Clarington Central - Day 2

Yesterday morning the students and teachers were up bright and early to head to the beach as low tide was at 7:30am.  The group explored Indian Point, a mixed intertidal zone, which is located at the end of town on the tip of the peninsula.  The students looked under rocks and seaweed and found animals such as, sideswimmers, green crabs, and periwinkles.  The water was coming back in when the group was on the beach so the students were able to see the tide in action. 
 
As the tide was rising the group headed into the lab for the rest of the morning to have a closer look at the animals they had collected.  The students used their powers of observation to complete detailed drawings and descriptions of five invertebrates from different phyla.  Some of the animals studied included hermit crabs, a toad crab, sea peaches, brittle stars, sea urchins, scallops, and sea anemones.  The students enjoyed watching the animals move about in the specimen bowls and the tanks on the wet bench.
 
After lunch there was a change in plans due to a poor weather forecast the rest of the week.  Instead of going whale watching from Grand Manan it was decided the group would go whale watching from St. Andrews.  So the students and teachers were split into two different groups, one went whale watching onboard a zodiac with the Fundy Tide Runners and the other group went onboard the tail ship, the Jolly Breeze.  Both boats headed out of Passamaquoddy Bay and into the Bay of Fundy in search of whales.  The groups were able to see harbour and grey seals, lots of porpoises, and a fin whale.  It was great the group was able to switch plans and take advantage of the great weather and calm water.
 
In the evening the group worked in the lab with echinoderms.  The students had to draw and label the oral and aboral sides of a sea urchin.  Some of the parts the students had to find and label on the urchin were the madreporite, the primary and secondary spines, the tube feet, and the pedicellariae.  The students were amazed to learn that a sea urchin can flip itself back over when placed on its aboral side.  This made it slightly difficult to draw the oral side as the urchins kept flipping back over!

Lots of barnacles and periwinkles at Indian Point.

rock crab

Beautiful fin whale!

Having a closer look at the sea urchin to find all the parts.

Working hard on their drawings.

One of the student's artwork.