NEPTUNE 911 For Kids: Finding Diseased Sea Stars in Tide Pools

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Finding Diseased Sea Stars in Tide Pools

Sea star missing legs. Photo from UCSC

When exploring tide pools anywhere between Alaska and California, watch out. You might find a sea star (starfish) missing legs or looking really gross.

What is wrong with them?

Up and down the Pacific west coast, sea stars have a disease called Sea Star Wasting Disease. It can kill a group of sea stars within just 24 hours or a few days.

Scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, along with

A leather star (Dermasterias imbricata) just beginning to show signs of the disease, seen on San Juan Island in October 2013; Photo: Keith Rootsaert

other researchers remain unsure why this disease has hit the west coast sea star population so rapidly. There is a bacterium (vibrio) that scientists have identified through pathology. And warmer ocean waters are also suspected as a cause.

With an adult, you can participate in observing the sea star wasting symptoms. Visit www.seastarwasting.org.

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Testing the Waters

The northern elephant seals pups born during the winter are now called "weaners." Thousands of these 300-pound weaners test the waters. In other words,they are teaching themselves how to swim.

You read that right. Northern elephant seal pups and weaners do not know how to swim. Their mothers left them behind just 4-weeks after they were born. So, now they are on their own, grouped together in "weaner pods" and the beach and nearby tidepools are their classroom.

By April most of these fat weaners will have developed muscle from playing in the water. They will swim like athletes, and dive like Olympic stars. That means it is time for them to leave the safety of their birthplace and begin a 6-month adventure in the Pacific Ocean.

The next time you and I can see them is when they return to their beach sometime around September.

About Humpback Whales

From NOAA

How did the humpback whale get its name?

The humpback whale gets its name from fact
that the dorsal fin sits on a large “hump” on
the back, which is noticeable when the whale
arches its back and dives. The scientific
name, Megaptera novaeangliae, means “big
wing of New England.” The “big wing” refers
to the humpback’s very long flippers, which
can be one-third of its body length.

What do they look like?

Humpback whales can be easily identified by
their markings. They are rorqual whales - a
set of whales that are all in the family
Balaenopteridae, have ventral (head to tail)
grooves on the throat, and a small, pointed
dorsal fin. The grooves allow the throat to
expand so they can take in huge amounts of
water when they feed. The grooves contract
and push out the water, which is filtered
through baleen.

This is an adaptation that developed to help it
efficiently eat the tons of food needed for its
survival. Baleen, made of fingernail-like material
called keratin, hangs down in a humpback’s
mouth and catches the food. Humpback whales
have between 270 and 400 pairs of baleen and
each is approximately 30 inches long. The
plates are rough enough to filter prey such as
krill.

Humpbacks have an irregularly shaped dorsal
fin located two-thirds of the way back of the
body and very long flippers.

Humpbacks have large bumps on the leading
edge (front) of the flippers as well as bump-like
knobs on the head and lower jaw. Each of the
bumps on the head and lower jaw are a called
“tubercle.” They contain stiff hairs, like a cat’s
whiskers, that may help humpbacks regulate
temperature or sense things in the water.

Many humpback whales are also home to
barnacles that stick to their skin.

Humpback whales usually dive underwater for 3-5 minutes.

NEPTUNE 911 For Kids

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Finding Diseased Sea Stars in Tide Pools

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