Vancouver Aquarium field trip!

On thursday november 22, my biology class visited the Vancouver aquarium. When we arrived at the aquarium my class was first assigned to wander around the aquarium to observe the different types of living creatures inside the exhibit. The first thing we got to see were the jellyfish. The day before we went to the aquarium my class learned about the different types of phylum cnidaria. When we saw the jellyfish they looked really pretty and their tentacles were so long. The biggest jellyfish i saw in the tanks were the schyphozoa jellyfish. Other things i saw while walking around were the different types of coral reefs and sea anemones. All of them had different and unique characteristics to them. Some looked like they were glowing, others were flowy and looked like just flowers underwater. I also saw other fish hiding and sleeping behind the anemones. When we were done looking at the marine life we entered the amazon where we saw more fascinating creatures like the marmoset monkeys, the different kinds of butterflies flying around, bats, crocodiles and also a two-toed sloth! The two-toed sloth was way up high above a tree so you could only see its back and it was too busy sleeping. The butterflies weren't even scared of us, it always ended up coming towards us and landed on us and some other people. One of the butterflies landed on some visitors back and he didn't know how big it was until we showed him the picture we took of it being on its back, he freaked out. When we were done with looking at the exhibit we headed to the lab where we got to study snails. In that lab we experimented what kind of snails prefer what type of foods they eat. Although my snails weren't successful of showing what they like i learned that the usual snail we see on the sidewalks are herbivores ad the snail with the more fancier and heavy shell was a carnivore. Once we were done observing the snails we heading to the wet lab where we could touch, hold, and learn about different creatures such as starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, hermit crabs, crabs and as well anemones such as the cubozoa (sea wasps) which is what we learned in class the day before. The sea urchin was the first thing i got to hold, when i held it, it tickled and you could feel it move under your skin and the spikes as well moved while you held it over the water. One creature that surprised me once i felt it was the sea cucumber. It was so squishy and slimy and it looked deadly because of its spikes but it really wasn't, it was just really gross looking. What my assistant told us what the cucumber does, is that it spills/squirts out all its intestines once it gets stressed. The next two stations were the most boring ones because we didnt get to hold or touch anything but a crab. But i learned that pollution causes harm to many creatures because once a creature goes into a bottle for example it cant get out or sea animals are harmed by eating the waste we put into our waters and many animals have died that way. We learned that we should keep our oceans clean and that we shouldn't litter because it does cause harm for marine animals. Once i got to my last station i learned about that sea anemone cubozoa! We were able to touch it because our skin is so thick it doesnt end up hurting us and once i did touch it, it stuck to my skin like it was a sticker. My assistant put in a little shrimp on its tentacles and she said it was stinging it with its toxins to kill it than it grasps it and sucks it in through its mouth/anus. We also learned that once the anemone is stressed it curls up and sucks its tentacles into its mouth. The aquarium field trip was super fun and i actually learned a lot about marine animals


(Questions out of order because pictures didn't upload properly) :(

Potbelly Seahorses
The way they move is that they use their long tail to move towards where they're going and allow them to grab onto things.

Sea Turtle
This sea turtle is as well found in the shark tank

Stellar Sea Lion
They eat fish and squid. They get their food by hunting in packs or chase down prey in large groups

Red Sea Urchin
The scientific name of the Giant Red Sea Urchin is the Strongylocentrotus Franciscanus. It has developed spiky needles that surround it's body, defending it from predators.

Pacific Sea Nettle
I think they look like a human heart, because of their red tentacles look like a hearts veins and as well as their colour compares to a heart's glowing colour as well. The way they move also looks like a heart pumping

Favourite marine invertibrate: 

The starfish is my favourite because they're harmless and cute. They use their suction cups to hold onto walls and rocks. As well as they camouflage onto some surfaces depending on what colour they are

Clown Anemone Fish + Sea Anemones
The Clownfish depends on the sea anemones for protection from predators. In return, the fish cleans the anemone

Sea Anemones
These green Sea Anemones are the ones found near the Sea otter's tank

Shark
Sharks don't have bones, they have a skeleton made of cartilage instead

Beluga Whale
The scientific name for a Beluga whale is " Delphinapterus Leucas" There are 2 Beluga whales found in the Vancouver Aquarium.

Redhook Silver Dollar
(vegetarian fish) which eats the seeds of riverside shrubs

The Arapaima
This is the largest fish in the Aquarium

Starry Flounder
They usually lie still to look dead at the bottom of the ocean, and then ambush prey, their skin also acts as a camouflage from predators.

Piranhas
Piranhas are not considered threats to humans, even when swimming in their waters. They become a threat only when removing a hook from within it's mouth when fishing.

Caiman
-The Caiman come from Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay. They are mostly found in South America.
-Caimans are a brownish-grey in colour. it camouflages them in the brownish waters they hide in and helps it ambush its prey. 

Archerfish
It feeds from the water on the surface, leaping for insects or spitting prey down with water

Pacific Octopus
The suction cups located on their arms are good for grabbing prey as they swim by, or attaching to things such as a cave wall, or rock. They are also considered some of natures best predators because they are hard to spot and are great at hiding

Moon-Jellies
They move slowly, propelling themselves forward with the head part of their body, or Medusa, wafting through the water. To feed on plankton and other organisms, Moon-jellies kill their prey by stinging it with nematocysts found on its tentacles.

Sea Turtle
This sea turtles scientific name is Chelona Mydas, and the nick name the aquarium named it is "Schoona".

Sea Otters:

-Sea Otters spend a lot of time cleaning their coats because clean fur is better for trapping oxygen.
-Before the 1900's, Sea Otters were found near Amchitka Island, Alaska, and Monterey, California.
They were later re-introduced to Canada in the years 1969 and 1970