Fact Files

Blue-footed Booby – Blue Feet, Deep Diver

two blue footed

 

The Blue-footed Booby is a curious bird with unique blue-colored, webbed feet that resides in the tropics, specifically in and around Ecuador. Although it is unknown where the name “Booby” originates, some conjecture it may come from the Spanish word for clown, “bobo”. They are around 32 in (81 cm) long, and weigh about 3 lb (1.5 kg), on average.

 

Snapping Turtle – Aggressive Biter

common

 

There are two kinds of Snapping Turtle: the Common Snapping Turtle and the larger Alligator Snapping Turtle. As its name suggests, the Common Snapping Turtle is more wide-spread and can be found in a large area, from southeastern Canada, to the Rocky Mountains, east as far as Florida and Nova Scotia, and down south as far as Ecuador.

 

King Crab – Alaskan Cold-Water Giants

giant alaskan on the sea floor

 

There are about 120 species of king crab but three types especially of Alaskan king crab that are important to the Alaskan fishing industry. They are the red, the blue and the golden king crab. The most desirable of the three for commercial fishing purposes, is the red king crab. Red king crabs have sweet, tasty meat, due to their size and cold water environment.