Science & Nature

Sea urchins are mostly round invertebrate creatures, cold-blooded and having no backbone, that live on the floor of the oceans and seas around the world. There are around 700 separate species of...

"Pelagic" is an adjective that means "of or relating to the open or high sea, as distinguished from the shallow water near the coast." It is most commonly used to refer specifically to animals...

Tide pools are rocky marine habitats found along Florida's coasts, but they are more active in south Florida and the Florida Keys. Coral, limestone and coquina are typical foundations for tide...

Located between Africa and Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea is considered one of the saltiest bodies of water on Earth. The Red Sea is connected to the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb...

Refined salt, or table salt, undergoes refining to remove minerals and impurities. It contains sodium chloride (97.5 to 99.9 percent) and additives, such as iodine. Unrefined sea salt contains...

Opportunistic, omnivorous hunters and scavengers, the Western Gull bird forages along the coast of Washington and Oregon in the Northwestern United States for its varied diet. Neither respectful...

Endangered sea turtles, just like all endangered animals, need our help to ensure their survival. See the steps below for many ideas for how you can help endangered sea turtles.

The Dead Sea has the highest salt content of any of the world's seas. The Encyclopedia Britannica indicates that the name can be traced back to the Hellenistic period (323 to 30 B.C.).

Sea stars are beautiful sea creatures that live in shallow water. They have five arms that are used to attach the animal to the substrate. The animals are resilient, and their arms regrow if severed.

Seals and sea lions are the two categories of pinnipeds, fin-footed marine mammals. While they look very similar to the untrained observer, there are several differences that can easily be checked...

Marine animals include those who live in the ocean and those who split their time between land and sea. Polluted waters, overfishing, fishing nets and oil spills have all negatively impacted...

Oceans have approximately two tidal shifts per day, meaning that there are two low tides and two high tides per day--more specifically, every 24 hours and 50 minutes. At any given time of day, the...

Manatees belong to a group of sea mammals called sirenians after the centuries-old belief that the manatees were singing mermaids known as sirens. Even though they must breathe air, their immense...

Air has weight. The weight of air pressing down on the atmosphere and Earth's surface is air pressure. Air pressure is also known as barometric pressure, which is measured by barometers. Air...

Sea urchins are marine animals found in tide pools and along the ocean floor. A sea urchin's body is spherical and spiny. Sea urchins come in an assortment of colors such as green, purple, red and...

According to National Geographic, fur seals are named for the fur that originally made them attractive to hunters. In 1911, fur seals were on their way to becoming extinct and became protected by...

Sea levels have risen an average of 5 to 6 feet along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts in the past 100 years. Higher-then-average global temperatures have caused the melting of ice caps and glaciers,...

The aquamarine is one of the birthstones of March and has long had an association with the sea. The name comes from the Latin "aqua" and "marina," which mean water and sea---a reference to the...

While it's a country located on the continent of Africa, where many well known endangered animals are found, Egypt has a wide range of marine animals off its Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts that...

Sea cliffs receive constant battering from the ocean waves. Over time, these waves take advantage of any weakness in the rock. Harder rock creates headlands which jut out into the ocean as natural...

Fresh water from rainfall and surface water percolates into the earth and accumulates in permeable rock strata (limestone, sandstone) or deposits of sand, gravel and clay. At the coast, these...

The aquamarine is a precious gem that jewelers designate as the birthstone of the month of March. Aquamarines range from a pale shade of blue to a more vibrant hue of blue and are hard enough to...

Sea cucumbers are unique ocean creatures, often mistaken for sea slugs. They have been, and still are, hunted for food, for skin and for pet sales, which have caused declining numbers in local...

Modern zoos have collections of endangered animals from around the world that are bred for purposes of keeping the species alive as the various species are wiped out due to habitat loss and...

Sea otters are aquatic mammals belonging to the weasel family. Sea otters are noted for their graceful maneuvering in the water and their often comical awkwardness on land.

Sea sponges have evolved over the last 500 million years, and now include between 5,000 and 10,000 species variations. The majority of sponges live in saltwater, with only 150 species surviving in...

The Coral Sea is a marginal sea located off the northeastern coast of Australia. Often referred to as the Serengeti of the Sea because of its wide variety of sea life, the Coral Sea is the home to...

Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) breed sexually, so males and females have to mate in order to produce offspring (called pups). Males and females stay apart from each other except when it is time to...

Sea urchins are a diverse group of spiny, rounded animals. They live in oceans all over the world and often feed on algae. There are about 700 species of sea urchins alive today.

When oil is spilled into the ocean it can devastate life under the water. Although oil tanker accidents are the most highly publicized causes of water pollution, there are many other ways that oil...

Otters are aquatic mammals that are part of the weasel family. Various species live in North and South America, Eurasia, Africa, and the open sea. Otters are carnivorous, feeding on fish,...

The sea urchin is an invertebrate that lives in the ocean. Sea urchins can live near the shore in tide pools, or they can live in the deep sea on the oceans floor. There are more than 700 species...

There are several varied types of bodies of water. These waters may be fresh water or salt water and be moving or contained. Often the size of these bodies of water set one apart from the other,...

The Earth is covered in plates that move in conjunction with the planet's internal heat mechanism. Convection currents deep within the mantle form a conveyor belt, moving the plates and thereby...

The sea otter is the weasel family's largest member and possesses the thickest fur of any animal. At one time the range of the sea otter extended around the northern Pacific Ocean--from Japan to...

Raising sea monkeys can be a barrel of fun, and they are quite easy to care for. The main necessity is to feed them. If you purchased your sea monkeys from a company, you can likely order their...

Have you ever been to a sea-food restaurant and wondered where the meat called the abalone derived from? This article will show you what an abalone is and where they came from.

Sea cucumbers, so named because of their shape, are closely related to starfish and sea urchins. There are an estimated 1250 species that can be found inhabiting the shallow ocean bottoms around...

Sea sponges are bottom-dwelling animals that stay fixed to solid objects along the ocean floor. They spend their lives filtering the seawater to absorb enough nutrients to survive and reproduce. ...

Sea themed games teach children about ocean life. Modify the games to fit your age group. If you have a mixed group, pair up older ones with younger to balance out skills. If you play the games in...

The red sea urchin is the largest of all sea urchins. As the name suggests, they are a deep red or burgundy color. These urchins are impressive members of the group of animals known as the...

Sea urchins are generally an easily identifiable sea creature, with their simple geometric bodies and telltale barbs. Whether you are an experienced biologist or just an unlucky beachgoer who has...

In the first half of the 1960s, evidence of the concept of sea floor spreading, resulted in the acceptance of plate tectonics. Dr. Robert Dietz, in 1961, and Dr. Harry Hess, in 1962, proposed the...

The gemstone aquamarine dates back to Greek and Roman times. Its name comes from the Latin "aqua" meaning water and "mare" meaning sea. It is, in essence, a stone of the sea.

The field of phycology is an extremely important field in the sustainability of algae, the primary oxygen-producing organisms on earth. Research in the field of phycology led to significant...

Sea glass, the beautiful frosty pebble shaped shards you can pick up on the shore of the sea, are created from a combination of human and natural forces. Sea glass is made up of fragments of...

Sea shells are interesting and unique artifacts that can be harvested from the ocean. Their primary purpose is as a unique decoration, as no two sea shells are identical. However, most sea shells...

You can find turtles almost everywhere on earth; the only place they don't live is the Arctic and Antarctic. There are over 270 species of turtles; these are just a few.

Sea bird identification is usually best undertaken with a good birding guide, such as Peterson's Field Guide to Birds, in hand. If you are able to discern the details of the bird's shape, color...

The freezing point of a solution varies depending on the molality of the solute in the solvent and on the type of solvent. For example, the freezing point of sea water (a solution) varies,...