have different marks and color distinctions. 

Another interesting fact that I learn was that this whales make "footprints". This prints have a circular form and one can notice the difference on the "texture" of the water which help us located them when they are underwater.

The trip back was much more pleasant as the boat was going with the current and the ginger candy that Professor Berman gave to those who were not feeling well helped a lot. Even though the experience was not what I was expecting, but then again life is full of surprises, the trip in general was worth it. I was able learn about these creatures and observe their temporary habitat in a manner where Discovery Channel can not teach.

Well my friends I hope everyone has a a great rest of the week and I will see you all on Friday.

Daniela Baeza-Prepetit

Assignment 2: Land Snails

07/18/14

Hello Again!

The second part of the assignment consist on identifying the shells we found on the huge rock at the end of our tidal pool observations. We also have to conclude on how these terrestrial snails got to that part of the island. 

Let me first start by identifying the shells we found. There were two types of shells, in which prior to their landing on the rock, belonged to two specific species known as the Brown-Lipped Snails (Cepaea Nemoralis) and White-Lipped Snails (Cepaea Hortensis).

The first shell I saw and observed belonged to a Brown-Lipped Snail. The reason I know this is because the color around the original shell's opening was brown. I mention original because this specific shell had two openings, in which one of them was intentionally done by another animal. The shell's colors were purple and white and it had two think brown spiral lines along the body of the shell. This specific shell was about 2.5 cm long. After doing some research, I found that the shell of this snails vary in color and are larger than the White-Lipped Snail's shell. Also, this specie can be found all around the Boston Harbor Islands, specially around vegetation. 

The second shell I saw belonged to a White-Lipped Snail. There are just a few differences between this shell and the one mentioned above. This shell had a white color around the original shell's opening, which is the reason of their name. Also, the shell was a bit smaller than the first shell I described, about 2.0 cm long, and its colors were white and light brown with about three spiral lines along the body of the shell. (This shell also had an intentionally done opening on the shell)

Interesting facts are that both of these terrestrial species have both female and male reproductive parts, they can live up to nine years, and they bury themselves into the soil during the winter time. 

When it comes to analyzing how these shells/snails go to that part of the island, where no vegetation (their habitat) is found, there is only one conclusion to make; they were brought there by an animal. This animal could be any bird that feeds from snails. As I mentioned prior, the two shells I observed had one intentional opening at the opposite side of their original openings. With this being said, what makes sense to me, is that the bird was trying to eat the inside and brought the snail to the rock were we found them. By doing this, the bird had a solid location in which he/she was able to use its peak to make this openings in order to eat the snail. As you all can recall, there were many shells at the Fan Pier Cove and was determined that birds had brought them there to feed themselves. On this occasion, the same is happening. The bird went to a "familiar" place where he/she knows that no other animal will interrupt its feeding process. Also, it is important to note that birds are one of the most important predators of territorial snails. Even though there are other "enemies" for these species, no other animal is able to fly or capable of bringing such shell to such a remote location.

So many species and so much to learn =)

Sources:

http://insects.oeb.harvard.edu/boston_islands/mantisweb/botm/0903_brnlppd_snail.php

http://www.arkive.org/white-lipped-banded-snail/cepaea-hortensis/
http://www.snail-world.com/snail-predators/

Daniela Baeza-Prepetit

Assignment 1: Drawings & Facts

07/18/14

Hi All!

Can we all just agree on how interesting, knowledgeable, and fun our field trip was on Friday! I cannot wait for our next field trip! I first wanted to post a picture of our beloved friend, the mop, who joined us in our adventure thanks to Charlie.  

For the first assignment I have decided to post the drawings I have created for each specie and I will include my notes plus any additional information in regards to each after the drawings. 

Part 1: Recreation Fishing

All the recreational fishing species (except the first one, as it was brought by Professor Berman) were found on the ocean, near the Boston Harbor Islands when it was low tide and from around 10 am to 11 am. 

The first drawing is known as the Clam Worm (N. virens). Per my notes the worm I observed was about 21 cm long and had a width of 1 cm. It had orange segments, many many of them, and its body had green and brown. When I touched the body of it, it was extremely soft and the mouth contained two black teeth. Its anus was located between the middle of the body and its head. This type of worm is common in New England and are commonly used as baits. They are known to have about 200 segments and two pair of eyes. They are mostly found on sand, sandy mud, clay, and various peat bottoms. They also feed from other worms and carrion and range from Maine to Virginia, and entire Pacific Coast.

The second specie is the Black Sea Bass (Centropristis Striata). The bass that we caught was about 15 in long and its colors were beautiful. It was brown and a turquoise color. It also had some black. This specific bass had a long dorsal fin and two pelvic fins. Moreover, it had one pectoral fin in each side and an anal fin. Its mouth was round when it opened ans it had very tiny teeth along the mouth. A very interesting fact is that most of them are born as females and then turn into males. One can tell by the "hump" that is located in between the head and the dorsal fin. They are located along the East Coast from Massachusetts to Florida. Most females can live up to 8 years while males up to 12 years.

The third specie (two of them) are called Yellowtail Flounder (Limanda Ferruginea) The first flounder was about 12 in long and it was brown and greenish with many dark (black) dots on its body. It had a long dorsal fin and anal fin. On the side where the eyes were located, it had a pectoral fin. The second flounder was bigger as it measured approximately 16 in and its colors were a light brown and some green. The second flounder did not have the amount of dots found on the first one and the dots that I did located were very light. Other than that, the other characteristics found on the first flounder were the same as the second one. The two flounders were right eyed. This specie is born with one eye in one side of the body and the other eye on the other side, but as time passes, the eye that is located on the white bottom part of its body, or better known as the blind side, migrates to the other side. This specie is very common in the Atlantic coast from Maine to New Jersey and their life expectancy is about 17 years. 

The fourth specie was a Silver Hake (Merluccius Bilinearis). This fish was the smallest fish we caught. It was about 8 in long and it had a gray coat with brown dots on the top. It also had a white bottom. It had one pectoral fins in each side, three dorsal fins, one pelvic fin in each side and two anal fins (the anal fins and pelvic fins were transparent in color). This fish can live up to 14 years and can weight up to five pounds. They migrate depending on seasonal changes and can be found from Maine to South Carolina. Additionally, they feed on fish, crustaceans, and squid and females are serial spawners, meaning that they can produce and release up to three batches of eggs in a single spawning season. 

The final specie that was caught was the Atlantic Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis). I was completely amazed on how big and unique this fish was. When measured, it was about 38 in and it had so many colors ranging from purple, red, blue, green, and brown. The bottom of it was white and its tail was green, while the rest of the body was multicolored. It had two dorsal fins, one pectoral fin in each side of its body, one pelvic fin (transparent), and one anal fin. When I counted the number of stripes on the bass, there were about seven, which is a common number for this type of specie.  They can live up to 30 years and can weight 55 to 77 pounds. Females can produce a very large quantities of eggs, which are then fertilized by the males once they are released. They can be located along the East Coast from Canada to Florida. They mostly eat fish and their teeth are abrasive rather than cutting. The striped bass is very known in New England as it is an important commercial fish within fisheries. I have to say that holding this fish was quiet an experience!

Part 2: Tide Pool

All the tide pool species were found on one of the tide pools in Lovells Island when the tide was increasing. The time frame was from about 12:45 pm to 1:15 pm. 

The first drawing and specie is a Common Periwinkle (Littorina Littorea). This little specie had a dark shell with brown and black colors. It also had very remarkable stripes all round its shell. Some of the stripes were from right to left, while there were some stripes (about four of them) that were thicker and went from side to side (up to bottom). When I looked on the other side of the shell, I noticed a white surrounding on the opening of the shell. Inside this opening, the animal was located. When Professor Berman and our classmate Stephanie sang to it, I was able to notice the animal coming out slowly and I observed its two black antennas and black head. This specific specie was about 2 cm long and they may grow to be up to 4 cm. Also, it prefers hard surfaces and is the most common northern rock and winkle. An interesting fact is that they are originally from Europe and are very famous in Italian fish markets, but can be found from Canada to Virginia. They are mostly in intertidal zones which is the reason they were located in the tidal pool we observed as some parts of it are under water while high tide and above water at low tide. 

The second specie drawn is the Northern Rock Barnacle (Semibalanus Balanoides). This type of barnacle is the most common in New England. The barnacles I observed had six plates, which is a common characteristic for this type of specie. As you can see from the picture below, there were more than one located on the rock and some of the were much more developed than others. This specie also prefers intertidal zones and can be found from the northern Atlantic to Delaware. Moreover, they are native to the United States. Per my observations there were two colors on them; a bright yellow on the interior with a white linings on each. Most of them are originally white, but can change colors depending on their environment (stained by the sun or algal encounters). Also, the inside of it, or better known as the basal plate, was larger than other barnacles I have observed during our field trips. They can grow to be up to 2.5 cm each. 

The third specie is the Asian Shore Crab (Hemigrapsus Sanguineus). As I observed this specie I noticed it had four legs in each side and one claw on each side. Its colors were quiet amazing. It had light green near its eyes, and black, dark green, and brown on its body.  Its legs had green and brown segments, which I found to be pretty interesting. I also noticed two eyes near its claws. This crab was very small compare to the ones we saw at the Barking Crab docks. The one I saw was about 2 cm and they can grow up to 2.5 cm. They are square like shape and have three marginal teeth. They can vary in color and are also found in intertidal zones depending on the weather. During winter time they are subtidal. This specie is not U.S native and they are originally from Asia, as the name implies. They can be found in Maine to North Carolina and prefers rocks, which is the reason most of them are located underneath rocks (where we found the one I observed) . 

The fourth specie, which we had the option to chose, was the Common Slipper Shell (Crepidula Fornicata). While observing the surrounding of where I found this shell, I noticed the rocky shore, which is a common place where once can find this specie. They attached themselves to any hard object (the one I observed was attached to a rock). The shell had many little turns and its colors were white and red. Also, the edge was smooth and curved. The inside (the animal) had different colors, ranging from very light brown, dark brown, yellow, and black. The shell was about 3 cm long and they can grow up to 38 mm. They can be found in the Gulf of Mexico and Massachusetts Bay and at times (accidentally) in Europe. This specie is also unique as they also experience a sex reversal (just like the Black Sea Bass). The difference between this specie and the Sea Bass is that they are usually born as males and later become females. Another note I would like to make is that they are simply delicious! I had the opportunity to taste the one I observed and it was pretty good, it just needed a touch of lemon. Yum!

Well, I hope everyone learned something new on Friday because I certainly did. It was quiet an experience! I would like to apologize for the art, lets just say drawing is not a forte of mine. See you all Friday!

Sources:

Required Guides

Boston Harbor Seaside Educator's Guide

Hitchhikers Guide

http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/7-2006/clam-worm-44320.html

http://www.fishwatch.gov/seafood_profiles/species/sea_bass/species_pages/black_sea_bass.htm

http://www.fishwatch.gov/seafood_profiles/species/flounder/species_pages/yellowtail_flounder.htm

http://www.fishwatch.gov/seafood_profiles/species/hake/species_pages/silver_hake.html

http://www.fishwatch.gov/seafood_profiles/species/bass/species_pages/atlantic_striped_bass.htm

Daniela Baeza-Prepetit

Team Hashtag... My Findings

         07/13/2014

Hola!

I hope everyone had a good rest after our multiple adventures. On Sunday we embarked in a hands on experience where I was able to improve my observational skills and identify multiple species that I was not familiar with. Everything started at the aquarium where we took an amazing ride on the Cultural Connector to Fan Pier Cove.

I had to post this picture. What a view!

Proposal Plan for the Fan Pier Cove

As we walked by the Boston Inner Harbor, we arrived at our destination, the good old Barking Crab. They were kind enough to let us use their docks in order to start our assignment. My team: Team Hashtag was simply incredible. I had the honor of working with Sonja, Chris, and Dan. We all found different species and collaborated with each other when it came to finding the names of each. I have to say that we were all impressed by what the ocean had to offer. There was so much that at some point we did not know what to choose from.

The dock we used to make our observations

There were nine species that I observed and that I was able to to identify:

1. The first specie was the Sea Lettuce. This type of seaweed was found in many parts of the docks that we had the opportunity to explore. As you can see from the picture above, sea lettuces were very visible to the eye and their color can grasp the attention of anybody. After some research I found that they are found year around, but they are especially visible during the summer time. Also, when they are taken out of the water to dry, their color changes from green to either Black or white.

2. The second specie that I observed was attached to the Sea Lettuce above. This little animal grabbed the attention of my entire group as it was very tiny and when we observed it with the magnifying glass we were able to observe much of its body. After doing some research and using the guide book, it was decided that this specie is called an Amphipod. Sea lettuces provide a "home" to this little creatures which is the reason there were so many of them on it. Their sizes and colors ranges from 1/4 in to 1 in long and from grey, sand color, and green. The one we observed was about .7 cm long and its colors were black and yellow. Also, most of them have arched backs, which is a characteristic we found on the amphipod.

3. The third specie is called a Blue Mussel. I found this mussel attached to the side of the dock and that is not uncommon for this type of species as most of them can be found on rocks or almost any solid object. They are long and have growth lines on them. Almost all are either blue-black or black. The one I found was black when placed in the water and the color turned a light black with some white when placed in the sun.
                           

4 & 5. The fourth and fifth species are member of the same family and are called Golden Star Tunicate. These colonies can have different colors. The ones that I found were orange (left picture) and white (picture below). Other colors could consist of red, black, green, brown, or purple. It is very common to see a "think rubbery crust" protecting the whole colony and most of the time, they can be found on shells, rocks, or bases of sea weed. The location for both was on top of the blue mussel.

    

The colors in each are incredible, especially when they are in the water

6. The sixth specie, which I also found on top of the blue mussel, is called Lacy Crust Bryozoan. This is also a colony with a particular color, white. The crust is arranged individually and most of the time is round. They are located in surfaces of other species like seaweeds and mussels and are very common in low tide lines or shallow waters.

7. The seventh specie was one of the three animals we saw when Professor Berman pulled the fishing cage out of the water. This animal is called an Atlantic Rock Crab. They are mostly reddish with short legs and from my observations this particular crab had some white on its bottom, which is a common description for them. When I was reading the guide, it mentioned how this crab enters "lobster pots" and many lobster-men considered this crab a bait-stealer. No wonder this little guy or girl was among the fishing cage.

8. The eight specie was the second out of the three from the fishing cage. This animal is called a Common Spider Crab. I have to say that this animal grabbed my attention by the texture and color of its shell. These crabs are known to have a much more circular shell with a , from my perspective, dried cement texture to it. They are well known by their long legs, colors, and little spiny shells. Males tend to grow much larger than females and they are found mostly in harbors, rocky shores and bay bottoms.

9. The last specie I observed was a well known animal here in New England, a North Atlantic Lobster. These lobsters are also known as "The American Lobster" or the "Massachusetts Lobster." They range in colors from orange (the one I saw was this color), greenish-brown, grey, light yellow, and even blue! These lobsters are found in the east cost of North America and many of them eat fresh food like fish and clams. One thing I do have to mention is that I was amazed of how calm the lobster got once our classmate Chris started to put him to sleep (assuming it was a male after Professor Berman advised us that most females have v-notched on their tails so lobster-men do take them as is illegal in MA). Most of these lobsters live or hide in sea weeds and rocky habitats in order to protect themselves from predators and have enough food resources. 

Sources:

Required Guide Books

http://www.edc.uri.edu/restoration/html/gallery/plants/sea.htm
http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Botryllus_schlosseri.htm
https://sites.google.com/a/rsu5.org/invasive/maine-invasive-species/lacy-crust-bryozoan-membranipora-membranacea
http://www.edc.uri.edu/restoration/html/gallery/invert/spider.htm
http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/faq/fishfaq7.html

Daniela Baeza-Prepetit

The Boston Harbor Experience has Began...

                                                                                                                                               07/12/2014

Well hello there again!

I hope everyone made it home okay! Today's adventure started at around 2:00 PM. The weather was perfect, lots of people around, and most importantly I got to see the Boston Harbor in a manner in which I had never seen it before. I had been there before, but to actually pay attention to my surroundings in a more profound manner was a quite an experience.  We all gathered in a section of the long wharf and started observing our surroundings. As you can see from the pictures below, the view was marvelous!

As I started to observe the water, I noticed many jellyfish. Some of them were alive, while others were not. I noticed the difference because some were contracting their "muscles", or pulsing, and the ones that were not, were simply being driven by the movement of the water.  I was surprise to see so many of them near us, but some of my classmates informed me that once we go deep into the harbor, near the islands, there are going to be many more, which was the case.

There were some other animals in our surroundings, like the ducks below, which in my opinion, were adorable.  I was amazed to see so many species around me. Not only did I see different types of animals in the water, but when I looked up in the sky there were also some birds.

I have to touch on the part were Professor Berman started to trow bread into the ocean. I was not quite sure what the reason was, but when I heard my classmates shout out of excitement I knew something was up. I looked down to the water and there they were, humongous stripers. Now I used the word humongous because I had never seen such big fish right in front of my eyes. As I had mentioned before in class, I grew up near the sea, but never had I seen fish quite like the ones I saw today. There were about a dozen of them who were fascinated by the bread or maybe by our class, no one will ever know. =)

(The best picture I was able to get is the one below, the stripers were super fast)

As we kept going with our adventure, we walked to the end of the wharf where the view was beautiful and many of us go to see a very unique black bird. I was particularly impressed by it as this animal went into the ocean, stayed there for, in my perspective, a very long time, and then came out as if nothing had ever happened. I asked Professor Berman for the name of this bird and he suggested that I should find out and let him know. Well Professor, I think I have the answer and please correct me if I am incorrect. After doing some research I believe the bird we saw was a double crested Cormorant. These birds dive into the water to obtain food, mostly small fish, and then go into the surface in order to dry their wings. I was not able to take a picture of the Cormorant, but the pictures below shows where I saw this astonishing creature. (Source: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Double-crested_Cormorant/lifehistory)

Moreover, as we walked to wait for the ferry, we stopped by this floating dock or lets call it a floating "house", in which I observed many different color algae. Some of it was green, while some other parts were brown. We could not really categorize the other color plant or specie we saw. It was bright orange and some of it was red (one may see the orange part in the picture below). It kind of looked like a mushroom, but Professor Berman mentioned that tomorrow we were most likely going to be able to see it up close. 

As we kept walking we passed by a tidal pool, picture below, which had men made rocks, rockweed, and green algae.

At 3 PM, we embarked in the trip the whole class was waiting for. A nice, relaxing boat ride to explore a bit of the Boston Harbor Islands.  As I said goodbye to the city, I welcomed the sun, the breeze, and the adventure.

We saw and passed many different islands, but I had never seen up close Deer Island, where as we now know is where all of our "waste" goes and gets treated. Pretty amazing huh?

In the middle of our adventure, we were witnesses of a not so good scenario. A boat decided to not pay attention to the buoys and crash right into an island that has washed away as the years have gone by. This island is best known as Nixe's Mate. Let's just hope everyone is okay!

The ferry's first stop was at George's Island. It looked quite big and many people were enjoining the sun either by walking around or by jumping in the water. I was amazed by the amount of people that were there and  also around all the islands that we were fortunate to visit. I have to say that I felt very ashamed of waiting such a long time to do this. I cannot wait for our other field trips!

The second stop was at Hull where a school was located right in front of the ocean. Let me just say that I would have loved to go to school there plus the view just makes it even more incredible.

Our third stop was at Hewitts Cove located in Hingham. There were many condominiums around the bay as one can observe from the pictures below. I also saw many boats in the area and many people actually joined us in the ferry at this stop.

On the way back to Boston I observed lots of jellyfish and a beautiful sky. At this point, I sit back and enjoyed the ride. Our last stop was in East Boston. One can get off at this stop and go directly to the Boston Logan Airport. How fun is that? Maybe next time I go away I'll think about riding around the bay before leaving my city.

I hope that everyone enjoyed the trip because I clearly did. I learned so much about the type of animals that one can find at the harbor as well as the different types of islands that our beautiful city has. I never really knew how much Boston had to offer until our trip today. I got to interact with pretty amazing people, while not only exploring, but also learning. I am looking forward to our class tomorrow as I know we have much more to learn! I want to leave everyone with this two last pictures as I thought they captured more than Boston history, but also an amazing time. 

Daniela Baeza-Prepetit