See you later alligator! Finding alligators in the Chicago River is interesting, but it’s also dangerous for the animals and for our ecosystems on many levels.
The two non-native reptiles recently sighted in the North Branch of the Chicago River—and now rescued—most likely weren’t émigrés from southern swamps. Instead, sadly, they were probably pets that had become a problem and were dumped.
Olivia and I decided that for our project it was necessary to have a "dramatic sail-raising" scene as part of our video. It was an excuse to have an over exaggerated repeating of commands and a little fun. I think we also subconsciously felt the pressure to do it ourselves. There was a certain sense that it is more legitimate for us to not need as much assistance with the sails. I found us asking each other for help (rather than the crew) more than the previous time we put up the sails. And we trusted what we demonstrated to each other. Maybe it was because we knew more about the sails this time. But I think it was something else too.
Here on the Inland Seas, we are learning about the current issues with the Great Lakes. Our ultimate challenge is to engage our peers in discussion and action for sustainability in the Great Lakes. Our group is broken into four sections. The first group is focusing on the invasive species and their effect on the lakes. The second group is focusing on the pollution and how to prevent it. The last two groups are focusing on water quality and quantity to help conserve and make the lakes cleaner. During our trip we all will be taking videos and pictures to share our experience with others. We are also doing a lot of hands on field research to better understand our issues with the lakes.
While we’re pointing out animals and activities that you’ll only see after dark during Jazzin’ at the Shedd, we’d like to direct you to the Islands and Lakes gallery and the Mexican blind cave tetras. On the brightest day, only enough natural illumination from the skylights slips into their mostly covered habitat for guests to see them. "But they could be in total darkness," says senior aquarist Stacy Wozniak. That’s because, for these eyeless fish, day and night are the same.
Electric eels (South American knifefish, Electrophorus electricus) can grow to 6 feet long, are coated in slippery slime, breathe air through their mouths and have electric organs over three-quarters of their bodies capable of delivering a 600-volt jolt to anything—or anyone—that threatens them.
Call us geeks, but the Right Bite team is fascinated by scallops. Did you know they have a strong muscle that helps them to quickly clap their shells together? The shell-clapping action allows scallops to "fly" around underwater and out of harmful situations! This strong muscle is what many seafood lovers enjoy eating.
Dr. Ilze Berzins, Executive VP of Animal Health and Conservation Education at Shedd, discussing effects on wildlife from current oil spills in both the Gulf and in Michigan on MyFox Chicago.
His name is chiseled in stone over the entrance to the aquarium. But who was John Graves Shedd? According to his boss, department store founder Marshall Field, Shedd was "the greatest merchant in the United States." He was also, as we know, a magnanimous philanthropist, donating $3 million to build the world’s finest aquarium in his adopted city of Chicago. John G. Shedd was born 160 years ago today. Although he came from humble beginnings, he always aimed high.
As a respected leader in the field of animal care and environmental conservation, Shedd Aquarium is lending its experience and expertise to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill rescue and rehabilitation efforts. In fact, a member of our animal health division, vet tech Mayela Alsina, is in New Orleans now to work with Audubon Institute’s sea turtle and marine mammal rescue and rehab efforts. As the scope of the environmental tragedy has increased, so has the need for help, and Mayela joins other animal care specialists from the area and around the country at the Audubon Aquatic Center, where she will spend the next two weeks. Currently the center is caring for 106 sea turtles, 101 of them directly affected by the undersea oil well blow out that continues to pollute the Gulf.
July’s Fish of the Month is farmed rainbow trout, a fish that the Right Bite team has many fond memories of! We absolutely love visiting the Rushing Waters trout farm whenever we can, to talk trout with Peter, the manager, and even to put on some waders to help harvest the fish! Located in Palmyra, Wisconsin, about a two-hour drive from Chicago, this beautiful trout farm sits on 80 acres of pristine forest. Rushing Waters has 56 ponds and raceways to grow the rainbow trout. The staff harvests the fish year-round by hand, never using any chemicals or antibiotics.
What else is fantastic about farmed rainbow trout? For starters, most carnivorous farmed fish eat more protein than they provide to the people who eat them, which is an inefficient use of marine resources. For example, it takes three pounds of wild fish to grow one pound of farmed salmon! However, farmed rainbow trout are incredibly efficient at converting their feed into protein. That, coupled with ecologically responsible farming methods, makes farmed rainbow trout a best choice for sustainability.
