Sunday, July 19, 2020

Castle island

 This week we were at castle island on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, we went on a harbor tour. On day one at Castle Island, we caught some tiny little fish in the crab trap. I'm not really sure what type of fish they were but we caught three. One of them had some growth on his lip and I felt so bad. On Wednesday we caught some green crabs and spider crabs. That day we also made some scientific drawings of fish that could be found in Boston Harbor. Thursday was my favorite day of the week. not only because we were out on the water but also because we were with David. By now I know his tricks and jokes but somehow he still always gets me. It was so nice to learn some new things about Boston and how about 50% of Boston is man made land. It was so cool to learn about how they just dumped dirt into some structures and boom they made more land. It was also crazy to be able to see all the different towns simultaneously. It was like I could see almost all of Boston from the water. when you are inside the city things look so different compared to when you are looking at it from the waterfront. 
The first animal that I want to talk about is the spider crab. The females can grow up to 4 inches from claw to claw when stretched out. The male spider crabs usually grow bigger than the females and can be up to 9 inches from claw to claw. Spider crabs grow by molting. The pinchers and legs of a male spider crab can grow to twice the size of a female crab. Spider crabs eat algae, other dead crabs, and detritus. Spider crabs have poor eyesight so they use sensors on the ends of their legs to taste food as they walk along the bottom of the ocean. They can be found in Entire Bay bottom, rocky shores, harbors, eelgrass beds, and pilings.
Next up we have the Green crab. The green crab is native to the northeast Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea, ranging along coasts from northern Africa to Norway and Iceland. They are an invasive species here in Boston. They are actually really bad for our ecosystem. Green crabs eat other crustaceans, such as soft-shell clams and scallops. They can be found at the bottom of bodies of saltwater.

Catch you on the flip side! Vanessa

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