FROM 2015 - A CHANGE OF PACE

 Old post from 2015. I am not sure if this exhibit is there anymore, but I still found it very interesting to read about and I hope you do too.

One day we went to the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach (We lived in Virginia Beach for two years back in the 80s and visited it several times after that. We always enjoyed going to the aquarium). As well as the abundance of marine life exhibits, there is another very interesting one about the Silurian age in Virginia. I have left links throughout so that you can read more info if you would like to.

I read: "The Silurian Period was 443.7 to 416.0 million years ago. It was at a time when the Earth underwent considerable changes that had important repercussions for the environment and life within it.  One result of these changes was the melting of large glacial formations. This contributed to a substantial rise in the levels of the major seas.  The Silurian witnessed a relative stabilization of the Earth's general climate, ending the previous pattern of erratic climate fluctuations."  

In the photo below it says: "Silurian Virginia was a hot, dry desert surrounded by warm, shallow seas.  Earth's first land dwellers appeared during this period, but most plants and animals still lived in the water.  Trilobites, sea scorpions and other arthropods shared the sea floor with brachiopods, clam-like organisms that were the most common shelled animals.  Above the bottom, bony-armored fishes and squid relatives cruised in search of prey.  On land, spiders, centipedes and worms lived among fungi and simple plants."

"Coral reefs made their first appearance during this time, and the Silurian was also a remarkable time in the evolution of fishes. Not only does this time period mark the wide and rapid spread of jawless fish, but also the highly significant appearances of both the first known freshwater fish as well as the first fish with jaws. It is also at this time that our first good evidence of life on land is preserved, such as relatives of spiders and centipedes, and also the earliest fossils of vascular plants."

"The Silurian is a time when many biologically significant events occurred.  In the oceans there was a widespread radiation of crinoids, a continued proliferation and expansion of the brachiopods, and the oldest known fossils of coral reefs.  As mentioned earlier this time period also marks the wide and rapid spread of jawless fish, along with the important appearances of both the first known freshwater fish and the jawed fish.  Other marine fossils commonly found throughout the Silurian record include trilobites, graptolites, conodonts, corals, stromatoporoids and mollusks."

I found the above fascinating information and much more at this website.  

I have also included two maps, one above and below, so that you can see the aquarium's location.

Thanks for looking and 

I hope your day is a great one.

SNAPPING TURTLES, SEAHORSES, CRABS AND FISH

 If you ever find yourself in Virginia Beach, Virginia, I can highly recommend the Aquarium, link here.  This was not a recent visit as you can guess, but not so long ago in the grand scheme of things. 

This is a Snapping Turtle.  He has a very interesting face doesn't he?

There were several small crabs scurrying around in this exhibit.

My personal favorites were the seahorses. Only a couple of photos came out. Seahorse populations are declining but it is hoped that holding and displaying them will heighten awareness of marine conservation issues, engage public support and provide the opportunity to study and improve our knowledge of their biology. Here they are not collected from the wild, instead they get animals from facilities that breed captive individuals.

I took several photos but most came out very blurry. I was happy with what I could get.

These are Lionfish and very venomous. They are native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans and were first observed in US waters in 2000 off the coast of North Carolina. Scientists have offered several explanations for their arrival - perhaps accidental or intentional release by aquarium hobbyists. Lionfish now live around wrecks from New York to South Florida where they prey on small fish and threaten local fisheries.  The lesson learned from this and other 'invasive' stories is to avoid introducing non-native species into our local environments.  As beautiful as they are, there always seems to be unfortunate consequences.

Striped Burrfish. Their range is from the Chesapeake Bay to Brazil.

These are Sheepshead and their range is from Cape Cod to Brazil.

I didn't identify all the fish and am not sure what these are.

Or this?

These look like those Sheepshead.

I always find aquariums interesting to look around.  I hope you have enjoyed these photos from our time there.  

Thanks for looking 

and enjoy the rest of the week.