Press ENTER to search, ESC to clear

Author: Greater Cleveland Aquarium

5 Things I Learned about Candy Cane Coral

December 21, 2017
 / 
Written by

What I don’t know about underwater creatures could fill, well, an aquarium. That’s why I am on quest to learn more about the fascinating aquatic animals I now see every single day at work. Here’s what I learned about the colony-forming candy cane coral that is also sometimes called trumpet, torch or bullseye coral. (Of course, those names don’t sound quite as festive).

Population growth, pollution, weather events and rising temperatures are damaging and destroying coral reefs globally. Learn more about the benefits coral reefs provide and see living coral up close at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, where curiosity is natural.

— Sam F. 

Passholder Appreciation Week

December 12, 2017
 / 
Written by

We are always looking for different ways to say “thanks” to our passholder family.

This year we hosted our first Passholder Appreciation Week, filled with free activities for annual passholders of all ages.

The week began with opportunities such as Very Important Guest tours. This experience, available throughout the year, gives guests behind-the-scenes access and an insider’s perspective on how we care for marine and freshwater species, including stops at our water filtration system, food preparation area, water quality laboratory and dive zone.

Throughout the week, our dedicated Aquarists and Guest Experience Associates were on-hand to “Dish on Fish,” answering any questions about our animals as well as about our enrichment activities during The Seas’n on Play.

Throughout the week our “land shark” Finn dropped in for some high-fives, hugs and photo ops!

For that week, our passholders were given priority at the daily stingray feedings.

We took a step further, though. Heading into the second half of our Appreciation Week, passholder families who pre-registered had the opportunity to participate in a mini-Stingray Art session! Each participating family walked away with a one-of-a-kind ornament to hang on their tree.

No holiday celebration would be complete without a visit from our friendly Scuba Claus. To round out our first appreciation week, we debuted the jolly friend of our dive team. Children (and adults!) were given the chance to share their wishes for the holiday season with the jolly old elf.blog 6

This year’s Passholder Appreciation Week was such a success we’re already planning next year’s. But, one week is not enough. Passholders get a year’s worth of benefits including admission, free parking and discounts in both the Coral Cove Gift Shop and Nautica Café.

Still not convinced an annual pass is for you? Check out what some of our passholders have said!

  • “One of our favorite places to go as a family. So much to do and see. Worth the annual membership if you plan on going a few times per year.” – Danielle F.
  • “One of the best memberships we had as a family.” – Daniel K.
  • “We love the aquarium! It is a great size for us to get through with our kids. This is our second year with an annual pass and it’s the way to go! The staff is always friendly and informative…” – Amanda T.

5 Things I Learned about Emperor Angelfish

December 8, 2017
 / 
Written by

As you walk through Aquarium, you might notice that there is a variety of angelfish represented. This one, understandably, caught my eye. I set out to learn more about the richly colored fish native to the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Naturally curious yourself? You can get a closer look at Emperor, Blue, Queen, French and Gray Angelfish 363 days a year at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium.

– Sam Fryberger

It’s Turbo Time!

December 5, 2017
 / 
Written by

If you aren’t looking for them, sometimes it is easy to miss one of our fastest slow-moving gastropods. With a name like turbo snail there is an immediate fascination with the obvious contradiction. Are these snails really as fast as their moniker might imply?

Turbo snails can grow up to 2 inches. They do quickly eliminate large amounts of nuisance algae. They can consume mass quantities of it off of live rock and aquarium glass, which makes them a very popular addition to home aquariums. They thrive in crevices and holes in natural reefs and appreciate large spaces to graze.

But these snails do not get their name based off of their speed, but rather the SHAPE of their shells. They are also referred to as wavy turban or top crown snails because of their thick, turban-shaped shell which protects their soft, flexible body. Their scientific name Turbinidae is based on the genus name Turbo, which is Latin for spinning top (a children’s toy).

toupie   Turbo Snail

Look for them next time you are in our Coastal Gallery. There’s a good chance you will see one or two grazing right in the front of our Live Coral Exhibit. It’s an amazing view that illustrates how they move and how they use their mouths to suck up algae. Check out the video below to catch a glimpse of some in action.

5 Things I Learned about the Snowflake Eel

November 29, 2017
 / 
Written by

As we approach winter in Northeast Ohio my thoughts inevitably turn to the powdery white stuff we’ll be dealing with any day now. Maybe that’s why the Aquarium’s snowflake eels caught my interest. Here are five things I learned about these aquatic creatures:

This winter, visit the six snowflake eels at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium . . . where curiosity is natural

— Samantha Fryberger

 

How Every Day Can Be ‘America Recycles Day’

November 14, 2017
 / 
Written by

If you visit on November 15, you can join us in celebrating America Recycles Day! Although we’ll be highlighting the benefits of recycling on Wednesday, throughout the year we’ve been trying to reduce, reuse and recycle more.

Did you know that more than 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans every year? That’s not good for us or for our aquatic friends. Based on waste audits done by the Aquarium’s Green Team we estimate that by the end of this year we will have kept 2700 pounds of plastic out of landfills.

What can you do to minimize plastic and other non-biodegradable waste? First off, if you are not already recycling at home, then start. It’s not hard just go to your City’s website and find out what is accepted. (If you live in Cuyahoga County it is cuyahogarecycles.org.)

Making recycling simple and convenient for your family makes it more likely they’ll participate. Try designating a bin in each living area that generates waste (kitchen, laundry room and bathroom). Then, label the containers with signs that list what is acceptable so no one puts an item that doesn’t belong.

Don’t think what you do matters? Here are some great facts about the benefits of recycling that illustrate just how much you can impact the environment by making small changes:

  • Recycling one ton of paper conserves 17 trees
  • Recycling just 48 cans is the energy equivalent of conserving one gallon of gas
  • Recycling plastic takes 88% less energy than making plastic from raw materials
  • Aluminum cans made from recycled aluminum use only 8 BTUs, which is a 95% energy savings

– Charlotte Cotter, Guest Experience Senior Lead

10-in-the-Bin America Recycles Day

5 Ways to Commemorate International Talk Like a Pirate Day

September 19, 2017
 / 
Written by

International Talk Like a Pirate Day isn’t just for Jack Sparrow, there aarrrrrrre plenty of ways to celebrate on September 19.
What is International Talk Like a Pirate Day? How did it begin? Surprisingly enough, by two guys playing racquetball. The entire story can be found on the ITLAPD website.

So how can you celebrate?

  1. Make up your Pirate Name
    There are dozens of sites with name generators and quizzes. We found a few for you to make it easier and get the (cannon)ball rolling. My favorite for my name, Morgan Wright? I can’t decide between Martha “Both Barrels” Jones or Dirty Morgan Flint.
    Pirate Name Generator Basic
    Pirate Name Generator Advance
  2. Test out your Pirate Lingo

    Dress up . . . or dress up your pet
    So you don’t have a parrot? Not everyone can be Edwin Encarnacion after a homerun. Find a bandana and eye patch and include Fido in your celebrations!

  3. Go full-on pirate on Facebook.
    Did you know you can switch your Facebook language to “pirate?” Want to see what it would read as when your Aunt Sue updates her status about your cousin’s first week of third grade? Change the language to pirate!
    – Step 1: Click the ENGLISH Hyperlink at the Bottom of Your Page
    – Step 2: Select English (pirate)
  4. Visit us!
    We’ll be celebrating all day TODAY, September 19 during general admission hours. Save your doubloons by celebrating International Talk Like a Pirate Day (ITLAPD). On Tuesday, September 19, read a randomly selected phrase while doing your best pirate impression and receive $5 off of your admission that day. The first 200 brave buccaneers receive an eyepatch.

INCLUDES:

Dress-up chest and paper plate pirate craft (11am – 3pm)
A swashbuckling story for the wee ones told by our own Lake Erie Monster-seeking Captain NEO (11am)
An appearance by land shark mascot Finn (2pm)
A target shark feed (3:30pm) and
A chance to search for treasure (10am – 5pm) in the exhibits.

Five Things I Learned from Fin Fest

August 18, 2017
 / 
Written by

It’s hard to believe our week-long celebration of sharks has come and gone. While admiring the five types of sharks we have here every single day is a large perk of working at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, Fin Fest led me to a deeper appreciation of these animals. Even though the media often portrays them as a terrifying, there’s actually much more to revere than to fear when it comes to sharks. Here are a few Fin Fest facts that stuck in my mind:

  1. Humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks every year just for their fins.

While some sharks are allowed to be caught, illegal shark finning occurs when fisherman cut fins off live sharks and dump their bodies into the open ocean. The most popular use for the fins is shark fin soup, a delicacy in Chinese cuisine.

  1. More people die from carelessly taking selfies than from shark attacks.

From 2005 to 2014, an average of six people per year died globally from shark attacks. But more than 73 people worldwide are reported to have died while taking extreme photos of themselves in the first eight months of 2016 alone. So, not only is a death by Facebook vanity shot statistically more likely than death by shark, but you have better odds of being taken down by lightning or succumbing to the flu than being killed by a shark.

  1. Sharks have no bones.

Sharks have skeletons made of cartilage. When they die, saltwater can dissolve every part of their bodies except for their teeth.

  1. Not all sharks need to continuously move forward in order to breathe.

Many sharks swim constantly for buoyancy and to keep oxygen-rich water flowing over their gills. Others, like the nurse sharks in our main exhibit, are able to remain still and draw water into their mouths and over their gills.

  1. On average, sharks eat a bit less than 2% of their body weight.

In the wild, sharks would eat maybe once a week. At the Aquarium, we pole feed our sharks three times a week, ensuring they’re full (and uninterested in their exhibit cohabitants).

 

— Morgan Wright, Marketing Assistant

5 Things I Learned About the Hi Fin Banded Shark

August 17, 2017
 / 
Written by

Each time I walk through the Aquarium I see an animal I haven’t noticed before. The hi fin banded shark, however, caught my attention from day one. Here’s a little of what I’ve learned about the distinctive fish:

Of course, you can see hi fin banded sharks in the Lakes & Rivers gallery at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium . . . where your curiosity is only natural.