Piranha’s Rocky Rescue

SEA LIFE Minnesota Removed 55 Rocks from Piranha’s Stomach
Piranhas typically eat mackerel, shrimp, or algae; NOT ROCKS. However, SEA LIFE just received a piranha who had an abnormal looking stomach full of 55 rocks! Carly Bryns, SEA LIFE’S Curator, spotted the piranha at a locally trusted fish supplier.

As you can imagine, rocks can only be removed one way- through surgery. The aquarium staff took on the challenge of surgically removing the rocks and saving this poor piranha’s life. The net weight of these 55 rocks ended up being 17 grams.


SEA LIFE MInnesota's newest piranha after his surgery.


As you can see, the piranha is doing well after his intense surgery. Tomorrow, (Tuesday, August 23rd) SEA LIFE staff will display the piranha for guests to see and learn more about. He now has some stiches and a strict fish diet - hold the rocks.

It’s been a ROCKY road for this little piranha, but he has found himself an excellent home at SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium!

SEA LIFE Minnesota Facebook fans can vote to help name the little survivor! Click here to choose from: Rocky, Rambo, or Rock Star!

An Intern's Perspective

When I tell people I am working as an intern at SEA LIFE Minnesota, their response is usually “what a fun place to work” - and they are right about that! This summer, I had the privilege of working with the marketing and group sales departments, as well as other college interns.
Consequently, I have many new SEA LIFE facts up my sleeve, such as: sea stars eat by moving their stomachs out of their bodies and horse shoe crabs can survive one year without eating. Let me share with you some of the highlights of the SEA LIFE marketing internship.


ANIMALS, ANIMALS, ANIMALS!
You might be doing offsite events with Cub Foods and teaching families about shark jaws, shells, horseshoe crabs, pencil sea urchins and chocolate chip sea stars. You could be in the office writing a blog about the SEA STAR of the week, conservation or your internship experience. Or you could be working with animals as an animal husbandry intern (or displays as we call it). Patrick, a senior from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said his favorite part of the Displays Internship is the daily interactions with the animals and his scuba diving experience in SEA LIFE’S Atlantis Exhibit. His favorite animal at the aquarium is Lola, the shark ray, for the simple fact that she is cool to look at and has a lot of personality.


YOU WILL GET TO KNOW THE MALL AND ITS EMPLOYEES!
You could be running a coupon contest for the mall tenants and reward the winner with a breakfast or gift cards. You might be refilling coupons or replacing stickers within the mall and Nickelodeon Universe. Or you could go from store to store to let the employees know they get in for FREE.


YOU WILL WORK WITH THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT AND OTHER INTERNS!
You will be working on team projects with the marketing department such as planning and promoting an event, designing a flyer, or establishing partnerships with hotels in the area. All of the interns will work on various things together such as designing a hotel window display, surveying guests, or creating Sharky videos (we definitely had fun filming those).


My advice for future SEA LIFE interns would be to have an open mind and a good attitude because it will only make your experience better. Another important thing to remember is always treat your internship as if it’s your career because many of SEA LIFE's current employees started as interns.


I can assure you that your SEA LIFE intern experience will look great on your resume and you’ll enjoy it too! To find out more information go to http://www.visitsealife.com/about-us/careers.aspx Candidates must receive college credit.

*I had to say goodbye to the turtles on my last day!!

-KS
SEA LIFE Marketing Intern, from Concordia University- St. Paul

If Fish Can Swim in Schools...

...then why can't you! Well, because your teacher may not approve of your swim-suit attire or soaking wet hair, so we came up with other fun, Back-to-School adventures that won't leave sea-weed hanging from your desk.

All of the sea creatures at SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium are gearing up for the first day of school, including our mascot, Sharky! Sharky has been anxiously awaiting this day for months; in fact, he has been scoping out the best spots at the Mall of America to purchase Back-to-School clothing and accessories. Check out this video to see what Sharky finds on his latest Extreme Adventure...

Sharky found so much great stuff while searching through the Mall of America that he had to split his adventure into two videos! Stay tuned to SEA LIFE Minnesota's YouTube page for the next video!

Buying and receiving school supplies is great, but giving to those in need is even better! Right now, TruStone Financial Federal Credit Union is asking Twin Cities communities and businesses to help collect school supplies for children in grades K-12. Those who donate will receive a FREE SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium child admission coupon! More information can be found here.

Summer is swimming by, so we want to help people make the most of it! To do this, we are extending our online ticket sale! The general public can currently purchase tickets for as low as $9.99 until the end of summer! Click here for more information and to purchase your tickets!

Photography Tips for Your Visit to the Aquarium

Anyone who's been to an aquarium knows exactly how hard it is to get a good picture of the sea creatures! We've put together a list of tips to help you get exactly the shot you want.

• Use a digital camera. You can check how your picture turned out right away.
• Turn the flash off! In a lot of exhibits, the tanks are already lit in the way that best shows off all the animals and coral inside. If you do use the flash, pay attention to any flash restrictions that might be posted.
• Use a faster shutter speed - some of our animals can swim pretty fast, you don't want them to look like a blur as they speed by!
• Try to take the shot straight on. Weird angles through the tank glass can distort the image or show reflections.
• The SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium is quieter during the evening, so if you come then, you'll have more time to perfect your shot.

We'd love to see your favorite pictures! Share them on our Facebook page.

Green Sawfish in Atlantis

Our Sea-STAR of the Week is keeping up with the Shark Week theme! Our Green Sawfish are in the same family as sharks, along with rays and skates.

Sawfish are most recognizable by their rostrom, which is the long saw-like protrusion from their faces. It is covered motion sensitive and electrosensitive pores that help the sawfish to detect movement, as their eyes are fairly undeveloped. It can even allow them to detect the heartbeats of sea creatures hiding under the ocean floor!

They live in the tropical and sub-tropical waters of the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans, and can even survive in the brackish water of estuaries, much like their cousin, the Bull Shark!  

While Sawfish in the wild spend most of their time lying on the ocean floor, the Sawfish here at the SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium prefer to hang out on top of the tunnel, giving guests a great view of themselves!  

They prefer to hunt at night, and swim into schools of fish moving their rostrom back and forth. The "teeth" on the rostrom, which are actually called "denticles", are very useful for spearing fish to eat!  

Sharky's Extreme Adventures at Scooops Kid Spa

Sharky's had another great day out in the Mall of America! This time he went out to Scooops Kid Spa for a day of pampering and relaxation. It looks like he had a great time with the staff there while they gave him a manicure and hair styling appointment - who knew a shark would enjoy getting his nails done so much!

Check out the video to Sharky living the good life - it's the only time you'll get to see him wearing a robe and a tiara!

Juvenile Nurse Shark Moves into Rainbow Reef

It's been a big day here at the SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium! After rescuing a juvenile Nurse Shark from the aquarium at a recently closed local restaurant, we released her into the Rainbow Reef Tank to swim among the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles, French Angelfish and  Brown-banded Bamboo Sharks - just to name a few!

While this Nurse Shark is only about two feet long right now, she may grow to be up to ten feet long, and live to be well into her twenties. Since Nurse Sharks are generally nocturnal animals, the Rainbow Reef Tank will provide her with lots of ledges and crevices that she can rest under during the daytime, before becoming more active and exploring her new tank.

Our Animal Expert and Displays Curator, Carly Byrns, said that the shark " seems like she's doing really well in her new home, and is adjusting to living with her new roommates. We're excited to have her here and are looking forward to seeing her become accustomed to life at the aquarium,".

Remember, even though a shark may seem like a fun pet, they require a lot of attention additional to what your average aquarium creature needs! This includes a 2,000 gallon tank (at least), to garuantee that the shark has enough space to live and grow. Also, sharks should be fed good quality frozen food, not the fish flakes you feed the rest of your aquarium fish. Here at the aquarium, our sharks get restaurant quality food on a regular basis!

Watch the video below of the Nurse Shark moving in!