You know those people who just exude peace and calm? The type who never seem rattled, always go with the flow, and are positive about everything? For me, “Kayak Dave” Barker was that guy. He was a fixture at Navarre Beach, and so well ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
Vertebrates are animals that have backbones and are the ones most familiar to everyone. They include the fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. But there are a couple of creatures that are not truly vertebrates but are not truly invertebrates ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
Echinoderm means “spiny skin” and some members of this phylum are very spiny. The sea urchin is almost like a round shaped roaming cactus on the seafloor. Many think the spines are venomous, and some are, but not all. Though it is not ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
Based on diversity and species richness, at 80,000 species (maybe more) mollusk are one of the most successful animal phyla on the planet. These creatures are bilateral/coelomates meaning they have a distinct head region and a coelomic cavity. ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
There are an estimated 2 million species of animals on our planet. 1.3 million (65%) are invertebrates – animals that lack backbones – 1 million (50%) are insects. These animals cover all parts of the Earth. From the coldest mountain tops ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)… This is the “fuel” molecule for life. Both plants and animals need it to sustain their existence. However, ATP cannot be acquired from the environment. It must be synthesized within the cells. To synthesize ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
You may have noticed that the term algae and plant are separate in the title. Let’s begin our lesson there. Are algae plants? No… When I was in school (a long time ago) they did list them as plants – nonvascular plants. Nonvascular ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
The terms conservation and preservation are used interchangeably, but they actually mean different things. With preservation your goal is to keep the resource in a pristine state – as if humans were not in the picture. This would NOT allow ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
For this month, the topic is energy in the ocean. We will start with the term energy. When the term is mentioned several things come to mind, but most will focus on a source of power that provides work for us – and they would be right. ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural ResourcesClimate… This is a word we have heard many times over the last decades. Climate change, increased wildfires, more hurricane landfalls, Mississippi River flooding, warmest months on record, and more. For some, these are controversially ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources