McMurdo Station in Antarctica, is set up for science and research much of which is based in the Crary Science Center here. On Sunday afternoons, they offer a guided tour and so the afternoon of my 40th Birthday, I toured the lab including a “touch tank.”
The Ross Sea – which we border at McMurdo – is home to some odd biology that draws divers into these frigid waters. Occasionally, they bring up a few creatures and some lucky folks get to touch them. In the tank this Sunday were several shrimp, sea stars, sea spider, a weird snail, a few corals, and a gigantic sea louse. These things are usually too small to see without a microscope, but in the cold waters off Antarctica, they and many other creatures grow to much larger sizes. This guy was about the size of my hand.
Oh, I wore the princess crown on a bet since it was my birthday. Walked around station for a while, and at lunch, with it on. The folk here are so eclectic that several didn’t think it was strange to wear it…
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