CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) – Squirt does not like red bell peppers.
None of the staffers at the Texas State Aquarium know why Squirt, an active green sea turtle sports an aversion to colorful vegetables, but happily munches on green ones.
“We know what they like and don’t like. They’re picky. They’re just like humans,” said Brittney Laurel, aquarist II. “Squirt – we make sure to give her all greens.”
Laurel, and a number of other dedicated aquarists and trainers at the aquarium, makes it her job to know what the animals like to eat and what they enjoy doing, and she does that by examining their actions every day.
“You get to learn all of their personalities, and they really do all have different personalities,” she told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times (http://bit.ly/1FT9UVN). “There’s one turtle that likes back scratches. They can actually feel it. So you scratch her shell, and she wiggles like a dog would if you were to scratch them.”
That turtle’s name is Einstein and she is a Hawksbill sea turtle. She will eat any food dropped in the tank.
Another turtle, Dani, loves strawberries, and will eat them in less than five minutes.
Tiki, a Loggerhead sea turtle, is mostly a carnivore and won’t show up for feeding time at the tank unless shrimp or fish are thrown in.
“We do get to have a really good connection with all of them,” Lauren said. “We know immediately if something’s wrong because they’re not acting normal.”
In April, the aquarium and its staff dealt with the loss of 389 fish from the accidental introduction of a lethal chemical that was mislabeled as a treatment for parasites.
The fish kill included Hans, a sand tiger shark that was a longtime favorite of staff and aquarium members.
Since then, about 95 percent of those fish have been replaced, mostly through donations from aquariums and zoos across the nation.
There’s also big expansion plans in the works that will about double the aquarium’s size with the addition of the Caribbean Journey exhibit.
Construction is underway on the $50 million addition, which is expected to open in 2017. The new wing will include 65,000 square feet, a four-story addition, and a science, technology, engineering and math education center.
More room means more animals.
State Aquarium staffers bond with animals at dinner time
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