Thursday, October 18, 2018

A TRIP TO BALTIMORE - BALTIMORE AQUARIUM - PART 3

The last of our photos from the aquarium.  It was such a fun place to roam around, and I hope we get back one day.  Some I have been able to identify, others not.

A close up of the explanation.
The following fish were in a display as you enter the aquarium.  They are Brook Trout, description nearby reads: "Salvelinus fontinalis.  Size 20 inches (50 cm) - Brook Trout require clean, cold streams in order to thrive.  In Maryland there are 100 streams that support native, self-supporting populations of Brook Trout."
There were other different fish in the tank but I only took note of these as they seemed first and up-front.  In fact, when I saw the photo below after I had gotten home, it amused me that because of the people in the reflection, the fish seemed to be following them.  This is straight out of the camera and hasn't been manipulated in any way.


A message ticker of interesting information at the beginning of our walk.
This wonderful reptile is a Frilled Lizard and was in the Australian exhibit area.  If you look here you will learn that it is "found in the humid woodlands of northern Australia and parts of southern New Guinea. They spend most of their time perched in trees, perfectly camouflaged, only venturing down to the floor in search of food."
I cropped and turned the above photo sideways, so that you could get a better look.  Humble opinion of mine and you may think me a little strange, it has such pretty eyes.
More pretty things to look at, undersea 'flowers'.  I don't have the name of these but they do remind me of desert plants.
I am happy I remembered to take a photo of the ID on the fish in the next three photos.  It is called a Ripsaw Catfish.  We were in the Amazonian River exhibit.
At this website I read that "it can be found throughout many of the major river systems of northern South America.  It has been recorded from Ecuador, Columbia, Venezuela, Guyana, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil."  
Scientific name is Oxydoras niger and he can grow to 36 inches (90 cm).
Here's another but I haven't identified this fascinating fish.

Or these.
Love these photos.
This one is of a Cownose Stingray.  Interesting facts can be found on this website.
This is a
A few facts I gleaned from their webpage is that it is a native to the Xingu River Basin in Brazil, which is a tributary to the Amazon River.  It has also been seen in the Curua and Iriri rivers. It lives mostly in rocky river bottoms where it finds most of its food.  More interesting facts can be found at the above link.
Not 100 percent positive (there were several turtles to try and identify, and I didn't get a good view on many of the markings) but this may be the Giant South American River Turtle
They rarely leave the water except to lay eggs.  It is one of the largest fresh water turtles in the world.
This is the Smooth-fronted caiman (Paleosuchus trigonatus).  They grow up to 8.5 feet (2.6m). "These alligator relatives breed in water and nest on land.  To help incubate their eggs they sometimes lay them near heat-generating termite mounds." 
A close-up of its head... 
and a lighter look at its body under the water.
This is the last post from the aquarium until we can get there again.  Thank you for all the kind comments you have left in all the others I have shared, and this one too.



39 comments:

  1. Aquariums are so educational too, thanks for sharing!

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    1. Very much so, and you are very welcome Christine.

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  2. The caiman particularly impresses me, and I got quite a smile out of the fish reflection shot!

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    1. Thanks William, so glad you enjoyed these two in particular.

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  3. Aquariums are amazing places aren't they? Beauty and wonder. Thank you for taking us along.

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    1. They certainly are. I love this one particularly. Thank you EC.

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  4. It's been quite a while since I've visited an aquarium. Thanks for taking me along with you.

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    1. It had been a while for me too, an extra special outing for us. Thanks Ellen.

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  5. Once again some terrific shots Denise.hat white-blotched stingray looks like it was giving you a perfect photo opp too.

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  6. I have really enjoyed this! In the fourth picture, it looks like the fish are walking along behind the people, chasing them! I didn't even know there were different kinds of catfish! This one is sure creepy looking. The Cownose stingray is new to me too. So beautifully different from the others!

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    1. I am happy you enjoyed Ginny. The fish behind the people was one of my surprise favorites but I agree, the cownose stingray is a bit special.

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  7. Interesting idea of having dots on windows. We have several birds that fly into our windows on a yearly basis. All have survived, thankfully.

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    1. It seems a good idea doesn't it? I have transparent little bird decals on my windows which seems to have done the trick. I had a fatality before I bought them and a few others escaped with only being stunned. The reflections of the trees in the widows confuses them.

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  8. Lovely shots - but I feel sad to see animals in such small spaces...

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    1. Thank you LadyFi and I understand your feelings. However, this aquarium have large containers and plenty of room for the fish to roam. It is also continuing the species that may be endangered in the wild. Hopefully, many of them will be used to replenish those.

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  9. The seabed is so colourful and interesting. That is interesting about the dots on the window. I have huge French windows in my lounge which birds don't see. I often have one crash into the glass but they never seem to hurt themselves. Least ways they fly off as if unharmed.

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    1. Isn't it just Valerie? I'm glad your birds are none the worse for their crash landings.

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  10. Even though I was born in Baltimore, I never had the opportunity to check this place out, but I'm glad you went and shared such fabulous pictures. It's almost like being there! That's very cool information about birds and dots too! Happy Friday and Hugs...RO

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    1. Hi RO, thank you and it is interesting to meet someone who is from Baltimore. It is full of lovely old buildings. I really enjoy looking at them. Happy Friday and hugs to you too :)

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  11. I am sorry the aquarium is over, I have enjoyed every single photo you took there. so many amazing and beautiful things. I like the fish looking at the people shot. love the lizard thing and the dots on the glass is such a great idea, your photos are so crystal clear and sharp and some of them don't look like they are in an aquarium. excellent photos skills showing us all this beauty

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    1. Thank you Sandra, so glad you enjoyed my posts and I appreciate those sweet comments.

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  12. Hi Denise,
    Another super interesting post with such a variation of species.
    I have caught brook trout, they are such a pretty fish with the white edge to the fins, I returned them all, not a lover of fish, I have always done the same with salmon, I dislike them more than trout.
    Great post,
    All the best, John

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    1. Awww John, it makes me smile that you return your fish to their home. When I went fishing with my dad he always returned them too, especially when he looked at my distraught face. I was quite young and the thought of eating what we caught used to make me so distressed. Perhaps I wasn't the best fishing companion in the word, lol!

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  13. That is a very impressive aquarium plus the quality of photos is amazing. I have a little Nikon point and shoot that has an aquarium setting and it does pretty good but when I take my big Nikon in I can't get the white balance right.

    I love that photo that makes it look like the fish are following visitors. That is definitely a keeper.

    Have a great weekend.

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    1. Hi Yogi, you may be even more surprised to learn I took all my aquarium photos with my iPhone? We have the bigger camera to use for animals and birds on the outside when we want to use the zoom lens, but we are relying more and more on our phones. The colors come out perfectly 99 percent of the time.

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  14. Lovely shots of the aquarium. Did the frilled Lizard stand up his frill for you? the pic with the fish following the people is a beauty.

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    1. Thank you Diane. No we didn't get a display on the frilled Lizard. He seemed content resting on the tree limb.

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  15. Hello, Denise! I enjoy your photos from your aquarium visit. The lizard is cool and I love seeing the fish and the reflections. I could use some of those dots on my windows. Great photos and awesome photos. Have a happy day and weekend!

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    1. Thanks Eileen, I'm happy you enjoyed my aquarium posts. Happy day and weekend to you also :)

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  16. Hi Denise, the positioning of your Trout photo is great! Love the coral too, it looks as though some of them have pearls on their edges. The Cownose Stingray is amazing.
    All your shots are so interesting ... it was beaut seeing all of them. Thanks for sharing :D)

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  17. Thanks for sharing the Aquarium photo. I enjoy going to the Aquarium in Gatlinburg, TN. I will be going there next week when I am on vacation. This week is going to be so long.

    If I ever make it to Baltimore, I will have to go to the aquarium there.

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  18. Great pics...although I don't know fish or breeds of fish one of those looks like a BIG plecostomus. I used to have a small version in an aquarium. You are making me want to jump in the car and head to Chattanooga to the Aquarium. Been years since I have been there. Thanks for sharing.

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  19. Excellent adventure! (We have an aquarium in town also. I love going along with you)

    In fact, I just posted picture of the tropical birds seen in the Caribbean section of our aquarium on my bird blog.

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  20. I love visiting aquariums. It's so cool to see what we usually can't

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