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Who’s
your daddy? It all begins with a slow, dance-like promenade through the sea grass. The male, head bowed, performs an elaborate dance around the female, often wrapping his tail around her or mimicking her movements. The male often changes color, his body becoming lighter while his spine area darkens. During this mysterious mating dance, the male opens his empty pouch to the female. The female then raises her head and intertwines her tail with his. “The ritual can last up to nine hours and resembles a sort of ballet,” said Thom Demas, curator of fishes at the Aquarium. “The seahorse pair travel up the water column as she transfers eggs to the male seahorse’s pouch on his abdomen, where he fertilizes the eggs and goes through the pregnancy.” Most seahorse pairs are monogamous – once a male and female form a pair bond, they mate exclusively during the breeding season. Be
mine, you slimy Valentine Male red ear sliders and southern painted turtles go to great lengths to express their intent. With Edward Scissorshands-like appendages, the persistent male swims in front of or just above the female and waves his long nails in her face. You can see this behavior throughout the spring and summer, and sometimes in the fall and winter if the turtles are bored, say aquarium herpetologists. The male map turtle is a little subtler in his display. With a head bobbing routine, at varying speeds and occasionally with a little cheek-to-cheek caressing, he turns the head of an interested female. The temperature of the turtle’s nest determines the sex of the hatchlings; lower temperatures produce males and higher temperatures produce females. Want
to go back to my place? Courtship
in the Gulf For the damselfish, courtship is not so straightforward. Some damselfish change sex over their lifetimes, beginning as a male and becoming female as they grow. The male southern stingray uses external “claspers” – elongated organs found at the base of his body – to grasp and mate with the female. Southern stingrays are ovoviviparous – a long word that means the female carries eggs internally but does not actually nurture fetuses. The young hatch from the eggs while still in the mother’s body. The stingray then gives birth to approximately three to five “pups.” Like adult stingrays, the pups have long, spiny tails and large fins. To make the birth easier, the pups’ spines remain flexible and the “wings” of the baby stingray remain folded – much like a folded newspaper. It takes a sharp and patient eye and good timing to see the Aquarium’s courtship displays. Some species may court for an hour or two in the morning, then spend the rest of the afternoon searching for food, basking on a log or just swimming around. During
the month of February, the Aquarium is offering a “Finny
Valentine” special. Log on to www.tnaqua.org
for cool animal facts, games for kids and a “Finny Valentine”
discount coupon
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| The Tennessee Aquarium inspires wonder and appreciation for the natural world. Admission is $14 per adult and $7.50 per child, ages 3-12. Each ticket purchased helps support Aquarium conservation programs. The IMAX® 3D Theater is next door to the Aquarium. Ticket prices are $7.75 per adult and $5.25 per child. Aquarium/IMAX combo tickets are $18 for adults and $10.50 for children. Advance tickets may be purchased online at www.tnaqua.org or by phone at 1-800-262-0695. The Aquarium, located on the banks of the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, is a non-profit organization. Open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Aquarium and IMAX are accessible to people with disabilities. Members enjoy unlimited visits and other benefits. Call 267-FISH to join. |
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Aquarium is a non-profit institution. See
how you can help support One Broad Street • Chattanooga • TN • 37402 • 800-262-0695 |
