Kids Research Express

. Gooseneck Barnacles Gooseneck barnacles are crustaceans that live in the intertidal zones of temperate and cold water oceans, particularly in areas of heavy surf. The hard-shelled portion of the gooseneck barnacle’s body, which contains the internal organs, is supported on a long muscular stalk. Gooseneck barnacles use this stalk to latch onto floating objects or rocks, where they cluster in dense groups. Gray Snakelocks Anemone The gray snakelocks anemone, sometimes called the pink-tip, is related to the jellyfish, corals, and hydroids. Although sea anemones can move, they do not actively pursue prey but rather capture fish, shrimp, or other invertebrates that swim past or fall on them from above. The sea anemone’s color results from the presence of a symbiotic algae, called zooxanthellae, living in the anemone’s body tissues. Great Gray Slug All species of marine and terrestrial slugs are shelless mollusks. Terrestrial slugs, such as the great gray slug, generally feed on leaves an

. Black Widow Spider The female black widow spider, distinguished by the red hourglass marking on the underside of her abdomen, is probably the best known and most feared of all North American spiders. In spite of the female black widow’s small size of 1.2 cm (0.5 in.), its venom is quite toxic and may cause a wide range of symptoms in humans, including pain, swelling, nausea, and sometimes death. The male of this species is harmless to humans and lacks the hourglass marking on the abdomen. Blue Spotted Sea Urchin This underside view of the blue spotted sea urchin shows its mouth apparatus, commonly called Aristotle’s lantern. This structure is composed of five jaws arranged in a radial, or concentric, pattern. This arrangement allows the sea urchin to feed efficiently on a variety of marine algae and kelps. Branching Coral Colonies Branching coral is actually a colony of very small individual animals called coral polyps. Branching corals are considered hard corals, since they have a h

. Purple and Yellow Tube Sponge The purple and yellow tube sponge displays one of the many different body forms typical of sponges. Sponges, considered to be the most primitive of the multicellular animals, are represented in the fossil record back to the Cambrian Period, at least 600 million years ago. The interior body cavities of sponges provide shelter for a variety of small crabs, sea stars, and other marine invertebrates. Scorpion This species of scorpion is one of approximately 40 species of scorpion native to the southwestern United States. A jointed, external exoskeleton provides the scorpion with a protective outer shell. Defense and prey capture involves grasping of the prey or potential predator with the large powerful claws while the jointed tail delivers a disabling sting. Although the sting of most scorpions is not fatal to humans, the sting of this particular species has proven to be fatal to younger children. Sheep Tick Ticks are members of the class Arachnida, which i