Shedd Aquarium Shedd Aquarium

Coelacanth18 said:
Still a critically endangered species. On the one hand, terrible news that someone attempted this smuggling. On the other hand, the article makes it sound like this will be the beginning of a captive breeding program, which could ultimately be of benefit to the species.
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Yes, hopefully they'll be in a good breeding program. While the optimal situation would have been no smuggling at all, I wish the the animals that were smuggled would have been Mekong giant catfish. I don't believe there are any in the US- I've seen giant Thai catfish a few times, including a magnificently sized specimen at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Has the giant Thai catfish been bred successfully in captivity?
 
@jayjds2 : I do not know. My understanding is that they are bred in sustainable fisheries in Thailand, but I can't verify if it has ever happened in a public aquarium. That being said, the fish is not super common in zoos and aquariums to begin with, so it's equally likely that it hasn't really been attempted before.
 
Quoted from IUCN Red List:
Captive-breeding
"No captive breeding known, therefore 100% wild harvest assumed."

Threats:
"Overfishing for food and to a lesser extent the aquarium trade, has depleted the natural population of P. sanitwongsei (Wang 1998).

This species is likely to have been affected by the destruction of rapids and reefs as part of the Upper Mekong Navigation Improvement Project, and by the construction of dams. Projects such as these affect the natural flood/drought cycles throughout the river, and therefore the migratory behaviour of fish such as P. sanitwongsei."

I am afraid the aquarium trade as much as overfishing has been to blame for its current status in the wild.

On aquaculture:
An UK site - WWW.fishtanksandponds.co.uk - claims that under the caption QOUTE: "
BREEDING
P. sanitwongsei is being bred commercially as a food fish. The fish which find their way in to our shops are thought to come from such captive breeding.

Unsurprisingly this species has not been bred in the home aquaria." UNQOUTE

I wonder though how these claims may be substantiated?!!
 
I don't believe this has been reported on previously, so I apologize if it has, but apparently the aquarium has been caring for dozens of young arapaima after being confiscated from the O'Hara Airport in 2015.
 
The loss of perhaps Shedd's most famous resident... my heart goes out to fans and to the Shedd employees. I think it's also good to commend the aquarium on the fantastic care they provided for Granddad that allowed him to reach such an advanced age.
 
Cookie and Granddad are having some kind of party, I'm fairly certain, celebrating so many decades of meeting and entertaining millions of zoo guests, including Chicagoans, and seeing some incredible transformations in zoology and animal care in their lifetimes.

How a fish and a bird have a party, I haven't a clue.
 
According to Facebook, there is going to be new exhibit called Underwater Beauty. Does anyone know where it will be, and when it will open?
 
birdsandbats said:
According to Facebook, there is going to be new exhibit called Underwater Beauty. Does anyone know where it will be, and when it will open?
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It is considered a "Special Exhibit", so any time you hear that they will almost always be located right across from the Oceanarium. Judging from a photo on their website, that is the case and it will be replacing the Amphibians display. It will open on May 25.
 
Our living world is full of wonder. Celebrate with us the unbelievable beauty living in our oceans, lakes and rivers in a new special exhibit at Shedd Aquarium: Underwater Beauty.

Get a glimpse of the grandeur beneath the waves as 100 species from around the world come together in an evocative new space. What is beauty? Spark your curiosity as you see all the ways beauty moves and coexists. Watch sea jellies pulse, eels ribbon and a rainbow come alive with reef fishes.

Feel the rhythms, embrace the colors and savor the patterns found only underwater. Experience a world worth celebrating—and saving. Underwater Beauty: opening May 25 at Shedd Aquarium.
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Doesn't sound like there'll be anything with a lot of mainstream appeal here. Kind of just a miscellaneous collection of species.
 
The first Magellanic Penguin chick of the season has hatched behind the scenes.
We did a live stream on Facebook last week and the following species were confirmed for Under Water Beauty: Peacock Mantis Shrimp, Flamboyant Cuttlefish, Cherry Barb, Giant Clam, Yellow Tang, Ribbon Eel, Sexy Shrimp, Moorish Idol, Pyramid Butterflyfish, Purple Anthias, Harlequin Tuskfish. The rest of the species will be revealed upon opening on May 25th.
 
Another stream occurred revealing the following species: Allen Damselfish, Common Molly, non-mentioned cichlid (most likely a Ram Cichlid), non-mentioned filefish species (95% sure Orange-Spotted Filefish), trunkfish (Smooth is most likely), Orange-Spotted Rabbitfish (not mentioned by name), Regal Blue Tang (once again not mentioned by name)
New information learned, the color wall has the following species: Red: Cherry Barb, Orange: Anthias species (that I was unable to id from the video, possibly Orange), Yellow: Yellow Tang, Green: (surprisingly) Aquatic Plants as well as an unnamed shrimp species, Blue: Allen Damselfish, Purple: Purple Sea Urchin and a species of purple sea star (that I was unable to id from the video) as well as a display demonstrating the biofluorescence of corals by using a tinted panel to change color.
 
Has anybody undertaken the 'behind the scenes' tour at the Shedd, and, if so, what is it like? It is fairly inexpensive - only another $15 or so on top of entry - and is listed as lasting for an hour or so. If it is a genuine opportunity to see the place form another perspective, it cold eb very interesting; if it is being part of a big group being given a platitudinous talk about something or other, I think I'll pass. Any thoughts gratefully received!
 
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