aa aa pe a a SR

LIFE ON THE ROCKS cont'd

 

When I peel down to the jelly
fish T-shirt, you can bet I’m going
to talk on jelly fish next."

With a Master’s degree in zool-
ogy and as owner of Tidelines
Enterprises, a marine education
company, Olenick has spent
many hours studying the fascinat-
ing and often amusing habits of
sea creatures.

Take sea anemones for example,
says Olenick; they look like
beautiful and harmless flowers of
the sea—but if you're a plankton
or mussel, don’t get too close.
Each one of the anemone’s lacey-
like "blossoms" is made up of
thousands of stinging cells that
function like tiny harpoons. The
inside of each cell contains a long,
coiled thread with a barb on the
end. When the anemone senses
an enemy, or dinner, it fires its
‘harpoons.’

In tropical waters, these har-
pooning flowers are highly ap-
preciated by the enterprising
boxer crab who carries around
small anemones in his claws to
use aS weapons.

Sea slugs also like anemones—
they eat them, digesting all parts
but the stinging cells which they
store in projections on their back
and use for their own self defense.

Some varieties of sea anemones
are known for their ‘wars.’ These
anemones reproduce by dividing
in two. Eventually they divide
enough times to create a whole
mat of genetically identical
anemones. Not far away may be
another mat created by another
dividing anemone. Between the
two groups is a ‘neutral zone.’
The border anemones develop
special defense mechanisms
which swell up when touched.
"Basically, if the enemy gets too
close, the guard anemone just

rears back and then wacks him,"
explains Olenick. "There’s a lot of
amazing behavior from these
things that look more like plants."

Another odd creature to be
studied in the course is the ribbon
worm—a long, thin, elastic-like
worm which stretches from 20 cm
to 100 cm in length as it travels
along. It uses its barbed probos-
cis to lasso and strangle dinner.

"I had one lasso my little finger
once and it was so tight it was cut-
ting the circulation off," recalls
Olenick.

"A common sea creature which
everyone likes to catch is the rock
fish. But most people don’t real-
ize that these fish grow very slow-
ly. Big ones can be 100 years old,"
says Olenick.

Also to be examined in the
course are some of the out-of-the-
norm habits of sea creatures like
the pipe fish, a relative of the sea
horse.

"The female lays her eggs in a
pouch on the belly of the male
and he incubates them—now
that’s a little different," says
Olenick.

A favorite of Olenick when she
is diving is the wolf eel.

"They can be eight feet in length
and have a huge head with giant
teeth. They look terribly in-
timidating, but are really gentle
monsters. Divers have tamed
some, and they love to be petted.
They have powerful jaws and
crunch sea urchins-spines and all.
You don’t want to put your
fingers between their jaws."

The course Saltwater Strangers
is ideal for beachcombers, kyack-
ers, divers or anyone interested in
learning more about our tidal
creatures, says Olenick.

 

No previous knowledge is re-
quired, and children are welcome
to come along on the field trip.

‘Living in the Lower Mainland,
near the sea, we have such an in-
credible opportunity to see and
learn about marine life here. The
course will give you basic rules
and norms about B.C. sea life
which you can apply to other
waters you may visit—like a
Hawaiian coral reef."

Saltwater Strangers: B.C.
Marine Life runs Thursday even-
ings September 22, 29 and Oc-
tober 6 with a field trip Sunday,
September 25. For more informa-
tion call Douglas College’s Com-
munity Programs and Services at
520-5477. To register call 520-
5472.

 

FALL 8&8
GRADUATION

pre is cordially invited to
attend the Fall 1988 Gradua-
tion Ceremony to be held in the
Performing Arts Theatre, October
6, 1988 at 1930 hours.

Faculty and staff wishing to at-
tend the ceremony are requested
to meet in room 3304 at 1900
hours to be part of the proces-
sional.

Asmall reception, honouring
the graduates, will be held in the
Theatre Foyer at the end of the
program. This reception is hosted
by the Student Society.

 

 

Mad Hatter 3