Lilly the Leafy Sea Dragon!

Hi, my name is Lilly, I am a leafy Sea Dragon, but my scientific name is Phycodurus eques. I am 19 years old and live on the southern Australian coast. I live in areas like rocks, reefs, sand patches, seaweed beds, and seagrass meadows. Today I focused on swimming to deeper water, because of the terrible Australian winter that is hitting my coast. When the Australian winter comes there is less food for me and my fellow Leafy Sea Dragons, so in the middle of the season we head to the deeper water . We also go there because it is a place where we can mate for the winter. Since I do not have a stomach or teeth, I eat all day long and camouflage from my prey. So I mostly interact with mysid shrimp, plankton, and crustaceans. I have a very small mouth compared to my head, which sometimes I get made fun of from the other fish. What I have been thinking  alot about is how so much of my home and relatives have died off. How one day my home will die and all species will die too. Lots of fisher and aquariums take my family away and every year when it is winter I see less and less males to mate with so our population will be less. My favorite place to stay is a wonderful camouflage able seaweed reef. I have lived there my whole life. Sence was first born because when I was born my father and mother left us, because for leafy sea dragons the mother does not need to nurture us. 

I live a mostly solitary life and love it! I am mostly an introvert. Most of the days I am eating and staying camouflaged for my atack on my prey. Sometimes it helps if I go deeper into water so my victims can not see me, and how to stay hidden is because my colors change. My adaptation is my color changing skills and my leafy appendages sway in the ocean current so that I can look natural in the seaweed and reefs. As you know, now I speak a lot about my camouflage. Well….. that is also why I defend myself from predators and my prey.I also have spink that are hard plates. I am a nocturnal animal, which is nice. I do not have enemies that I know of. There is that persnickety jelly that comes through, but he is just mean. My friends are all from fish to sharks. I eat the fish then the fish eat the seagrass and plankton, then the bacterium eats dirt. So that is how I am on the food chain. My niche is by being a filter feeder. I help by making there less crustaceans in the water. I am very endangered and in the area of exaction. What has made me angry was how people just take my relatives and take them somewhere that they are not comfortable with. They also have no licence to take us out of our homes.But what makes me so happy is to see how hard australia works to protect us from you. Here are some lovely links to more facts. 

https://www.wired.com/2016/10/leafy-seadragon-stunning-fish-sea-argument/

https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/leafy_seadragon

https://oceana.org/marine-life/ocean-fishes/leafy-seadragon

Pillar coral !! 5/8/2021

In class this week we have been learning about different types of coral. The type of coral my group and I have been researching is Pillar Coral. Pillar Cora’l’s scientific name is Dendrogyra Cylindrus. Most commonly found in the Atlantic ocean ,Caribbean Sea,and the Florida sea. Pillar Coral has heavy skylander spires that structuralize on a base of an uncrusted mass. In a colony, they can hold a weight of 3 meters and the lengths of the pillars are 10 cm. Pillar Coral has a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, which automatically makes food for the pillar coral by using  photophinses. They also use their photosifices to make energy, which forms carbon compounds.but they also eat zooplankton. Pillar Coral spawning is during the middle of August, and is one week after a full moon. The pillar coral releases sperm and egg out into the water, which then turn into swimming larva. The settles on available land  and metabolites pools then to colonies.pillar corral is threatened by, bleaching,climate changes,hurricanes,and diseases.

Pillar Coral is such an interesting and amazing piece of the reef and your world. How I would use my newfound learning is to protect and teach people of this interesting pillar of coral and to show how important it is in your ecosystem. Learning about Pillar Coral is really cool and made me feel like I have more interest in coral reefs. Pillar Coral are threatened and needs to be protected. If we do not learn more about coral reefs, then they will cease to be real. We need more protection over our coral reefs and the mammals that are around them.  I want to help coral reefs by reducing plastics and forests so that we can have them in the future. And I can’t wait to see them return back to normal. 

 

This week we have been researching coral reef animals. I have been researching the Leafy Sea Dragon. The Leafy Sea Dragon is a small type of fish that is more related to pipefish, the sea  seahorse, and they are as small as a tea cup. The scientific name for Leafy Sea Dragon is Phycodurus Eques, which means Leafy Sea Dragon. Leafy Sea dragons eat small crustaceans and plankton by slurping up them with their sushen cup mouths. The Leafy Sea Dragon can grow  up to 13.8 inches. Leafy sea dragons are restricted to the southern coast of Australia and they live in seagrass beds and rocky reefs. Leafy Sea Dragons use their leafy algae to look and to camouflage from their predators. They also rely on camouflage, because they are very bad at swimming. Male Leafy Sea Dragons take care of the fertilized eggs, but instead of caring for them in a pouch they place them under their tails. The male gives the baby’s oxygen by an organ nearby. Leafy Sea Dragons when they are newly born do not get care from their parents. 

Leafy Sea Dragons really interest me because most people don’t know that they are really creatures. It was surprising to see how they have the same adaptation as a normal Seahorse, but are more related to pipefish. It also amazed how they nurture their young and then leave them out in the wild. I think I would use my new knowledge about Leafy Sea dragons to help them grow more and for people to know these amazing endangered creatures. Leafy sea dragons are a beautiful and rare species that need to be explored. One day I hope that people will see how we really need to take care of our oceans and the tiny creatures that live inside. We should all take care of Leafy Sea Dragons!

 

How come leafy Sea Dragons live in southern  Australia ?

 

Why are Leafy sea Dragons so like seahorses but are more related to pipefish?

 

What is their niche in the coral reef?

Water crisis 4/11/21

In class this week, we have been learning about the water in the world and how there is bacteria and dirt that lives inside of the water. An example of this can be found in Africa. The cholera outbreak in Africa was because of the sewage treatment that came from the industrialised countries over a century ago. The cholera outbreak was deadly and killed a lot of Africans. Trying to improve the cholera problem in Africa is something that interests me. We also learned about other diseases and how dirty water affects countries. Some people have to travel many miles to get freshwater. Some people don’t have access to clean water at all. Many people will risk their lives to get water!

I would like to research more about water and how to help the people in Africa. It would be interesting to find new ways to purify water and bring it to these people so that they don’t have to spend their whole day just to get drinking water. This project makes me wonder what is inside of our water. It also makes me want to learn more about the types of bacteria that live in water. What are ways that we can make water cleaner for everyone? How can we help others with collection of water? How can we help Africa to clean up their water?

charlie’s law

 

 these previous weeks we have been learning about Charlie’s law. Charlie’s law is about temperature and how they can increase or decrease gas. In one of our labs, we had a beaker full of colored water and a balloon attached to the top. Then we placed a beaker into a bowl of hot water. The hot water raised the temperature in the water in the beacon and the gas will be more dense and rise, because as heat rises, the gas will move up to the balloon and blow it up. Once you get a big balloon you place the balloon into the snow and the gas will slow down the density of the gas and the temperature will lower. Even though it is slowing down, you can still place the beacon into the hot water and slowly rise again. The gas density goes up and the water starts to warm up again.

 

 

We see Charlie’s law in hot air balloons. Hot air balloons are a closed system with a flame in the middle, the flame heats the air and then hot air rises. The balloon will rise and go up. You can overheat the balloon but it really never happens in professional hot air balloons. How I can use Charlie’s law is when my family has our fireplace on, we need the fan on so that the heat doesn’t escape the house or room. When we did the Charlie’s law lab, what satisfied me was when the heat decreased and the balloon decreased as well. It really made me understand Charles’s law. Charles’s law is a complicated and brilliant and it is a big part of how we can keep warm and cold.  

 

 How did he find out the law?

Was he the first one to experiment with heat, cold and rising air?

When did the law get placed?

exothermic and endothermic!

This week  we have been learning exothermic and endothermic .One experience we did this week that helped me understand exothermic and endothermic, was your ice cream lab. In this lab, we used plastic bags, measuring cups, rock salt, and snow.  The snow and the salt react to each other and the snow turns to ice. How this happens is when you shake the ice and snow it makes the snow melt then freeze over because of all the coldness from the snow. That would be  considered an exothermic reaction, but if you didn’t have enough salt the reaction will be slower and it may not turn the snow into an exothermic reaction. That reaction will also is a endothermic reaction, because after it gets so cold it turns into ice and makes the surrounding cold as well. That is why we wore gloves to protect use from the cold exothermic and endothermic reaction that happens.

These reactions really are in everyday life and everything that is cold and warm. Like when we use hand warmer or frighes. The freight keep the cold which would mean that the freight is endothermic . The hand warmer is placing warmth into your hand and that is exothermic.what was satisfying about the lab was how it made so much sense and gave me an understanding of the exothermic and endothermic and it was really yummy! This was one of my favorite tests and the most interesting one for me. Now I really understand exothermic and endothermic.

 

If there is an exothermic reaction turning the water into the ice ,making it solid, would that be a change of state?

 

 If you have a fever and you feel chilly, but really you have a fever would that be exothermic or endothermic?

When you put heat into your house where is the cold going?  

Physical and chemical change 1/31/21

In the previous weeks we have been learning about how to be a forensic scientist. Mrs. shane  set up a whole murder, and we did really cool test that used the laws of physics. One that was so much fun was when we used a a flame and different pieces of fibers from the murder scene and test what would happen to them when they hit the flame. The first step was to place the fiber near the flame. If the fiber got flammable, that meant it had a chemical property. Then you place the fiber into the flame, if it changes colors or state that means it probably has a physical property, but if it completely dissolves that means it is a chemical property.The second step is to get the residue and find out the different smells they have. Even though that seems like something you could pass up or forget to do, it actually is a really important step because it can  make a difference in how you identify the fiber. After you do the first test, you move onto the second test which uses microscopes and the samples of the fibers. You put the fiber onto a microscope and see every little fiber in it.

This test really was fun and helped me understand physical and chemical properties. It also really made me think about how everyday things use physical and chemical properties. Like how scientists use chemical properties to find the differences in the substance. How I will use chemical and physical properties is by baking or making art. One thing that was a fun fact I found out was when you put a chemical on blood, the chemical will turn the blood pink. It made me think about blood physical properties, which really was interesting. I loved the test we have been doing because it is a really good way to find chemical and physical properties. 

 

What chemical  is the one that changes blood into a pink color?

 

Can you ever change something from turning into malleability ?

 

You find the properties without doing experiment?

physics! 1/10

In class we are learning about physics. To learn, we did a lab and used a graduated cylinder, marbles and a sink clog. We used the graduated cylinder to measure the objects by placing it into the water. The height of the water would rise, and the measure would change. It would change because the density of the last number we had was we would subtract it . Then we took the object out of the graduated cylinder and measured it on a scale for the mass. Another lab we did that really helped me make sense of physics, was when we measured blokes and used the method length x width x height. That was one of my favorite methods.

 I learned that physics is a way of doing measurement in a different way. Like how you can measure mass by placing it on a scale to find density by placing an object  in water and finding the measurement of the object. It surprised me how much scientists use physics to find everyday objects that they cannot measure. The most thrilling part of physics is when you get to the part where you find the numbers but they have to be changed to density or when you have density and volume and need to find the mass. I feel more confident because I understand physics more. The labs we did this week were really fun and helped to make sense of physics.

 

Who was the first to teach physics?

How do you find mass if you have on scale?

What does the word  physic mean?

      

 

termites! 12/13/20

In class, we have been learning about Biomes and their climates and adaptations. Morley and I have been studying Botswana and its climate. We are building a website about Botswana and making a diorama. I have been writing specifically about termites. Termites are a big population in Botswana and every Savanna in Africa. The scientific name for termites is Isoptera and their classification is phylum Arthropoda. Termite colonies last 50 years, and they mostly eat mold, decaying wood, and grass, all which are organic matter. There are 2700 termites species that are known in science. Termites have an extremely complex system in the mound they live in. The system consists of a queen who supplies new termites and helps keep the mound safe. The queen can lay thousands of eggs and live for 45 years. As the queen becomes more pregnant, the worker termites take the babies to a nursery. The construction of the mound is mostly made out of dung, soil mixture, and termite saliva. The inside of the mound has holes that let in fresh air.

Termites are helpers in Botswana. Termites are decomposers and help the flora and fauna grow. Termites share many features with insects in general. Termites have a dark head with no waist between the thorax and abdomen. The non-queen termites have thin skin, never develop wings, and are blind.These attributes make them very vulnerable and major prey to insects. Their predators are shrews, aardvarks, and ants. The top of the mounds consists of a chimney that has an inner passage that a connected to the nest part of the mound. This chimney also is a helpful way of keeping the air perfectly temperate and ventilated. In the main nest part, there is a cultivated fungus that the termites grow themselves. On the outer base, they have tunnels that travel to the outside and also into the mound.  Termites have unique jaws that saw and grinds up wood and hard matter. The limiting factor of termites is climate change and humidity. That will make less plant growth, and the termites will eventually die off.

how many can live in a mound?

how old can they get?

d0 they sleep?

12/3/ 2020 Giraffes forever.

Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata, which is most commonly named giraffes, are one of the many amazing animals in savanna. Giraffes have long legs that  are very graceful. The biggest chartictic is that they are 6 foot tall and have 7 neck bones.. They also have long eyelashes that protect them from needles on branches. Every Giraffe has a different pattern. It is so entertaining to watch them, because they are like a different  fingerprint. Giraffes also have horns called ossicones. All sexes of giraffes have them.In the savanna the giraffes move a lot. They don’t have a exact place because, the do not have behavioral problems and get very well with each other. Giraffe’s home land can be between 50 to 8 square miles. I t is normal for them, because they can eat most everything. Giraffe’s love the hot sun in the savanna. They also live in open spaces so they can flee from predators.Giraffes Are herbivores they mostly eat from acacia trees and will eat most of the shoots and the leaves.  Cows, which are baby giraffes, eat mostly low fiber food until it is grown.

Giraffes are very important to the ecosystem. Their niche is to eat the leaves and let the tree grow. They also help other animal,because when they eat the leaves, it warns them of predators and their surroundings.They are considered prey because they are very vulnerable and animals like lions, hyenas eat them.they get kill from predators a lot, and the cows will be the biggest one to be killed. Giraffes  Abduction is that they have thick strong tissue  that protects them from needles that are on the branches and  it has long eyelashes to protect them from the thorns. They also have long legs that make it really hard to drink water but, they have adapted this way of drinking by pulling front legs and drinking from there.Some really cool facts about giraffes, is they do not have not just a walk but a galop. The pace starts with the front huffs moving together ,the back ones will push off and the motion will go right into the gallope. They will also tilt their head  to maintain balance. Giraffes gestation time will be up to 15 months , they will have their cows in the drought seasons and they will weigh 220 pounds and are 6 feet tall. Giraffes were painted on tomes that were painted by Egyptations .  Another awesome thing is that  when the cow is first born the mother will have mother and baby time. In this time the mom will quarantine the cow and learn it’s sent, after that the mother will go back to the group and the baby will follow another baby and will make a  daycare,and when the cow is hurt the mother will step over the cow and then she will kick the predator till it baby is protected.

 

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