Squid Lab

Body Parts and Functions

Fin: Helps squid change direction when swimming

Mantle: Contains all internal organs

Chromatophores: Spots that change size in order to change squid's color for camouflage or possibly communication

Mantle and chromatophores

Pen: All that is left of the shell the squid's ancestor once had 

Eye: Well developed; allows them to see

Arm: Squid have 8 arms covered in suction cups.

Suction cups: Help the squid hold onto food

Tentacle: Longer than arms and only have suction cups on the tips; used to pass food to arms and then to mouth

Tentacles and arms

Suction cups

Gonad: Reproductive organ

Gills: Absorb oxygen from water

Heart: Circulates blood

Ink sac: Squid releases ink from this gland when it is in danger

Brain: Highly developed for an invertebrate

Siphon: Squirts out water so that the squid moves like a jet

Heart, ink sac, brain, and siphon

Beak: Takes in food; resembles a bird's beak

Evaluation

6 interesting facts:

1. When a squid is threatened, it releases a cloud of ink to confuse predators and give it a chance to escape.
2. Squid can be as small as a thumbnail or as large as a house.
3. Squid sometimes feed on their own kind.
4. About 6,000 metric tons of squid are taken yearly for human food and bait.
5. Female squid produce 10-50 elongated egg strings, which each contain hundreds of eggs.
6. In many species of squid, the parents will die soon after leaving the spawning ground.

The most disgusting part of the lab was how liquidy and smelly the squid was, but it was interesting to learn that the lenses from the eyes of larger squids were used by sailors as marbles. It was also fun (in a disgusting, yet entertaining sense) to remove the ink sac and paint with it. My least favorite part of the lab was that we did not get any gloves; it seemed a bit unsanitary. But overall, it was interesting to receive a fuller understanding of squids.

U.S. Navy

The presentation on the Navy helped increase my understanding of the ocean by providing an alternate view on its significance. Typically, I am most concerned with the biological aspects of the ocean and how to save it, but it was interesting to learn about the Navy's contribution to scientific research. Discovering more about the correlation between the Navy and science was definitely my favorite part, but I will always remember the speaker's positive attitude on being in the Navy.

Whale Identification

Whale flukes are used for identification because flukes have signature markings and are typically the easiest part of the whale to detect when it is sticking out of the water. Whale flukes can help scientists collect data on the habits of specific species of whales, as well as individual whales.

The most difficult part of the whale identification lab was matching darker flukes with less distinct markings. It might be helpful to print off the pictures in color and put the pictures in numerical order.

Overfishing

Fish is the main source of protein for over a billion people. As a result, the high demand for fish has led to the issue of overfishing. In order to keep up with the demand, trawling nets the size of four football fields are used to catch up too 500 tons of fish at a time. Much of the fish ends up going to waste.

There is an especially high demand for large fish. Stocks of large fish have fallen by 90%.

40% of the seafood demand is for farmed fish. Many of the farmed fish are carnivorous and eat smaller fish. This means that when a farmed fish is wasted, so are the several fish it consumed.

Overfishing is a severe issue because it impacts ocean ecosystems and depletes food sources. Though there may be enough fish to be wasted right now, this will not be the case in the future if the pattern continues. People who eat fish can help solve the problem of overfishing by eating smaller portions of fish and avoiding the consumption of endangered fish.

Coral Bleaching

Coral bleaching occurs when the water gets warmer and coral expels the zooxanthellae living in its tissues, causing it to turn white. after the coral bleaches, coral animals are replaced by algae, which serve as a short-term replacement for food. However, after an extended period of time, the basis of the food chains ends up being lost.

Coral bleaching is an issue because coral reefs provide food and shelter for many marine organisms. When the coral dies, so do he animals that depend on it.

Marine Debris

Plastic pellets:

• Plastic pellets are small, round pieces of plastic that are often mistaken for fish eggs, especially by birds. Birds feed plastic pellets and other plastic debris to their babies, leading to malnutrition and starvation.

Plastic rings: 

• Plastic rings can get caught around animals, leading to deformation, infection, and even death. Sometimes, plastic rings entangle animals when they are young, causing them to continue growing around it.

Monofilament:

• Improperly discarded monofilament can lead to entanglement and ghost fishing, which continues to catch and kill animals for years.

Plastic bags:

• Some animals mistake plastic bags for food. When they are floating in the water, they represent jellyfish, a favorite food for sea turtles. Consumption of plastic bags can lead to poisoning, suffocation, and starvation.

The problems caused by marine debris can be reduced by recycling plastic, cutting up plastic rings before disposal, and properly discarding of monofilament.

Puffer Fish

Common Names: Puffer fish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, toadies, honey toads, sugar toads, and sea squab

Scientific Name: Tetraodontidae

Adaptations: The puffer fish is fast, has excellent eyesight, has modified scales (spines), fills itself with water and puffs up when threatened, and contains a deadly poison called tetrodotoxin.

Hunting: Puffer fish are equipped with four large teeth to crush the shells of crustaceans and mollusks.

Reproduction: Spawning occurs when male puffers push females to the water's surface or join females already present. The spherical, buoyant eggs hatch after about four days.

Interesting Facts: 

1. Puffer fish, a delicacy in demand (fugu), can be lethal if not served properly.
2. Puffer fish are believed to be the second most venomous vertebrae in the world. Their toxin is a 100 times more potent than cyanide. 
3. The oldest known puffer fish genus is Eotetraodon. 

I researched this animal because it is interesting that something with an appearance so whimsical can be so lethal.