Salt Water Fish

The following fish can be found in the Sea of Cortez

Azure Parrotfish

Loosed Tooth Parrotfish

Barred Serrano

Beaubrummel (juv.)

Blue and Gold Snapper

Blue and Yellow Chromis

Bullseye Puffer

Chameleon Wrasse

Clarion Angelfish

Coral Hawkfish

Cortez Angelfish

Cortez rainbow wrasse

Cownose ray

Guineafowl puffer

King angelfish

Longnose Hawkfish

Mexican hogfish

Mexican Lookdown

Mutton Hamlet

Pacific Creolefish

CLARION ANGELFISH
	From: Carribean Size: 25 inches Food: Omnivore This Angelfish has an orange body and a blue head. The fins are similarly colored with blue trim. The mouth is yellow or green.

CORAL HAWKFISH

Most hawkfish live benthic adult lives. Meaning, they remain on the bottom and only venture in the water column to feed. The name "hawkfish" is presumably derived from this feeding behavior, because hawkfish perch on a substrate and wait for prey (lie-in-wait predation). At least most (if not all) adult hawkfish lack a swim bladder. The evolutionary loss of a swim bladder allows adult hawkfish to be negatively bouyant and to perch. Their negative bouyancy makes them inefficient at swimming beyond short distances. Most hawkfish also have thickened pectoral fin rays which act like fingers to prop themselves up with. As with other organisms, ontogeny reflects phylogeny in hawkfish. Meaning, their development reflects there position on the tree of life. Hawkfish larvae have a swim bladder, like other percoid fish, but lose it developmentally as they settle as juveniles on the reef. The hawkfish loves live coral. In fact, it is almost impossible to drive it away from its favorite coral head. Its small size is ideal for slipping around and through the gaps between coral branches. The branching coral provides such good protection that the hawkfish spends its whole life in a territory of just a few square feet The territorial behavior of the hawkfish, and of many other marine animals and plants, probably helps these animals spread out in relation to the available resources, like food. If too many hawkfish were packed among the coral branches, some would be vulnerable to predators. Without enough food, many would starve. Hawkfish are easily approached by humans, although they are sometimes hard to spot among the coral "trees." Hawkfish are happy with just a small area of coral, so they adapt nicely to marine aquaria. Often sold in aquarium shops, they are easy to keep. Since they feed on small crustaceans in the wild, they soon adapt to eating frozen brine shrimp in a home aquarium.

There are two scientific families of pufferfish. There are about 118 species in the family Tetradonontidae. These puffers are the ones without spines. There are about 15 species of puffers in the family Didontidae, which have spines.

How many eggs do Port Jackson sharks lay at a time, and are eggs of bigger sharks larger than the Port Jacksons'?

Port Jackson sharks lay two eggs every 8 to 17 days in the months of August and September. The Zebra sharks, which can get up to 11.5 feet long (compared to 5.5 feet in the Port Jackson) lay eggs that are 5-7 inches long.

No.

Can lionfish kill a person?

The venom of lionfish is powerful enough to kill a person. The powerful venom glands are contained in long central grooves alone each spine. The venomous spines are a defense mechanism, and are not used for hunting/capturing prey. People usually run into problems with lionfish (as well as other venomous marine animals) when they accidentally provoke the animals.

Why does Ocean Journey hand feed the eels?

The aquarist staff hand-feeds the eels, sharks, and rays for a couple of reasons. By hand-feeding, we can track which fish are eating, and how much. Since the eels are what we call "lie-in-wait" predators that usually hide out in their holes until a potential meal swims by, we need to go down and physically place food items in spots for the eels to get at.

Pretty much any shark that is fairly easy to catch has been exploited for human consumption. Some commonly caught sharks are: Blue sharks, Gummy sharks (their meat is called "flake"), Thresher sharks, Mako sharks, and Reef sharks.

Napolean wrasses don't reproduce well in captivity. The reasons for this aren't entirely understood, but no one has been able to establish a viable fishery with captive-bred Napoleans. Ocean Journey has no plans to get more Napolean wrasses at this time. All members of the family Labridae (wrasses, including the Napolean) start out as females and as the need in the population arises, the bigger, more dominant fish will change to males.

Requiem sharks are all members of the family Carcharhinidae, which includes species such as the Silvertip shark, Gray Reef shark, Bronze Whaler, Bull shark, Reef sharks, Sandbar sharks, Lemon sharks, and Blue sharks. There are about 50 species of Requiem sharks. These sharks are often thought of as the "typical" shark, meaning that they look much like we all picture sharks should look.

We feed the stonefish ½ of a smelt or capelin (types of fish) or whole sand eels. Occasionally we may also feed them shrimp.

You probably came across some fossilized shark teeth, which are black from the fossilization process.

Cuttlefish like live foods. We feed them grass shrimp, goldfish, and guppies. We also pole-feed them previously frozen shrimp and fish.

While sharks and rays have well-developed eyes and can see out of the acrylic (no mirroring or anything on the inside) they are not really affected by the presence of people. In addition to sight, sharks and rays depend heavily on several other senses, including smell, pressure, and electro-reception. Since the sharks/rays are in the water and the guests are on the outside, the only sensory input they're getting is visual, with no other cues to alert them to the peoples' presence. Without other sensory inputs available to confirm the sight of people, the sharks/rays are affected very little if at all by the presence of our guests. If, however, people were to start rapping loudly on the acrylic, the animals behind the panels might start to become agitated/stressed.

There are several factors that determine how large any animal will get: genetics (the make-up of the species….ie: people don't get 15 feet tall), food availability, and in some cases, space. We have chosen to exhibit sharks that generally don't get much larger than 12 or 14 feet long, and they're in a fairly large exhibit (almost 1/3 of a million gallons), so they might reach their full size. By not overfeeding them too drastically we can help make sure they don't get "too big" for their exhibit.

The scales, or dermal denticles (meaning "skin-teeth") break up the water flow over the shark’s body, reducing the drag that the shark encounters while swimming.

Skates and rays are both laterally compressed (aka: flat) cartilaginous fish that are closely related to sharks. Skates are in the family Rajidae, while the rays comprise several groups. Both rays and skates have enlarged pectoral fins that form the "disc-like" body shape. Rays however, use their pectoral fins for propulsion (by "flapping" the fins like birds wings), while skates move their muscular tail from side to side for propulsion. Skates have rough scale-covered skin, while many of the rays feel smooth to the touch. Skates lay eggs ("mermaid’s purses"), while the rays bear live young. Many of the rays have long tails with stinging spines associated with them. Skates do not have this adaptation.

In this case the term "panamic" is defined as: A zoogeographic province of the eastern pacific encompassing central Baja to northern Peru. The inclusion of the word panamic in many common names indicates those animals are from this region.

Are the gills on nurse sharks moveable?

Unlike the opercula of bony fish, shark’s gill slits aren't under the muscular control of the shark. Nurse sharks have small holes behind their eyes called spiracles that move water in. The movement in the gill slits that you see is due to the expulsion of the water after it has passed over the gills, and not from muscle contractions.

 

Some of the smallest sharks are the Midwater sharks, which are only eight to ten inches long, and the Spined pygmy shark, which is nine to ten inches long!

There are actually several species of remoras that inhabit the Pacific Ocean, including:

Sharksucker, Echeneis naucrates

Whalesucker, Remora australis

Spearfish remora, Remora brachyptera

Remora, Remora remora

White suckerfish, Remorina albescens

The claspers on male sharks are used in sperm transfer. The male inserts one clasper at a time into a female and muscles send seminal fluid down a groove in the clasper into the female oviduct.

15. What is the name of the fish that moves the rocks in the "House Hunters" (hermit crab) exhibit?

It is called a Yellowhead jawfish, Opistognathus aurifrons. Jawfish excavate burrows in the sand and can usually be seen hovering around their holes, ready to retreat into safety if threatened.

All members of the wrasse family Labridae are born female. If there aren’t enough males in the population, or if a female is old/large enough, the larger females will undergo a rapid sex change and become fully functional males. This reproductive strategy/phenomenon is known as "sequential hermaphroditism"

How large will the sharks get?

As stated on the fish size insert in your field guide:

Nurse sharks can get up to 14 ft/4.3 meters.

Sandbar sharks can reach 9.8 ft/3 meters.

Zebra sharks can be 11.5 ft/3.5 meters long.

Do Sandbar Sharks have to swim to force water over their gills?  

Since sharks don’t have opercula covering their gills that they can move water with, the pelagic sharks usually need to be moving through the water to move water from their mouths over their gills. Some of the bottom-dwelling sharks (dogfish/sawsharks) have well-developed spiracles behind their eyes that aid in water movement over their gills. The Nurse and Zebra sharks are sluggish species that tend to rest on the bottom during the day, sometimes with their mouths open facing the current to increase the waterflow over their gills. Sandbar sharks, being a large, pelagic species, usually move constantly to force water into their mouths and over their gills. They may, however, rest on the bottom for short periods of time. Sandbars aren’t one of the species such as Great White and Blue Shark that absolutely has to move to move water over their gills.

All wrasses are in the scientific family Labridae.

No more than other wrasses. Groupers are members of the family Serranidae. Both wrasses and groupers, however are part of the large order Perciformes.

The smaller fish in the Depths of the Pacific aren’t there to feed the larger fish, but there may be times when one of the larger fish eat the smaller fish. The fish are all consistently fed, so there should be few times when the larger fish are hungry enough to chase/eat their watermates.

Look for the presence of claspers, two finger-shaped projections off the pelvic fins. Sharks with claspers are males. Sharks without claspers are females

They’re called Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni). In some field guides, P. kauderni is listed as the "Milky Way Cardinalfish", or "Reef Cardinalfish", but the most widely accepted common name is Banggai Cardinalfish.

The sandbar sharks are viviparous (live-bearing).

Nurse sharks are ovoviviparous (eggs develop in mother and hatch internally before being "born").

Zebra sharks are oviparous (egg-layers).

We feed a variety of food to accommodate the different fish in both of our large exhibits. We feed the fish shrimp, krill, romaine lettuce, fish fillets, marine gelatin diet, and a hard plaster cast (for the coral-eating parrotfish) 2-3 times a day.

They came from collectors in Florida.

The sharks are not fed every day. They are fed a certain percentage of their body weight so they will get enough food but not enough to get overweight. Since sharks are cold-blooded, their metabolism is slower than a comparably sized mammal, so they eat less.

The sharks are fed approximately every other day and there is no set schedule.

How do we feed the sharks?

    We use long feeding tongs and feed them from the surface.

 How big to Sandbar sharks get in length and weight?

    Sandbars can be 3 meters/9 feet long, and up to about 90 kg/200 lbs.

 What does the Napolean wrasse eat?

In the wild, the primary foods of the Napolean wrasse are molluscs, fishes, sea urchins, crustaceans, and other invertebrates. They are one of the few predators of toxic animals such as sea hares, boxfishes and crown-of-thorns sea stars.

The Napolean wrasse can reach 2.3 meters/~7 feet long and be 190 kg/418 lbs.

Probably from observations by fisherman of their eating techniques (noisily "slurping" up bait/invertebrates, like a suckling/nursing baby).

Spotted eagle rays can reach 3.5 meters/11.5 feet wide

Cownose rays can be as much as 1.5 meters, or 5 feet wide.

The scientific name is Stegostoma fasciatum. Common names vary with region, but the family Stegatomidae is the zebra sharks. The name comes from the fact that the juvenile zebra sharks are striped, the spots appearing as they mature. The leopard shark is found off the coast of Southern California and is a member of the family Triakidae, which are the smoothhound sharks. In some Indo-pacific field guides, Stegostoma fasciatum is listed as a leopard shark, but it is cross-referenced as a zebra shark.

Volunteers will find many people with questions about our common names (Tang/Surgeonfish, Pennantfish/Bannerfish, etc.) Explain to guests that the same fish may have many common names that vary with region, but that the way they’re really identified is with a distinctive scientific name (Genus/species) which is also included in the field guide. For our purposes, please call Stegostoma fasciatum a Zebra shark.

No. Some females (which is where all wrasses start out) will turn into males (if there aren’t enough males in the population). Some wrasses stay female their entire lives. Once a female changes to a male, there’s "no going back". Those fish are males for the rest of their lives.

The spines along the stonefish’s back are long and stout, and are normally folded against their skin. When threatened, the spines (which are modified dorsal fin rays) stand up and are strong enough to penetrate a tennis shoe.

Lionfish and stonefish venom affects the nervous system, and is quite painful. Stonefish "stings" can be fatal if not treated, while lionfish venom isn’t quite as potent.

The coloration of the Royal dottyback (and many other brightly colored marine fish) is referred to as Cryptic coloration. This coloring helps them blend into the colorful reef environment. Royal dottybacks tend to remain near crevices or among corals, with their back half hidden. The coloring makes it difficult for predators to see the "whole fish".

It is theorized that dolphins slow down ½ of their brains at a time, but are still able to regulate their breathing and watch for food and danger. Most fish rest, but they don’t "sleep" the same way that we do. Their brains slow down, but they are still aware of where they are and of possible danger.

A Great White typically has 2 rows of teeth in use at any time, and can have 5-6 rows in reserve to replace teeth as they break. Great whites have 13 teeth in the upper jaw and 11 or 12 in the lower jaw. Therefore, they may have 50 teeth in use and another 125-150 ready to replace them.

How many young do seahorses bear at once? How large are they?

Depending on the species, the female seahorse can lay from 50 to several hundred eggs at once. They are deposited in to a brood pouch in the male’s abdomen, where they are fertilized. The male’s "pregnancy" lasts 10 day to six weeks depending on the species and water temperature. When the young hatch they are 7-11mm long and resemble the adults in appearance. When hatched, young seahorses are fully independent and can fend for themselves.

It depends on the species and the individuals within the species. Gestation time can also be affected by water temperature. In general, sharks’ gestation periods last somewhere from 2 months (rays) to 2 years (spiny dogfish).

Of the approximately 370 species of shark, only about 67 (less than 5%) are considered potentially dangerous to humans. Of these 67, only 3 (Bull, Great White, and Tiger) species are regularly involved in attacks on humans.

Between 20 and 30 pounds—remember that their skeleton is made of cartilage, so they’re not as heavy as a similar-sized bony fish would be.

What are the small translucent organisms in with the seahorses?

        They are brine shrimp that we feed to the seahorses.

What does the Panamic green moray eat, is it dangerous, and what is the purpose of their mucous covering?

Morays are predators, striking out at smaller fish and other marine animals that swim by. Their teeth point backwards, and they have the capability to lock their jaws in order to hold on to slippery prey. We feed our morays a mixture of seafood that includes shrimp and fish fillets. Morays are usually quite secretive, and aren't known to attack humans. However, they will defend their territory and their habitat is similar to that of lobsters, so unwary divers may reach their hand into what they hope is a lobster hideout, only to be bitten by an eel. Since green morays usually live in tight spaces, their mucous covering serves as protection from the rocky edges of their habitat.

Moray eels are carnivorous predators, meaning they eat other animals, such as small fish. Here at Ocean Journey, we feed our eels a variety of food including shrimp and fish.

What is the incubation of a Port Jackson Shark?

In August and September, the female Port Jackson Shark lays two eggs every 8 to 17 days in water that’s 16-100 feet deep. The young sharks hatch 9-12 months later.

Moray Eels are marine (saltwater) eels in the family Muraenidae, and have no capabilities to generate an electric current. Electric Eels are freshwater fish that are in the family Electrophoridae that can generate currents up to 500 volts (ouch!).