Aquarium

I was 4 years old when I first went to the aquarium. Personally, I don’t like animals – especially flying, swimming ones. I was crying in every single photo my parents took in the aquarium. I was scared that those scary sharks and fish would come out and bite me. For these reasons, this trip seemed to be not as exciting for me. However, the merit of getting to skip all of my classes for free while hanging out with friends was too great of a chance to miss, so I decided to come.

However, I was depressed by the first sight of the aquarium. It had no “presence”, in contrast to the Korean aquarium I have visited before, which had overwhelming amounts of presence, and seemed ginormous (13 years ago point of view). The series of depression came no more as I explored and ventured my ways into the aquarium. From start to finish, I was more or less hugely entertained by countless invertebrates, vertebrates that were kept in the tank. The aquarium has offered me many reflections on how every small organism plays a big role in its own environment, and also how important it is to not conserve the environment the way it is. Small anemones are essential for some fish and coral reef formation. Importance of a small fish called Arctic Cod cannot be overly emphasized due to its relationship with other fish, seabirds, seals and whales that eat it. Even small worms have its own job of cleaning the ocean floor. 

After a tiresome, but fun exploration of the aquarium, I took the advice from Ms.Iannone by going to the afternoon marine lab. The first station was very boring – I slept through the half of it. I just did not buy into carefully observing sea snails. Nevertheless, I felt kind of lucky that I got moved into a different group than my friend’s, because my instructor was really informative and passionate. Although I hated the first part of my lab, I was delighted that I could touch super cool fish on the next station. Our instructor told us many things including how sea stars (not fish she over exaggerated how “seastars” aren’t star“fish”) can grow up to 30 something legs, how anemones deadly stings do not affect human at all, and a symbiotic relationship of hermit crabs and anemones; hermit crabs put sea anemones on their shells to scare organisms, and anemones benefits by getting to digest fragments of hermit crab’s meals. I touched anemones, clams, and starfish. I could not dare to touch sea cucumbers and crabs, which I hugely regret.

            

In the aquarium, I could notice lots of cnidarians and poriferans in the aquarium. Jellyfish, caught my attention as I came into the aquarium. I reminded to my fellow classmates that these were THE cnidarians we have learned in class. I could just identify straight away that the jellyfish was a schyphozoa, because it was motile, tentacles faced down, and it looked like the jellyfish (if not the same) in the notes we took. There were at least one kind of polyps and sponges in every fish tank – including the “burrowing anemone” which was misleading because they do not actually burrow, but is sessile just like any other polyps. There is an old Korean saying: “You see as much as you know”. If only I learned about flatworms prior to this trip, I would have seen them, but I saw none. However, now that I have learned about jellyfish, anemones and sponges, I finally know what spongebob and its background (pink and green flowers) truly represent.

         

I think the whole purpose of this trip was to get me and our classmates prior knowledge on our next learning materials. I found it very helpful this way, since I am very excited to learn about marine creatures than, ever. I enjoyed this trip, and was one of the best field trip I have been into.

AQUARIUM SCAVENGER HUNT

1. "Nemo" and its eggs depend on sea anemones for protection.
-description from aquarium itself/ picture not by me.

2/3. Otters spend much time cleaning their coats
because, by cleaning Fur, it insulates by trapping
tiny air bubbles and keeping a layer of warm air
between the water and skin.
Before 1900's, we could find a continuous pop of
sea otters extending from Alaska to California
- Aquarium description

4. These anemones are far away from the sea
otters tank. I couldn't find any anemones near
sea otters at all. However, I found this beautiful
anemones in Vancouver Aquarium, which colours
are distorted by colour of blue light.

5. My favourite invertebrate was Japanese
Pacific Jellies. Mainly because I knew it was
cnidairian - Schyphozoa that we got to learn in class.

6. A lady is feeding a Quila Beluga. A scientific
name for the beluga is "Delphinapterus leucas"
There are two, Quila and aurora

7. I found spotted seahorses, but not potbelly seahorses in the aquarium.
 Nevertheless, potbelly seahorses uses fins to swim and could move
50 times a second, but they are not fast.
-picture not taken by me

8. uh… for me belugas looked weird enough to look like a human nerve system.

9. Starry flounder is flat – much like the stingray/ it is less spotted
by the predators. It also camouflages well with its environment.
-picture not taken by me

10. These are moon jellies. Moon jellies slow
jet-propulsion with their tentacles and their
bells. They attract plankton by colenterons
that lets plankton stick onto their tentacles.

11. I didn’t get to see the octopus. However, Pacific octopus’
white suction cups serve as their utensils, they hold and
 tightening their prey. They are known as the nature’s best
 predators as it is very good at disguising itself.
-picture not taken by me

12. I also didn’t get to see the sea lions. Adult Steller sea lions
 eat a wide variety of fishes, including Pacific herring, pollock, salmon, cod,
and rockfishes. They also eat octopus and some squids. On average,
an adult Steller sea lion eats about six percent of its body weight each day.
-picture not taken by me

13/14. Yacare Caimans: They are from
South America. Their colours are dark black
which camouflages to its environment. It also
did not move for a whole 5 minutes when I was
observing it.
- description from aquarium

15. Arapaima is the largest fish in the aquarium
with an astounding record of 3m!
-description from aquarium

16. Tambaqui has strong enough teeth to crush nuts and seeds
 and actually live off from it.
-picture not taken by me/ description from aquarium

17. When people are removing hook from a piranha’s mouth is
when the piranha becomes a biggest threat to humans.
-picture not taken by me/ description from aquarium

18. sharks are too fast for me// They have no
bones, but instead they have cartilages. 

19. Turtles, stingray, Laced Moray Snapper, Butterflyfish, angelfish, and sergeant were all found in the

shark tank.

21. Archerfish finds their prey by ambushing their prey – which are
mainly insects. They shoot a stream of water with such force
 that knocks the insect unconscious (or not), which then they fall off into water.
-picture not taken by me

20. The Giant Red Sea Urchin has its spiky spines to protect itself from various predators. Its scientific name is “Strongylocentrotus franciscanus”
-picture not taken by me

22. The scientific name of the Sea Turtle is “Chelonia mydas” otherwise known as Green Sea Turtle.
-picture not taken by me