They even had a Leather Star in this tank full of Anemones... these were rare to find in Kodiak tidepools, as they are generally subtidal, but I did come across a few in my intertidal sojourns there.
Other echinoderms were representing as well. I considered grabbing this sea urchin for sushi, then decided that getting arrested at the Nat'l Zoo for stealing could well get me an all-expense paid trip to Cuba, and not in the good way.
Speaking of things to eat, they also had a nice Giant Pacific Octopus on display, which is of course a delicacy in Kodiak. I managed to freak out a whole group of people when I told the The Man's daughter all about how when the natives harvest octopus, they then turn them inside out when they are still alive so that the guts fall out. Plus, there's really no other way to dispose of them without damaging the nice meat of the mantle. You should have seen the look this one woman gave me... I need to remind myself that I am not in Kansas anymore ;-)Pretty much all of the cephalopods were represented here, including the cuttlefish. This one swam right up to the glass and looked right at me. Such sentient and intelligent creatures, those cephalopods. I always feel so conflicted when I eat them... but I guess cows and pigs are sentient and intelligent too. (Actually, one of my favorite snacks is dried cuttlefish, which can be purchased in most Asian markets. It's basically like a fishy jerky... YUM!)
Hmmm... no real elegant segway after that... let's just move on to the little tank of bioluminescient Ctenophores, or comb jellies.
I'll just leave you with this parting shot... aren't these guys gorgeous?
2 comments:
Yeah, telling octopus stories in the big city is a lot like describing the cattle-slaughter process. They don't want to know where their food comes from.
That last shot of the glowing jelly fish is very cool!
You mean all the food doesn't come pre-packaged in grocery stores? It is a cool shot and was taken by the girl, mine came out lousy.
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