Blog #2

 Blog #2

    There are two marine species that I have encountered so far, the Atlantic Rock crab and the Portly Spider crab. The Atlantic Rock crab can reach sizes from 1-6 inches and can be found all the way from Iceland to South Carolina. These crabs live in the ocean floor and can be found near the shore or even 750 m below the surface. They are opportunistic feeders which eat smaller creatures including mollusks, clams, and sometimes even other crabs. Due to their abundance, there is currently no worry of their extinction. I happen to like these crabs a lot because I think they look cute.

      

       Now onto the Portly Spider Crab, these impressive crustaceans can grow to have a total leg span of 12 inches. These types of crabs are predatory as they commonly feast on large starfish. These crabs tend to cover themselves with algae and small debris as a defense against predation. They can be found in bay and harbor bottoms around Nova Scotia, The Gulf of Mexico, The Chesapeake Bay, and around the bay of Washington D.C. The water that these crabs tend to inhabit can often be very polluted. However, these crabs can withstand  low-oxygen and polluted waters. 

Farewell to BCM

       Working at Boston Children’s Museum has been a great experience. I have worked with old friends from last year while also making new friends this year. My team was basically the same from last year including Kimani, Chase, Isis, and I. There were two new JPA’s, one new LHE, and a new SHE. The two new JPA’s I was working with were Emanuella and Nalisha. We became friends pretty quickly and we’ve had many fun times together. The new SHE is Jess and she is probably one of the nicest people I’ve met, It was a pleasure to work with her. The days were admittedly pretty slow and we did not get many people when working with the public. When we did get people however, it was fun teaching them how to use the rods and how to pick up the crabs in our touch tank. If anything, I am going to miss going to lunch with my old group. I hope I am with some of my other friends next week.

Bye!

• Mateo U

My sources:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_irroratus

https://gulfofme.com/all-sea-life/rock-crab-peekytoe-crab-cancer

https://divedeeper.site/species/atlantic-rock-crab/

https://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/field-guide/entry/common-spider-crab

https://www.nps.gov/pais/learn/nature/spidercrab.htm