This little critter arrived in my e- Inbox yesterday. She looks wary to me; a wistful queen bundled up in her ocean floor sleeping bag.
Apparently water temperatures dropped down to 9 degrees F in Florida Keys this winter - not cold by Antarctic standards but - if you're a semi-tropical creature - reason enough to burrow in till little more than your eyes are showing? Researchers are suggesting that 'at this stage' it looks as though more damage has been done to benthic (bottom-dwelling) creatures in the Keys by the uncharacteristic cold than by the still-seeping oil. But tests are still being done. Results have yet to come in. One thing is certain... the chemical dispersants that have been poured into the sea are (yet another) grave mistake and long-term effects on ocean life are guaranteed and far-reaching.
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I can't help wondering... if she could speak (in a language we could hear), what might this conch say?
