| Fishes |
Birch
Aquarium Learning Center
The Scripp's Birch Aquarium Learning Center is
a collection of two Web cams (KelpCam and PierCam), animal facts (including
an extensive sea horse feature), and my two favorite clicks: Science
Spotlights and Online Interactives (a fancy made-up phrase for educational
games.) Science Spotlights, for middle school and above, tackles important
conservation issues. Don't miss Shifting Baselines, a striking exhibit
that illustrates the differences between today's ocean and that of forty
years ago.
http://aquarium.ucsd.edu/learning/learning_res/creature_feature.cfm
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Flathead
Catfish
Pylodictis is Greek, meaning “mud fish”,
and olivaris is Latin for “olive-colored”. Flathead catfish are typically
pale yellow (hence the name “yellow cat”) to light brown on the back
and sides, and highly mottled with black and/or brown.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fish/infish/species/flt/flt.htm
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Monterey
Bay Aquarium
Highlights of the Monterey Bay e-Quarium are the
five live Web cams, the Splash Zone (for elementary-age kids), the feature
on jelly fish, and the Habitats Path cybertour. First stop on the Habitats
Path is the live Kelp Cam, which captures the changing sunlight streaming
through the swaying kelp (7 AM to 7 PM, PST.) From here, you can jump
to the online games, which include Kelp Habitat Tic-Tac-Toe and Habitat
Coloring Pages. For information on a specific animal, try the Online
Field Guide (listed under Aquarium Exhibits.)
http://www.mbayaq.org/
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New
York Aquarium: Alien Stingers
"Stingers - known to scientists as Cnidarians
(pronounced 'Ni-dare-ee-ans') - are an ancient and primitive form of
life.Stingers include jellies, corals, and anemones. They are the simplest
multi-celled animals that have muscles and nerves for movement."
This amazing exhibit is beautiful, educational and entertaining. Each
chapter includes interactive illustrations or movies; and three interactive
quiz games complete the experience.
http://www.alienstingers.com/stingerhome/
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Salmon
From A to Z
Welcome to Salmon from Alevin to Zoology!
Mrs. Maynor's Fifth Grade class just completed a study of Chena River
salmon and we'd like to share what we learned with you. We learned about
how salmon live and reproduce, how Alaskans use salmon for subsistence
and sport, how Athabascans used salmon, how salmon anatomy works, and
even how to prepare salmon.
http://www.northstar.k12.ak.us/schools/upk/chena/salmon/salmon.html
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The
Salmon Page
Dedicated to all things salmon: How to catch them,
cook them, buy them and save them...
http://www.riverdale.k12.or.us/salmon.htm
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Westslope
Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi)
Westslope Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarki
lewisi) is a subspecies of Cutthroat Trout native to Montana.
Despite the species' common name, its natural range is on both sides
of the Continental Divide. The Westslope Cutthroat Trout is found
in the Kootenai watershed, the Clark Fork watershed, the headwaters
of the Missouri river and the headwaters of the Saskatchewan River.
This subspecies is also found in Idaho and Canada and has a few scattered
populations in Wyoming, Washington and Oregon.
http://www.fisheries.org/AFSmontana/SSCpages/westslope_cutthroat_trout.htm
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| Reptiles
and Amphibians |
AgriGator
* The American Alligator
Alligators are remnants of a prehistoric era. When dinosaurs became
extinct, these modern day contemporaries of dinosaurs continued to flourish
and have survived their prehistoric relatives into the 20th century.
http://agrigator.ifas.ufl.edu/gators/
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All
About Frogs for Kids and Teachers
Oodles of frog facts organized as questions and
answers make All About Frogs an excellent first hop on our online frog
tour. Beyond the Q's and A's you'll find fun frog crafts, songs and
poems, original froggie clipart (free for non-commercial use), and links
to lesson plans for K-8 teachers. Although the bulk of this site is
for elementary students, middle and high-school students will find links
to sites with more in-depth coverage under More Frog Facts and Information.
http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Themes/frogs/
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Bullfrog
- Rana catesbeiana
from "The Frogs and Toads of Georgia"
http://wwknapp.home.mindspring.com/docs/bullfrog.html
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Bullfrog
http://www.aquatic.uoguelph.ca/amphibians/amphib/accounts/ranidae/bullfrog/account.htm
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CCTC:
Turtle Gallery
The best reason to visit the California Turtle and Tortoise Club site
is this gallery of annotated turtle photos, alphabetized by either
scientific or common name. From the African Spurred Tortoise to the
Western Pond Turtle, most of the thirty-two species have multiple
photos showing the differences between the male and female turtles.
Before clicking away to visit another site, look for the audio gallery
of courting male tortoise vocalizations. Who knew?
http://www.tortoise.org/gallery.html
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CGEE:
A Thousand Friends of Frogs
In August 1995, students from the Minnesota New
Country School found deformed frogs near the Minnesota River. A research
scientist from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency wondered what
else might be found if thousands of kids were looking in their backyards
and so A Thousand Friends of Frogs was born. To study frogs in your
hometown, click on Students/Get Involved. There is a data sheet you
can use to collect your findings, and lots to learn about frogs as bio-indicators
in the Science section.
http://cgee.hamline.edu/frogs/
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Eastern Box Turtle
Box turtles are probably the best
known of all the turtle species. There are several different varieties
of box turtles found in the United States. The Eastern Box Turtle
is the species native to the southern Appalachian mountains.
http://wildwnc.org/af/boxturtles.html
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Exploratorium:
Frogs
My pick of the day comes from The Exploratorium
museum of San Francisco. Visit to enjoy the well-written articles, illustrated
with photos and video clips. The lead feature, The Amazing Adaptable
Frog, is a must see, as is the click-and-hear (ribbit, ribbit) Frog
Tracker exhibit. For something a little different, venture beyond biology
with Tales and Tours, where you can become acquainted with Frog City,
Louisiana or learn about Frog Myths Across Cultures.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/frogs/
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Frog
Call Quiz
Press the play button beside each question to
hear the call. Then select your answer in the menu and see if you were
correct!
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/Biology/herpcons/Herps_of_NC/anurans/callquiz.htm
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Gulf
of Maine Aquarium: All About Turtles
All About Turtles has a fun, playful attitude that shines through
in all its features. The Tale of Two Turtles, is a "first-person"
narrative told by both a snapping turtle and a loggerhead turtle.
Other great sections include a guide to turtle parts (Carapace-top
shell, an outgrowth of bone), turtle crafts ( Turtle Eggs uses walnuts
shells as newly hatched turtles), a guide to the turtle species of
Maine, and an article about what you can do to help turtle conservation.
"1. Keep wild turtles in the wild. Don't collect pond turtles
for pets. Observe and enjoy them in their natural habitat."
http://www.gma.org/turtles/
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National
Geographic: Great Turtle Race
The Great Turtle Race is a two-week 3,700 mile migration from the
"foraging grounds in the frigid waters of Canada to nesting beaches
on the sun-soaked shores of the Caribbean" that began on April
9, 2009. National Geographic follows eleven tagged leatherback sea
turtles with satellite tracking devices, and shares the data in an
easy-to-enjoy format. Meet the racers, learn more about leatherback
turtles, peruse the photo gallery, and watch the turtles' progress
from Canada to South America.
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/greatturtlerace.html
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Pet
Turtle
"Turtles can make great pets if they are cared for properly,
and we hope this website can help you decide whether or not a turtle
is the right pet for you." The care, feeding, and breeding of
turtles and tortoises are covered with articles and a lively discussion
board. Visit to share your turtle experience and photos with other
turtle enthusiasts, to post your own questions, or to learn from other
turtle hobbyists. For links to lots of turtle care sheets (species-specific
pet care summaries) look for the sticky posts (entries that don't
scroll off the discussion board) at the top of the Caresheets forum.
http://www.petturtle.com/
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Sue
Sue is the largest, most complete, and best preserved
Tyrannosaurus rex. She was discovered by fossil hunter Sue Hendrickson
in 1990, in the badlands of South Dakota.
http://www.fmnh.org/sue/default.htm
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The
Common Snapping Turtle
As the name suggests, this is one turtle that
commands respect. When disturbed, it does not hesitate to defend itself,
but will strike with amazing speed and force. Because it is a large
animal, its powerful jaws are capable of tearing flesh quite badly.
http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/Biology/Harbour/SPECIES/TURTLE/SNAP/SNAP.HTM
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Turtle
Puddle: Kids Questions About Turtles
"Q. How many kinds of turtles are there? A. About 270 (and still
counting.)" The folks at Turtle Puddle have created a Q and A
page just for kids that includes links to external turtle sites. A
few of those links are broken (sigh!) but I liked the concept enough
to include them here anyway. The rest of site is also kid-friendly,
and includes lots of information about turtle car, turtle anatomy,
and turtle health issues. "Q. Can turtles hear? Do they have
ears? A. Yes, and yes."
http://www.turtlepuddle.org/kidspage/questions.html
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| The
Sky |
Auroras:
Paintings in the Sky
Far north in the night sky, a faint glow appears on the horizon. Green
and red flames of light stretch across the sky. A glowing curtain of
light forms, waving and swirling above you. As the lights fade away
the dark night closes over you once again.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/auroras/index.html
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Blizzard
Attack: Winter Safety
Winter Weather Safety Rules! How to stay safe this winter!
http://weathereye.kgan.com/expert/blizzard/WinterSafe.html
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Comets and Meteor
Showers
The Comets and Meteor Showers WWW site is yet
another labor of love of mine. Utilizing material from my various writings
(both published and unpublished), as well as material I routinely gather
to assist my observing, I have tried to construct a very informative
and useful site on the WorldWideWeb.
http://comets.amsmeteors.org/
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Eclipse
Home Page
"Welcome to the Eclipse Home Page at the NASA/GSFC Sun-Earth Connection
Education Forum. This web site is continually expanding and strives
to be the ultimate resource for online information about eclipses."
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html
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Eyes
on the Sky, Feet on the Ground
Welcome to our collection of children's online
astronomy activities. In the following six chapters are hundreds of
fun explorations into astronomy as a classroom tool for learning how
to theorize, experiment, and analyze data. The activities are fully
illustrated and contain detailed, step-by-step instructions as well
as suggested discussion topics. This book is lots of fun for teachers
and students alike. This site contains the complete text and graphics
of the collection along with related links, a table of contents, an
explanation of how to use this book, and email links to the authors.
We do hope you enjoy these adventures in astronomy as much as we enjoyed
designing them.
http://hea-www.harvard.edu/ECT/the_book/index.html
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One Sky Many Voices
The mission of the One Sky, Many Voices Project
is to create innovative, inquiry-based K-12 weather curricula that utilize
current technologies such as CD-ROMs and the World Wide Web for the
interactive study of current weather and air quality. Students, teachers,
parents and scientists can participate from classrooms, homes, after-school
programs or other educational settings.
http://osmv.soe.umich.edu/
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SkyView
- The Internet's Virtual Telescope
SkyView
is a Virtual Observatory on the Net generating images of any part of
the sky at wavelengths in all regimes from Radio to Gamma-Ray.
http://skyview.gsfc.nasa.gov/
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Snow
Crystals
Stunning designer snow crystal galleries, a historical photo collection
and tips on photographing snow crystals make this site breathtaking
to browse. Learn about different types of snow crystals, and watch movies
that show them growing at different temperatures
http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals
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All About Snow
All About Snow brings you, well, everything about snow.
http://www.nsidc.org/snow/
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