monitoring the wadden sea emma
TRANSCRIPT
Monitoring the Wadden Sea
Beach Activity
We started the morning with
exploring the sea floor, searching
for living creatures underneath the
surface. We were given many
tools to dig in the seabed and
collect a variety of fish, crabs,
mussels, worms, and other animals.
Finally, we met up to talk about
what we found.
Worms
While we were looking, we found some black worms around twenty centimeters long. The guide told us that they dig in the sand making a sort of ‘U’ shape while searching for plancton.
Crabs
There were many crabs caught in the net that was left by the biologists of the museum. We also managed to find some of their shedded exoskeletons on the surface of the sea floor.
Fish
We found a Sole Fish that had camoflauging characteristics that helped it blend in with the sea floor.
Oysters
Generally, oysters are found in the Pacific Ocean, but they are carried over to the Wadden Sea by ships. Then they grow under the surface for many years. Some oysters we found were around 15 years old.
Clams
Like with the oysters, you can tell the age of a clam by the number of lines on its shell. The clams we found live around 20 centimeters under the surface.
Shrimp
The shrimp we found in the sea have black spots all over their bodies that grow and shrink in size as a sort of camoflauge mechanism. We also learned from our guide, that they are edible and taste just like sushi.
This experience was has been useful to teach us about the wildlife of the Wadden Sea. We also had a lot of fun!