tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433304117507034540.post2839443497702106098..comments2024-03-27T10:06:07.100-07:00Comments on The Echinoblog: Five SPOOKY Things about Echinoderms! Happy Halloween!ChrisMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11784970666468925633noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433304117507034540.post-67555910568223523542012-11-05T13:20:00.309-08:002012-11-05T13:20:00.309-08:00All incredible tales! I have to say, though, "...All incredible tales! I have to say, though, "stumpy" really got to me, with its determination to keep feeding even when there was nothing to put food *into*. Given that lack of nutrition, though, I wonder how long the arm would have lasted?<br /><br />Thanks for the food for thought!Olivia V. Ambrogiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14009379233200729384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433304117507034540.post-2845981586382023472012-10-31T06:51:49.921-07:002012-10-31T06:51:49.921-07:00Chris,
I must say I gained a truly substantial a...Chris,<br /><br />I must say I gained a truly substantial amount of knowledge today. Thank you for your informative article and replies. Will definitely looking forward for your bioluminescent echinoderm articles! I've always been wondering why Plutonaster glows green, for example. There's a beautiful photo of it in imagequest3d (a professional underwater image database). <br /><br />Happy Halloween!tentaculusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433304117507034540.post-32191088877361832942012-10-31T06:40:57.883-07:002012-10-31T06:40:57.883-07:00Most touch-tanks/visitor experience type exhibits ...Most touch-tanks/visitor experience type exhibits rotate the animals out after discrete periods. They do not keep individuals on public "exhibit" for very long. Most of what I've mentioned in the blog is based on exhibit specimens that don't interact with the public.ChrisMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11784970666468925633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433304117507034540.post-8456383569099350412012-10-31T06:28:56.469-07:002012-10-31T06:28:56.469-07:00If so then this begs the next question: how about ...If so then this begs the next question: how about those sea stars kept at touch tanks in various professional aquariums? Consider the high stress rate due to handling by visitors (sometimes rough when unsupervised) as well due to the frequent exposure to the air. Are these specimens (tropical or not) supposed to be kept in the long run, or are they released immediately after a certain period of time? tentaculusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433304117507034540.post-26258073037206771172012-10-31T06:00:09.603-07:002012-10-31T06:00:09.603-07:00I should probably have mentioned that a lot of the...I should probably have mentioned that a lot of the animals mentioned were kept primarily in professional aquariums or those run by universities. I don't encounter many people who keep cold-salt species as pets.<br /><br />There is not only an ecological but a taxonomic difference between most tropical-reef and cold-water/temperate species. And I would confirm the apparent fragility of tropical species-especially given the food sources of the latter species. A lot of tropical aquarium species tend to feed on microalgae and/or biofilms/nutrients which can only be found in the original habitat. The two coldwater species I highlighted in the blog are both predatory. While all sea stars tend to be opportunistic, many species have evolved closely with their habitat and depend on their primary food source. Some tropical groups such as oreasterids (eg Protoreaster), ophidiasterids (eg Linckia) need that original nutrition and I've yet to see them sustained indefinitely. Not that it couldn't be done but I've yet to see it. I know that they will feed on clam meat or whatever if fed but honestly, I don't know if that would do meet their nutritional needs over the long-term especially if other (possibly unknown) environmental factors weren't being met.<br /><br />The combination of the level of care and food quality would both be important considerations. But I have never seen a aquarium (professional or personal) keep any of the larger tropical water species for very long. Those tiny invasive bat stars that climb in on the rocks would be a different story of course. Again, not that it couldn't be done, but my experience with professional institutions who have kept starfish for long-term periods tends to be w/cold-water-temperate water taxa. <br />ChrisMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11784970666468925633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433304117507034540.post-9760958947078847252012-10-31T05:08:35.876-07:002012-10-31T05:08:35.876-07:00Theoretically speaking that is. I am aware of the ...Theoretically speaking that is. I am aware of the real problems caused by curio and live animal trade. Their effects can already be felt in many island locations in the Indo-Pacific. You might visit a seemingly healthy reef flat without encountering some of the more-popularly-sold species in certain locations. tentaculusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433304117507034540.post-69095719627871466782012-10-31T05:03:14.537-07:002012-10-31T05:03:14.537-07:00The most bizarre thing from this is that many trop...The most bizarre thing from this is that many tropical species seem to be a lot more perishable and fragile when kept in captivity (i.e. your typical reef aquarium Echinoderm-related disasters, which have a tendency to befall naive newbies who wish to keep starfish).<br /><br />Assuming we can feed them with top-notch nutrition, would they last like their cold-water counterparts as well? tentaculusnoreply@blogger.com