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  • (intense orchestral music)

  • - My name is Kat McFadden

  • and I am a senior aquarist here at Georgia Aquarium.

  • And I have the privilege

  • of working with our Ocean Voyager exhibit,

  • which is one of the largest aquatic habitats in the world.

  • It's over 6.3 million gallons of temperate salt water.

  • It's also home to some of the largest fish in the world,

  • including our four whale sharks and three manta rays

  • and about 8,000 other smaller fish as well.

  • A lot of people have asked what it takes

  • to keep all of these animals happy and healthy

  • on a day-to-day basis.

  • So I thought I'd share with you guys

  • just a little glimpse of what my day looks like

  • in Ocean Voyager.

  • Follow me.

  • Welcome to the deck of Ocean Voyager.

  • It is even bigger than it looks like

  • when you're down in front looking at all the animals.

  • It is nearly the length of a football field.

  • And so we have all of those

  • 6.3 million gallons of salt water,

  • and you can't see so well,

  • but behind those walls is all the life support systems

  • that it takes to keep that water clean and comfortable

  • for the animals that live in here.

  • So a tank has quite a bit of food

  • that we have to get through throughout the day.

  • He is a very large turtle,

  • we're talking 400 pounds plus,

  • and his entire diet is vegetarian

  • which means he eats a lot of lettuce.

  • He also gets cabbage,

  • today he's got some red cabbage.

  • He also has some bok choy in there.

  • We try to vary up the vegetables quite a bit.

  • But let me tell you, this animal definitely loves his salad.

  • There are seven species of sea turtles in the world.

  • Every single one of them are endangered.

  • Green sea turtles are one of my personal favorites

  • and Tank is a great ambassador for his species here.

  • Sea turtles can live

  • very similar to a human's life expectancy, 80 years plus,

  • so he's got a home here absolutely forever

  • and Ocean Voyager is a large enough habitat

  • to accommodate that.

  • So our food is prepared for us every single day

  • by our wonderful commissary team.

  • And so this is Tallulah's food right here.

  • Tallulah is our largest of the three manta rays.

  • And on top we have her vitamins ready.

  • So even though Tallulah is a very, very large fish,

  • she actually eats really tiny foods.

  • This is superba krill,

  • it's kind of like a really tiny shrimp.

  • And as you watch the manta feed

  • you'll see how we offer that exact amount of food

  • right to the mantas in this huge habitat.

  • And one of the tools that we use

  • is this large ladle on a stick.

  • So we can put the food right in here,

  • and every single one of our mantas

  • knows what color their ladle is.

  • So Tallulah is our blue ladle

  • and she will line up right to it

  • and we can offer that krill directly her mouth.

  • I am convinced they're the smartest fish out there.

  • They have one of the largest brain to body ratios

  • in the fish world.

  • They've got fantastic vision,

  • they have learning ability,

  • and we're really wanting to see

  • what we can learn about their cognitive abilities as well.

  • And that's not something you traditionally

  • see with a lot of species of fish,

  • but the mantas are definitely in their own genre.

  • They're fantastic.

  • We are the only aquarium in North America

  • to house mantas here,

  • so you're gonna get a very special experience

  • when you come to see them.

  • Even just seeing these animals in real life,

  • I mean, nothing compares to it.

  • (peaceful music)

  • We have nearly 8,000 smaller fish in here

  • and we certainly don't forget them every day too.

  • And you could see the batfish know that it is feeding time.

  • We are just over top of our large theater viewing window.

  • It is one of the largest aquatic viewing windows

  • in the world,

  • it's over 23 feet tall.

  • So hopefully

  • the guests that are standing right underneath me

  • are gonna get a really nice view.

  • And it looks like today

  • we've got some more gel food for them.

  • Again, this is a super healthy diet.

  • It's got all the vitamins that they need

  • to keep their color and their health up.

  • And you can see all this reflection

  • on the surface of the water,

  • that's not just the lights on the exhibit.

  • We have a natural skylight in here.

  • That's really unique

  • 'cause it allows our animals to get the sunlight,

  • get the vitamin D and the UV rays

  • that they need for overall health.

  • (peaceful music)

  • Just like our mantas,

  • we have these whale sharks which are very, very large fish.

  • However, they too are eating super tiny food here.

  • So if you look in those bins,

  • you'll see very similar to what you saw in the manta bin.

  • We've got a lot of superba krill,

  • we've got some of that gel food in there, some vitamins.

  • We also have maybe some small fish

  • I see a layered down there in the bottom

  • just to make sure they get that varied

  • and nutritionally appropriate diet.

  • And I've talked a few times about,

  • when we have so many animals,

  • making sure that they all know

  • where to go to get their food is very important.

  • The whale sharks are absolutely no exception to that.

  • So each of our feeders,

  • they go to a specific line,

  • and each whale shark knows where their boat is

  • and what their ladle is.

  • So right now you are watching Yushan eat.

  • He he's got a red ladle

  • and Kayla is feeding him on the second line over.

  • The whale sharks definitely go through quite a bit of krill.

  • So even though their food is very small,

  • they still need to eat quite a lot of it.

  • We're looking at up to 50 pounds of food a day

  • per whale shark,

  • and they're still growing.

  • Whale sharks, despite their name, they are true sharks.

  • However, they are the largest fish in the ocean.

  • They'll usually hit just over 30 feet.

  • Even the record sizes can get a lot bigger than that.

  • So these are very large fish

  • and it takes up quite a bit of food

  • to keep them happy and satiated.

  • I've talked to many guests who,

  • they see these whale sharks

  • and they ask if they're whales.

  • And when they find out, nope, they're sharks,

  • that can be kind of a scary thing,

  • a shark that is that big.

  • However, these are incredibly docile creatures

  • despite their ginormous size, that huge mouth.

  • The only thing they care about

  • is plankton that is about this big.

  • I'm hoping that by coming to the aquarium

  • and seeing all of our beautiful creatures,

  • that our guests will start to just get an idea

  • of how unique and varied

  • and what is out there in these oceans,

  • and even by changing one small thing that we do

  • in our day-to-day routines,

  • whether that's making sure that we're recycling

  • or being mindful of our carbon emissions,

  • even just taking a carpool,

  • that can have collectively a huge impact,

  • not only on the ocean

  • but on all these animals that live in it.

  • I'm truly thankful that you got to join me

  • for a glimpse into our routine every day at Ocean Voyager,

  • and I encourage you to come visit us in person,

  • let us share these beautiful creatures with you.

  • And if you can't make it in person, that's okay too.

  • Visit our website at GeorgiaAquarium.org

  • and take a look at all the virtual offerings

  • that we have available for you as well.

  • Thanks, have a great day.

  • (peaceful orchestral music)

(intense orchestral music)

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