Did you get a chance to see the Plesiosaurus we had on exhibit for April Fool’s day? It was amazing!
Four flipper-like appendages propel it through the water, while a long neck, snakelike head, and wide mouth armed with sharp teeth make it perfectly adapted to catching soft-bodied mollusks and small bony fishes. Some scientists have suggested that plesiosaurs had social family structures similar to whales and dolphins, and this made it a perfect addition to the Monterey Bay Aquarium—for one day only!
17th May 2012
Reblogged From montereybayaquarium
Notes: 258
Our Newest Otter Pup Gets an A-Plus on Exhibit
Imagine that you’re a 10-week-old sea otter pup on exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. What do you do all day, while hundreds of happy faces press against the window?
Actually, your job is pretty simple, and consists of two main things: eat and grow.
Fortunately, it turns out that rescued otter number 572, who went on exhibit February 14, excels in both of these areas. He’s consuming shrimp, clams and squid, and now weighs almost 16 pounds. A small laceration—which we think came from a shark—is healing nicely.
Along the way, 572 has developed a great relationship with his companion, Joy, who happens to be an expert in all things otter pup. In her 13 years she’s helped raise 16 young sea otters, many of whom we have returned to the wild, where they’ve gone on to raise pups of their own. This grande dame of sea otter moms must be doing something right.
In addition to eating and growing, the young pup is doing some extracurricular work in the form of ice chewing and vigorously playing with enrichment toys like ice, Frisbees and balls. When he’s not jumping for joy, he’s jumping on Joy. The two like to wrestle and groom each other, which is a good practice for any sea otter, since well-groomed fur helps ensure it can withstand Monterey Bay’s chilly waters.
The pup will be with us for a while longer, but isn’t able to go back to the wild. He’ll find a permanent home later this year at another accredited public aquarium in the U.S.
You can see otter 572 on exhibit now, or via our live web cam!
Remember our popular sea otter pup, Kit? She’s back on exhibit and she’s not so little anymore, weighing about 48 pounds! She’ll be two years old in January. You can view her on our live webcam with Toola and Joy!
Stanley Park has many things to offer, but a family favourite has always been the Vancouver Aquarium. A non-profit that focuses on conservation and providing learning tools regarding aquatic life to the public, the Vancouver Aquarium has been in operation since 1956.
When you walk towards the…
By Bernard Ducros, General manager of Danone Waters Asia
Harvesting with care a natural resource is not that simple. When it has to do with water in an environment which suffers from dryness several months every year it becomes highly sensitive. Moreover even if 26% of Aqua belongs to the founder’s family, Aqua Danone remains a foreign company.
Our approach has been to demonstrate that wherever Aqua operates, local communities have better access to water and by working together we can consolidate the long term sustainability of the resources. Easy to say and yet very challenging to achieve. Let’s say it’s simply a necessary condition to be “able to operate”, and it has become a full part of Aqua’s operational business model.
Hybridized “FLOWERHORN” CICHLID posted by pantherlax
Flowerhorn cichlids are ornamental aquarium fish noted for their vivid colors and the distinctively shaped heads for which they are named. Their head protuberance, or kok, is formally termed a “nuchal hump.” Like blood parrot cichlids, they are man-made hybrids that do not exist in nature. First developed in Malaysia and Taiwan, they are now kept by fish hobbyists worldwide. Some critics have questioned the impact of flowerhorn breeding programs.
As of 1999, there were four strains of flowerhorn available in the American market: regular flowerhorns, pearl scale flowerhorns (wite spots shown), golden flowerhorns, and faders. Commercial breeders proliferated, and fish were selected for appearance with little regard for terminology. Consequently, names became confusing and parentage became difficult to track.
Around 2000–2001, the Kamfa variety appeared. These hybrids of flowerhorn crossed with any species of the genus Vieja or with any parrot cichlid. These brought in some new traits, such as short mouths, wrapped tails, sunken eyes, and increasingly larger head bumps. Seeing this, those who bred the Zhen Zhus began line breeding their fish to develop faster and become more colorful, in order to compete with the Kamfa strains.
2010 Many states have started their own breeding organizations. Minnesota stands out as one of the leaders in flowerhorn breeding in the United States due to so many hobbyists importing fish regularly.
More plus a gallery of breeds here and here
Fact Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flowerhorn_cichlid
Other photos you may like:
(Source: terrell)
Right so a couple of months ago I tried marbling my nails a few times and it was rubbish, and I decided to just give up. But today I had painted my nails white and just thought “WHY NOT?!”. It worked out pretty well, although I think it takes some getting used to, be warned though, it’s very,…
A very Nautical setting!
- Camera: Canon EOS-1D Mark II
- Aperture: f/18
- Exposure: 1.6"
- Focal Length: 37mm
looking at fish
looking at fish
