Professor Astro Cat's Deep-Sea Voyage

Professor Astro Cat's Deep-Sea Voyage — page 3 — How deep is the ocean GILBERT Why is the ocean blue What is a fish MARTHA Where did all the water come from What are all the animals in this little pool EVIE What is a crab’s shell made of 8

Professor Astro Cat's Deep-Sea Voyage — page 4 — Aloha fellow scientists We’re enjoying some sunshine and surf before our next adventure This time we’re going to get our fur very wet while we learn all about the world’s oceans FELICITY ASTRO MOUSE PROFESSOR ASTRO CAT Most of our big blue planet is covered in water but how much do you know about what’s going on beneath the waves From kelp forests and coral reefs to the seabed and deep-sea vents ocean dwellers live in a vast world Some organisms stay close to the surface and others hide in the darkest depths It’s an incredible wonderland teeming with some of the most fascinating and unique life our planet has to offer and it’s the last place on Earth we have yet to properly explore So what are you waiting for Grab your swimsuit and your diving gear and join me Professor Astro Cat and my clever friends as we set sail on an incredible Deep-Sea Voyage 9

Professor Astro Cat's Deep-Sea Voyage — page 5 — by the shore First stop on our aquatic adventure is the seashore which is what we call areas of land that are right next to the ocean There are many different kinds of shore from sandy or rocky beaches to ocean cliffs and caves and each one is teeming with life These shorelines have their own ecosystems that are unique to the edge of the watery world they connect with WHAT IS SAND Sand is made of rocks or seashells that have been broken down into tiny pieces by the movement of waves You can see this in action if you find a stone or pebble on the beach it will most likely be round and smooth because it has been worn down by rubbing over other pebbles over and over again as the waves come in and out LUGWORM CRAB RAZOR CLAM LIFE UNDER THE ROCKS When you’re at the beach look under a few rocks or dig into the sand to see what’s living there Creatures like crabs clams and worms might hide under rocks or burrow into sand to escape predators like birds In fact the sand under your toes is home to thousands of organisms some so microscopic you can’t even see them MUSSELS ROCKWEED SEA LETTUCE STARFISH SEA URCHIN ANEMONE BARNACLES LIMPETS FIDDLER CRAB RED CRAB HERMIT CRAB 10 TIDE POOLS Every day at different times the tide comes in and out in and out At high tide this whole area is underwater At low tide the water is low enough for us to see lots of creatures and seaweed Sea lettuce to small fish crabs mussels eels or even octopuses are trapped in pools of seawater by rocks and sand A lot of these creatures are quick and good at hiding but with a little patience you never know what you might see

Professor Astro Cat's Deep-Sea Voyage — page 6 — POUNDING WAVES Ocean waves can carry a huge amount of energy and over time their pounding wears away at solid rock This can erode the shoreline causing it to disappear and fall into the ocean This pounding can make cool tunnels called arches and columns of rock called stacks ARCH CELESTIAL PULL We are kept on the ground because the gravity of Earth pulls us down toward it The Sun and Moon also have strong gravitational pulls which cause the ocean to move toward them This makes the tide high when the Moon or Sun is overhead but low when they are farther away High tide Low tide STACK Full moon New moon Low tide High tide DID YOU KNOW Most of the beautiful white sand in Hawaii is actually parrotfish poop They grind dead coral with their super-strong teeth and then pass it through their bodies Depending on the species one parrotfish can produce between 880 pounds to 4 5 tons of sand a year PARROTFISH This is all very cool but where did all this water come from What a fantastic question Gilbert I’ll explain 11

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