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Thick-Billed Parrot | Sirena Chu

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The Thick-Billed Parrot ( Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha ) By Sirena Chu INTRODUCTION TO THE THICK-BILLED PARROT The Thick-Billed Parrot   ( Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha ) is native to the United States and Mexico. It is one of only two parrot species found in the United States, the other being the Carolina Parakeet which went extinct in 1918. They prefer to live in higher elevations, and are currently found most often in the pine forests of northern Mexico, camoflauging perfectly with its apple-green feathers. Due to this choice of habitat, they are also known as snow parrots or cold-weather parrots. They currently inhabit nearly the entire length of the Sierra Madre Occidental, which uncoincidentally, is one of the most important timber producing sites in Mexico. Thick-Billed parrots depend immensely on these forests for both food and for their nesting sites, as their diet consists mainly of the seeds of several species of pine such as the Mexican White Pine, Dur
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White Abalone - Peter Bronge

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White Abalone Haliotis Sorenseni    Algal bloom along California coast Abalone "foot"                                          Description & Ecology The White Abalone is a large sea mollusk native to the California coast and is a member of the Haliotidae family. Their most notable physical characteristic is their large, convex shell that homes the organism and protects it from predators. These humongous sea snails make a living by gripping onto rocky surfaces with their large foot-like muscle and then feeding off of the algae that surrounds them. Abalone play an important role in the marine ecosystem by keeping levels of algae at bay - areas where abalone populations have declined are shown to suffer from very high populations of algae. These algal blooms cause oceanic dead zones, virtually killing or driving away any life that was currently there. Incidences of harmful algal blooms have increased along the California coast since
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Hawksbill Turtle -Maeve Calanog

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Hawksbill sea turtle Eretmochelys imbricata By Maeve Calanog Description and Ecology of Organism: Hawksbill sea turtle, named for it’s sharp, hawk-like beak and narrow head, is one of seven of the worlds sea turtles. Hawksbill sea turtle is thought to be the most beautiful sea turtle because of it’s colorful shell. It’s odd head shape enables them to reach into cracks of coral reef to scavenge for food. Hawksbill sea turtle have a very specialized diet, mainly consisting of sponges. The sponges are toxic to most animals but hawksbill’s are immune to the toxins, allowing for limited competition. Due to their sponge diet, the flesh of these turtles is  actually harmful to humans. Consumption of their flesh can cause serious illness and possibly death. There is a trophic cascade between the Hawksbill sea turtle and coral reefs. Hawksbills play a key role for coral reefs as they manage the sponge population. Without this control sponges could overgrow coral and suffocate the re
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