Learning about endangered species on Gigha with our Island Ranger by Rowan, Sofia, Elliott, Ezme, Henry, Ralph and Ewan.
We went to Twin Beaches on Friday because we wanted to see if we could find creatures which are endangered. Ralph said “Endangered means there are not many of them left.” We learnt about Flapper Skates and Basking Sharks because they are nearly extinct and we wanted to know how we could help them. We learnt that Basking Sharks eat plankton which is found in the ocean. “Plankton are tiny little creatures which live in the ocean and float around. Basking Sharks eat plankton by sucking them up. Then their gills filter them. The water comes out of their gills and the plankton goes into the sharks digestive system” reported Rowan.
The other creature which is endangered is a Flapper Skate which is the most endangered fish in Scotland. Elliott said “They are like a stingray and they live at the bottom of the sea. They eat crabs and lobsters.” “They crush their shell with their mouth then suck the meat into their mouths and eat them” said Ezme. Henry found a crab claw which we think may have been eaten by a Flapper Skate.
The P3-6 pupils also learnt about plankton. Sofia said “We took a plastic bottle cut in half then cut some tights and attached it to make a net. Then we collected plankton in the bottle net and had a look at it through the plastic bottle. It looked like teeny tiny dots.” Ezme thought they looked like tiny raindrops but in the ocean.
Ralph would like to try and use a net to catch fish next time he goes to the beach and Sofia would like to catch a Dog Shark. Elliott would like to learn about different endangered species on Gigha and Ezme has asked to do a beach clean at Twin Beaches.
Friday because we wanted to see if we could find creatures which are endangered. Ralph said “Endangered means there are not many of them left.” We learnt about Flapper Skates and Basking Sharks because they are nearly extinct and we wanted to know how we could help them. We learnt that Basking Sharks eat plankton which is found in the ocean. “Plankton are tiny little creatures which live in the ocean and float around. Basking Sharks eat plankton by sucking them up. Then their gills filter them. The water comes out of their gills and the plankton goes into the sharks digestive system” reported Rowan.
The other creature which is endangered is a Flapper Skate which is the most endangered fish in Scotland. Elliott said “They are like a stingray and they live at the bottom of the sea. They eat crabs and lobsters.” “They crush their shell with their mouth then suck the meat into their mouths and eat them” said Ezme. Henry found a crab claw which we think may have been eaten by a Flapper Skate.
The P3-6 pupils also learnt about plankton. Sofia said “We took a plastic bottle cut in half then cut some tights and attached it to make a net. Then we collected plankton in the bottle net and had a look at it through the plastic bottle. It looked like teeny tiny dots.” Ezme thought they looked like tiny raindrops but in the ocean.
Ralph would like to try and use a net to catch fish next time he goes to the beach and Sofia would like to catch a Dog Shark. Elliott would like to learn about different endangered species on Gigha and Ezme has asked to do a beach clean at Twin Beaches.