Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

Tulip Worms

There's a fascinating article about the bizarre creatures of the Antarctic Ocean. These include critters that look like glass tulips, and giant worms and sea spiders.

However, the discussion of gigantism makes me wonder if oceanographers and archaeologists don't talk to each other: gigantism is common in extremely cold climates because it conserves heat due to the mass:surface area ratio.
Tags: nature
Subscribe

  • Fieldhaven as Habitat

    If you follow my posts on gardening, birdfeeding, and photos, then you know that I garden for wildlife. Looking at the YardMap parameters, here…

  • A Little Slice of Terramagne: YardMap

    Sadly the main program is dormant, but the YardMap concept is awesome, and many of its informative articles remain. YardMap was a citizen science…

  • Birdfeeding

    Today is sunny, muggy, and warm. I fed the birds. I've seen house finches and a squirrel. After lunch, we moved the rest of the walnut logs. Most…

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    switch
    default userpic

    Your IP address will be recorded 

    When you submit the form an invisible reCAPTCHA check will be performed.
    You must follow the Privacy Policy and Google Terms of use.
    Help
  • 3 comments
morningdove3202

Here, have an obsure fact....

morningdove3202

February 23 2008, 01:27:49 UTC 13 years ago

Another consideration to ponder, when it comes to cold water, is that it can actually hold more dissolved oxygen than warm water. More O2 = more life...


ysabetwordsmith

Re: Here, have an obsure fact....

ysabetwordsmith

February 23 2008, 01:51:59 UTC 13 years ago

Hence the importance of protecting the cold-water zones of the ocean. Certain places near the poles are especially rich in low-level life such as krill, a vital base in the food web.
wyrmwwd

wyrmwwd

February 24 2008, 23:22:09 UTC 13 years ago

Very, very cool. Thank you for sharing. Gigantism: I remember being in biology class 25 years ago, and the teacher pointed out that the further you get from the equator, the bigger the critters got. It doesn't always work that way, but it is a general rule of thumb. The next day I went to the Paige Museum to see the skeletons of the Woolly Mammoths. For some reason, this had tremendous emotional impact on me (I think because Woolly Mammoths are extinct).