We're back!

It's just about June, and that means it's just about summer! Though it seems the weather is already in summer mode! This time of year means we're itching to get the touch tank up and running as I'm sure you all are as well. We've been busy collecting critters and already got a fun group. Lots of different crabs, and of all sizes! So far we have rock crabs, a green crab, asian shore crabs, and hermit crabs! We also have lots of sea stars and a few blood stars. A sea urchin and some sea anemones! Have you ever looked into the eyes of a scallop? We just added a couple to the tank so you should come check it out! And of course there are the mussels and barnacles which can be seen filter feeding!

Sea stars and a green sea urchin

Crab pile! 

Hermit Crab

Scallop!

Feeding barnacles!

"flat periwinkle": small snail that lives on rockweed

We are always adding more creatures so come and see for yourself. Have a birthday coming up? Don't know what to do? Bring the kids to the touch tank and have a private session with the animals and one of our knowledgeable educators! For details and when to visit our touch tank see the info on our website or click this link. Touch Tank Info

We (the creatures included) hope to see you soon!

Closed for the Season

Due to the hurricane this past weekend, we had to empty the Portsmouth touch tank and unfortunately will not be reopening for the last week of the 2011 season. Hopefully you got a chance to visit us earlier in the summer and enjoy some of the creatures from the Gulf of Maine. See you next year!

Update Re: Hurricane Irene

We're taking precautions due to Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene and will be putting the tank in storage at least while the weather passes - so the tank will be closed from this afternoon (Saturday) until further notice. Will keep you posted!

Periwinkles!

Our featured creature at the Portsmouth touch tank this week is the periwinkle! Our junior intern, Willy Jones, wrote a great article about these animals in this month's Blue Ocean Society e-newsletter, which can be found here: http://www.enewsarchive.com/blueoceansociety .

We had some great periwinkle-themed crafts at the touch tank today, thanks to our intern, Callie! Today was her last day as she heads back to school next week - a big thanks to Callie and all of our touch tank interns and volunteers for their help this summer!

Mummichogs

We had some great visitors at the touch tank today, along with wonderful weather! We have quite a few mummichogs in the tank right now, in addition to lobsters, crabs, hermit crabs, sea urchins, moon snails, and sea anemones.

Stop by this week to visit these fish or any of our other great creatures! We are open Wed-Sun from 8:30 am to 2 pm.

Creature feature August 15-21

We have two featured creatures at the Portsmouth touch tank this week!

The first is the sand shrimp, which is a small species of shrimp common on the Atlantic coast. They have one pair of hook-shaped claws and are one of the dominant predators in the benthic (sea bottom) community. In the summer, they are found in shallow waters, and in the winter they migrate into deeper waters.

The second creature this week is the mummichog, which is a small fish that also lives in shallow waters along the east coast of North America. Its Native American name means "they go in great numbers." These fish feed on insects, small fish, crustaceans, and plants. They are an important food source for larger fish species.

Lobster week

Lobster week at the touch tank was a success! We now have 4 of these creatures in the tank, of various sizes. Although they typically scavenge at night, we actually got some of these animals to eat mussels on Saturday afternoon! Thanks to all of our visitors this past week - we hope to see you again soon!