What is the life span of a bull nose
ray?
No one knows how long they live. Based on the life span of other
rays, 20 years is a good guess.
What are the anemones in the cold water
reef tank, and where did we get them?
The anemone with the fewer, stouter tentacles is the northern
red anemone, Tealia felina. Coloring is variable and can be red,
brown, white or yellow. The anemone with more, finer tentacles
is the frilled anemone, Metridium senile, and it also comes in
a variety of colors. There are large and small specimens of both
anemones in the tank. The anemones most likely came from a bottom
trawl in the Northern Atlantic taken by one of the NOAA research
vessels.
How many eyes does a horseshoe crab have?
This may depend on what you mean by an "eye." The horseshoe
crab has photoreceptor cells (light sensitive cells) in many places.
If you call those collections of light sensitive cells "eyes,"
then horseshoe crabs have ten or more eyes. Two of the eyes are
large compound eyes, similar to the eyes of insects and other
arthropods. You can see the compound eyes on the top of the animal's
shell.
What are the two holes near
the mouth on the underside of the skate?
They are nostrils. Skates use sense of smell to find food.
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What is the life span of wolffish?
Approximately 20 years.
How do horseshoe crabs reproduce?
Male horseshoe crabs, which are significantly smaller than the
females, use their boxing-glove shaped claws to latch onto the
female's shell. The female crawls ashore, towing the male or males
behind her. She digs a shallow hole and lays up to 80,000 eggs.
She then drags the males over the hole, and they fertilize the
eggs. Then the hole is covered and the crabs head back into the
ocean.
What is Georges Bank?
Georges Bank is a shallow area of ocean that begins approximately
100 miles off Cape Cod. Georges Bank is almost the size of Connecticut
and Rhode Island combined. In places the water on the bank is
less than 10 feet deep.
Georges Bank was first described by Giovanni da Verrazzano in
1525. Commercial fishermen and whalers began working on Georges
Bank in the 1700s. Scientists began studying the bank in the 1850s.
What is the fish that appears to "walk"
on its fins?
The sea robin
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Why is the lobster blue?
Lobsters may be blue for two reasons. Some lobsters are
born blue due to a genetic mutation; others turn bluish
due to deficiencies in their diet. The blue lobsters in
the aquarium are genetic blues.
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Why do the mackerels have bruised faces?
Some of the bruising may be from swimming into the glass. Some
of it may be scar tissue from a supersaturation event an
excess of nitrogen in the water that caused bubbles under the
skin.
Why do fish have whiskers?
Scientists call the whiskers "barbells." They are really
taste buds that help the fish find prey in dark or murky waters.
How long can seals and turtles hold their
breath?
The answer varies by species. Some seals can hold their breath for an
hour or longer, and some sea turtles can sleep underwater for two hours
or more. Active animals can not stay under that long because they are
using more oxygen. Harbor seals usually do not dive any longer than
three or four minutes, and sea turtles typically do not stay under for
more than five to ten minutes.
How do fish, lobsters, horseshoe crabs, etc. go to the bathroom?
Nearly all marine animals have an excretory tract and an anus.
Not all species of sea stars have an anus, however, those that
do have it right next to their mouth and stomach.
Main
FAQ Page
This FAQ sheet was compiled by the 2004
Woods Hole Science Aquarium summer interns: Paul Alvarenga, Elizabeth
Benson, Christina Buford, Sarah Gillig, Lauren Henson, Alea Lester,
Shaughnessy Rogers, Adam Stankiewicz
Thank-you to the fisheries
biologists who provided answers: Paul Rago, Katherine Sosebee
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