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Four reasons why Trash Bash beach cleanups are the best way to spend a Saturday
If you’re keen to have a positive impact on the environment but aren’t sure how to do so, Trash Bash is the place to start! Every month, the Two Oceans Aquarium hosts their popular Trash Bash beach cleanups at one of three local beaches: Sunset, Sunrise, and Lagoon.
Reflecting on the journeys of our satellite-tagged juvenile loggerhead turtles with Upwell
For the past six months, researchers at Upwell and Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation have had an opportunity that is still novel in the world of sea turtle research: To track juvenile turtles at sea.
Four things you can do to make a difference this Earth Day!
Happy Earth Day to our awesome Two Oceans Aquarium family! Originally celebrated in the United States in 1970, Earth Day is now a well-known holiday associated with turning one’s electricity off for an hour in honour of the day. But did you know that there are many more (and super easy) ways that you can contribute to saving our planet this Earth Day?
Looking ahead at the 2030 World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) Conservation Goal
The Two Oceans Aquarium’s Dr Judy Mann and Helen Lockhart recently attended a workshop in Seattle, United States, to discuss and develop the framework for the proposed 2030 World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) Conservation Goal.
For the first time in six years, the Two Oceans Aquarium’s Jelly Gallery is housing multiple pink meanies!
Pink meanies are an incredibly rare species of jelly that the Two Oceans Aquarium has only housed four times in its 30-year history! This time, we have five on display in the popular Jelly Gallery.
Happy World Veterinary Day: Celebrating our women-led vet team
At the Two Oceans Aquarium and its Foundation, our staff and the animals in our care are privileged to work with and be cared for by two incredible veterinarians: Dr Ilse Jenkinson and Dr Bernice van Huyssteen.
Celebrating our African penguin chicks’ journey on World Penguin Day
It’s World Penguin Day, and this year, we’re highlighting some particularly special animals at the Two Oceans Aquarium: Our African penguin chicks!
Orbicular batfish
The orbicular batfish is a large, disc-shaped fish with a flattened dusky silver body. Its anal and dorsal fins are symmetrical, giving the adult batfish a spade-like appearance. Its dorsal, anal and tail fins are translucent yellow with black margins, and its pectoral fins are yellow. It has two prominent vertical black bars, a thick one behind the head that crosses the gill cover, and a narrower bar though the eye. Some sub-populations have small black spots on their sides.The adult orbicular batfish very closely resembles the longfinned batfish, and distinguishing between the two is understandably difficult. The longfinned batfish has dark blotches under its pectoral fin and on the bottom edge of its anal fin which are absent on the orbicular batfish.The juvenile orbicular batfish relies on its long fins to mimic a dead leaf by flopping onto its side and allowing the current to take it. It has a great affinity for brackish coastal environments, particularly mangroves and lagoons and can change its colour to a rusty brown to more closely resemble a leaf.As it grows larger, it takes on a silver colouration more closely resembling the longfinned batfish. Gradually its fins become shorter until it takes on the characteristic spade shape of other members of its family.The adult will move out of its sheltered coastal habitat to reefs where it will feed primarily on algae, but will snack on small fish if given the opportunity. Perhaps its strangest dietary quirk, the orbicular batfish will often follow sea turtles around to eat their faeces.It ranges from Knysna in the Western Cape to the Red Sea, Australia, Polynesia, Japan and Alaska. Invasive populations are also present in the Caribbean.Bluefin gurnard
Bluefin gurnards are a common bottom-dwelling fish throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Their colouring may seem drab and unimpressive, camouflaging them will with the seafloor - until it spreads its brilliant blue pectoral fins, from where it draws its name.Just in front of these fins, you might notice that it appears to have a set of little “legs” that helps it creep along. These are not actually legs, they are modified rays of its fins, which the gurnards use to stir up the sand to find prey – small crustaceans. They are predators that feed on small crabs and shrimp.Gurnard's bodies are long and compact, with armoured, bone-plated heads.Sergeant major
The sergeant majors are small, oval damselfish. It has a grey body with a yellow dorsal area. Most notably, they have five vertical blue-black bars across their bodies.Although they sometimes form schools, the pair up during breeding. Breeding pairs have a preferred territory and will fight other fish to protect it. Once the eggs have been laid, the male will remain to guard and aerate them - this fierce behaviour is where they get their name "sergeant major" as well as their scientific name Abudefdul, with "abu" meaning father or guardian in Arabic.They are omnivores and will opportunistically feed on algae and small invertebrates.Juvenile sergeant majors are commonly found in tidal pools, while adults prefer rock and coral reefs on South Africa's Indian Ocean coasts. Globally, they occur throughout the Indo-Pacific, ranging from South Africa to the Red Sea, Japan and the Pitcairn Islands.Steentjie
This blue-grey fish has an oval-shaped body with several faint yellow horizontal stripes on its flanks and dark blue-grey fins.It has several sets of both incisors and a row of molars. They use this combination of teeth to pick up bottom-dwelling invertebrates and crush their shells. As they mature they become more omnivorous and will graze on algae.During spring and summer months, male steentjies will take on brighter blue and yellow colours and will construct nests in the sand. Once spawning has taken place, the males will remain at the nest to guard the eggs until they hatch.The steentjie occurs in large shoals above shallow, rocky reefs on the coasts of the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and southern KwaZulu-Natal.Hottentot
The hottentot is a small bronze-grey seabream with small dark fins that occurs along the coast of Angola, Namibia, and the South African West Coast to Cape Point.