I’m glad to report that I spent this weekend relaxing and enjoying some free time. Yesterday I took myself to the Vancouver Aquarium for a few hours.
At first I was a little apprehensive about going by myself, but I was quick to realize it was probably for the best. You see, I’m not that interested in the animals that most people are there to see. I can’t stand to watch captive seals or dolphins (however, I give the Vancouver Aquarium credit because all their marine mammals are rescued animals that couldn’t be released). What I really love are the invertebrates, and I think I might have annoyed someone by spending 15 minutes looking at the jellyfish.
Here is a small sample of the pictures I took:
A couple of sea anemones and two starfish are in the center of this photo. All of the light blue and red tuffs you see along the bottom of the tank are also younger anemones.
I’ve unfortunately lost the names for these two fish. I think the black fish is some type of rockfish. Both are native to the Pacific Ocean here in British Columbia.
A few starfish in the foreground and a stem of swaying kelp in the background.
This little guy is a roughskin newt. They are semi-aquatic and need to come up and get a breath of air occasionally.
A closeup of some frilled sea anenomes. Aren’t they gorgeous? Can you believe that this isn’t a plant, but a predatory animal? Those little “hairs” you see are filled with nerves and will actually release a toxic sting when touched. Using this sting they catch and eat small invertebrates and larvae.
And I’ve saved my favorite photos for last: the jellyfish. I was actually stung as a teenager by a jellyfish – and I still have the scar – but that hasn’t changed my opinion of these animals. I don’t know about you guys, but watching jellyfish gives me a sense of awe.
Japanese sea nettles
Lion’s mane jellyfish
Fried egg jellyfish
Fried egg jellyfish
I also spent a fair bit of time trying to get a picture of some sea gooseberries that were in a small tank. Unfortunately, they’re tiny and move so quickly that the macro setting on my camera couldn’t do them justice without a tripod.
Sea gooseberries are a type of comb jellyfish, and move using the cilia (little hairs) on their body. Light gets refracted off of the moving cilia, which creates the most beautiful rainbow colors as they move about. In the picture above, you can see the two tentacles that drift through the water and catch prey.
If you’re interested in seeing how comb jellyfish refract light, this is a great video from the Vancouver Aquarium’s Youtube channel. I wouldn’t hesitate to say these animals are awe-inspiring.
Well, that’s all I have to share for today. I hope I haven’t overloaded anyone with photos or information! I just get so excited about these things because it’s what I love and studied during my undergrad. It’s a great feeling to get back in touch with these things.
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I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and
said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the
shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is entirely off topic but I had to tell someone!
First off I want to say superb blog! I had a quick question which I’d like to ask if
you don’t mind. I was interested to find out how you center yourself
and clear your thoughts before writing. I have had a hard
time clearing my thoughts in getting my thoughts
out there. I truly do take pleasure in writing however
it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes tend to be lost simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any recommendations or tips?
Kudos!
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Hello! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could find a captcha plugin for my comment form?
I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having difficulty finding one?
Thanks a lot!
I have been surfing on-line more than 3 hours nowadays, yet I
by no means found any attention-grabbing article like yours.
It’s pretty worth sufficient for me. Personally, if all web owners and bloggers made
excellent content as you did, the net will be a lot more useful than ever before.
Today, I went to the beach front with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed.
There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
She never wants to go back! LoL I know this
is totally off topic but I had to tell someone!
Great blog here! Also your website loads up
fast! What host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host?
I wish my web site loaded up as quickly as yours
lol
Hey there! Do you know if they make any plugins
to safeguard against hackers? I’m kinda paranoid about losing
everything I’ve worked hard on. Any suggestions?
We are a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community.
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job and our entire community will be grateful to you.
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if you added a title that makes people desire more?
I mean Vancouver Aquarium – Nature is Love is kinda boring.
You ought to look at Yahoo’s home page and note how they write
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Today, I went to the beach front with my kids.
I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and
said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the
shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is entirely off topic but I had to tell someone!