Thursday, September 13,1979

The Herald And The Lantern

Seashore Encounters

By Steptirri-Gabrie! •Staff Assistant City of Ocean City

Animals of the Beach Protray All Walks

Of Life

by Kathy Goddard (Editor’s Note: Ms. Goddard is writing a guest article for SEASflORE ENCOUNTERS this week. She alternately authored the SEASHORE ENCOUNTERS articles last summer, and taught the Ocean City Department of Recreation's children’s seashore ecology program during the summers of 1976, 1977, and 1978. Kathy is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Marine Biology from Buc knell University) "That’s neat, what is it?" So many times visitors strolling along the sands find odd looking creatures, but are uncertain as to what they are or what they do. Indeed, the life story of many beach animals is just as fascinating as their appearance. Take for instance, the clam. The clam begins life microscopic in size, floating aimlessly in the waves, until the time comes for him to settle to the bottom, dig in the sand , and form a shell. The clam builds his (or her) shell by removing calcium from seawater by a chemical reaction. Our skeleton is made of the same material. However, the clam, like other invertebrate (backboneless) animals, has his skeleton on the outside rather than the inside. Clams feed by filtering and collecting tiny particles of food from the seawater. There are a few types of clams on the beaches in the South Jersey area. Those with a purple patch inside of their shells are called "quahogs" From these shells local Indians made beads which they used for jewelry and for money. The purple beads, of course, were the more valuable.

The shells of the mussell are also commonly found by beachcombers. Mussels are increasing in popularity in the United States because they are delicious cooked in a variety of ways. TWiy are found by the thousands attached to the rock jetties on the beaches, and they also form tremendous beds on the sands offshore. Mitosels have a gland in their foot which produces the sticky string that they use t^ attach to rocks or other hard substrates In the same group as the clams and the mussels is the bay scallop. These black or red ridged shells are found on our beaches all year around. The scallop has many eyes, called ocelli, right along the inside edge of the shell. They are often brilliant deep blue in color. To escape from danger, a scallop can flip and swim a short distance by quickly flapping its shells The gentle touch of the leg of a starfish to a scallop's shell will scare him into flight, for shellfish are the starfish's favorite food.

There are some interesting facts about the starfish too. How many eyes does he have? He has one at the tip of each leg. The round dot in the center of his body is a nose-like structure, through which the starfish wraps his legs around the shell, and attaches to it by the tiny suction-cup feet which cover the underside of each leg. He pulls and pulls, sometimes for many hours, until the shellfish gives up and opens. And yes, a starfish can grow back a leg if he loses on*.

them. The ghost crab is a relative of the blue crab, which is of course, the delicious crab which can be caught in our bays. They are more distantly related to horse shoe crabs and spiders. The animals described above are among the many fascinating creatures that inhabit the seas. Many are useful to man as food, others may produce materials used as preservatives, or even as medicines. Along with the fun of surf and sand, they contribute to the beauty of our seashore, and the necessity to preserve them for future generations.

I’age 11

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Children building sand castles or digging their toes in the sand often come upon beach worms. They are often green, and manylegged. These critters are relatives of the earthworm. They feed by filtering food from the water like a clam, or by sorting through the sands, as an earthworm does in a garden. Also relatives of clams, mussels, and scallops are the snail, whelk, and oyster drill. Notice through that these shell fish have one shell, instead of two hinged together. These are found more frequently on Jersey Shore beaches in the winter. All three of these animals feed on other animals. The snail and the oyster drill make an acid with which they dissolve a tiny hole into the victim’s shell. The acid is used in combination with a file-like_ tongue which acts as a drill. It may take eight hours for the hole to be completed. It is just large enough for the oyster drill or snail to stick his long straw-like lips into the shell of the victom. The whelk, often mislabeled as a conch, uses the side of his shell like a can opener to pry open a clam. This is why their shells are often broken along the edge when they are found on t^ie beach. Unlit"' the clam, the oystei* drill, snail and whelk do not begin life floating in the seas. They hatch out of egg cases laid on the sea floor, and immediately begin to crawl about. Whelks and snails may grow to several inches in size, while the oyster drill is limited to a maximum length of about

oneince.

A visit to the beach at night may uncover the elusive ghost crab. Ghost crabs livl in burtows high in the sand dunes. Characterized by their ivory color and speedy sideways run, they move down the beach at night to • feed on dead f&h and other things washed up on the beach. lYtey return to the sea only to lay their eggs in the surf. Ghost crabs have large eyek which are held high , above their bodies. They lowey,their eyes, as if to blink, to wipe sand from

Any questions or requests for additional information can be addressed to Kathy Goddard, in care of Room 25,* City Hall, Ocean City, N.J. 08226 or call 399-6111, extension 268. Next week, Steve Gabriel will return with a discussion of blowing beach sand, * rising sea level, and maintaining a stable shoreline.

Girl Scout Leaders Needed Single or married, male or female - if you’d like to help the girls in your community prepare for the future, experience the out-of-doors, and have fun, then you should be a Girl Scout leader! Tlje Girl Scouts need troop leaders to bring their program to the girls in your area. It takes about 4 adults to proride quality programming for 16-20 girls. In some communities, there are lists of girls who want to be Girl Scouts, but can’t until an adult volunteers to be their troop leader. A Girl Scout leader also has many opportunities for her own personal growths Comprehensive adult education courses, outdoor skills workshops and leadership training are just a few bf the Girl Scout programs for adult volunteers. The Holly Shores Girl Scout Council now offers 2 adult education courses/ that grant college credits. ^ If you want to help girls develop self-respect, selfreliance, and leadership skills; if you'd libe to participate Yn a *fun program that gives $ou a chance to grow, call you local Girl Scout representatives today. We can't do it without you! In the Cape May County area, call Joan Koeck at 886-0267 or ’ Andrea McCardell at 399-7218.

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