Today was Skidaway Marine Science Day!
So off I went to explore at the UGA Extension Marine Science Center and Aquarium.
Thirteen miles from my house it is... oooh oooh!
Spooky!
A lined seahorse it was called.
But after watching it bounce along, I think kangaroo horse would be more apt.
It even has a pouch on its tummy like that down-under beast.
Yes, definitely a better name for a creature down under the waves!
(Nice little pun just for you!)
(smile!)
But what about this one?
Not the fish, but that beast with the snapping jaws!
It's a diamondback terrapin, or so the sign said.
No word on whether it's kin to the rattler or not.
I rather think it's not, though.
With such an active beak, no poison would be needed to catch prey.
He certainly gave those fish a run for their money!
Maybe to those smaller than itself, but not to me.
However, this one certainly had some scary action!
Not only was the Atlantic stingray a fast swimmer, like the terrapin, but just look at how it can flex its body!
And with the spikes along its spiny back...
plus that barb on the end of its whiplike tail...
and more flexibility than an acrobat could hope for...
it could be a formidable foe, for sure.
truly, 'tis more beautiful than scary.
And then there's this guy.
Big, burly, and hefty... and he probably doesn't like his name.
It's not quite as bad as being "A Boy Named Sue", but, let's face it, no one wants to be called a sheepshead.
That's pretty fugly, right?
I saw him repeatedly try to make a break out of that prison of a tank he was in, too.
I'm thinking they were all nephews.
This cluster of Atlantic spadefish kept darting all around, but never alone, always in pairs or more, everywhere, everywhere!
Most definitely juvenile delinquents.
Still, I have hope that they will change their ways.
Surely their uncle will convince them of that, right?
So, not scary, just making bad choices.
Like the others trying to get out of the place, this one had on prison garb, too.
A striped burrfish he is, with a face only a mother could love.
I didn't dare stare at his bulging eyes!
He may not have been puny compared to his sheepshead cousin...
but I wouldn't bring it up if I were you.
And those spurs all over him made him a hazard to touch!
So, stay away! Stay away!
Those gracefully waving structures along its back are actually poisonous spines!
Yeah, this red lionfish doesn't play well with others.
Nope, not at all.
And you can tell it's crazy because its jail stripes are running vertically instead of horizontally.
Very scary! Beware!
But not the scariest thing I saw today.
I hadn't even seen him the first time I passed by.
I had even stopped and looked carefully all over... but, nope!
Then, a few minutes later, when I passed by again, he must have blinked and, justthatfast, there he was!
Stopped me in my tracks!
Common octopus, indeed.
More like UN-common and a bit spooky!
Here they are, encased behind glass to protect us.
Plastic bags that float around and stay intact and get mistaken for jellyfish by unsuspecting sea turtles!
Tin and aluminum cans, rolling along for hundreds of years, unmarked by time!
Newspapers that don't decompose and don't serve as food!
Lost balloons and snorkel gear and fishing floats!
Bwah ha ha!!!
(shiver!)
It made me want to grab a bag and go walk the beach for real, collecting debris washed ashore.
Hmmm...
that's not a bad idea.
Too late to do so today, but I think one day this week will be just perfect for that.
Good.
Maybe I can even get some help for the task, but, if not, it'll be a nice outing for me.
Thanks for the inspiration, y'all!
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