Marine Life
When you think of the oldest living things that ever existed, you probably think of dinosaurs. Yet certain creatures from the sea, like a common jellyfish and sea anemone, appeared 300 million years before the earliest dinosaur. Want a quick way to learn about these amazing animals on the great Web sites listed below. Use the direct links on The Times Launch Point Web site, https://www.latimes.com/kaunchpoint/
Here are the best sites for getting your schoolwork done or for just having fun.
LEVEL ONE:
The Sea: Great photos and descriptions make this site very interesting and helpful in writing reports. A fun game tests your knowledge of such ocean dwellers as jellyfish, sand dollars and sea urchins.
https://www.advanteusa.com/sjh/thesea/thesea.html
Underwater World: Guess the names of strange sea creatures in the Freaky Fishes Family Album or compare the sizes of ancient shark teeth. The Fishy Questions section offers answers to some common and not-so-common questions about various marine life.
https://www.pathfinder .com/@@5O5nZAUAKNTzITW7/pathfinder/kidstuff/underwater/index.html
Ask Shamu Index: Learn about sea horses, starfish and other sea creatures through a delightful list of questions, including ideas for what you can do to help save the environment. https://www.bev.net/education/ SeaWorld/ask_shamu/asindex.html#5
LEVEL TWO:
Encarta School House: Extensive articles provide details on many types of marine life, from microscopic algae to fish to humpback whales. Contains many images and “Ask an Expert” features.
https://www.encarta.msn.com/schoolhouse/oceans/ocmarine.asp
Fish FAQ: How much electricity does an electric eel generate? Can a fish swim backward? This site answers many questions on undersea life.
https://www.wh.whoi.edu/homepage/faq.html
Virtual Tide Pool: Learn about life in a tide pool through detailed descriptions and images of many forms of marine life. The Field Trip section suggests things to bring and do when visiting a tide pool.
https://epic.cse.ucsc.edu/Classes/cmp186/Projects/tidepool/
LEVEL THREE:
Ocean Link Marine Science: Detailed information on sea creatures as well as advice on how to become a marine biologist. Learn about seabirds, whale songs and world records among marine animals.
https://oceanlink.island.net/
Smithsonian Ocean Planet: A diverse and engaging variety of articles about the oceans and ocean life.
https://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/OCEAN_PLANET/HTML/popular_science.html
Conchologists’ Shell Resources: Well-written explanations, fun facts and even a mini-course on the biology of seashells. Take a shell quiz or learn tips for successful shell collecting.
https://coa.acnatsci.org/conchnet/edutrack.html
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Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This week’s Launch Point was designed by Anna Manring and Stan Woo-Sam.
Explorer’s Quest
Free Times T-shirt
The answer to this Internet quiz can be found in the sites at right.
How far can a flying fish jump?
Clue: Ask Shamu
How It Works: Answer the questions correctly in four Explorer’s Quest Web Challenges by Aug. 11 and you’ll get a free T-shirt. Just clip and fill out the form on page B5, or make your own handwritten form. You also can find the form on the Times Launch Point Web site, https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/
Answer to last week’s Quest: Many paleontologists consider both the tyrannosaurus rex and the hummingbird dinosaurs.
