Posts Tagged ‘Sharks/The Coral Reef’
July 7, 2010 by KellyMorales • 4 Comments »
Posted in animals
 Celebrate sharks at SeaWorld during the month of July When I first started working at SeaWorld, I’m not going to lie; I was excited about being around all of the “cute” animals. Dolphins! Penguins! Sea lions! Shamu! I mean, who could blame me? I was eager to learn more about them, and I knew my guests would be eager to hear all I had to say while around their habitats. Win-win!
Then there were the sharks. I mean, I always thought they were cool, but they didn’t tug at my heart like some of the other animals. I’m sure I had the same pre-conceived ideas that most guests have when they think about sharks. Stop for a minute, and think about what comes to mind when you hear the word “Shark”. Scary? Menacing? Mysterious? Danger? It’s easy to think those things, given what we are usually told about them on television and movies.
The truth is, once I got to know more about sharks, different words started coming to my mind. Awesome. Important. Beautiful. And, unfortunately, Misunderstood. There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding sharks, but there are also so many amazing facts about them that it’s hard not to like sharks a whole lot more once you get to know them too. Here are a few of my favorites:
Most people immediately think of teeth when they think about sharks. While looking at their rows of teeth may be impressive, there is so much more to the story. Each species of shark has a different shaped tooth depending on their diet. Their teeth can be broad and serrated like a knife for seizing and cutting, or long and sharp like fork tines for catching smaller prey. Because of their biting force, they often lose teeth while feeding. Some species of sharks can lose and replace up to 30,000 teeth in their lifetime!
Because they are the “scavengers of the sea”, a shark’s senses are well adapted for honing in on prey that is weak, sick, or injured. They have an incredible sense of hearing, and a keen sense of smell, and their eyes are especially adapted for seeing in low light. They have pits on the underside of their snouts called Ampullae of Lorenzini. These sensory pits help the shark sense electrical currents from other animals, and allow them to know exactly when to bite down. They also have a lateral line, which is an adaptation to help them sense vibrations in the water.
 Sharks are important to ocean ecosystems because they keep populations healthy by feeding on weaker animals. This leaves the stronger ones to survive and produce stronger young. Sharks eat far less than most people imagine. Cold-blooded animals have a much lower metabolism than warm-blooded animals. In fact, in a zoological environment like SeaWorld, a shark eats about 1-10% of its total body weight each week. Studies done on wild sharks show that they have similar food intakes.
Over the years, people have used sharks for food, medicines, and vitamins; shark teeth for weapons and jewelry; and shark skin for sandpaper. But today some shark populations are on the brink of extinction. Shark meat is a popular food (with many sharks being caught only for human consumption of their fins). And thousands of sharks are caught by accident, snagged in nets set out to catch other kinds of fish.
Today, I can honestly say that sharks are probably my most favorite animals to talk about. This is why I am very excited that during the month of July, SeaWorld San Antonio will be celebrating sharks! This celebration will include shark talks and activities at our Sharks/Coral Reef exhibit, and each morning, we will be screening our “Saving a Species-The Shark Story” in Sea Star Theater. This 2-D movie delves into the mysteries of these fascinating creatures. You will learn about the variety of shark species, their amazing adaptations, and find out what is being done to protect and preserve sharks worldwide.
Learn more about sharks with our online Sharks Animal Info Book.
Are you a teacher looking for ways to bring sharks to your students? Check out our Shark Teacher Guide.
Want to get even closer? Touch a shark and hand feed their closest relatives, the stingrays, on our Behind the Scenes Tour and our Stingrays Up Close Tour.
We are very thrilled to be able to share these stories with you, and we hope to see you this month!
May 17, 2010 by NickIreland • 1 Comment »
Posted in Around the Park, animals
Our newest aquarium exhibit, at Sharks/The Coral Reef has recently been opened with some amazing creatures that inhabit sea grass environments. The aquarium features several unique species of fish and invertebrates.
Sea grass communities are home to small, delicate species and often serve as a haven for juvenile fish before they make the journey into the open sea. The sea grass itself can also be food to many larger species of marine animals.
 Banggai Cardinalfish inhabit sea grass beds in Indonesia. Our sea grass exhibit features Banggai Cardinalfish, Pterapogon kauderni, a beautiful black and white species that can only be found in a remote part of Indonesia. You’ll see them hovering still in the water column in a small school. Also, don’t miss the Shrimpfish, Aeoliscus strigatus. You may need to look hard for these, they don’t much look like a fish at all at first glance. Shrimpfish avoid predators by camouflaging themselves around the tall sea grass. They actually swim in a vertical position with the head down.
 Even though it doesn't look the part, this is a fish. Don’t miss some of the fascinating invertebrates (animals without a backbone) featured in the exhibit, such as shrimp, sea cucumbers, and hermit crabs. One of the really cool shrimp is the Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, Lysmata amboinensis, which gets the skunk portion of its name from the white stripe on its back. They are called cleaner shrimp because of the service they provide to other animals.
Cleaner shrimp can occupy many different habitats and fish will recognize that they are not food and allow the shrimp to pick parasites and dead skin off the fish. The fish will even let the shrimp clean the fish’s mouth out. This not only helps the fish remain clean and healthy, but also provides the shrimp with a snack. You may even be lucky enough to see this behavior in our exhibit.
 Like a fish car wash, the Skunk Cleaner Shrimp runs a "cleaning station". So, next time you stop by the aquarium at SeaWorld San Antonio, don’t miss out on the fascinating creatures that call the sea grass beds home.
February 8, 2010 by NickIreland • Comments Off
Posted in Around the Park, animals
This year has begun, like many others, for all of us here at SeaWorld. With opening day just around the corner, it often prompts the question: What does everyone do when there are no guests to interact with, or shows to perform in, or rides to operate? Well, even though many of our usual activities are not in full swing, we have been hard at work preparing for opening day of the 2010 season, Saturday, Feb. 27.
In the aquarium department, preparing includes fixing up our animal displays, acquiring new animals, moving other animals to different aquariums, moving animals around in the exhibits and even overhauling some of our exhibits to prepare for the arrival of the new animals.
 Red Sea Golden Butterflyfish Some of our new additions can be seen right when you walk in the door to our Sharks/The Coral Reef building. Our first aquarium now houses some new fish species including many pink, orange and yellow Anthias, or Fairy Basslets. You’ll recognize them by their brilliant colors and their tendency to stay together in groups of about a dozen fish. The biggest and most brilliantly colored one in each group is a male and all of the others are females or juveniles.
 Longfin Fairy Wrasse (left), Bartlett's Anthias (center and right) We’ve also added some small fairy wrasses. There are many different types, with brilliant shades of orange, green, blue and red. You can always spot a wrasse by the way they swim. Wrasses swim by simultaneously flapping their pectoral fins (these are the fins on each side that are like the arms of the fish) and hardly ever use their tail to propel themselves.
 Also, if you look close to the reef, you may be able to spot a Trunkfish. These look like a small swimming pyramid.
Big changes are also on the way for some of our smaller aquariums, such as a new type of jellyfish and another surprise that’s on it’s way in the coming months. I can’t let the cat out of the bag just yet, but we will have an entirely new exhibit opening soon. We’ve spent many hours overhauling one of our exhibits to house some new animals I think you are going to love.
January 14, 2010 by Tim Morrow • 2 Comments »
Posted in Events
The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Bar-B-Que Cook-Off is taking place at SeaWorld San Antonio this year! Wow, try saying that three times fast!
The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo has been putting on the Bar-B-Que Cook-Off for 14 years and has raised over $96 million for the San Antonio Livestock Exposition Scholarship Fund. This event has become a huge attraction that requires the perfect venue. SeaWorld has just that and more with one of the largest parking lots in San Antonio, a great facility and a strong enthusiastic team to help make this event better than ever!
The planning for this event is a huge undertaking with over 250 teams in the competition and SeaWorld even has a team participating in the event. These cooks and teams really get into their barbecue!
The team members at SeaWorld are a proud bunch, and through our partnership with the Rodeo, wanted to give more by showing off the park. We decided to open the Main Entrance Plaza, a few gift shops, Dolphin Cove area (where guests can feed, observe and even touch a dolphin), Sharks/The Coral Reef, and Seaside Landing for Bar-B-Que Cook-Off visitors to enjoy. There may even be some random visits from various animals throughout the day.
 Shamu mingles with a team participating in the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Bar-B-Que Cook-Off That’s not all! There will be a concert held at the park’s Celebration Cove featuring Tracy Lawrence as the headliner. This is a great outdoor venue to see a concert and relax under the stars!
I personally plan on fasting for about a week before the event if the food we sampled recently is any indication of what is coming. I am ready to eat more, lots more! I hope to see you all here!
Don’t miss this great event on Saturday, January 30 from 10 a.m. to midnight. Admission for adults is $12. Children ages 12 and under are free. Active military are free with military ID. Pre-sale tickets are available for $8 at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo box office.
December 15, 2009 by NickIreland • 3 Comments »
Posted in Around the Park, Christmas Miracles, animals
 Christmas Underwater with Santa and Elf Diver Bailey So, did you ever wonder what Santa Claus likes to do in his free time? Well, he loves to SCUBA dive of course.
This December he traded in his sleigh and eight tiny reindeer for an underwater mask and eight spotted eagle rays over at Sharks/The Coral Reef at SeaWorld San Antonio. This is where the park celebrates Christmas underwater following the coral reef feeding shows.
Also, Santa and elf divers hand-feed over 800 Indo-Pacific reef fishes and the other stars of the show, the spotted eagle rays, one of the largest species of stingray around.
Did you know that spotted eagle rays have been known to reach a gargantuan size of over 500 pounds and eight feet across from the tip of one wing-like pectoral fin to the other? They possess several venomous barbs (usually 2-6) at the base of their tail, used to fend off would-be predators, like sharks. Of course, they are quite docile when not threatened, so they make a perfect companion for Santa as he stops by to pay a visit to our guests.
Often our underwater Santa will even swim around to take some pictures with you. The whole crew of elf divers love to share stories of our amazing animals and take pictures with you and the big guy himself, Santa!
November 30, 2009 by SuzyBehne • 1 Comment »
Posted in Around the Park, Events
- Christmas list mailed to Santa…Check.
- Christmas gifts for friends and family…Check and check, thank you Black Friday and Cyber Monday!
- Second annual holiday trip to “SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration” with friends… Man-o-man, I still need to plan my trip to SeaWorld this weekend!
One would think since I work at the park I would have already had this planned out. Well, time to get started.
So, first things first… Time for the park map!
First stop is to take a picture at the park’s Main Entrance in front of the giant Christmas tree. Next stop, the all-new “A Sesame Street Christmas” at Nautilus Amphitheater to see Cookie Monster, Elmo and friends, then over to Shamu Theater! I just love “Shamu Christmas…Miracles,” it always helps me celebrate the holiday season as a time filled with hope and peace and just possibly, miracles. Okay, then it will be time for some thrills on the roller coasters. Sea Lion Stadium is next on the list for “Deck the Halls with Clyde and Seamore,” those two zany sea lions get me every time! We will need to warm up a bit at Sea Star Theater which features The Polar Express™ 4-D Experience, I heard it’s a great show with all the 4-D effects including the scent of hot chocolate. By this time we’ll be pretty hungry, so over to Mango Joe’s Café Olé to eat and listen to SeaWorld’s Holiday Singers. The rest of the day will be spent over at FantaSea, the all-new walk-through where Shamu Claus and friends are preparing for Christmas the SeaWorld way and to get our picture with Santa at Seaside Landing, his home away from home. Oh, and we can’t forget to go and see the Underwater Santa too at Sharks/The Coral Reef!
We are going to have a really busy but fun-filled day. I am excited to be a guest in the park and have a blast taking in all of the beautiful decorations, shows and photo opportunities. Interested in coming to see the holiday splendor too? The park is open through Jan. 3 with varying operating days so you have plenty of time to gather the family and come and check out the festivities!
November 6, 2009 by TriciaDees • Comments Off
Posted in Around the Park, Earth Day Every Day, animals, conservation
I bet you might not be aware of all the conservation efforts we pursue at SeaWorld San Antonio. Some you may see every time you enter the park and others take place behind the scenes. Want to learn about these efforts? Read on.
Did you know you actually drive past our aquarium every time you come to the park, but may never have noticed it? This spectacular aquarium includes live coral exhibits. Interested to know where you can spot these live coral exhibits? They are actually the first two smaller exhibits as you enter Sharks/The Coral Reef. They are gorgeous, but there is so much more to them than what meets the eye. In fact, I am willing to bet you might not know how the park is helping with coral conservation. We have aquarists participate in coral research out in the oceans to learn how to better protect them and increase their numbers. That little aquarium can help aquarists learn how to better care for the coral and apply it out in the ocean.
What about chickens? Did you know we have Attwater’s prairie chickens at our park? Actually a type of grouse, these birds are a Texas native and are critically endangered. Aviculturists here at SeaWorld are participating in research on the birds, completely off exhibit, and work with other institutions across the state to try and save the population.
Want to know more about our conservation efforts? Check out a completely different side, and probably lesser known, of the parks. The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund continues the decades of research and rescue the parks have done. Since its beginning in 2003, the Fund has awarded over $5 million in 60 countries.
Check your conservation IQ with this educational quiz, then come back here and let me know how you did.
Tricia
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