Clean Ocean Advocate, April 2006
Coastal Creature Feature
February’s Creature Feature was the Atlantic Brant, a smaller cousin of the Canada goose. Atlantic brant mate for life, unless one mate is lost. Brant winter in large flocks along the Atlantic Coast from Massachusetts to North Carolina, however, a whopping 70% of the population winters in New Jersey. The brant will be leaving New Jersey to breed in the Artic in mid-May.
April’s Creature Feature gets its name from the dark instrument-shaped pattern that is on the back of its coat. This creature is most commonly found in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, but has been known to go as far south as Virginia. Newborn pups have a pure white coat and are very photgenic. To enter for a chance to win a COA T-shirt, send your guess by mail, fax, or e-mail (PO Box 505, Sandy Hook, NJ 07732; FAX 732-872-8041; Education@CleanOceanAction.org).
(Coastal Creature Feature appears every other month in the Clean Ocean Advocate.)
