Loggerhead sea turtle training/feeding

This video shows the new turtle learning to feed in her new enclosure at the VLM

Before a new sea turtle is introduced into our Chesapeake Bay Aquarium, we must first ensure (among many other things) that it will be able to acquire food regularly and be accessible to staff. The most common practice is to "target train" them or condition them to associate visual - and often audible - stimuli with food. Fortunately, NC Aquarium had already begun process of training our current turtle to feed regularly from tongs. However, new surroundings have required our new turtle to learn a new routine and feeding schedule before it can safely go into CBA. We began by simply acclimating the turtle to a regular daily feeding at 2 pm daily; this coincides with the time it would be fed when in CBA. As the turtle has become accustomed to staff and its new schedule, we have introduced the visual stimuli - simply a blue Kydex disc on an algae scraper - at each feeding. The new turtle has slowly become accustomed to seeing the target and has begun to equate the presence of the strange blue disc with the magical appearance of food. Eventually, 2 pm = feeding time, target = location of food and we all settle into an efficient and reliable routine.

 A small hand target is placed in the water prior during each feeding

 A sampling of natural foods that the sea turtle gets along with commercial gel diet and supplements

 The new turtle comes up to check out the target prior

One more side note: I like to introduce fishes in the turtle's enclosure as early as possible. First and foremost, the turtle will be amongst much larger fishes in CBA and its beneficial to get it accustomed to the distractions of many fishes. Secondly, the fishes often attempt to steal food from the turtle, as they will on exhibit, so the turtle will begin to actively compete for food and not be startled when it is placed in CBA. And lastly, it gives us a good indicator of the turtle's personality and aggressiveness - or lack thereof.

Loggerhead sea turtle release videos - Gulf Stream

After we permanently transferred our unreleasable adult loggerhead sea turtle "Christi" to a larger exhibit at Dallas World Aquarium in 2009, we began to partner with NC aquariums to acquire juvenile sea turtles that we could display for three years and then be released back into the wild. The previous two sea turtles we have displayed at the VLM - Virginia and Abby - have originated from the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, including the most recent juvenile (unnamed as yet) we acquired on our trip to release Abby.

A sea turtle nest roped off in Duck, NC

NC Aquariums has an excellent support network of volunteers and trained staff that monitor loggerhead nesting sites along the coastal beaches. They not only protect the nests from being disturbed, but assist the hatchlings to reach the water safely and collect valuable data in the process. The vast majority of hatchlings emerge from the nests healthy and able but many hatchlings do not successfully extract themselves from the nests and may remain buried unless assisted. Once the hatchlings have vacated the nests on their own, the nests are excavated for the stranglers which are then brought back to the aquariums to be nursed back to health or held until they can be released.

A bin of loggerhead hatchlings ready for release by the NC Aquarium

A few of the rescued juvenile turtles are loaned out to other public facilities to serve as educational ambassadors in such places as: Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, Newport Aquarium, Mystic Aquarium, Monterey Bay, and the VLM. Some facilities display the turtles as juveniles and return them after one year; we display the animals for up to three years and then return them to NC for release, and in "Abby's" case, to be affixed with a satellite tag.

Above: VLM Aquarist Patrycja Lawryniuk attaches the satellite tag with epoxy

Below: Close up of the tag that will transmit Abby's location when she surfaces

Just last week we joined these other facilities and their sea turtles at Pine Knoll Shores to release our sea turtle "Abby" along with the others back into their native waters. This time of year the water has begun to cool, so we chartered a SCUBA boat from Discovery Diving  in Beaufort, NC that took us 36 miles offshore in search of warmer Gulf Stream waters. After a three hour boat ride we took turns releasing these beautiful, prehistoric creatures out into the wild. One by one, each facility had the honor of releasing the turtles in their care back into the ocean. Fortunately, I brought along a wet suit and small underwater camera to capture the releases on film.

A hatchling at release

 

The ocean can make one feel very small, especially untethered miles and miles offshore. The expanse seems infinite. But sea turtles are here after all these millions of years because deep within them lies the knowledge and instinct to survive out there, to find food, to find each other. As Abby glided off into the emerald sea far beyond my reach and out of site, in the last few seconds I would see her - after seeing her and caring for her daily for three years, I caught the final glimpse of who she really is and what she is meant to do; a small thing really. She flapped briefly to gather speed, to test her freedom and then spread her back flippers and glided with the current, slipping weightless, riding the powerful current to some unseen destination with no hesitation or fear.

As of 10/24/2013, Abby has traveled a total distance of 693km (that's about 430 miles!)! You can follow her progress at http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?tag_id=128947

Redbreast sunfish fry development

A large male redbreast Lepomis auritus in breeding colors

The term "sunfish" generally refers to fishes from the Family Centrarchidae, comprised of 30 species (including several bass species and crappie), but to most people "sunfish" are species from the Genus Lepomis: bluegill, pumpkinseed, longear, warmouth, redear, green, and redbreast sunfishes. To further complicate matters, Lepomis species can - and often do - hybridize with each other especially in captivity (see below). 

 A large male pumpkinseed/redbreast hybrid Lepomis gibbosus on his nest

Most sunfishes spawn in early to mid summer, when the water temperatures begin to approach 70 degrees F. However, in captivity many species - not just sunfishes - are triggered to spawn at unusual times of the year, due to unnatural light cycles and seasonal temperature fluctuations within the facility. For example, two species of sunfish in our Woodland Pond exhibit, the pumpkinseeds and redbreasts are currently spawning, but are several months past their spawning period in the wild.

Breeding or "nuptial" males of all sunfish species fan out broad, saucer-shaped nests with their tails in hopes of attracting a female. The males then aggressively guard these nests which are often quite close together, and chase off all intruders. During this period males become brilliantly colored, showing off their best and brightest for the ladies. If the male successfully attracts a mate, he will fertilize from 1000's to 10's of thousands of eggs, depending upon the size of the female (and species), which she has deposited in the nest. After releasing her eggs, she moves on with no further commitment to the young. The males remain to guard their young from predators as the young develop from eggs to yolk sac larvae to free-swimming larvae. Once the young are swimming and feeding on their own, the job of the male is finally done.

 Eggs are approximately 1 mm

Redbreast fry that have just lost their yolk sac

Fry one week later ( 2 -3 weeks total)

...another week older (4- 5 weeks)

Fry seven to eight weeks after hatching.

Brook, rainbow, and brown trout feeding frenzy

This first video was taken today during our 11 am trout feeding program the Mountain Cove Exhibit. The main exhibit has three distinct sections: brown trout (immediately below the waterfall), the mountain stream (home to darters and dace, including the P. rex), and this portion which is a combination of approximately 14 each of rainbow trout and brook trout. The trout are fed GrowMax trout chow every M, W, F, Sunday during the public feeding and a variety of natural foods on the days in between. Each section, including these trout, breed at least once a year. In fact, the largest female brown trout released eggs this morning. We generally do not collect and raise the eggs - the trout eat them otherwise - unless we have a specific need, but there are both brooks and rainbows currently in this exhibit that we raised from eggs a few seasons ago.
The second video is of the brown trout feeding. The largest female is approximately 12 pounds and is over nine years old.

Roanoke logperch in the wild - rare underwater glimpse of them in the Nottoway River

This video of  Percina rex in the wild was taken from the Nottoway River, a relatively pristine tannin-stained river that forms the headwaters of the Chowan drainage system. The Nottoway is exceptionally rich in species of fishes and quite beautiful as well. The footage is of a single, large adult Percina rex in its natural habitat and was one of four different Roanoke logperch of three size classes seen at this location.

 Three male P.rex encircle a single female vying for the chance to mate

The Roanoke logperch Percina rex is one of Virginia's largest and rarest darter species; currently listed as Federally Threatened and Endangered since 1989. Thanks to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Virginia Dept of Game and Inland Fisheries we have been fortunate enough to display several of these beautiful creatures here at the VLM. Our P. rex population, housed in the Mountain Stream Exhibit has been thriving and has displayed natural mating behaviors on several occasions - a sign of healthy animals in an appropriate environment. They are excellent display animals because they are large - for this type of fish - colorful, and remain in the open for the guests (and staff) to see and enjoy. But due to such small numbers in the wild, only researches, biologists, and lucky darter nerds get to see them in their native habitat.

 

 The roanoke logperch (center) on exhibit are not shy when it comes to food

 

Mantis shrimp (Squilla empusa) video

The mantis shrimp is a very strange creature. It is a highly predatory arthropod with one of the most complex compound eyes in nature, each of which can not only see independently, but also can detect colors throughout the entire spectrum of light; their unique eye structure also allows the mantis shrimp to see in 3 dimensions. Add to their incredible eye sight two powerful claws that can strike prey with speeds as fast as any animal movement on earth and you have a very formidable predator. In fact, the mantis shrimp is named for its "praying mantis" like claws that they extend with such force, they can shatter the glass of an aquarium! 

A close up view of the mantis shrimp's complex eyes

Mantis shrimp utilize their assets well; they are reclusive burrowers that use their broad tails to excavate a burrow in which they lie in wait for prey. As an unwitting victim wanders by, the mantis shrimp uses a lightning fast strike to capture and kill its prey. These animals are also known as "thumb splitters" for their effect on people who do not handle them with care. This particular animal was captured in a trawl off Beaufort, NC during a collecting trip. It cannot be housed in our "shrimp" exhibit with the true shrimps, the commercially important food species of brown, pink or white shrimp from the Genus Penaeus (pictured below) because it would easily feast upon its more passive tank mates and ultimately be the last shrimp standing.

The brown shrimp Penaeus aztecus is a species of true shrimp

Juvenile sandbar sharks - video!

We recently acquired two sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus);one male and one female. They are in quarantine at the moment and may not be on display for a while, but this video provides a sneak peak. The smaller of the two is a female and likely only a couple of months old. More about where/how we got them, details about their care, and what we have planned for them very soon...