Archive for September, 2009
Volunteering in Marine Conservation – Sea Turtles, Seals and Horseshoe Crabs
Sep 18th
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Today I’d like to highlight some simple ways that you can become involved in hands-on research with marine animals. Next time we’ll take a look at programs designed for people interested in fishes.
Sea Turtle Research in Costa Rica
The Caribbean Conservation Corporation, founded in 1959 by legendary turtle biologist Archie Carr, was the world’s first marine turtle protection organization. Promoting conservation through research, and political advocacy, CCC is based in Florida, and its primary field station is nestled between rainforest and sea at Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica. Volunteer researchers have always figured prominently in the group’s work, and today a number of interesting opportunities are available.
Sea Turtles, Jaguars and Frogs … My Experience with CCC
My first field trip to Tortuguero, working with green turtles and 1,500 pound leatherbacks, hooked me for life. I and other researchers tagged and measured turtles, counted eggs, and monitored nests.
I also participated in studies focusing on the area’s 300+ bird species and was lucky enough to see kinkajous, caimans, ocelots, tapirs, jaguar tracks (overlapping my own!), arboreal tarantulas, strawberry poison frogs and a host of other incredible animals.
Working with Seals
Seals of several species are becoming increasingly common in coastal urban areas, where they face threats from boat collisions, harassment and pollution-related diseases. The Seal Conservation Society maintains a comprehensive list of organizations that assist injured seals and provides information for those interested in becoming wildlife rehabilitators, beach monitors or “seal watch” tour leaders.
Untrained people should not approach seals – injured animals and females returning from hunting to claim their pups can be extremely dangerous. In the USA, sick or harassed seals can be reported to the local police or the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s 24 hour emergency hotline: 800-853-1964.
Helping a Living Fossil
Most people do not realize that no intravenous drug produced in the USA reaches the market without first having been tested with a chemical produced by an ocean-dwelling relative of the spiders.
Compounds within the blood of the horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) far surpass synthetics in detecting drug impurities. Biomedical companies draw blood from millions of these ancient (as in “unchanged for over 200 million years”!) creatures yearly. Although horseshoe crabs harvested for blood samples are released, coastal development and collection for the bait trade has caused US populations to plummet.
Based in the Northeastern USA, Project Limulus relies upon volunteers to monitor over 5,000 spawning horseshoe crabs each spring in an effort to help formulate conservation strategies.
Over 17,000 horseshoe crabs have been tagged by US Geological Service volunteers working along the Delaware Bay. Their work seeks to assist both horseshoe crabs and a shorebird known as the red knot. Undertaking one of the longest known bird migrations (Argentina to the Arctic), red knots somehow time a stopover on their trip to coincide with the spawning of the Delaware Bay horseshoe crab population. Red knots rely upon horseshoe crab eggs to fuel the last leg of their amazing journey, and have suffered massive declines since this food source has become scarce.
Further Reading
Please see my article Hands on Experiences in Sea Turtle Conservation for further information on working in Tortuguero, Costa Rica.
Well, that’s just the tip of the iceberg…please write in if you are interested in other research opportunities. I’ll cover fish-oriented programs in the future. Thanks, until next time, Frank Indiviglio.
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Loading ...Fish and the Need for Speed – The World’s Fastest and Slowest Fish
Sep 16th
Dave here. Did you ever hear or see a news story that sent your mind into overdrive with strange thoughts? Last weeks news story about the Cincinnati Zoo’s record setting cheetah named Sarah, who ran 100 meters in just 6.13 seconds, was one of those stories that got me to thinking. What is the fastest fish? What is the slowest fish? Why do I think about these things?
Well the first two are relatively easy to answer. The fastest recorded fish speed is that of the Cosmopolitan Sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus , who has been recorded at an amazing 68 mph. The slowest fish is the dwarf sea horse ,Hippocampus zosterae, who reaches a blazing speed of .001 mph. Sarah the Cheetah reached 70 miles per hour on her record breaking 100 meter run (who knew there were records for these things?) it would take the dwarf seahorse 62 hours to cover the 100 meters.
As for the third question, I still have no idea; maybe someday I will be a contestant on Jeopardy.
Until Next Time,
Dave
(0 rating, 2 votes) Loading ...Unusual Invertebrates for Marine Aquariums: Corals, Jellyfishes and Sea Anemones
Sep 14th
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Although varying dramatically from one another in appearance and lifestyle, corals, jellyfishes and sea anemones are closely related. Classified within the phylum Cnidaria, both immobile forms (“polyps”) and mobile species (“medusas”) bear unique stinging organelles known as nematocysts, with which they capture prey and defend themselves (many are capable of delivering painful stings and should not be touched with bare hands). With over 10,000 species to choose from, the aquarist interested in Cnidarians will never be bored!
Jellyfishes
I first ventured into marine aquarium keeping at age 7, with a jellyfish I had captured. I provided it with fresh sea water daily, which likely supplied some food items. However, all glass aquariums were not yet available, and the unfortunate beast was poisoned, no doubt, by rust leaching from its tank’s metal frame.
Jellyfishes are increasingly exhibited and bred in public aquariums, but most are difficult to maintain at home. One exception is the upside down jellyfish, Cassiopeia andromeda, which is now available in the pet trade. In most “un-jellyfish-like” fashion, this species rests on the substrate with its tentacles trailing in the water above.
Much of the upside-down jellyfish’s food is produced by symbiotic algae, so intense lighting is necessary. It will also consume newly-hatched brine shrimp, but it cannot compete with fast moving aquarium fishes.
Coral
Until recently, corals were considered nearly impossible to keep in home aquariums. Water quality is exceedingly important, as is the wavelength and intensity of the lighting provided. Many corals obtain much of their food via the action of the symbiotic algae which live within them. Without proper lighting, the algae perish…additional food provided thereafter cannot keep the coral alive. Fortunately, a variety of commercially available lights and foods have now simplified coral husbandry (please see below).
Most corals feed upon plankton-sized food items. One exception is the popularly-kept tooth coral, Euphyllia picteti. This species readily takes pieces of shrimp and other large foods, and its appetite is therefore easy to satisfy.
Until recently, over-collection was a leading clause of coral reef destruction. Although collecting is now outlawed in many areas, please be sure that any coral you purchase is commercially cultured, as is our stock at ThatFishPlace/ThatPetPlace.
Sea Anemones
Sea anemones are well-suited for aquarium life, although most perish quickly if kept in sub-optimal water quality or without a steady current of water flowing over them at all times. Sea anemones and the clown fishes that often shelter within them make for a beautiful and interesting display.
The white, brown or pink Caribbean anemone (Condylactis gigantea) is quite hearty but is rarely adopted as a home by clown fishes. More attractive to these popular fishes is the purple-based anemone, Heteractis magnifica. This anemone is unusually active, and quite frequently travels about the aquarium.
Anemones will thrive on weekly or twice weekly meals of shrimp, clam, fish and similar foods.
Useful Products
Please check out our metal halide bulbs, T-5 fluorescent bulbs and filter-feeding invertebrate foods, all of which have greatly simplified the captive care of corals and their relatives.
Further Reading
For further information on keeping jellyfishes, please see our article The Upside-down Jellyfish in the Home Aquarium.
Please also check out our extensive line of coral propagation and reef books.
To read more about the natural history of Cnidarians, please see
http://www.earthlife.net/inverts/cnidaria.html.
Please write in with your questions and comments. Thanks, until next time, Frank Indiviglio.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Mystery Invert This Week at That Fish Place
Sep 11th
Patty here. So about once a week we get a shipment of bulk corals, anything from polyps and mushrooms to leathers and acros. Every once in a while we find something new that we don’t immediately recognize, and this week we got an interesting piece that is very unique and hasn’t been immediately recognizable as anything we’ve ever received. Though we have our suspicions, we haven’t positively identified it yet, nor found anything quite like it in images and sources to confirm its identity.700 gallon tank here at the store, if you’re interested in checking it out. 
Let us know what you think either here or on our Facebook page.
The specimen looks a lot like an extraterrestrial blob, showing an eerie blue iridescence. From varying angles it has varying appearance, like iridescent taffeta fabric. From above it shows blue, green and black, but the luster is less visible when you look at it from the side. It has dusky yellow or gold undertones especially around the edges. The surface is smooth and rubbery like wet rubber or tar that was melted and dropped into a pile. It has the consistency of rubber or cartilage, and though the shape and form of the piece isn’t all that appealing, the color is astounding. We haven’t found any openings or tentacles or polyps on the thing, but it is pretty neat. Any thoughts? It’s currently located inside our
(+1 rating, 1 votes) Loading ...Fish Intelligence – Research and Products for Home Experiments – Part 2
Sep 9th
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Fishes outnumber all other vertebrates combined, with nearly 30,000 species identified so far. No doubt, the ability to learn has assisted in this success. In Part I of this article, I recounted my experiences with “educated” electric eels in Venezuela, and gave some other examples of fish intelligence. I’ll continue here, with an emphasis on memory.
If you would like to experiment with your own pets’ learning abilities, please check out our extensive line of fish feeding products , and don’t forget to write in with your observations.
Memorizing Terrain
Frillfin gobies inhabit tidal pools. When disturbed, a goby will leap from its pool to several others in succession. It always lands in another pool, despite the fact that it is jumping without seeing the next pool, and changing directions.
Ichthyologists (fish biologists) have discovered that gobies memorize the location of tide pools at high tide, when they swim about over the area in which they live. Imagine, if you will, trying to do this yourself while snorkeling…and then consider the how much more complicated the task would be to a tiny fish!
Gobies transplanted to unfamiliar tide pools refuse to jump…if forced to do so, they invariably miss the next pool and hit dry land. Yet after just one high tide, the gobies learn the new habitat and can then jump accurately from pool to pool. In what must surely be the most amazing fish memory feat known, the tiny fishes retain their internal map of the new tide pools even if removed from the area for 40 days!
Learning by Observing Others
Sea bass were allowed to watch other bass undergo a training program in which the participants were rewarded with food if they pushed at a certain lever. Some bass were better than others at learning this skill. “Student bass” that had watched “smart” bass immediately pressed the levers themselves when given the opportunity. Those that had observed bass that did poorly in the training took much longer to master the lever trick themselves.
French grunts travel from sleeping to foraging grounds each day. Grunts re-located to new habitats follow resident fishes to and from foraging grounds. After 2 days, the transplanted fishes are able to find their way to the foraging grounds – an average distance of .5 miles – even if the resident grunts are removed.
Goldfishes that watch others foraging in an aquarium with hidden food are able to learn and remember what areas of the tank held food. When released into the tank, they ignore areas where the original fishes found no food, and head immediately for the most productive feeding sites.
Remembering Bad and Good Experiences
An American eel that was my mother’s (somewhat unusual!) pet for 17 years quickly learned to associate people with food. It was kept in a high-traffic area, but did not rise to the surface for food unless someone stopped in front of its aquarium…people passing by were ignored.
Perch separated from minnows by a glass partition stop trying to catch the minnows after crashing into the glass. When the glass is removed, the perch refuse to chase the minnows, apparently associating them with a bad experience. Note: this lesson wears off when predators get very hungry, so don’t try it in hopes of keeping Oscars with sword tails!
Further Reading
You can read more about fish learning abilities in an interesting Fish and Fisheries article and in The Everything Aquarium Book.
Please write in with your questions and comments. Thanks, until next time, Frank Indiviglio.
American Eel image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by Freida.
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