On 24th June, the Year 12 Biology class went down to the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre at Portobello for the day.

For the first part of the day we looked at the different types of marine life found at the shore and how they get their food, like filter feeders, grazers and predators. We also dissected a cancer crab and looked into all its internal organs which was very interesting. After lunch we spent the rest of the afternoon down at the shore, starting an investigation of the variety of marine life at different levels of the inter tidal zone. We did this by splitting off into smaller groups and being randomly given a place along the shore to gather our data. Each group used a transect line and a quadrant to sample the shore, counting and recording how many of each different species was in each sample. This showed us the different types of species living at different parts of the shore. Overall, this was a really fun and interesting day.

By Abby McMullan