Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

Alumni Marine Biologist Visits

Dr. Judith Weis, marine biologist, Rutgers University professor, and HCES alumna, came to speak with the 4th grade science students about the fascinating world of fishes...yes, fishes!  As we first learned, "fish" is the plural of many fish within one species, but if you are referring to multiple species of fish, the plural is, "fishes!"

Photo-35

Here are some of the other interesting facts that Dr. Weis shared with us today:

1. You can tell a fish's age by looking for growth rings on the scales or in the ear bones (similar to the rings in a tree trunk).

2. The coelacanth is a "living fossil."  It was thought to be extinct, until it was discovered at a South African fish market in the 1930s.  The coelacanth is related to a group of fish that "crawled" out of the water and gave rise to amphibians. 

3. At over 50 feet long, the largest fish is the whale shark, and it eats plankton. 

4. Some fish can live out of water.  The mudskipper lives in the moist mud of mangroves, the walking catfish, can scoot along on wet land, and the lungfish survives in dried lakes by becoming dormant.  

5. Fish can live in freezing cold water.  Fish that live in these extreme temperatures have built-in anti-freeze molecules that stop the growth of ice crystals in their bodies. 

6. Some species of fish in the depths of the ocean can produce their own light by combing two chemicals, lucifern and lucierase, in the presence of oxygen.  This process is similar to the one that takes place in fireflies!