Sneak preview of The Podcast Aquatic - Ep. 2
Heads up, Podcast Aquanauts, the second episode of The Podcast Aquatic goes live on Wednesday! This time, we're chatting about the years-long process of putting together our latest gallery and an amazing breeding event in the exhibit that captured all of our attention earlier this year!
#podcast #thepodcastaquatic #tennesseeaquarium #freshwater
Meet the Blue Morpho Butterfly: A Cerulean Show-off!
Blue isn't a color you find all that often in nature, and some species have found ways to use this hue's rarity to their advantage. Take, for instance, the flashy Blue Morpho Butterfly, which uses the cerulean tinge to the top of its wings to startle and confuse would-be predators. (Or to attract a mate by showing off its ability to dodge and weave.)
#butterfly #bluemorpho #amazon #centralamerica #southamerica #insects #blue
Tiny Wows: Follow Your Nose To This Super-Interesting Fish!
In the Rivers of the World gallery, there are a ton of amazing animals vying for your time, but our senior animal care specialist thinks it's worth paying special attention to one extra-fascinating fish that's definitely NOT a micro-dolphin, despite its unusual appearance!
#fish #biology #elephantnosefish #africa #lookcloser #tennesseeaquarium
Meet the Long-spine Snipefish: The Seahorse's Pointy-Snooted Cousin!
OK, you've seen Seahorses, Seadragons and Pipefish, and now you think you "know" all about the order syngnathiformes? Think again! Allow us to introduce the noble Long-spine Snipefish.
#aquarium #seahorse #pipefish #snipefish #fish #biology
The Podcast Aquatic: Sharks - Friends NOT Foes
The first episode of The Podcast Aquatic is live! To kick things off, we talk all things shark, from fear and respect to Jaws and Michael Phelps.
Visit tnaqua.org/podcast to subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other major platforms!
Tiny Wows: This Invasive Beauty Is Mesmerizing!
Invasive species are definitely a problem, BUT that doesn't mean they can't be appreciated on their own merits. For example, our senior admissions manager goes gaga for the Lionfish in our Boneless Beauties gallery, and he thinks you should stop to appreciate them during your next visit, too!
#lookcloser #tennesseeaquarium #fish #lionfish #invasivespecies
Happy Shark Week, y’all! Who’s up for a late lunchtime live with our Sandbar and Sand Tiger Shark from above our Secret Reef exhibit? (All of you? We thought so.)
As usual, we’re able to bring you this behind-the-scenes live content thanks to ongoing support from Food City!
Our Newest Class Of Baby Dinos Has Arrived!!
OK, we have to execute a quick Shark Week detour to show off the juvenile Lake Sturgeon that just arrived at the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute! More than 2,500 of these teeny, tiny river giants are now swimming in our grow-out systems, but ... we're already in love and pumped to care for them this summer before releasing them into the Tennessee River!
Penguin Chicks Are Masters Of Bulking Out
FIVE-ALARM FLOOF ALERT!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Check out the insane speed at which our newest penguin chick has been growing!
Less than four weeks after hatching, it grew from 146 grams (5 ounces) to an extraordinary 1,896 grams (3.5 POUNDS). That's a mind-blowing 1,300% increase in body weight!
For the time being, the chick will continue to grow in the safety of an enclosed nesting site in the exhibit. Once it has replaced its coating of down with waterproof adult feathers and passed an off-exhibit "swim test," it will be allowed to join the rest of the colony in the water!
#babyanimals #penguins #babypenguins #aquariums #floof #chicks #cuteanimals
Tiny Wows: These Little Fish Will Turn Your World Upside Down!
If you're feeling like your world is turned upside down, you could be having a bad day, or you might just be a Ternetzi Headstander taking a nibble on the bottom of a submerged branch. (It's worth checking, just to be sure!) Our senior aquarist loves these little South American beauties and thinks you should take your time to look for them the next time you're in our Rivers of the World gallery!
#lookcloser #fish #southamerica #electriceel #tennesseeaquarium
Tiny Wows: Hitch Up (And Don't Gallop) By The Pot-bellied Seahorses!
Among the huge variety of animals on display in our Boneless Beauties gallery, it's easy to flit from exhibit to exhibit, but during your next visit, our senior manager of housekeeping thinks you should really hitch up by the Pot-bellied Seahorses!
#lookcloser #animals #seahorses #fish #aquariums #tennesseeaquarium
What the Heck?! Lemurs Are Just Really BIG Pollinators?!
In honor of Pollination Week this year, we decided we'd use a sweet treat (read: honey!) to encourage our Red-ruffed Lemurs to demonstrate how they use their incredibly long tongues to earn their title as one of the world's largest pollinators!
#biology #aquarium #lemur #pollinators #pollination #plants
Tiny Wows: Relax By The Fire (Eel)!
It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the huge variety of species on display in the Rivers of the World gallery, but our maintenance technician suggests slowing your roll around the Kapuas River exhibit to appreciate the colorfully sinuous movement of our beautiful Fire Eel!
#fireeel #eel #aquarium #biology #lookcloser #tennesseeaquarium #borneo #animals
Fish Person Point Of View: A snack-y training sess' with our big Green Sea Turtle!
We know it's Father's Day, but did you also realize today is World Sea Turtle Day?! In honor of these gorgeous marine reptiles, join us for a first-person (fish) view of a training session with our best shell-boy and lovable Green Sea Turtle, Stewy!
Location Location Location! Scouting Out Homes For One Of America's MOST-ENDANGERED FISH!
In the last 10 years, one of America’s most-endangered fish species, the Laurel Dace, has seen its range on Walden Ridge near Chattanooga drastically reduced. Healthy populations of this minnow once were found in five streams; it now occupies just two.
The Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute is working to study and protect the last remaining Laurel Dace and may one day propagate a population at its field station for introduction into new waterways. Before this can happen, however, scientists must act as real estate agents of a sort, carefully evaluating candidate streams to determine whether they meet all the criteria to support this incredibly imperiled species.
#endangeredspecies #biology #science #laureldace #chattanooga #tennesseeaquarium #freshwater
Tiny Wows: Your Really G-OTTER See This!
Did you know your Aquarium visit is an important part of the animals' daily enrichment? While exploring River Otter Falls, our security officer/AEMT highly recommends taking time to interact with our romp through the acrylic!
#aquarium #lookcloser #otters #riverotters #animals #tennesseeaquarium
Tiny Wows: Pause for Puffers!
OK, OK, we get it. It's REALLY easy to get distracted by the more obvious inhabitants of our Indo-Pacific reef exhibit. Before moving on, though, our veterinary assistant suggests taking a moment to seek out two of this gorgeous exhibit's more-reclusive residents: a pair of Long-spine Porcupine Fish! 🐡🐡
The stars have aligned, y'all — today is World Otter Day AND National Alligator Day! We figured this gave us the perfect opportunity to introduce the animal care specialist who looks after our romp of North American River Otters and congregation of American Alligators! 🐊🦦
#animals #aquarium #zookeeping #zookeepers #alligators #otters #WOD2024 #worldotterday
Tiny Wows: Ssslow Down For 🐍!
We understand that snakes are ... a thing ... for some people, but our lead animal ambassador coordinator really wishes guests took time to appreciate these reptilian wonders during their visit!
#tennesseeaquarium #aquarium #reptiles #snakes #lookcloser
We’re shellebrating World Turtle Day today & everyday! 🐢🎉 What’s your favorite turtle species? ⬇️ #worldturtleday #tennesseeaquarium
