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The Leviathan chasing escape pods in
the Disney movie Atlantis: The Lost Empire |
Have you ever wondered what could be lurking below the waves? How about what could be on the ocean floor? For me, these questions have lead me to where I am today. It all started back when I was around 4 or 5 years old. My mother brought home a couple of VHS's (pretty old tech right?) from the local wall mart and among those was a Disney movie called Atlantis: The Lost Empire. At first I had no clue what the movie was going to be about. As soon as the movie started up I was transported into a mystical world of underwater civilization and fantastic creature. My mind began to wonder if all of this could really be out there. Was it all true? Could it be possible for it to remain undiscovered?
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| Greenland shark smiles for the camera! |
After watching this movie for hours on end I became fascinated with the idea of being the explorer to find this lost city, if it did exist. In the movie they state that the shepherds journal, the book containing the map to Atlantis, was found off the coast of Iceland so naturally that was the first place that I started looking for evidence. In my research I came across an animal that grabbed my attention, the Greenland Shark. At first I couldn't understand how such a slow moving creature was able to be a predator. The more I researched the more I learned and eventually I found out that Greenland Sharks are bottom feeders.
Unfortunately, it's extremely hard to study Greenland Sharks down here in Florida so I have to go for the next best thing, rays. Rays are very similar to sharks in that they are both cartilaginous fish. They both also have ampullae of lorenzini which are small receptors located around the shark's head that can detect minute electrical signals generated by the contracting of muscles. My plan for my IRP is to test to see if the ampullae of lorenzini react the same way to magnets as it does in sharks. With this information I can find a safe alternative to keep rays and sharks out of swinzones without using a net. The nets cause a problem because the sharks, rays, and other marine life can get tangled in them a die. I would like to provide an alternative to nets that keeps both humans and marine life safe.
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| Shark stuck in fisherman's net |
Rachel!--Interesting! I must remind you. When using new terms such as e.g., 'ampullae of lorenzini'--please bold the words and then provide a brief description or definition. You will certainly have many blog readers--including myself--who have no clue what this is! Remember, you are writing for your audience!! Otherwise--REALLY looking forward to your IRP!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reminder Dr. Woodall. I will be sure to make a note of this in my field journal for future reference. The ampullae of lorenzini are receptors located around a shark’s head that can detect minute electrical signals generated by the contacting of muscles. This helps the sharks and rays locate prey that is either in distress or buried under the sand.
DeleteRachel--it might be helpful to future readers if you go back into this post and edit it to include the explanation. Would you mind doing this? If you need help--ask either me or Brent.
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