Learn about sea butterflies, a beautiful type of tiny sea snail, in this illustrated children’s book. Created by a group of scholars in disciplines ranging from history and marine biology to engineering and oceanography, the book describes these fascinating organisms, introduces the idea of bioinspiration in engineering, and explores the many different kinds of questions we can ask about the Earth’s oceans.
The book is bilingual, presented side-by-side in Spanish and English. It is written at a third-grade reading level but is designed to be accessible and compelling for children and adults of all ages.
Mariposas Marinas/Sea Butterflies is funded by the National Science Foundation (Awards 1846925 and 2127299) and is published through a partnership between the University of South Florida, Arizona State University’s Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science, and the Center for Science and the Imagination.
To learn more about the book, and to request a set of print copies for your classroom or educational activity, visit mariposasmarinas.com.
About the Creators
Amy Maas (author) is an oceanographer and assistant professor in the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, part of the School of Ocean Futures at Arizona State University. She studies the ecology and morphology of zooplankton, including pteropods like the sea butterfly.
David Murphy (author) is an engineer and associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of South Florida. He studies biological, ecological, and environmental fluid mechanics.
Samm Newton (author, illustrator) is a PhD candidate in the Department of History at University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is an interdisciplinary scholar who studies science and the environment, especially how and why people ask questions about the ocean.
Leocadio Blanco-Bercial (translator) is a marine biologist and assistant professor in the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, part of the School of Ocean Futures at Arizona State University. He studies the ecology and evolution of marine plankton.