Blandings Turtles

Hey Everyone!
Today I'm writing about one thing that really helped to spark my interest in Marine Biology. When I was in sixth grate, my class had the opportunity to head-start two Blandings Turtles. Head starting is a program that sends a baby turtle of an endangered species to a class or organization and they raise it for about eight months until it is big and strong enough to live in the wild. Our class raised two turtles, Sun and Star. I really caught on to having these awesome little turtles in our classroom, and when we were given our 'Science in Society' project(a project in which you choose a subject that interests you and is specific and relates to the world around you) I choose the endangered Blandings Turtles.

Some things I learned about Blandings Turtles:
- An omnivorous species
- Sometimes confused with two similar species, Box turtle, and also with the Spotted Turtle.
- They breed in spring, late summer or fall. Nesting occurs from May through early July depending upon temperatures.
- Hatching occurs early August to mid-October.

Some Reasons Blandings Turtles are endangered:
- Habitat destruction and fragmentation
- Hunted by raccoons, foxes and skunks.
- They can easily get hit by cars, buses, ect.
- The big reason- They don't mature until 15-20 years old, and so the chances of getting hit by a car or eaten before they can reproduce are very high.

In May last year, our whole class got on a bus with the turtles, and after an agonizing bus ride in which the driver insisted on playing the Frozen soundtrack (which the turtles didn't really like) we set them free. Sun was actually big enough to put a tracker on, and so they can keep track of how well head start turtles survive compared to turtles that grew up in the wild.

Anyway, Sun and Star were a big hit, and this year, our class has two new turtles - Cinnamon and Sugar. I will keep you posted on them as they grow up over the next few months! Cinnamon is already bigger than Sun was in November, and so we know he will be a big, strong turtle in the wild

Marine Biology

Hi Everyone!

The eye of the whale is the most majestic
 part of these gentle giants.

This is my new Marine Biology blog! I've developed an interest in Marine Biology, Oceanography, and other ocean related science. This has been a passion ever since I was in fourth grade when I spent a week of my March break in Laguna San Ignacio, Baja California Sur, meeting, petting, kissing and learning about Grey Whales. Did you know that a female Grey Whale can grow up to 45-50 feet, and a male can only grow 40-45 feet? Anyway, I went back to Baja two years later and it was just as amazing! Also, in the sixth grade I spent time in science class learning about life in the ocean. My class went to Project Oceanology in Mystic, Connecticut and spent two days doing all kinds of experiments relating to the great blue waters and the creatures that live in them. Then again this year, I did a project in which I pretended to be an Oceanographer. Some of the research I did added to my thoughts on ocean and ocean life. Did you know that 70 percent of the earth is water? 97 percent of that is oceans. Cool, right? Here is one small excerpt from my report.

Me trying to haul up a net full of crabs.

Ocean Acidification is a serious issue. The ocean naturally absorbs CO2, but because we are creating so much CO2 by burning fossil fuels, the ocean is absorbing more and more. It is causing the pH of the ocean to change drastically, making it hard for animals to adapt.  The fact that the water is changing so drastically for the worse because of the things humans do is really upsetting to me.

The dolphins that played with us that
 afternoon in Boca Grande

Lastly, I have been on all kinds of different vacations that inadvertently have been added to the list of things I have done to inspire this passion. I have been to Boca Grande, FL, where for one whole day we let dolphins chase us, and then learned a little bit about the endangerment of Manatees. Another place we went was Costa Rica. We were near the ocean all week, and one day we got to go snorkeling, and then sunbathed on an island called Turtle Island. (I got sunburned...)

Hope you keep up with future entries! I will try to keep this updated with new things, past experiences, upcoming travels, water related book reviews and marine related news articles!