Experience The Newest Cold Water Pacific Ecosystem In Memphis Zoo

Press release from the Memphis Zoo:

March 3, 2022

The goal of the Memphis Zoo Aquarium is to capture a snapshot of the many different aquatic biomes that exist on this planet for the guests to enjoy. The newest tank guests will experience is a cold-water Pacific tank where they can capture a glimpse into the unique species that exist in the intertidal rocky reefs of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Northwest United States up to Southwest Canada. Here is a list of species that guests should look for in the tank!

Painted Greenling

Meet Waldo- the star of the tank! We currently have one painted greenling, but he will soon have a friend! This is a red and white striped fish that is good at hiding in plain sight on a rocky reef. Sounds a lot like Where’s Waldo, right? Waldo has a lot of personality when active, but then will lay dormant blending into our rock wall making it fun to find. See if you can spot Waldo!

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Tubesnouts

These guys will generally swim together in a school. We currently have 4, but we will continue to grow our school! Tubesnouts are named for their long, extended snouts.

Perch

We will ultimately have several smaller perch species! Currently, there are about 18 shiner perch and one kelp perch, but later this spring we will expand the perch diversity.

Anemones

There are so many species of sea anemones to choose from for this tank! The types we have in there now are plumose, rose, and tealia. Sea anemones act as a home for many small creatures protecting them from predators and in return, they receive leftover food from the organisms living inside. This relationship is called mutualism because both organisms mutually benefit from living together.

The variety and uniqueness of species in this tank accurately shows how they live together in one space due to their occupation of different niches. This tank will further develop to add kelp or eelgrass to continue to grow the biodiversity that can be seen in one area. In the wild, kelp forests and grass beds are extremely important habitats for a plethora of marine species. These environments are also important areas for photosynthesis in the ocean. In the ocean, photosynthesis can only happen in the surface levels of water because sunlight can’t penetrate much deeper than that. Photosynthesis is the process by which green organisms (such as kelp, seagrass, and algae) use water, carbon dioxide, and the energy from sunlight to produce new organic matter. Therefore, without photosynthesis in the water, many animals would not have the basis of the food chain or the diverse ecosystems to live in. This goal of this tank is not only to see the rich number of species living in one area but express the need for us to protect their habitats.

This press release was produced by the Memphis Zoo. The views expressed here are the author’s own.