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Category: Education

How a President Propagated a Piranha Myth

February 16, 2018
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Blockbuster thrillers like Jaws have given sharks an undeserved reputation as aggressive, man-eating killers. Similarly, stories about piranhas have portrayed this fairly calm species as bloodthirsty animals to be feared.

So where did this myth begin?

In 1913, Theodore Roosevelt made a trip to Brazil. To impress the adventurous former American President, locals took him deep into rainforest and allowed him to “discover” a river there but warned him not to venture in. What he did not know was that they had stocked the waters with unfed piranhas. To illustrate the dangers for the former President and accompanying journalists they threw a cow into water filled with starving piranhas. (Was it a dead cow? Bloody bits of diced meat? A sick cow? This detail seems to change from story to story.)  Within moments there was a massive feeding frenzy.

Roosevelt went on to record his amazement of these seemingly perfect killing machines in his travel memoirs, which the American population devoured and became weary of the species. In 1914’s “Through the Brazilian Wilderness”, Roosevelt noted the following:

“They are the most ferocious fish in the world. Even the most formidable fish, the sharks or the barracudas, usually attack things smaller than themselves. But the piranhas habitually attack things much larger than themselves . . . the piranha is a short, deep-bodied fish, with a blunt face and a heavily undershot or projecting lower jaw which gapes widely. The razor-edged teeth are wedge-shaped like a shark’s, and the jaw muscles possess great power. The rabid, furious snaps drive the teeth through flesh and bone. The head with its short muzzle, staring malignant eyes, and gaping, cruelly armed jaws, is the embodiment of evil ferocity; and the actions of the fish exactly match its looks.”

Although not based on real-world circumstances, Roosevelt’s vivid account the experience has only gained momentum over the years. Once Hollywood latched onto the myth and created the 1987 film “Piranha,” the unfortunate characteristic stuck.

In truth, piranhas are relatively calm until spooked. This animal can be skittish, especially if there are a larger number of them in one exhibit. The Red-Bellied Piranha, native to South America, feed on fish, snails, insects and aquatic plants, only occasionally eating larger mammals and birds.

We caught up with Connor while he was feeding our red-bellied piranha and asked him for the real story behind these beautiful fish.

Curious to learn more? Check out:

– Morgan Wright

What Happens in Winter?

January 21, 2018
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People who live here know it can get pretty cold in Northeast Ohio. Luckily, we can wrap up in a cozy scarf, pull on some lined gloves and add another layer of clothing when temps start to drop. Those animals that live in cold weather year-round have adaptive features to help them through the cold winter months. But what about the animals that don’t have an extra layer of blubber or plans to fly south . . . how do they survive a deep freeze?

Some Ohio animals, like groundhogs, hibernate. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, groundhogs hole up much of the winter in a state where their body temperature lowers their heart rate slows significantly. When it gets really frigid other creatures such as skunks, raccoons and chipmunks will seek shelter to sleep a few days until things warm up.  Birds that don’t migrate might put on some weight and change their diets. But what happens to fish?

“Cold-blooded animals, such as fish, maintain body temperatures to that of their surroundings,” explains Greater Cleveland Aquarium curator Stephanie White. “Therefore fish move to the deepest, warmest spots within the water body during cold winter months.” Fish can enter torpor, which is shorter than a full hibernation. Torpor includes a body temperature reduction, slowed metabolism, slowed reaction times, a reduction in breathing rate and primary body functions. During the state of torpor, a fish will not actively seek prey, instead allowing food to come to them, saving their energy. With slowed activity and conserved energy, their dietary needs decrease in the winter.

And what about Fido in your backyard? How cold is too cold for our own domestic animals? While a specific answer cannot be determined across the board, consider your dog’s size, fur thickness and breed. Owners that have clothing for their animals are advised to not leave them unattended in case the sweater gets hooked on an object outdoors. PetMD suggests that once temperatures drop under 20°F, all owners should limit time outdoors and be aware that their animals could potentially develop cold-associated health problems like hypothermia.

Animals have their different adaptations to survive inclement weather, both warm and cold. Their bodies know what they can stand and will give signs of if they cannot. To learn more about our animals and their adaptations, don’t hesitate to ask any members of our curation team during your next visit!

– Morgan Wright, Marketing Assistant

 

5 Things I Learned about the Snowflake Eel

November 29, 2017
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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
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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

Five Things I Learned from Fin Fest

August 18, 2017
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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 Boats You Can See From The River Hut

July 5, 2017
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The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is just steps away from the Cuyahoga River. So, if you’re interested in bridges and boats, you have another reason to visit. On any given day you might see a freighter, cruise ship, barge, tugboat, pedal “brew boat,” or other water-worthy vessel pass by our Cleveland Clinic Children’s River Hut. And, if you need help with boat identification, we recommend http://ais.boatnerd.com/.

Here are five boats you can see from the banks of Cleveland’s crooked river:

Stephen B. Roman

The Stephen B. Roman is a freighter ship that transports dry cement from Canada. Named after Canadian mining engineer Stephen Boleslav Roman, it remains the last of Canada Steamship Lines’ original “Fort Class” of Great Lakes package freighters still in service.

Thomas R. Morrish

This tugboat from Michigan was built in 1980 under the name Lady Ora but has been through a series of names since. In 1999, Double Eagle Marine purchased and renamed the boat Island Eagle. White Near Coastal Towing acquired the boat in 2004 and renamed it Captain Zeke. And in 2014, Ryba Marine Construction purchased and renamed the boat Thomas R. Morrish.

Buffalo

The Buffalo is a self-unloading bulk freighter built in 1978. The Buffalo was built under Title XI of the Merchant Marine Act of 1970 which allowed U.S. shipping companies to construct new vessels or modernize their existing fleet through government funding and tax deferred benefits. The Buffalo was the seventh of ten ships launched for American Steamship under this program.

Herbert C. Jackson

In 1959, Great Lakes Engineering Works, River Rouge (Detroit), MI a new hull became the heaviest vessel ever side-launched by the shipyard. It was also second last ship built by the shipyard before it closed. Christened the Herbert C. Jackson for owners Interlake Steamship Co., it was part of a rescue of two boaters adrift on Lake Michigan.

Nautica Queen

nautica queen

Departing right next to the Aquarium, the Nautica Queen is a dining cruise ship. Passengers can enjoy an unlimited buffet meal, drinks, and musical entertainment while onboard. Plus, the Queen offers packages which include a discounted ticket to the Aquarium for a real underwater adventure!

5 Things I Learned About Shovelnose Sturgeon

May 30, 2017
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When I joined the Greater Cleveland Aquarium team, I realized I hadn’t even skimmed the surface when it came to understanding aquatic life. Now I am diving into learning about a different animal each week.

This time my lesson focuses on the shovelnose sturgeon, an animal that embodies that phrase “age before beauty.” According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, sturgeons pre-date many fish species—“appearing in the fossil record approximately 200 million years ago.” Here’s what I have learned about the prehistoric creature:

 

If you’d like to see a shovelnose up close, visit us anytime at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium—where curiosity is only natural.

World Oceans Day

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Imagine living in a beautiful, underwater world where there’s nothing but the rays of the sun and your fellow aquatic friends surrounding you. Then the next thing you know, you’re surrounded by a sea of… what’s that? Pollution. Trash floating everywhere. There’s nothing more alarming to marine life than being caught in a fishing net or consuming litter that is extremely harmful to the animal’s life.

turtle-entangled-in-marine-litter

To get a glimpse of how harmful pollution can be for the animals, here are some alarming statistics. Plastic takes about 400 years to degrade in the water. Remember that favorite can of soda you love drinking? Well that takes about 200 years to degrade in the ocean. In the meantime, the pollution just hangs around, harming any animal in its way. According to Plastic Oceans, “1 in 3 species of all marine mammals have been found entangled in marine litter.” As tourists and even local people, we have to be more mindful of our actions and what we can do to protect our oceans.

cans in the ocean

Another dangerous effect of trash floating and sinking in the ocean are the chemicals that the pollution can emit. Fish and other animals will consume these chemicals, potentially killing them and even causing negative side effects to humans. How you ask? The fish consume the marine litter. We catch the fish and then we eat the fish. Now we have the same chemicals in our body that make us sick. The thing is, the animals don’t know what they’re about to be tangled in or consume. We know exactly what we’re putting into the ocean, but also may not realize the effects it has on our aquatic friends. So what can you do to help revive our oceans and save our underwater world?

marine litter

We as humans and ocean lovers need to be more conscious of pollution in the ocean and on the beaches. By picking up all of your trash, you’re reducing the chance of the waves snatching it during high tide and being carried into the ocean. If you see trash laying on the beach or in the ocean, don’t be afraid to grab it and throw it away or recycle it. Even the most simple act of picking up one water bottle can lead to a whole movement of reduced pollution and one more sea creature living a longer life. No matter who or how old you are, you can make a difference in protecting marine life making our oceans a cleaner and safer place.

 

 

 

 

5 Things I Learned About Lionfish

May 26, 2017
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When I joined the Aquarium marketing team, I realized exactly how much I didn’t know about sea creatures. That’s why I plan to dive into learning aquatic life by spending time in the exhibits and talking to our aquarists. Lesson 1? Lionfish. Here are five things I’ve discovered about this beautifully banded fish with a voracious appetite.

In the last week, researchers have released a recording of lionfish that sounds a little like a drumbeat. Want to hear it? Click here.

And of course, if you want to see the lionfish in the video from 360-degree views, visit us anytime at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium in the First Energy Powerhouse on the West Bank of the Flats.