Blake Chapman is passionate about marine conservation. Photo courtesy of The University of Queensland.
BY DR BLAKE CHAPMAN
How lucky are we to call the Bayside home! If you’re anything like me, you take every chance to spend time near the water. This would give you great glimpses of marine animals – birds, crabs, possibly some fish, and even the occasional turtle or dugong if you’re lucky.
But what you see and experience this way barely scratches the surface of the amazing diversity of life that lies beneath the waves. In addition to our sea-lebrities, like dolphins, sharks and whales, the oceans hold more unusual and fantastical creatures than you could ever imagine.
Some of these animals are really clever; others have mastered the art of disguise. Some are downright disgusting, and then there are those that are just really big! What is your favourite ocean animal? More so, have you ever considered what you can do to help protect these animals and their salty home?
For kids who’d like to discover more about these amazing marine animals, Little Gnome Bookstore at Wynnum has copies of my children’s book, Ocean Animals: The Weirdest, Smartest and Sneakiest Sea Creatures available now. I’ll be there signing copies and asking you personally what your favourite ocean animal is on Saturday 19 June at 10:00am – please come by and say hello!
Blake Chapman has a passion for helping people to better understand, appreciate and conserve marine animals. She has published two books: Ocean Animals: The Weirdest, Smartest and Sneakiest Sea Creatures, and Shark Attacks: Myths, Misunderstandings and Human Fear. Both are published by CSIRO Publishing.
