creature cards iii - handsontheland.org · can spend their first year or two there after settling...

Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies2008

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Whittier Artificial Reef CurriculumCreature Cards - Kelp

Shotgun/SieveKelp

Sugar Kelp

RibbonKelp

BullKelp

Pink CoralineAlgae

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Whittier Artificial Reef Curriculum

Shotgun/Sieve KelpSugar Kelp

Scientific Name: Laminaria saccharinaTraits: Very abundant, rich medium-brown, having nomidrib in its blade. Holdfasts are very branched.Habitat: Lower part of the intertidal zoneFoods: Makes its own by photosynthesis

Gee Whiz: Spore release is severely inhibited bypollutants such as petroleum products.

Scientific Name: Agarum clathratumTraits: 12-inch stipe arises from a highly branchedholdfast and supports a single undivided blade thatis stiff and riddled with numerous small, naturalholes.Habitat: Grows on rocksFoods: Makes its own by photosynthesis

Gee Whiz: Beds of Sieve Kelp are importantnurseries for some species of juvenile shrimp whichcan spend their first year or two there after settlingout of the plankton.

Creature Cards - Kelp

Bull KelpScientific Name: Nereocystis luetkeanaTraits: An annual. Its stipe is long (about 33 ft) andhollow. The upper end of the stipe forms a float fromwhich two bunches of up to 64 blades grow. It cangrow very rapidly, as much as 5.5 inches a day.Habitat: Mostly subtidal to about 56 feet deepFoods: Makes its own by photosynthesisEaten by: The detritus formed by the decaying tips isan important source of carbon to filter feeders inintertidal communities. Humans use bull kelp for foodand medicinal purposes.

Gee Whiz: Bull kelp beds are the "forests of the sea"- a good habitat for fish, shellfish, and sea otters.

Pink Coralline AlgaeTraits: Coralline algae have evolved in red, brownand green algae groups. Many are typicallyencrusting and rock-like.Habitat:They are found in marine waters around theworld.Foods: Makes its own by photosynthesisEaten by: Sea urchins, limpets and chitons

Gee Whiz: Coralline algae build reefs, but coralreefs are primarily built by Cnidarians (multicellularmarine animals). Crustose, red coralline algae, areamong the most abundant organisms that occupy hardstrata within the marine photic zone (wherephotosynthesis occurs in the ocean).

Ribbon KelpScientific Name: Alaria marginataTraits: One of the most abundant algae. It has avegetative blade that can be 10 feet long and 8 incheswide with a single, thick solid midrib running up thecenter. It is an annual.Habitat: Mostly mid-low intertidalFoods: Makes its own by photosynthesisEaten by: Humans commonly harvest Ribbon Kelp.

Gee Whiz: The sporophylls contain various naturalchemicals that discourage herbivores, but thevegetative blade does not. Herbivores therefore eatthe blade, which leaves the reproductive potential ofthe alga intact.


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Salmon

Walleye Pollock

Creature Cards - Fish

Pacific Herring

Pacific HalibutLingcod

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Whittier Artificial Reef CurriculumCreature Cards - Fish

Traits: Lingcods are not true cods, but are greenlings.They can weigh over 80 lbs and be 60 inches long.They have a large mouth with sharp teeth.Habitat: Inhabit nearshore rocky reefs from 30 -330 feetFoods: Larval lingcod feed on copepods and otherlarval fish. Voracious predators. Adults are piscivores.Eaten by: Larvae eaten by rockfish, seastars,sculpins, kelp greenling and cod. Adults eaten byseals, sea lions and humans.Gee Whiz: Male lingcod engage in "nest guarding,"protecting egg masses laid by the female, and areeasily caught when nest guarding.

Lingcod Scientific Name: Ophiodon elongatusScientific Name: Hippoglossus stenolepis

Traits: Flatfish with both eyes on their dark side.Dark side mimics the ocean bottom, light side mimicsthe sky allowing them to avoid detection by predators.Habitat: Mainly deep water, but young are carriedto shallow water, where they begin life as bottomdwellers.Foods: Eat a large variety of fish (cod, turbot,pollock), plus crab and shrimpEaten by: Humans, sharks, marine mammals, biggerhalibut, cod, and lingcodGee Whiz: The halibut was called "haly-butte" inMiddle English, meaning the flatfish to be eaten onholy days.

Pacific Halibut

Scientific Name: Clupea pallasiTraits: Blue-green upper body with silvery sides.Grow about 9 inches long.Habitat: Spawn in shallow, vegetated areas in theintertidal and subtidal zones in Prince William Soundin April and May. Adults move offshore to feed.Foods: Adults feed on zooplankton.Eaten by: Larvae are fed upon by vertebrate andinvertebrate predators, adults are an important foodsource for seabirds and marine mammals. They areconsidered "forage fish."Gee Whiz: Herring are commercially harvested foruse as bait for the halibut, groundfish, crab andsalmon troll fisheries.

Pacific HerringWalleye PollockScientific name: Theragra chalcogrammaTraits: Also known as "Alaska pollock"Habitat: Live throughout the Northern Pacific with thelargest population in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska.Foods: Larval fish eat phytoplankton and juveniles eatzooplankton. Adults eat juvenile fish and shrimp.Eaten by: Marine mammals (Steller sea lions,humpback whales), halibut, salmon and humans

Gee Whiz: Walleye pollock are considered one of themost important fish resources in the world with twomillion metric tons caught each year or $2 billiondollars worth of fish. Fish fillets at Dairy Queen,Arby's and Burger King are made from walleye pollock.

SalmonTraits: Fish with an adipose fin. Five species ofsalmon in Alaska: Chinook or King, Sockeye or Red,Coho or Silver, Pink, and ChumHabitat: Adults live at sea, but return to fresh waterto spawn in rivers and river mouths.Foods: Juveniles in fresh water feed on copepods,crustaceans, and insects. In the ocean they feed onother small fish such as herring and sandlance orinvertebrates (Sockeye salmon eat plankton).Eaten by: Larger fish, seals, whales, eagles, bears,grebes, loons, humans.

Gee Whiz: Sockeye salmon, also know as red salmon,are the most abundant salmon in Alaska.


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Whittier Artificial Reef CurriculumCreature Cards - Larva

Sand Lance

Shrimp Larva

Larval Fish

CrabZoea

CrabMegalops

©ADFG Catherine Bursch






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Traits: Eggs hatch into planktonic, free-floatinglarvae. Larvae molt, increasing in size after eachone. Juveniles settle to the bottom. After about ayear they mature into adults.Habitat: Inhabit varying depths and habitat types.Foods: Opportunistic feeders eating a wide varietyof items: worms, diatoms, detritus, algae, etc.Eaten by: Large fish such as Pacific cod, walleyepollock, and salmon

Gee Whiz: Pandalid shrimp are among the fewanimals that are hermaphrodites. They spend theirearly life as a male and later transform into afemale.

Creature Cards - Larva

Shrimp Larva

Sand LanceScientific Name: Ammodytes hexapterusTraits: Also known as the "candlefish." Slenderbody and pointed snout. They do not have pelvic finsand do not develop a swim bladder.Habitat: Spawn in intertidal zones. They spend mostof their time burrowed into sand to avoid tidalcurrents. Found in oceans throughout the world.Foods: Adult and larval forms feed on copepodsEaten by: Important food for juvenile and adultsalmon (especially king salmon), cod, marine mammalsand diving birds. They are a "forage fish."

Gee Whiz: Sand Lance have chameleon-likeindependent eye movements.

Traits: The larval stage of the crab; as the juvenilecrab grows in size it goes through a series of molts,with each larval stage changing form and function asit grows in a process called metamorphosis.Habitat: Drift in the ocean current as planktonFoods: PhytoplanktonEaten by: Fish, other zooplankton, marine mammals

Gee Whiz: Crab Zoea can be identified by theircharacteristic "horn" protruding from their head andtheir feathered limbs.

Crab Zoea

Traits: Young stage of fish, often characterized bya yolk-sac with a long tail at the beginning stages.Each species developes unique characteristics, manyhave silver or transparent bodies to aid in avoidingpredators.Habitat: Drift and swim in ocean currentsFoods: Phytoplankton, larval copepods and mollusks.As they mature their body mass increases and eachspecies begins to select a more specialized diet.Eaten by: Larger fish, marine mammals, seabirds

Larval FishTraits: The larval stage of the crab after many molts.The megalops stage more closely resembles the adultcrab than their earlier stages. They are the first formto "settle."Habitat: Still planktonic, they use light, turbulenceand salinity to tell them when to swim upward in thewater, where they are carried by tides at night intoestuaries. Megalops settle in sites with large amountsof food and places to hide.Foods: PhytoplanktonEaten by: Fish, other zooplankton, marine mammalsGee Whiz: After each molt, more segments are addedto the tail and the feathered limbs are replaced by theclawed limbs.

Crab Megalops


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Lined Chiton

Shrimp

FrilledAnemone

GreenUrchin

Sunflower Star

Creature Cards - Invertebrates







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Whittier Artificial Reef CurriculumCreature Cards - Invertebrates

Spot Shrimp (Prawn)Scientific Name: Pandalus platycerosTraits: Largest shrimp in the North Pacific with alight brown to orange colored body, white lines on thehead and two pairs of white spots on the tail end.Habitat: Found around dock pilings and floats, eelgrass beds and in sandy or gravel bottoms wherethere is a rapid current.Foods: Catch and scavenge tiny food in the water:detritivoresEaten by: Many invertebrate animals, fishes andbirds.Gee Whiz: The spot shrimp is the most common shrimpfound in Prince William Sound and supports theshrimp fisheries.

Scientific Name: Metridium senileTraits: A long sea anemone. Expands at high tide toshow feathery, snow white or orange tentacles. At lowtide it hangs limply from ledges, dock pilings andfloats.Habitat: Low intertidal zone. Found in protectedplaces under ledges and in caves where there is littlewave action.Foods: Tiny zooplanktonEaten by: Opalescent and Shaggy Mouse nudibranchs

Gee Whiz: Can reproduce by breaking off its place ofattachment and leaving behind tiny fragments thatdevelop into new tiny anemones.

Frilled Sea AnemoneSunflower Star

Scientific Name: Pycnopodia helianthoidesTraits: Largest sea star. Very soft-bodied with up to24 soft, flabby arms joined to a floppy disk. Variouscolors.Habitat: Rocky areasFoods: Most invertebrates: clams, mussels, barnacles,snails, chitons, sea urchins..Eaten by: Other sunflower stars or king crabs

Gee Whiz: Sunflower stars may have up to 15,000tube feet and are the largest, heaviest, softest andswiftest sea star in the North Pacific Ocean. Theycan move 5-10 feet/minute.

Green Urchin

Scientific Name: Strongylocentrotus droebachiensisTraits: A greenish cushion with sharp spines,sometimes bleached white, moves by tube feetHabitat: Rocky areasFoods: Seaweeds, microalgae, coralline algae andsmall barnaclesEaten by: Sunflower stars, large sea anemones,crabs, and tidepool sculpins, sea otters, gulls, crowsand ravens

Gee Whiz: Green sea urchins move seaweed anddebris onto their back to shade them from sun.

Lined ChitonScientific Name: Tonicella lineataTraits: Small oval with overlapping, colorful reddish-patterned plates. Moves on a large muscular foot.Uses a radula (whip-like toothed tongue) to scraperocks for food.Habitat:On rocks, in tidepools with coralline algaeFoods: Coralline algae and diatomsEaten by: Six-rayed sea stars, seaducks, river otters

Gee Whiz: Lined chitons require rock crust to live -the larva will die if it can't find it. But the rock crustalso benefits from being grazed because it removesalgae that are growing on top and blocking light orsmothering it.


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Whittier Artificial Reef CurriculumCreature Cards - Rockfish

Quillback Rockfish Dusky Rockfish

Tiger Rockfish

Yelloweye Rockfish

China Rockfish

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Whittier Artificial Reef CurriculumCreature Cards - Rockfish

Yelloweye RockfishScientific name: Sebastes ruberrimusTraits: One of the largest rockfishes easily identifiedby their bright yellow eyes and red-orange color. Cangrow to 36 inches long.Habitat: Subadult and adult fish are solitary,occurring in rocky areas of high relief with refugespace (overhangs, caves, crevices and boulder piles)Foods: Rockfishes, herring, sandlance, flatfishes,shrimps and crabsEaten by: Lingcod, halibut, bigger rockfish, other fish,sharks, sea lions, and humansGee Whiz: Yelloweye rockfish are among the longestlived of all the rockfish, reaching up to 118 years old.

Scientific name: Sebastes maligerTraits: Can live 90 years, grow to 24 inches long.They are lovely fish, brown, with yellow to orangeanterior blotches. The dorsal fin spines are very long.They have prominant head spines and a silvery-whitegut cavity.Habitat: Juveniles like bull kelp-covered rockyoutcrops. Young fish like relatively protected, low-energy rocks. Adult quillbacks stay on the same rockoutcrop for extended periods.Foods: Bottom feeders on crabs, shrimp, amphipodsEaten by: Lingcod, halibut, bigger rockfish, otherfish, sharks, sea lions, and humansGee Whiz: Maximum age is 90 years old

Quillback RockfishDusky Rockfish

Scientific name: Sebastes variabilisTraits: Can live up to 67 years, grow to 21 inchesHabitat: Juveniles occur in shallow water overrocks and among algaeFoods: Amphipods, copepods, crab larvae, krillEaten by: Lingcod, halibut, bigger rockfish, otherfish, sharks, sea lions, and humans

China RockfishScientific name: Sebastes nebulosusTraits: Basic body color is blue or black, mottledwith yellow and some white. In most, a very obviousyellow stripe runs down the side. Grow to 18 inchesHabitat: Juveniles live in shallow subtidal waterduring summer and early fall. They are solitaryspecies dwelling on high-energy, high-relief rockyoutcrops.Foods: Benthic organisms: brittle stars, crabs,shrimps, chitons and small fishesEaten by: Lingcod, halibut, bigger rockfish, otherfish, sharks, sea lions, and humansGee Whiz: Chinas often inhabit the abandoned densof the large Pacific octopus.

Tiger Rockfish

Scientific name: Sebastes nigrocinctusTraits: Deep-bodied, heavily-spined and usually havefive red, purple, brown or black vertical barsoverlaying a pink or white body. Can grow to 24inches .Habitat: Rock outcrops having caves and crevicesFoods: Shrimp, crabs, amphipodsEaten by: Lingcod, halibut, bigger rockfish, otherfish, sharks, sea lions, and humans

Gee Whiz: Tiger rockfish can live to be 116 yearsold!


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Whittier Artificial Reef CurriculumCreature Cards - Birds

Surf Scoter

BaldEagle

Black-legged

Kittiwake

Harlequin Duck

©ADFG

©ADFG

GlaucousWinged

Gull©ADFG


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Surf Scoter Bald Eagle

Glaucous Winged Gull

Creature Cards - Birds

Scientific name: Melanitta perspicillataTraits: Almost entirely black sea duck with adistinctive white patch on the forehead and behindthe head. Bill is orange with white patch near thenostrils, a large black spot on each side and a reddishtinge on the top.Habitat: In winter, common in most coastal areasfrom Alaska Peninsula through Southeast Alaska.Breeds in boreal forested areas.Foods: Mussels in winter, herring roe in early spring,insect larvae in freshwater ponds during breedingEaten by: Bald eagles (winter), mink and foxesGee Whiz: The Surf Scoter breeds on freshwaterlakes.

Scientific name: Haliaeetus leucocephalusTraits: Largest bird of prey. Conspicuous with itswhite head, neck and tail.Habitat: Lives close to or on all types of sea coasts,large lakes and rivers where fish are plentiful. Theyrequire tall trees or cliffs to make a platform-likenest.Foods: Primarily fish, especially salmon, but willscavenge on dead or dying fish and animal carcasses,also shorebirds, seabirds, ducks and small mammals.Eaten by: NoneGee Whiz: With up to a 7-foot wingspan, the baldeagle is one of the largest birds of prey in the world.

Scientific name: Larus glaucescensTraits: Largest and most common of the gulls. Adultshave clean white heads, pale gray mantles, yellowishbills with a red spot, flesh-colored legs and loudvoices.Habitat: On all types of shores, breeds on coastalislands and headlands.Foods: Picks and probes among rocks for tidepoolfish, small crabs and sea urchins at low tide; also ascavenger.Eaten by: Bald eaglesGee Whiz: Steals food from cormorants and othergulls and is common at garbage dumps.

Harlequin DuckScientific name: Histrionicus histrionicusTraits: Small sea duck with a small bill and thick neck.Males are very colorful with slate blue body, whitestripes and spots. Both males and females have adistinctive white spot behind their eye.Habitat: Nests along fast-flowing streams on theground, on small cliff ledges, in tree cavities and onstumps.Foods: Aquatic invertebrates such as amphipods,mollusks, small crabs and some fish and fish eggs.Eaten by: Mink, bald eagles, coyotesGee Whiz: Harlequin ducks, also called the "seamouse" because it gives off a distinct unducklikesqueak when engaged in behavioral interactions.

Black-legged KittiwakeScientific name: Rissa tridactylaTraits: Small gull, white with pale gray back andwings and sharply defined black wing tips. It hasblack legs and feet and a yellow bill. Males andfemales look alike.Habitat: Winters in the open ocean, breeds incolonies on cliffs and ledges of coastal areas andislands.Foods: Marine invertebrates, plankton, and fish.Eaten by: Bald eagles

Gee Whiz: It is the only gull that dives underwaterto capture food.


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River Otter

Creature Cards - Mammals

Sea Otter

Orca Sea Lion

Harbor Seal


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Whittier Artificial Reef CurriculumCreature Cards - Mammals

Harbor SealScientific name: Phoca vitulinaTraits: White to gray, weighing up to 400 lbs. Noexternal ears. Back legs go straight out behind themso they cannot walk on land but drag themselves usingonly their front feet in the form of flippers.Habitat: Found along all types of coastal waters,even river mouths. Can be seen around boat docksand harbors.Foods: Almost exclusively eat fish: sculpin, herring,and salmon; also eat squid.Eaten by: Sharks and killer whales

Gee Whiz: Harbor seals feed with the tide and cantravel great distances up rivers with the high tide.

Scientific name: Lontra canadensisTraits: Furbearing mammal with large canine teeth;long, slender body; short legs, four webbed feet anda long tail covered with dense fur.Habitat: Streams, rivers, large lakes and along seacoasts.Foods: Fish including rockfish, blackfish, sculpin,sucker; occasionally birds and small mammals.Eaten by: Occasionally taken by lynx, coyote andwolves.

Gee Whiz: River otters can dive 60 feet below thewater surface and can stay under water for up tofour minutes.

River OtterSea OtterScientific name: Enhydra lutrisTraits: Densest fur of any mammal. Older animalshave a whitish-silvery head. Males can be as large as100 lbs.Habitat: Large kelp beds, located in and around therocky shores.Foods: Shellfish: abalone, sea urchin, crab, mussel;fish.Eaten by: Killer whales, sharks and humans

Gee Whiz: The sea otter is one of the few animalsthat uses tools when it eats. When it dives for food itbrings up a rock, then floats on its back, places therock on its chest and cracks the shell against it.

Orca - Killer WhaleScientific name: Orcinus orcaTraits: Bodies are black with a white underside, whiteoval patches just above and behind the eyes and a lightgray patch behind the dorsal fin. The adult male'sdorsal fin is tall and straight; the dorsal fin of thefemale or juvenile is short and crescent-shaped.Habitat: Found in all seas of the world primarily alongcoastlines.Foods: Carnivores that eat a wide range of fish, seals,sea lions and other whalesEaten by: NoneGee Whiz: Fish-eaters are resident in a particulararea. They have learned to "take" fish from commerciallonglines as they are being retrieved.

Steller Sea LionScientific name: Eumetopias jubatusTraits: Largest of the sea lion species. Males arebuff above, reddish-brown below, with dark brownflippers and massive necks and forequarters. Snoutand face are otter-like. Low forehead.Habitat: Stay near the coast and coastal islands,hauling out on rocks to sleep. Rarely go up rivers orinto bays.Foods: Primarily fish: flatfish, rockfish; sometimessquid and octopus. Also eat shrimp, clams, and crabs.Eaten by: Killer whales and white sharks.Gee Whiz: Steller Sea Lions were harvested in greatnumbers for their fur and oil that was rendered fromtheir blubber.

creature cards iii - handsontheland.org · can spend their first year or two there after settling...

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