Monthly Newsletter:
August: Sea Turtle Rehab & Rescue
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We started off the month with a turtle rescue at Apalachicola and we ended it with our second sea turtle virtual release of the year. Auggie excitedly flapped her flippers on the way to St George Island and eagerly returned to the sea. Auggie was a Kemp's Ridley sea turtle. At 50 pounds she was one of the larger If you missed the livestream, you can watch a recorded video on our YouTube channel. A big thank you to all our donors and volunteers that help run and support our sea turtle rehabilitation program.
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We are hosting the new 4-H Marine Science Club!
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We have teamed up with 4-H to bring a marine science club to Panacea. We are currently looking for volunteers to help out with the club when we meet once a month as well as club participants. Due to the pandemic, we will be having our first virtual meeting in September. Keep an eye out on our social media page for a club meeting schedule. If you would like to get involved or join the club, contact us at (850) 984-5297 or at gspecimen@sprintmail.com. |
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We want to thank Doug and Susan Bates from Dothan, AL for this generous donation of a taxidermized 4ft tarpon. Almost a century ago before size and catch limits were in place, Susan's father, Gifford Garner caught this 4ft tarpon as a 10 year old boy out by the Indian Pass in Apalachicola. Ever since then, regulations for tarpon fishing have changed considerably along with a healthy increase in tarpon population. The Bates family decided to donate it because it helps to tell an important story of how far conservation efforts and regulations have come.
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UPDATE: The Anne Rudloe Memorial Education Center (ARMEC)
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For the past several months, we have worked on cleaning up our newly acquired land with the help of our volunteers. We are currently in the process of finalizing our plans with our architects and engineers as well as completing the necessary paperwork for zoning and permits before we start breaking ground. Currently, we need to raise an additional $40, 000 to make up the rest of construction costs. All contributions will be directly used to build and equip the classrooms as well as install a new parking lot that will accommodate more visitors and school buses. If you would like to contribute towards the Anne Rudloe Memorial Center, click the link below. Any contributions are welcomed and we appreciate your support in continuing our mission of accessible marine education for all.
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How To Be a Marine Biologist
with Leslie Breland
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If you have ever wondered the how, why, when, what, and the where's of becoming a marine biologist, watch our recorded livestreams with our in-house marine biologist expert Leslie Breland. Leslie goes into the details of how you can better prepare yourself to have a career in the exciting world of marine biology.
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Meet Our Staff:
As a small independent nonprofit, we have a small handful of hardworking staff that help keep the aquarium and lab running. Learn about our wonderful staff that make it all possible.
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Lexi Preheim is a recent college graduate from South Dakota. She joined us this February and is our resident aquarist. She is in charge of tank maintenance, water chemistry and animal husbandry at the aquarium. She has worked extensively with sea turtles and is also in charge of our sea turtle rehab program. She moved from Georgia to Florida and has worked with the Oregon Coast Aquarium, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and the Hatfield Marine Science Center. During her time off, Lexi enjoys kayaking, snorkeling and fishing. Lexi's favorite fish is the parrotfish.
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In the spring of 1991, Debbi Clifford drove down from Vermont to visit the lab she had been reading about in Jack Rudloe's books. To her surprise, a short 30 years later, she is still here. She is the lab's office manager. and has accumulated a vast amount of knowledge working in the field. She corresponds with aquariums, labs and universities from all over the country and occasionally does beachcombing and kayaking tours . In her spare time, Debbi makes jewelry and is an avid photographer, a gifted artist, sculptor and naturalist. Her favorite marine animal is the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus.
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Alyson Chin is from Malaysia. She is our media coordinator and handles our social media accounts, videos, newsletters, tours and fundraising. She has a BSc in Environmental Science and has worked with shrimp trawlers in Borneo to install TEDs. She is currently applying to graduate school where she aims to do research in marine conservation and fisheries. During her free time, she enjoys scuba diving, underwater macro photography and creating beachcombing videos about local invertebrates. Alyson's favorite invertebrate is the comb jelly, Mnemiopsis leidyi.
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Wonders of the Gulf:
Creature Feature
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North Florida is gifted with an amazing array of diverse animals where we find fascinating creatures almost every week. Our exhibits change with the seasons. Check out some of the amazing finds we've had this past month.
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Sea Spider
Pycnogonida sp.
Think of crabs without a body and you have the weird and bizarre-looking sea spider! A few weeks ago we stumbled across this intriguing specimen in one of our holding tanks. We get them on occasion when we bring in sea whips and sponges but their small size and cryptic colors makes them almost impossible to spot. Although this ancient animal can be found all over the world, they are very much understudied and their phylogenetic origins are still up for debate.
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Sea Nettle
Chrysaora quinquecirrha
This beautiful sea nettle was brought to us by a local beachgoer here in Panacea. Sea Nettles are a common sea jelly that can be found near the shores during the summertime. They have a very special symbiotic relationship with little baby fish that hide under their stinging tentacles for protection. They have a moderate to severe sting so you might want to avoid them if you see any at the beach. Their usual diet consists of mosquito larvae, minnows, and bay anchovies.
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Horse Conch & Crown Conch
Triplofusus giganteus &
Melongena corona
This is a wonderful example of a horse conch, also Florida's state shell, predating on a common crown conch. Horse conchs are a brightly colored carnivorous and predatory snail. They pounce on unsuspecting snails and smother them quickly with their mighty orange foot. They are a ginormous snail that can grow up to 24 inches in size! They are very common around the area and can be seen in between thick turtle grass, hungrily hunting for tulip snails.
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Decorator Crab
Macrocoeloma trispinosum
These cute little crabs clip sponges to attach them to their backs. Although it may seem that they are "decorating" themselves, this neat behavior actually helps them camouflage and perfectly blend in with their surroundings. They come in a whole variety of colors like black, blue, purple and red. Like a lot of other sea animals, their color is greatly dependent on their environment.
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