Vancouver Aquarium!

On Thursday, November 22, our Biology class went on a field trip to Vancouver Aquarium! Having not been there since I was a little kid, I was excited to see the various sea animals that inhabit the oceans of the world. This time was more exciting, since both Biology blocks were given the opportunity to go into the Marine Lab to touch and feel some of the smaller sea creatures. There were a vast array of animals and organisms, including  sea snails, hermit crabs, anemones, sea cucumbers and many more. It was fascinating and exciting being able to feel these animals. After about an hour of touching sea creatures, we went to go do some experiments with snails. In each group, there were 2 snails. My group had one active fast moving snail that moved all over the place, while the other snail was a lazy bum who didn't want to move what so ever. We then conducted our experiment, which started with the question "Do Snails have a sense of gravity?". We tested this by placing a snail on its back to see if it could flip itself right side up. By itself, it wasn't able to, but it did make an effort to do so. We then placed rocks beside for help, and little did we know, the snail stuck on to the rock. Our other lazy snail was unable to do anything. We firstly concluded that it might have been dead, but it moved a little by itself, so that out of the question. In conclusion, the active snail was able to flip itself, while the lazy snail was, well, lazy. After completing the lab, our class went to get lunch, which was expensive. $7.28 for a small poutine isn't my ideal choice for lunch, but food is food. While eating lunch, we watched the Beluga Whale show, which included the 2 Beluga Whales living at Vancouver Aquarium; Aurora and Qila. They displayed a lot of cool tricks and made some cool sounds. After the Beluga show, everyone split up into the Aquarium to answer the questions on a worksheet we received. Exploring the entire Aquarium was extraordinary. There were TONS of species of fish, sharks, sea otters, sea lions and even monkeys. Yes, monkeys. The little information boards with each animal had some interesting facts about them. My favourite animal in the aquarium were the Sea Otters because let's face it; Sea Otters are adorable. After about 2 hours of roaming the aquarium and with the help of some friends, I finished the worksheet. This field trip to Vancouver Aquarium was a fun-filled and exciting experience and I hope to go back there someday.           

The symbiotic relationship between the Clown Anemone fish and the sea  anemones is that the Clown Fish depend on the anemone for protection and in return, the Clown Fish clean the sea anemone.

Sea otters spend so much time cleaning their coats because only clean coats can trap air.  They don't have blubber to keep them warm, so they depend on these air coats for warmth instead. 

Before the 1900's, Sea Otters were found mainly in Alaska and were hunted to near extinction because of the fur trade.  Some Sea Otters were taken from Alaska to re-populate and breed in 1969 to 1970. 

The Sea Anemones next to the sea otters were the colour green..

Me and my friend Jordan in front of the Japanese Sea Nettles, our favourite marine invertebrates. These guys were interesting cause they were like ninjas since they threw powered sea nettles at their enemies to make them "sneeze".

The scientific name of the Beluga Whale is Delphinapterus Leucas. There are currently  2 Beluga Whales living at Vancouver Aquarium: Aurora and Qila. 

Since there were no Potbelly Seahorses at the Aquarium anymore,  I found another species of seahorse. This one is currently keeping still for a camera shot :)

The Starry Flounder has 2 interesting adaptations: its scales blend in with the ocean floor so its stays camouflaged , and its a flat shaped fish, which is unique compared to others.

The Mon Jellies move by propelling themselves forward with their heads. Through this unique way of moving, Moon Jellies can forcefully push water and plankton into their mouths, which is how they eat.

The Pacific Octopus has white suction cups for grappling on to surfaces and catching their prey. It's known as one of nature's best predators since it is a master hider and hard to spot.

Sea Lions feed on fishes and squids and hunt in large packs to obtain their food.

The Caiman, neither a Crocodile nor Alligator but a close cousin of both, is located in Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay.

The largest fish in the aquarium would be the Arapaima. This monster can grow up to 3 metres in length!

This Redhook Silver Dollar is a vegetarian fish that lives in the Amazon and feeds off of riverside shrubs. 

Piranhas become the biggest threat to humans when we remove hooks from their mouths.

Fun fact: Sharks don't have bones. Instead, they have cartilage.

I was unable to get an actual picture of a Red Sea Urchin cause of all the fish, so I just took a picture of the picture on the wall. The scientific name for Red Sea Urchin is Strongylocentrotus Franciscanus.

The Archerfish find their food by shooting water at insects up to 3 metres above the water's surface. In other words, Archerfish are quite literally, archers.

The scientific name of the Sea Turtle is Chelonia Mydas. People at the aquarium call her "Schoona".

Fungi Walk!

On Friday afternoon, our Biology class went on a walk to seek out the various types of fungi within Fleetwood Park's forest. Prior to this walk, we learned about many different types of fungi in class, mainly the 5 Phyla: Oomycota (Water Molds), Zygomycota (Common Molds), Ascomycota (Sac Fungi), Basidiomycota (Club Fungi), and Deuteromycota (Imperfect Fungi). To be honest, I didn't think our forest would contain so much fungi, but to my surprise, I was totally proven wrong! There were hundreds of fungi around us! I found a wide array of fungi, including shelf mushrooms, jelly fungi and lichens. I found a really long shelf mushroom along the side of a log. Its astonishing to know that mushrooms could grow so long! Although most fungi were visible to the naked eye, there were some very small orange fungi That I find growing on a branch. I'm unable to identify what it is, but my best guess would probably that it is Basidiomycota. The lesson in class and this fungi walk taught me a lot about the importance of fungi with an ecosystem, and how fungi work. I guess all mushrooms aren't edible after all!

Very tiny orange circular fungi on a tree

Shelf mushrooms and moss on a damp log 

A very long shelf mushroom underneath a log

Some white shelf fungi  

Jelly fungi growing on the end of a log

Tiny reddish fungi on a small branch near the stream

A shelf mushroom underneath a log

Rusts growing on some leaves