Come to A-1 and support Shark Conservation by getting one of these cool bracelets for a minimum donation of $2.50. All proceeds go towards the conservation of sharks! Pretty Cool!!

During her recent visit, Project Aware director, Jenny Miller Garmendia, shared some very important conservation information with our staff.  In addition, we (A-1 and the Downtown Aquarium) announced plans to help provide much needed financial support for the Project Aware Foundation.  More information on these plans, coming soon!

Stingrays aka Dasyatidae americanus

The Stingrays at the Aquarium can be found in the stringray touch tank located just outside the “Sunken Shipwreck” exhibit. There use to be one in the “Under the Sea exhibit” for any of you that have joined us on a dive you would have spotted him about 6 months ago. He is now joined with his other stingray friends in the touch tank.

The body makeup of a stingray consists of two pectoral fins, which it uses to propel itself through the water, and a cartilaginous spine which grows as the rays tail.

Rays usually ruffle down into the sand to hide themselves from predators, leaving only their eyes and tail visible. As a predator approaches if it has been spotted it does its best to swim away, it will only use its stinger as a second method of defense.

The mating season for stingrays occur in the winter and they are ovoviviparous, meaning they give live birth to young usually in litters of up to 10 pups.

CrAzY fAcT: Barbecued stingray is a common meal in Lalaysia and Sinapore!

French grunt aka Haemulon flavolineatum

The French Grunt is found in the “Under the Sea” exhibit along with Moray eels, and the big grouper!

As juveniles, these fish have a white body with big black stripes running ventral along their body. As adults, their white body begins to change into a yellow body with silver/blueish stripes and a solid yellow fin.

Grunts are found mostly in the Atlantic Ocean, from South Carolina to the Gulf of Mexico. They eat mostly in seagrass and in mangrove areas. They feed on crustaceans, smaller fish, and mollusks.

Sharks and groupers are the main predators of these fish, but not the ones in the Aquarium - they live happily with the the sharks and groupers.

The average size of these fish are 10 inches long, but can reach up to 18 inches!

CrAzY fAcT: These fish get their name by grinding their pharyngeal teeth. They grind their teeth for territory, bonding, and hunting purposes.

The Emperor Angelfish aka Pomacanthus imperator is found in the “Sunken Shipwreck Exhibit”

(First picture is a juvenile and the second picture is the adult.)

As juveniles, these fish have crazy blue and white rings around their body. After about four years they will start to reach the adult stage. Once they have developed into an adult, the color is transformed into stripes along its body and they develop a black band around their eyes. A fish in disguise!
In the wild these fish can be found mostly in the Indian and Pacific Ocean, and are quite familiar with Australian and Hawaiian waters. In the water they are mostly spotted under ledges or around large coral areas. This is where they find shelter and make their homes.

These fish have a diet of sponges and other small plants, and can grow up to 38cm in length.

CrAzY fAcT: The Emperor Angelfish is Wendie’s-(the Training manager here at A-1 Scuba) favorite fish!!

The Yellowtail snapper aka Ocyurus chrysurus is found in the Sunken Shipwreck Exhibit. You can spot them if you join us for a dive swimming around in a small school amongst the sharks!

These fish have shiny silver and pink scales and have a yellow line that begins at the mouth and runs all the way to the tail. The tail of a snapper is deeply forked and is usually quite long.

As juveniles these fish are found close to the shore by the protective grassy beds and reefs, whereas the adult fish are usually around larger reefs further away from shore. These fish are found mostly in tropical waters.

Yellowtails usually vary around 2 pounds and feed on shrimp, crabs, worms, and other small invertebrates.

CrAzY fAcT: The record for the heaviest Yellowtail is 8 pounds in Florida.

Red Drum aka Sciaenops ocellatus are found in the “Under the Sea exhibit”

These fish are mostly found off the west coast, near Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, as juveniles they spend most of their “growing up” sheltered by bays and coves. Once they reach the age of spawning the males produce a noise that sounds like a drum to attract other females, this is how they recieved the name Red Drum.

This fish is a reddish brown color with one distinct feature - a black spot located in the middle of their tail, which is said to help fool predators into thinking the tail is the head. They usually grow between 11 to 24 inches long, and weigh between 6-8 pounds. The maximum weight is 60 punds!

The oldest recorded age for a Red Drum is 37 years old!!

Red Drums prefer shallow water, sometimes swimming in such shallow water their backs are exposed at the surface of the water. As the water gets colder, these fish sometimes travel up rivers and smaller creeks.

CrAzY fAcT: These fish do something called tailing, which is when they feed in shallow water with their heads down in the grass feeding and their tails sticking straight up, sometimes out of the water.

Amberjack aka Seriola dumerili

Amberjacks are located in the Downtown Aquarium in the Under the Sea Exhibit. These fish have a brownish golden color for their skin, and have an amber band that extends from the top of their head all the way down to their tail.

These fish are found in most tropical seas ranging anywhere from 20 to 450 feet deep!

As juveniles, they decide to take a life of solitude or to form a school. As they age they will either find food with their school or follow small schools of bait fish.

The Amberjack diets mostly on squid, fish, and other crustaceans.

CrAzY fAcT: The record weight of an Amberjack is found in Flordia, weighing in at 142 pounds!

Blue Surgeon Fish aka Paracanthurus hepatus

If any of you have seen “Finding Nemo”, this fish is the characture of Dori! Located in the “Sunken Shipwreck” exhibit, in the Downtown Aquarium, you will spot this fish swimming with the sharks.

The blue surgeon fish lives in shallow reefs stretching from Africa to the Atlantic ocean, and have been found between six feet and as deep as one hundred, thirty-one feet!

The mating process of these surgeon fish, also known as blue tangs, happen very quickly.  Spawning usually takes place during the late afternoon and evenings. Once the egg is fertilized it hatches in a time period of twenty-four hours, and the product is a clear larvae. Once they reach the juvenile stage these fish are usually bright yellow with colored spots around their eyes, usually a bluish color. As they mature their bodies turn blue, and leave a yellow tail. Finally when they are fully grown these fish grow sharp spines on each side of the fish’s tail and use these as a defence mechanisim when they are threatened or provoked.

Their main predators are tuna, jacks, and groupers.

CrAzY fAcT: The fish’s diet helps the coral survive! By eating the algae on the corals it prevents an overgrowth of the coral.

We recently had the pleasure of meeting Alex Brylske, Senior Editor with Dive Training magazine at A-1 and then he took a dive in the shark exhibit at the Downtown Aquarium. Here is what he had to say:

“Having visited most of the municipal aquariums around the country-and several in other countries-I can say that Denver’s is one of my favorites. And in no small measure that’s because of the outstanding diving and snorkeling program provided by A-1 Scuba. I’m sure that skiing and other outdoor activities will continue to be the main reason tourists come to Colorado. But, for me, the Denver Aquarium Shark Dive is certainly the best indoor attraction in the state.”

Alex F. Brylske, Ph.D.