Blacktip Reef Update: Habitat Creation

We cannot wait for our new exhibit, Blacktip Reef, to open in summer of 2013! This coral-filled exhibit, replicating an Indo-Pacific ocean habitat, will feature 15 exciting species including blacktip reef sharks, reticulated whiptail rays and ornate wobbegong sharks. It will also be the new home for some of our most beloved animals, including our 400-pound green sea turtle Calypso and zebra sharks Zeke and Zoe. Guests will be able to experience this lively reef from many vantage points, including a new floor-to-ceiling pop-out viewing window that allows you to virtually step inside the exhibit.

It’s a long journey to opening day. Between animal transports, exhibit demolition, new construction and habitat fabrication, there are a lot of updates as we get closer to this summer. As we continue to build the future home of Blacktip Reef, get the latest on what’s new right here on our WATERblog!

While our construction crew is busy renovating the 200,000-gallon exhibit space for Blacktip Reef, designers and contractors are hard at work creating exact replicas of corals found in the Indo-Pacific. Their primary goal is to ensure that everything from habitat fabrication to assembly and installation is held to the highest standard of authenticity. Watch this video to see the team in action:

The process of designing and building an expansive reef habitat for our animals is both a science and an art! Exhibitors spent months researching the species of coral found in Indo-Pacific reefs, then creating molds and hand-sculpting each piece of rock coral. Our team has to create corals that look real and are also completely safe for our animals.

Why not use real corals for our new exhibit?

Live corals require constant and intense amounts of light and take years to grow. Artificial corals are easier to maintain and repair over the years. Additionally, by crafting each piece of coral that will go into our new exhibit, designers have complete control over the look and shape of Blacktip Reef.

The end product will be a colorful and rich marine habitat perfect for both our animals and our guests to explore and enjoy!

Stay tuned for more Blacktip Reef updates! 

Animal Update – January 25

Between our Baltimore and Washington, DC, venues, more than 17,500 animals representing 900 species call the National Aquarium home. There are constant changes, additions, and more going on behind the scenes that our guests may not notice during their visit. We want to share these fun updates with our community so we’re bringing them to you in our weekly Animal Update posts!

Check our blog every Friday to find out what’s going on… here’s what’s new this week!

Habitat Adjustment for Lobsters, Toby and Larry!

Last year, our Washington, DC venue welcomed two rare, brightly-colored lobsters into their collection. Toby, a blue lobster found off the Maryland coast, resides in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuaries exhibit.

Like most of his species, Toby likes to spend his time nestled under rock formations. In the wild, this behavior helps protect the lobster from possible predators.

This week, staff dove in this exhibit to create similar “habitat spots” for our second lobster, Larry, a bright orange lobster donated to the Aquarium by a local market. Lobsters can be quite territorial, so to prevent any aggression between our two, we’ve provided them each their own space within the habitat! Visitors will be able to see Larry on exhibit in the next few weeks!

Be sure to check back every Friday to find out what’s happening!

Animal Update – January 4

Between our Baltimore and Washington, DC, venues, more than 17,500 animals representing 900 species call the National Aquarium home. There are constant changes, additions, and more going on behind the scenes that our guests may not notice during their visit. We want to share these fun updates with our community so we’re bringing them to you in our weekly Animal Update posts!

Check our blog every Friday to find out what’s going on… here’s what’s new this week!

Longsnout seahorses

We have added two new Caribbean longsnout seahorses to our National Marine Sanctuaries and National Parks gallery!

Did you know this species of seahorse only reach a maximum size of six inches?  Their small size allows them to explore even the slimmest crevices of reefs! This is where they search of food and find coral pieces to anchor on for rest and protection.

As with other seahorse species, when longsnout seahorses mate the female deposits her eggs into a pouch in the male’s belly. The male is then responsible for carrying the eggs until they hatch and the male is ready to give birth to the live young!

Both males and females are typically a yellow color, with flecks of brown and black (allowing them to blend into their reef habitats). This camouflage coloration along with their bony body allows the longsnout seahorse to have very few predators.

Unfortunately, these beautiful creatures are still seriously threatened by habitat loss!

Can’t get enough of these beautiful creatures? Download this month’s customized, free wallpapers of the lined seahorse to your computer, mobile device and/or social platform! 

Be sure to check back every Friday to find out what’s happening!

Animal Update – December 14

Between our Baltimore and Washington, DC, venues, more than 17,500 animals representing 900 species call the National Aquarium home. There are constant changes, additions, and more going on behind the scenes that our guests may not notice during their visit. We want to share these fun updates with our community so we’re bringing them to you in our weekly Animal Update posts!

Check our blog every Friday to find out what’s going on… here’s what’s new this week!

Bicolor Parrotfish

We have a new bicolor parrotfish in our American Samoa exhibit!

Did you know? Before going to sleep, this species of parrotfish spins a cocoon around its body to hide its scent from potential predators!

Parrotfish get their name from their beak-like teeth and vibrant coloration. Some species, like the bicolor parrotfish, can grow to be up to three feet in length!

They use their “beak” to eat the algae that grows on coral. The parrotfish bites off pieces of coral from the reef, pulverizing it in order to digest the algae growing inside and then excreting the limestone rock. Much of the sand in the areas where parrotfish are found is actually the coral they excrete.

This fun little video explains this “sand making” process: 

Be sure to check back every Friday to find out what’s happening!

Animal Update – November 16

Between our Baltimore and Washington, DC, venues, more than 17,500 animals representing 900 species call the National Aquarium home. There are constant changes, additions, and more going on behind the scenes that our guests may not notice during their visit. We want to share these fun updates with our community so we’re bringing them to you in our weekly Animal Update posts!

Check our blog every Friday to find out what’s going on… here’s what’s new this week!

Long-spined sea urchins

We have two new long-spined sea urchins in our Surviving Through Adaptation exhibit. Sea urchins provide a safe home for species like the Banggai cardinalfish. A threatened species found only in the waters of the Banggai islands in Indonesia, the cardinalfish retreat among the spines of the sea urchin when threatened.

Linkia sea stars

We have two new sea stars in our Pacific Coral Reef exhibit. Relatives to the sea urchin, sea stars are invertebrates and echinoderms (meaning they have calcified, spiny skin).

Sea stars have an amazing ability to regenerate arms when they are severed, or an arm could potentially grow a new body in some species.

They have many tube feet extending from the ventral surface. The tube feet allow locomotion via suction created by an internal water-driven hydraulic system.

What’s your favorite species of invertebrate? Tell us in the comments section!