by Vince Covino | Aug 9, 2020 | Featured
Is your family bored at home? If so, it might just be time to set out an adventure! SeaQuest is the perfect destination. With fish, reptiles, mammals, and even amphibians, there’s a creature here that’s sure to fascinate everyone.
Family Outings With Toddlers
Going on a family outing with a toddler can be a difficult proposition. At SeaQuest , we have plenty of ways to keep your toddler entertained throughout the day. We have a variety of amazing animals to see, and walking around SeaQuest is like taking a trip around the world! Toddlers — and even adults — are sure to love watching the various animals as they go about their day.
Our facility isn’t just a great place to watch the animals! We have a wide variety of animals you can get up close with. Our interactive exhibits have something for people of every age, from hand-feeding sharks in the Shark Lagoon to interacting with flocks of friendly birds in the Mayan Jungle.
Fun Kids Activities
Even the most fun experience can be made educational, and what better example is there than at SeaQuest ? There are tons of fun activities for your family at SeaQuest, but one game that always seems to be a winner is the ABC Scavenger hunt!
In the ABC Scavenger Hunt, kids have to find one animal whose name starts with every letter of the alphabet. For example, African Clawed Frogs, Ball Python, and California Round Rays could be the animals for ABC. Some of the letters will be very tricky to get, in those cases you might want to take a look at the scientific names of the animals. There may even be some animals whose name starts with the letter you’re looking for so make sure to keep a close eye out!
Other Fun Games To Play At SeaQuest
- Scavenger Hunt — Can you find all the animals on the list?
- Compare and Contrast two different species of sharks or fish and decide which one you think is better!
- Living or Nonliving — make a list of the different things you see around the aquarium that are either living (like fish) or nonliving (like the sand). Some of the things you can see at the aquarium might surprise you in which category they fall into.
- Before you head to SeaQuest , make a list with your kids on what animals you think would or wouldn’t see at the aquarium! Check them off as you go and see how right you were.
Not convinced we’re the perfect family destination yet? Why not learn more about some of the inhabitants that call our facility home! The Blacktip Reef Shark will captivate everyone who sees this amazing predator. If you’re looking to get hands-on with a scaly friend, the Iguana might just be what you’re looking for.
Make sure to book your tickets for family fun at SeaQuest today! Buy your SeaQuest Tickets here!
by Vince Covino | Aug 8, 2020 | Animal Stories
Jellyfish are difficult to tell apart, so if you come across a jellyfish at the beach or at SeaQuest , it can be difficult to know what kind of jellyfish you’re looking at! If you see a jelly with a white translucent bell and four horseshoe-shaped pink or purple circles, you’ve likely found a Moon Jellyfish!
Moon Jellyfish are fascinating creatures that can be found in coastal waters all around the world. They are most often found near the coastlines of North America and Europe, where the temperatures are close to their ideal. The moon jellyfish can survive in temperatures between 21 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit but prefers the range of 48 to 66 degrees. .
Live Jellyfish in Space!
In 1991, 2,478 jellyfish polyps (an early phase of the jellyfish life where they attach to surfaces) went to space in the space shuttle Columbia! Scientists wanted to study the effect weightlessness would have on the jellyfish as they developed. Like humans, jellyfish use calcium crystals to sense gravity and judge which way is up. Scientists were hoping to compare the development of the calcium crystals in space to those on Earth, in hopes of getting a glimpse at how people born in space might adjust.
They discovered that the calcium crystals seemed to develop normally while in space. When the jellyfish returned to earth, there were over 60,000 of them! However, when they came back down, scientists found that the jellyfish who had been born in space had a hard time telling which was up and down. The new jellyfish suffered from a bad case of vertigo!
Jellyfish Communities
In the wild, Jellyfish can form into large groups or “smacks.” These smacks can then congregate into larger groups called blooms— which can consist of over a thousand jellies. Blooms are more likely to form in the summer months since the rising temperatures encourage the jellyfish to reach maturity more quickly.
There are many causes of blooms: overfishing of jellyfish predators, coastal development, and water becoming oxygen-deprived. With fewer predators, more of the jellies are likely to survive in an area. Coastal development gives extra space for jellyfish polyps to form, so more jellyfish will be born in an area. Oxygen-deprived regions are difficult for most species to endure, but jellies thrive there! In those areas, there are less likely to be predators, which helps them survive.
Make Your Friends ‘Jelly’ With These Fun Moon Jellyfish Facts
- Moon Jellyfish are also known as moon jellies, saucer jellies, and common sea jellies.
- Jellyfish are made up of 95% water and have no blood or heart.
- Moon Jellies are carnivorous, feeding on organisms like crustaceans, diatoms, protozoans, mollusks, tunicate larvae, and rotifers.
- Common predators of the moon jellyfish include birds, sea turtles, and fish. In South-East Asia, moon jellies are even a common snack to humans.
- Moon Jellyfish are able to survive in a variety of conditions, and can even thrive in dirty, polluted water that is low in oxygen.
- Moon jellyfish are considered harmless to humans because although they are venomous, their stingers aren’t capable of penetrating our skin!
If you’re planning your trip to SeaQuest , make sure to leave plenty of time to watch the moon jellyfish in their habitat. While you’re there, check out the other amazing animals that call our facility home, like the Blacktip Reef Shark or our friendly Iguanas.
Make sure to book your tickets to meet the moon jellyfish at SeaQuest today! Buy your SeaQuest Tickets here!
by Vince Covino | Aug 6, 2020 | Featured
If you’re on the hunt for some family fun, an aquarium might be just what you’re looking for. Whether you’re looking for a fun way to spend some time with the family or a chance for you to learn all about wildlife and the ocean, we’ve got you covered at SeaQuest .
Fish, Mammals, Reptiles, What More Could You Ask For?
SeaQuest isn’t just home to a variety of spectacular fish. While our tanks may hold some incredible fish species like the Blacktip Reef Shark; birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals also call our facility home.
Visiting the birds in our aviary is a truly magical experience. With their beautiful calls and the way they flutter about, watching the charming little birds is something your whole family will adore. As if getting to interact with them wasn’t amazing enough, you can also feed the lovable little critters.
Cool Things To Do With Kids At The Aquarium
Exploring all the ecosystems available is an adventure in itself At SeaQuest, you can do more than just look at the anima, get up close and personal! From snorkeling with stingrays to interacting with Lorikeets, there are plenty of chances to get hands-on time with a variety of animals.
One of the most fun things you can do at an aquarium is a scavenger hunt. With a great list of animals and sights to see, the family is guaranteed to be kept on their toes as you explore SeaQuest . Unsure what should be on your scavenger hunt checklist? Check out the list we’ve put together below and let us know how it goes!
Family Scavenger Hunt Ideas
- A Multi-colored Feathered Friend
- A Fish With a Black Stripe
- A Large Lizard
- An Adorable Furry Friend
- Webbed-Footed Pal
- An Amphibian
- Find a Soft-Bodied Animal
We hope to see you here at SeaQuest soon, but if you need even more reasons to come take a look at some of the fantastic creatures who call our place home. Marina the Mermaid is sure to fascinate your family with her “bubble”y personality. If you’re looking for a chance to meet a real star, the sea stars at SeaQuest are more than happy to help.
Make sure to book your tickets for family fun at SeaQuest today! Buy your SeaQuest Tickets here!
by Vince Covino | Aug 1, 2020 | Animal Stories
Capybaras are fascinating little creatures! They’re easily recognized because of their peculiar body shape and adorable coloration. This endearing mammal has a dense, barrel-shaped body with short head and reddish-brown fur on top, while the fur on the underside turns yellowish-brown.
Commonly found in South America, Capybaras can be found in Panama, Colombia, Brazi, Argentina, Venezuela, Peru, French Guiana, Paraguay, and Uruguay. They live in the dense rainforests that run alongside bodies of water — lakes, streams, rivers, ponds, swamps, and marshes. If you can’t make it down to the rainforests of South America, the next best place to see a Capybara is at SeaQuest .
Their Fascinating Herbivorous Diet
While the Capybara is an herbivorous animal, meaning it eats plants, it has an even fancier name for what it likes to eat. They’re graminivores, this means that they are a herbivore that feeds primarily on grasses. In the wild, they love to graze on water plants and grasses and 80% of their daily diet is made up of five species of grasses. How much grass does it take to feed a capybara? The average capybara eats between six and eight pounds of fresh grass a day.
Capybaras are almost more at home in the water than on land. Their webbed toes and ability to hold their breath underwater for up to five minutes make them excellent swimmers. If a predator is nearby or tries to attack them, they’ll dive into the water and swim out of danger. In the heat of midday, they’ll even take a dip in the water to avoid the heat.
Social Life Of The Capybara
These highly social creatures live in groups of 10-30. In some situations, they can even form herds of up to 100 capybaras. They are chatty little animals who squeak, chirp, and bark around their family. Capybaras give birth to a litter of one to seven pups at a time, with the average being three, following a 120-day pregnancy.
The capybara is also known for its highly friendly behavior. They’ve been spotted hanging out with creatures of all kinds – not just other capybaras. Some of their other friends include turtles, ducks, fawns, monkeys, and other random birds.
Fun Facts About the ‘Capy’-est Rodent Around
- Their home range is between 25 and 50 acres.
- Capybaras can sleep in the water! They keep their nose just above the waterline as they doze.
- They are crepuscular animals, this means that they are most active during dawn or dusk.
- Like all rodents, the Capybaras teeth never stop growing. They are constantly being ground down by the grasses they eat.
- The Capybara is also known as the “master of the grasses,” and comes from the name Kapiyva in the indigenous language of Guarani.
Capybaras aren’t the only other fun animal to meet at SeaQuest . If you’re looking to see a creature that looks like it’s right out of outer space, the Axolotl is sure to fascinate. However, if you want to meet someone just as sweet as the Capybara, make sure to stop by and meet Marina the Mermaid.
Make sure to book your tickets to meet the capybaras at SeaQuest today! Buy your SeaQuest Tickets here!
Learn more about SeaQuest in , our animals, and VIP specials when you sign up here.
by Vince Covino | Jul 30, 2020 | Animal Stories
Easily recognized by the black tips that adorn all of their fins, the blacktip reef shark is one of the most common reef sharks. If you’re visiting a reef in the Indo-Pacific ocean or the Mediterranean Sea, you’re likely to come across the grey reef shark, whitetip reef shark, and the blacktip reef shark. But if you are near SeaQuest you can see all of them just a short drive away from home!
Blacktip Reef Sharks are commonly found up to 20 meters deep, but on rare occasions can be found more than 50 meters! Often, you’ll see them swimming along with their dorsal fin sticking out of the top of the water.
The Shy and Reserved Reef Predator
Blacktip Reef Sharks are definitely homebodies! Researchers studying the blacktip reef shark off the Palmyra Atoll found they have an average home range of about 21 square miles, the smallest of any species of shark.
The Blacktip Reef Shark is a shy but curious shark. When new divers enter the water, they’ll often swim over to check them out. They are also wary and easily frightened, so they are quickly scared off. Due to their presence in the shallow reefs, Blacktip Reef Sharks often find themselves coming into contact with people. There has never been a fatal attack on a human by a blacktip reef shark, however.
Jawesome Blacktip Reef Shark Facts
- The Blacktip Reef Shark reaches a maximum size of 6.6 feet and 30 pounds.
- Blacktip Reef sharks reach maturity at a little over three feet in length for females and males at around three feet. After a gestation period of up to 14 months, they give birth to 2-5 pups, with 4 being the most common amount. Although commonly confused with the Blacktip Shark, the two species are very different.
- They are opportunistic feeders, but some of their favorite foods are crustaceans, squid, octopus, and bony fish.
- Some families in Hawaii see this shark as their “aumakua” or spirit guardian.
The Blacktip Reef Shark’s Conservation Status
Like most shark species, the blacktip reef shark population is on the decline. While they are not an endangered species at this time, they are noted as near threatened. Unfortunately, they are often caught as the by-product of gill net fishing. They are also fished for their fins, meat, and liver oil.
While the Blacktip Reef Shark may be one fascinating species, you might want to check out the mysterious Axolotl here at SeaQuest ! If landlubbers are more your style, you might want to check out the noble Green Iguana.
If you’ve never been lucky enough to see a Blacktip Reef Shark, come to SeaQuest , and watch them today! Buy your SeaQuest Tickets here!
Learn more about SeaQuest in , our animals, and VIP specials when you sign up here.
