CSI or CSS?

Hi Sea Fans!

I've been rushing around California, trying to visit everyone and it's been crazy ...but so much fun!  I got to go back to the California Science Centre (CSS) seeing as I only got to meet the divers last time and this time, I felt like a CSI (Crime Scene Investigator) because I got to look for parasites on fish with the vet staff!

If a fish starts to act funny (like not eating or swimming weirdly) the aquarists alert the veterinary staff and everybody keeps a close eye on it.  If necessary, they take the fish out and do a skin scraping (this doesn't hurt the fish, it just takes a bit of slime off their body) to check if there is a parasite that might be making the fish sick.  Luckily, we found that the fish is healthy and when I left, it was swimming around just fine.

I also got to check out the quarantine facility where new fish are kept.  These fish are kept here for a while, away from display animals to make sure that they don't bring any diseases into the aquarium.  This is where I got to see my first California Sheephead:

Yup, a Sheephead is a fish!

Here's a full body shot so that you can see what he looks like.  Photo: M Kjaergaard

They also asked me to have a look at their Northern Kelp Crab so I did a visual inspection and didn't find anything wrong with it - a happy crab!

Such a good looking crab!

The staff then decided to have a laugh and make it look like I was going to have an operation (I was quite glad that the scalpel/knife didn't get any closer! : )):

The cone over my head is how they give anaesthetic (make them go to sleep for a while) to animals like otters.

I then quickly got to check out the Hornsharks 

and the Kelp Tank before I had to rush off to my next destination on my global travels.

Fascinating stuff once again and next I get to see the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium so keep your eyes peeled for the next blog Sea Fans!

Chat soon.

Cheers

Abby

}( *)8