The interesting critter above is a sea hare, a relative of both the squid and the whelk.
Ever wonder what a live shrimp, crab or whelk looks like? Find out during our weekly Touch Tank Tuesdays. This fun event connects children and adults alike with the many organisms that live in our local waters, including blue crabs, sea urchins, starfish, sea squirts and more!
Drop in 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Tuesdays in June, July or August. Free for members, $5 suggested donation for non-members.
The N.C. Coastal Federation had its first summer of Touch Tank Tuesdays at its new Fred and Alice Stanback Education Center in Wrightsville Beach in 2015. This hands-on educational program helped connect children and adults to marine critters by giving individuals an opportunity to touch and interact with animals that can be hard to reach in their native habitat. Stingrays, blue crabs and oysters are examples of organisms that visited* our touch tank. Next summer, from June to August, the federation will continue to have Touch Tank Tuesdays weekly with a host of marine organisms that will excite and amaze.
This Florida Horse Conch was found inside a crab pot and was covered in acorn barnacles. This is just one example of an organism that kids and adults can interact with at the N.C. Coastal Federation’s Touch Tank Tuesdays program.
*These animals are captured using a cast net, seine net or crab pot, and are transported and exhibited in a way that keeps them healthy until they are released back into their habitats.