Today we visited the Bimini Biological Feild Station, a shark lab in South Bimini. We're still not used to walking on land, so we found ourselves swaying while we were in there.

Emily showed us how the shark lab tracks the sharks they find for their research. Some are tracked using a microchip similar to the ones our cats and dogs. If found, they can be scanned and identified. Other sharks might be tagged or have an expensive chip, an SUR or Submersive Ultrasonic Responder. We also got to see and touch a snake! The species was indigenous to the Bahamas and probably the most calm snake I have ever seen.

We walked around to the Shark Lab's backyard, very shallow water. Emily walked in to a fenced area where some lemon sharks and a nurse shark were swimming around. Contrary to popular belief, these sharks DIDN'T automatically think she was dinner! Emily was able to hold a lemon shark and calmly show us some of the basic anatomy and some cool stuff unique to them. [Check out video of last year's Sea TURTLE visit to the shark lab here.]


When she turned the shark bellyside-up, he turned very calm, almost sleepy. We got to touch the sharks gently and feel their dermal dentacles. (Sharks have millions of itty-bitty teeth on their skin. It feels like sandpaper!)

When we got back on the boat, Lulu and I hosted a jeopardy game using some of the things we learned at the Shark Lab. The team names were "Shark Attack" and "Bahamarleys." It got REALLY competitive... [And was followed by the Foot Olympics, according to Tommy's play-by-play post.]

Thanks for showing us around the Shark Lab, Emily!
I'm having so much fun here but I miss you, Mom and Dad! I'll be home soon.
-Jessica