General News

Flatworms are some of the most colorful marine creatures. Their spectacular colors and patterns can be eye popping. Scuba divers and tide-poolers love to take pictures of them for good reason; they are dazzling.These ferocious predators are found in all habitats, feeding on tunicates, small crustaceans, worms, and molluscs. Some species have coloration that mimics other animals or acts like camouflage. But most are very colorful and easy to see. This is an example of warning coloration (called aposematism), advertising that the flatworms are poisonous to eat. Some species contain tetrodotoxin: the same poison found in a number of other poisonous creatures, including puffer fish, some species of  frogs and the blue-ringed octopus.

In 2015 a “blob” of warm water, combined with a strong El Niño created extra warm water in the Monterey Bay and slowed the growth of giant kelp. This warming caused sea urchins, who typically thrived in their niches, to proactively search for kelp instead of waiting for it to drift by. This all created what is known as sea urchin barrens.   

Visit us at booth #2841The first 20 middle school science teachers who visit our booth will WIN a Tree of Life Poster!(Contest runs every morning of the conference)

Image

Image

Visit us at NSTA conference on science education in Salt Lake City. We'll be giving away 5 Tree of Life Posters to the first visitors of our booth 205. October 24–26, 2019 - Salt Palace Convention CenterSee you in the Beehive State! 

WOW! We're overwhelmed by your words of support for Shape of Life. We had teachers from all over the world let us know how they use Shape of Life resources in their classrooms.While everyone is a winner in our book, we had to limit the ‘Winners’ of our popular Ray Troll Tree of Life poster to twenty five. Fear not, we’ll definitely hold another contest soon.In the meantime…We Wish A Hearty Congratulations to our 2019 Shape of Life Poster Contest Winners!

September 7 - 11, 2019 AZA Annual Conference in New OrleansOctober 24 - 26, 2019NSTA Regional Conference in Salt Lake City