Happy shark week everyone!! Sharks are a beautiful sight to behold but can they see how beautiful the world around them is? In studies of sharks eyes it was found that most sharks have excellent vision and have both rods and cones in their eyes like us. Rods enable them to see light and dark…
Happy shark week everyone!! Let’s celebrate sharks and their cool adaptations. For example, did you know that some sharks can’t throw up? Instead they spit their whole stomachs out, shake it out, and put it back inside their bodies. They can also do this on the opposite end. If they eat something with too many…
Recently, all five South American Sea Lions at Coral World had the opportunity to participate in a study conducted by the Marine Science Center in Rostock, Germany. The study helped to gather data on species-specific characteristics of Pinniped vibrissae. Vibrissae, otherwise known as whiskers, are extremely sensitive and work like receptors to pick up on…
My time on the island is enhanced by the opportunities associated with working at Coral World! I moved to the islands specifically to spend more time scuba diving. Working with Sea Trek lets me do just that, I dive every day! Submerging underwater with Sea Trek requires a short briefing with little or no swimming…
At Coral World Ocean Park there are rehabilitation facilities for all kinds of animals. We do our best to nurse back to health sick or injured sea birds, freshwater turtles, and, most importantly, sea turtles. If concerned citizens of the Virgin Islands see a turtle that is in need of veterinary assistance, they can either…
Have you ever been diving or snorkeling at night? By using specialized waterproof lights made for diving, you can get a look at how the reef changes over to its nocturnal inhabitants. Night time is when most of the night life comes out to forage for food. Polyps on many species of hard corals blossom…
St. Thomas is home to all kinds of marine wildlife. If you visit one of our beaches, you may see fish, reef sharks, turtles, stingrays, or bottlenose dolphins. What you will not see are sea lions. There are no sea lions in the Caribbean, other than the four South American sea lions living at Coral…
What type of Parrotfish are you? Some of the most beautiful fish you can see on a Caribbean coral reef are parrotfish. There are several different species we commonly see, including the Princess Parrotfish (Scarus taenopterus), the Stoplight Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride), and the Redband Parrotfish (Sparisoma aurofrenatum). All of these species have different colors and…
Divers and beachgoers alike have long lamented over the nuisance of sea urchins. Their long, skin-piercing spines can cause great discomfort if stepped on or touched, and their spiky appearance makes them seem pretty uninviting. They may seem scary and troublesome, don’t let their reputation fool you. Sea urchins, particularly the Long Spine Black Urchin…
At Coral World, our sea lions participate in their own health care. One of the most important health-related, or “husbandry,” behaviors they perform is a voluntary blood draw. Drawing blood is extremely beneficial to the sea lions’ veterinary staff, just as it is to any person’s doctor. By analyzing an animal’s blood, trainers can proactively…