North Carolina Aquariums Scavenger Hunt Grade 6-8

Mountain Gallery

1. What adaptations have been made by mountain minnows over millions of years?

Color, food choices, breeding habits

2. Name 3 reasons that many animal species are becoming rare.

1. Loss of habitat

2. Overharvesting

3. Competition from introduced species

3. Which of the 3 trout species is native to North Carolina?

Brook trout

Piedmont Gallery

4. Why are amphibians especially vulnerable to pesticides, fertilizers and other pollutants? They breathe and absorb water through their porous skin.

5. Name 2 factors that contributed to a decline in river otter populations in the 20th century. Overtrapping, pollution, habitat loss

6. Discuss some of the benefits and drawbacks of man-made reservoirs.

Benefits include: store drinking water, generate electrical energy, and help reduce flooding, provides recreational opportunities, provide habitats for fish and other wildlife

Drawbacks include: floods natural habitats, displaces native species, and hinders natural water flow

7. How can you make a difference in preserving our natural resources? (answers include) Get involved with conservation groups, be aware of pollution problems, and clean up around school, home, water areas-streams, ponds, waterways, beach, and rivers

Marsh Boardwalk

8. What percentage of commercially important seafood species are estimated to spend part of their lives in a salt marsh? 95%

9. What are some of the benefits that marshes provide? (answers include) protecting shorelines, providing habitat, cleaning and filtering the water, providing jobs, storing carbon

Coastal Plain Gallery

10. Explain the role that photosynthesis plays in the Beaver Dam Creek Exhibit.

Plants take in energy from sun convert to food through photosynthesis process; small insects, fish, amphibians, worms, snails eat plants; turtles and larger animals eat smaller animals and dead plant and animal matter.

11. How many species of freshwater turtle can be found in North Carolina? 18

12. In 1970, ______became one of the first animals to be listed as endangered.

American alligator

13. Ditches provide homes to ______, ______& ______which are

important to their ecosystem. Fish, water snakes, crayfish, frogs, and/or mosquitoes

Tidal Waters Gallery

14. How do changing tides affect plants and animals in the salt marsh?

High tide-bathes plants in salt water, brings in food

Low tide-leaves animals exposed to sun and fresh rainwater, takes away pollutants

15. How many gallons of water can an adult oyster filter in 1 day? 50

16. What man-made problem threatens sea turtles at every stage of their lives. Plastic pollution, entanglement, ingestion of plastic

Ocean Gallery

17. The Living Shipwreck Exhibit portrays the marine habitat of an artificial reef. Discuss an artificial reef food web. Sponges/coral attach to ship, small fish and marine animals are attracted to sponges/coral; medium size fish/marine animals attracted to smaller fish/marine animals; larger fish/marine animals are attracted to medium size animals; sharks-keystone predictors/top of food web are attracted to other animals.

18. What are the 2 theories about how lionfish came to inhabit Gulf Stream waters?

1. ballast water from ocean freighters

2. released by aquarium hobbyists