Takeover Tuesday features a “day in the life” of biologists at Newport Aquarium. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Meet Margaret Elkanick, one of the biologists here at Newport Aquarium. She started out as an intern, and now she’s a biologist! Margaret’s been here for four years. Follow along on this #TakeoverTuesday 🐚 as she starts her morning at the Tide Pool.

We have quite a few Leather Sea Stars in our Tide Pool Touch Tank. They get their name from the smoothness of their skin- a result of the mucous they can excrete. In the photo, you can see hundreds of tiny “tube feet” on their underside. Sea stars use these for locomotion.

Most of the animals in the Tide Pool Touch Tank are fed a variety of food 2-3 times a week. These food items can include shrimp, squid, clam, or fish; the variety ensures they are receiving all the correct vitamins and nutrients.

Feeding a sea star in the Tide Pool.

You can find sea urchins moving around the tank, usually scraping algae off of the walls and rocks. They use five plates- called Aristotle’s Lantern- surrounding their mouths underneath their shell, or test, to scrape at the algae.

I am in the process of setting up a program to bring out animals for guests that might not be able to reach into the Touch Tank. I think it is important that all of our guests feel included in the experiences that we offer.

You can find this Decorator Crab in the tank right next to Tide Pool Touch Tank. They pick up pieces of seaweed and other small animals- such as the anemones you see here- and attach them to hooked setae on their shell. This helps them camouflage with their surroundings.

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The big-bellied seahorses’ prehensile tail is essential to their survival. They use it to cling on to plants or other objects so that the current does not cause them to drift away. Seahorses cannot handle stronger currents or fast moving water.

Observations are an important part of a job. After dropping the food in, I go around to the front of the tank to make sure all of the seahorses are eating as a lack of appetite can be an indicator of a problem.

Thank you for joining me for today’s #TakeoverTuesday!
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