Monk Seal, Tropical Fish and Corals in the Waikiki Aquarium...

Mouse over a photo to pause the Waikiki Aquarium, Oahu, Hawaii slide show.

We visit the Waikiki Aquarium and learn about local sea life: seals, fish, coral, plants...

The Waikiki Aquarium
Part of the University of Hawai'i since 1919.

The Hawaiian Monk Seal
The HawaHuman activites can have a devastating impact on Hawaiian monk seals (just as they do on marine animals off the BC coast and around the entire world.) How you can help: Report monk seal sightings, but don't approach or disturb seals; Learn about monk seals and their need for protected habitat. Help control marine debris, dispose of rubbish carefully and reduce, reuse and recycle. It is estimated that by 2015 there will be less than 1,000 Monk Seals.

Monk seals tend to hang out on their own and not in pods. They may reach 8 feet in length, weigh up to 600 pounds and live 20-30 years. Seal pups are usually born in the spring and nurse for 5-6 weeks. After they are weaned they learn to catch food from their Moms and live off their fat reserves while learning.

Seals prople themselves with side-to-side strokes of their rear flippers; the front flippers are used in steering. Seals move around on their bellies. They are beautiful creatures and the one at the Waikiki Aquarium seemed to be having a nice afternoon nap. Monk seals tend to sleep for much of the day. In teh evening they may hunt to depths of 100-1,600 feet in serach of reef fish, octopus and lobster. They can stay underwater for up to 15 minutes at a time.

Coral
A reef is a living thing made up of animal called corals.

And individual coral animal is called a polyp. Some polyps may be a foot across, others are no bigger than the head of a pin. Coral colonies can be massive, but the actual living tissue of the coral is very thin - only .04 inches (1mm) thick - thinner thatn the skin on your nose. Polyps can appear much thicker when they are filled with seawater. As the living tissue of a coral colony grows, the skeleton increases in height and thickness.

Coral can be banded just like a tree. Cutting a slice across a no longer living piece of coral we can add up the bands, like tree rings to estimate the age of the coral. The coral to the right was 34 years old.

Corals and coraline seaweeds are like living bricks and mortor. As they gorw, their limestone skeletons buid the reef's stony framework - habitt for thousands of life forms. Reef seaweeds and the countless microscopic algae living with in corals and gian clams form the basis of the food web. Powerred by solar energy, producers perform photosynthesis, transforming raw materials into food sources that support marine life large and small: Herbivores, Predators, Recyclers

Maholo to the Waikiki Aquarium for this information.

Deep Cove BC Travels April 2011

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