All About Beaches

Authors: Kris, Kelly, Brittany, and Jamison

Word of the Day: Phase shift- the bleaching of coral reefs drives away herbivorous fish and other algal consumers and shifts coral dominated reefs to unhealthy algae reefs

Science: Today we had to cut our adventures short and went to Starfish Beach due to the high swell approaching the island. Despite the let down we still saw a bunch of cool creatures. The picture below we have the cushion sea star. This Echinoderm moves by its tube feet and feeds by eviscerating its stomach around its prey as it begins to digest it outside of its body.

Cushion sea star

Below we caught a flame box crab right off the dock here at the Smithsonian Tropical Research facility. This crab draws in water through its gills and spouts it out of its head resembling a fountain.

                                                                  Flame box crab

Below we have a yellow lined arrow crab also found off the dock. This crab resembles a spider and is unique because it travels up and down the water column like its swimming.

Yellow lined arrow crab





Culture: Above the picture was taken at Paunch Beach, a local surfing spot. We geared up with our mask, snorkels, and "safe" foot wear out to the reef where the waves were crashing. Immediately we encountered a fringing reef right off the sandy beach. It was a treacherous walk out to get our fins on but a common stroll for the local surfers. The jagged sharp corals were impossible to walk on with our un-calloused feet. The locals have been dealing with these types of shorelines for their entire life.

Question: What characteristics classify sea cucumbers, sea stars, and sand dollars in the same Phylum?