Week 2- Great Kills Park

On February 10th, 2023, at 2:36 pm, I visited Great Kills Park on Staten island with my class. On this day, the weather was about 58 degrees Fahrenheit and it was very sunny, with winds about 20 mph. This picture was taken on the tidal pool near the beachy area of the park. At this time, the tidal pools were at low tide and I was able to observe clusters of Atlantic Ribbed Mussels (Geukensia demissa). These mollusks range in color from brown to black and have ribbed shells with iridescent blue to silvery white interiors. They reside in often tidal marshes and mudflats, where they use mucus strands released by byssal glands to adhere to the underside of grasses and to one another. I found it interesting that they live together in very high quantities.

Posted on February 22, 2023 09:52 PM by mariamg710