Touch new animals at the touch tank!

Two new additions have a new home at the Aquarium. Short-spined sea urchins and flat-clawed hermits were welcomed into their new habitat this week.

The short-spined sea urchin is commonly found along inshore shallow water areas and sandy bottoms. They have short spines, and can adorn themselves with debris to provide protection from predators. Flat-clawed hermits live from sub-tidal areas to the low tide line along the Atlantic coast. They are unusual because they are not striped like most hermit crabs. They are a pale off-white color, and have two unequal in size flat claws that lock together to form an operculum when the crab withdraws from its shell.

Next time you walk by the touch tank, make sure to stop by and ask a volunteer to point out the new inhabitants!

*Special thanks to Melissa Johnson for the information

*Picture from www.seafriends.org

Camper Chronicles: Week Four / Day 2

Day two of Circle of Life camp was a wave-riding, anklet making, fun-filled day for the campers. After spending the morning splashing around at the beach, the campers created anklets and learned about the animal life cycle. The campers were in agreement that the beach was awesome! Here is what they had to say.

Cammie, “My favorite part of the day was making an anklet.”

Yasmine, “My favorite part of the day was when we went to the beach because we body surfed waves.”

Ali, “My favorite part of the day was when we went to the beach because the water was very cool and refreshing.”

Ashley, “My favorite part of the day was making an anklet so I can wear it all the time.”

Jenna, “My favorite part of the day was going to the beach because it was so much fun.”

Charles, “My favorite part of the day was going to the beach because I love to swim.”

Jonathon, “My favorite thing today was crafts because I learned how to make an anklet.”

Maddie, “I loved the beach today because I’m a water bug and I love jumping over the waves.”

Mary, “My favorite part of the day was when we went to the beach. I love the sea breeze in my face.”

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Camper Chronicles.

Camper Chronicles: Week Four / Day 1

Ocean Explorer (ages 10-12) campers at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher enjoyed their first day of "Circle of Life" themed camp. Here, they blog about their day:

Yasmine: "The funniest thing that happened today is when Ashley put seaweed in my hair."

Charles: "The funniest thing that happened today was when my foot hit a crab and I jumped 6 feet out of the water."

Camden: "The funniest thing that happened today was I was walking in the marsh and fell in a hole. And I kissed a crab too."

Ashley: "Today I kissed a fish and a crab today, it was so funny! I also put seaweed on Yasmine's head and took a pic!"

Stay tuned for day two...wonder what they will do??

Camper Chronicles: Day Five

It’s the end of the road for the Circle of Life campers. On their final day they reflected about the adventures and activities they completed throughout the week.

Zachary, “Camp was really, really fun. I made a lot of new friends. We got to do a lot of cool things. I liked petting the animals and I liked all the other things we did. Overall I thought camp was really cool. Thank you Ms. Jenny and Mr. Andy for bringing us to all of the cool places we went and for doing all the fun things you planned with us. Thank you.”

Scott, “I liked going to the beach and playing in the sand. I made a big fortress. It had a wall to keep the flood from getting to it, and it had another wall protecting it. Then we had to go and a wave messed it up.”

Tate, “Camp was a great experience because I got to make friends and learn about aquatic life. I also liked going to the beach and stuff.”

Mikaela, “Camp was cool because I learned new things. One of the things that I learned was that a crab was an invertebrate.”

Alex, “Camp was great because I met new friends.”

Jonathan, “This camp is really, really cool. You get to go behind the scenes and catch stuff, and learn cool facts!!!”

Nathan, “I’ve learned a lot because we do so much. I think everyone that likes marine animals should come.”

We will miss you campers! Stay tuned for a new round of guest authors on the Camper Chronicles.

Camper Chronicles: Day Four

Day four of Circle of Life camp revolved around learning about different animal life cycles. The campers learned about the lives of jellyfish and sea turtles. This is what they had to say about what they learned.

Zachary, “I learned that the life cycle of jellyfish is similar to the life cycle of an Anemone.”

Tate, “Today I learned about the sea turtle life cycle, the turtles go where nobody knows.”

Scott, “I learned that a turtle’s brain is very small, and I learned how to find a sea turtles nest. I also learned about other sea turtles, and that the female is the only one that does on land. “

Jonathan, “I learned that the middle of the turtle life cycle is a mystery.”

Alex, “I learned about the life cycle of a jellyfish and turtle.”

One camper was simply amazed with the sculpture on display in the front of the Aquarium.

Nathan, “I learned what was made out of metal outside. They are Spadefish.”

Fort Fisher Saves on Water!

Congratulations Fort Fisher for reduced water usage by 13% for the fiscal year 2008-2009. 680, 000 gallons of water were saved, which is a 49% reduction from our base year of 2004. Using less water resulted in a savings of $6,821, which is awesome! A standing ovation goes out to all the Aquarium staff and volunteers for their water conservation efforts.

*Image from charityguide.org

Camper Chronicles: Day 3

Day three of Circle of Life camp was filled with sand, waves, and fossils. The campers ventured out to the beach in the morning, and dug in the fossil pit in the afternoon. Here is what they had to say about their day. Enjoy!

Scott, “The funniest thing I did was go to the beach. I made a fortress but it was torn down by a wave. Then I caught a fish, and then I put it in a bucket. Then we had to go back to camp.”

Alex, “I liked going to the beach today because I got to jump in the waves. “

Nathan, “My favorite thing was the beach because I jumped in the waves.”

Jonathan, “The best thing today was the fossil pit because I found a bunch of shark teeth.”

Zachary, “The funniest thing I did today was going to the beach. I liked going to the beach because I got to go boogie boarding. I caught a lot of big waves.”

Mikaela, “The funniest thing I did today was doing an anklet because I got to have a shark tooth.”

Tate, “My favorite thing that happened today was when we went to the beach and played in the ocean.”

See you tomorrow for day four of this week’s Camper Chronicles.