Biology 11: Aquarium Trip

On Thursday we went on a trip to the Vancouver Aquarium. I enjoyed this trip immensely. We experienced a Wet Lab, and go to explore the aquarium on our own as well.
The Wet Lab was a great interactive experience. We got to touch a lot of the marine invertebrates that we had learnt about in class.
In class we had't really learnt about the crabs and snails. However we just finished learning about Cnidarians and Profera. Getting to touch the cnidarians was the best. It was my favorite station of the lab. The anemones were sticky and would curl their tentacles around my pinky. It was difficult to take back my finger but fun. The anemones were fascinating. Another fun animal to hold were the sea urchins. The most fascinating were the sea cucumbers. They felt slimy and gooey. We also got to do an interesting experiment with sea snails. We asked the question if they had a sense of gravity. After countless tests we were able to conclude that they do.They were only able to flip back over if they had a rock to assist them. Otherwise there was not enough momentum to do so. Since they were rocking we were able to conclude they do have a sense of gravity.
I really enjoyed the dolphin show because dolphins are my favorite animals. Penguins were another one of my favorites. The jellyfish were my favorite marine invertebrate. I like the Amazon Rain Forest exhibit. It was extremely hot but enjoyable.

From this trip I have learned a lot more about marine invertebrates. Many can be found in waters near British Columbia. Not only did we learn about the animals we got to see them in their natural habitats which was a great way to learn about them. This field trip was not only fun but knowledgeable. I was able to take the information which we learned and then look into the tanks and identify the animals.

1. An anemone provides the clown fish with a home and gives protection from its predators. The clown fish in return cleans the anemone and also is able to lure fish which the anemone can prey on.

2.They spend so much time cleaning their fur because clean fur better traps air. This way the can keep warm.
3. Sea otters had a continuous population from Alaska to California before 1900. Sea otters were reintroduced from 1969-1970.

5. Star Fish are my favorite marine invertebrates. I especially liked the blue ones shown in the picture above. I find their ability to regenerate fascinating. This ability also helps them survive.

6. A Beluga, it's scientific name Delphinapterus Leucas. The Vancouver Aquarium has two belugas.

7. There were no potbelly seahorses at the aquarium.

8. The Pacific Sea Nettle closely resembles the human nervous system. The tentacles portray our nerves. The head of the jellyfish could be looked as the human brain. All the nerves are connected to it.

11. This is a Pacific Octopus. The white suction cups purpose is to grab on to rocks and smooth surfaces so they can easily move. They are considered one of the greatest predators because of their ability of camouflage. (Picture from internet)

12. This is a steller sea lion. They eat a variety of fish , shrimp and squid. They do not need to drink water because the animals that they eat provide them with water. Their food is swallowed a whole.

13. This is a Caiman, it comes from Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay.

14. This crocodile is a greyish green color. A great way to stay hidden within its's environment.

15. The Aquarium's biggest fish is the Arapaima

16. This is a vegetarian fish the tambaqui. They have strong jaws that crush nuts.

17. These are piranhas. They are mot dangerous to humans when we remove hooks from their mouths.

18.Sharks have no bones in their bodies. They are made up of cartilage and their teeth of hard enamel.

19. This is a common blue striped snapper which was also found in the shark tank. Some more fish where the Redtail Butterfly fish and the Yellowface Angelfish.