Aquarium adventure

The long awaited aquarium trip was one of the most interesting field trips i had this year.  The whole point of attending this trip was to look at all the marine life up close and to actually see their behaviors rather than only seeing it in a textbook.  My class did the wet lab and we got to see and touch a wide variety of marine life.  We were taught of their importance in the ecosystem and then we were sent off to become scientists for 1 hour doing experiments.  We did various experiments on a snail and the whole point of it was too see how certain sea snails react to their environment.  More importantly it was to show us that we are able to make several tests because we as scientists have the opportunity to select the environment and the factors that interrupt or change the outcome of our experiments.  We were able to see all the animals that we have learned in class.  An example being the Cnidarians.  Overall this trip was exciting and refreshing because it was actually the first time i have ever been to an aquarium!





1.  The symbiotic relationship between a Clown Anemone Fish and Sea Anemone is that a Clown fish uses the Sea Anemone for shelter while the Sea Anemone uses the Clown Fish for cleaning.






2.sea otters spend so much time cleaning their coats because a clean fur allows
the otter to trap air to keep them warm since they don't possess any blubber.




3. Before the 1900's sea otters were found in Alaska at the Amchtka Island.  They were reintroduced in 1969-1970 since they were nearly hunted to extinction.

4. The sea anemones next to the sea otters tank were light green.



5. My favorite marine invertebrate is the lobster.  The adaptations that it possesses is a hard shell and a enormous claw so that it can protect itself against predators.



6. The scientific name of the beluga whale is "Delphinaplerus Leucus".  In the Vancouver aquarium, there are only two.



8. One organism that closely represents the human nervous system organ is the Pacific Sea Nettle because of its head and tentacles.  The tentacles can represent our nerves in our body and the head can represent the whole "control room".



9. Two adaptations that the Starry Flounder has is its camouflage and its flat appearance.  It uses the color of the ocean floor to camouflage it and its flatness allows it to roam around the side and hide from predators or catch prey.



10. The Moon Jellies  move by propelling their head by contracting and relaxing.  It is similar to that of a gentle pump,  They push plankton and water into their mouth from the contraction and expansion of their head and that is how they normally feed.



11. The purpose of the white suctions cups on a Pacific Octopus' arm is so that it can latch onto its prey or latch onto other surfaces.  Its ability to hide is what makes it one of the nature's best predators.



12. Stellar sea lions hunt down prey in large groups.



13. The origins of the Caimans are Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay.



14. The color of the crocodile is brownish-grayish and this color is perfect for its environments because it offers amazing camouflage.

15. The name of the largest fish in the aquarium is the Arapaima.



16. The vegetarian fish in the Amazon flooded forest is called "Redhook Silver Dollar".  It eats the seeds of riverside shrubs.



17.  The moment Piranhas are the biggest threat to humans are when they have to remove the hook when they go fishing.



18. Sharks have no bones in their body but they do have cartilage.



19. Some other animals found in the shark tank are Stingrays, Laced Moray, Common Bluestripe snapper, Redtail Butterfly fish, Yellowface Angelfish, Green Sea Turtles, and the the indo-pacific Sergeant.

20. The scientific name of the Giant Red Sea Urchin is "Strongylocentrotus Francisconus".  The adaptation that the urchin has are its spikes.




21. Archerfish find their food by shooting jets of water at insects to make them fall so that they are able to eat them.



22. The name of the Sea Turtle given in the Tropic Zone is "Schoona".