Skip to content

NMFRI Gdynia Aquarium

Akwarium Gdyńskie

  • Longhorn cowfish

    Longhorn cowfish

    Order: Tetraodontiformes
    family: Ostraciidae

    Lactoria cornuta

    The order of Tetraodontiformes also includes such families as: Tetraodontidae, Diodontidae (porcupinefish), Balistidae (triggerfish), Monacanthidae (filefish) and Molidae (sunfish).

    While Tetraodontiformes use many different defense mechanisms, Ostraciidae are characterized by armor composed of polygonal bone plates, which gives them a characteristic box-like shape. Due to its rigidity, it hinders the velocity of move, but protects them from predators.

    The Longhorn cowfish is found near the Indo-Pacific coral reefs, from South Africa through Indonesia, the Marquesas Islands to southern Japan. It occurs at a depth of 1 to 100 meters. This fish survives over a dozen years and reaches a length of 40 cm, although it can grow up to 50 cm. Its diet is mainly composed of bottom invertebrates. Adults are loners, while adolescents form small groups. They have a yellow or olive body covered with turquoise spots. The caudal fin grows throughout their life, sometimes reaching as much as 2/3 of the body length, but it does not have a drive function, but rather acts as a rudder.

    By moving the pectoral and anal fins, these fish create vortices around its body, which results in a specific self-correcting swimming movement.

    The characteristic feature of the Longhorn cowfish is four horns. Two grow out of the head and are directed forward, while the other two grow near the anal fin and are directed backwards. Supposedly, the horns are an additional defense mechanism discouraging predators from swallowing it. This can be confirmed by the fact that broken horns have an ability to regenerate, they grow back in a few months. In addition, when the fish is hurt or feels threatened, it releases a toxin (ostracitoxin) which repels predators. In such a case, if any animals are found in a limited space, it is deadly for them, including the fish itself.

  • Common snapping turtle

    Common snapping turtle

    Chelydra serpentina

    The Common snapping turtle inhabit different types of freshwater reservoirs: rivers, lakes, reservoirs and swamps. They feed on both plant and animal food. They also supplement their diet with fish, small birds and plants with carrion. In the wild, lizard turtles can live 30 years, in breeding conditions up to 50. Because they can not hide completely in their shell to protect themselves from danger, they defend themselves by snapping their mouths formed in a sharp beak. They can be very aggressive.

  • Spiny lobster

    Palinurus elephas

    The Spiny lobster inhabits the shallow seabeds in the vicinity of the coral reef. It hunts at night, and spends the day hidden among stones or coral rocks. In addition to the daily feeding cycle, these animals also have a monthly cycle associated with moonlight. You should not go fishing for spinu lobsters at the Fool moon. Those who count on richly covered tables must go on a “hunt” during the New moon, because at this time the feeding of crawfish is the most intense. Every year, the animal gets rid of old armor so that it can grow. It lives only in clean waters – the presence of crawfish indicates a low degree of environmental pollution. The way these animals move is interesting. During the mating season they go “goose” – one after the other.

  • Save the Sea Project

    Save the Sea Project

    In July 2019 the Gdynia Aquarium MIR-PIB and the Foundation for the Development of the Gdynia Aquarium began cooperation with Amber Girl as part of the Save the Sea project. The goal of our cooperation is to raise funds for the purchase of the Seabin device for cleaning Marina Gdynia’s water from solid waste, mainly plastic, and surface pollution. After purchasing and installing the device, the Gdynia Aquarium Education Center will introduce practical educational classes on plastic pollution of the ocean. One of the elements of the classes will be to go outside to empty the Seabin device and to examine what garbage and in what quantity was collected by the device. In addition, garbage removed from Marina Gdynia will be weighted on an ongoing basis, and information on how many kilograms of garbage has been extracted thanks to this project will be available on the website of the Gdynia Aquarium MIR-PIB and in posts published on social media.

    Fundraising for our project is done by selling a silver bracelet Save the Sea designed and sold by Amber Girl. The bracelet is made of high quality 925 silver and a rPET string produced from recycled plastic bottles and other consumer post and industrial PET waste. The main silver element of the bracelet refers to the coat of arms of Gdynia and is designed to unite everyone interested in the fate of the Baltic Sea. In addition to financial support for the purchase of a Seabin device, the bracelet is also educational. By creating a recognizable symbol of social responsibility, we can contribute to the development of ecological awareness not only in the target group, but also outside of it. The bracelet itself and the packaging (glass bottle filled with amber, wooden chips, cardboard box and ecological protective envelopes) are consistent with the idea of ​​the design. The bracelet will be sold via the Amber Girl website. All proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Gdynia Aquarium Development Foundation for the purchase of the Seabin device.

  • Mexican walking fish

    Mexican walking fish

    Order: Amphibia
    Family: Ambystomatidae

    Ambystoma mexicanum

    The axolotl is an endemic species (i.e., that it is unique to a site or region and does not naturally occur outside of it) to the freshwater waters of Lake Xochimilco, located south of Mexico City. Previously, this species was also found in Lake Chalco, but it was practically completely dried to prevent periodic flooding. Thus, the natural range of the axolotl was limited only to water channels with an area of about 40 km². This does not mean, however, that it can be found in Lake Xochimilco, because its environmental requirements are high, and the progressive environmental degradation and water pollution are not conducive to its development.

    This animal prefers clean, well-oxygenated, cold waters with a sandy bottom abundantly covered with vegetation. It mainly leads a nocturnal lifestyle, and during the day it most often stays close to the bottom, where it looks for a hideout. This amphibian grows up to about 30 cm in length, and the average life expectancy is 10 years, although there are also specimens that live up to 25 years. The axolotl spends all its life in the larval stage. This is due to the low functionality of the thyroid gland, which is responsible for the production of the hormone (thyroxine) responsible for the transformation into the terrestrial form.

    On both sides of the flat head there are 3 pairs of branched external gills, which are typical of the larval forms of amphibians. Its appearance is characterized by a wide mouth, thanks to which the animal looks eternally smiling, and small, black eyes. Its body is massive, flattened on the back and ends with a massive tail with a tall caudal fin. The limbs are short and delicate. In the wild, its body is dark gray or brown in color with numerous dark spots. Breeding forms show a greater variety of coloration. From practically transparent, through white, white-pink, beige, golden, copper, through various shades of gray to brown. An axolotl is a predator with rudimentary teeth that locates its prey by its sense of smell. It feeds at dusk on small aquatic animals that fit in its mouth. His menu includes, among others molluscs, insects, crustaceans and small fish. It can also eat other members of its species. When the density of individuals is too high, they bite each other, biting off legs and tails, but due to the high regenerative capacity of these animals, the limbs grow back.

    The axolotl is a dioecious species. The male and female can be distinguished by the appearance of the cloaca. There is a bulge in the male near the cloaca, while in the female it is flattened. Despite the fact that axolotls remain in a larval form throughout their life, they reach sexual maturity and are capable of reproduction (neotenia). Breeding is preceded by matings, which consist in poking the cloaca area of ​​the opposite sex, making the animals move in a circle, which looks like a waltz. The male then moves away, undulating with his back and tail, resembling a hula dance, and the female follows him. The male lays the spermatophore (a bundle of sperm surrounded by a sheath), which the female then collects into her cloaca. A few weeks after fertilization, the female lays gelatinous squawk that it sticks to the plants with its hind legs. It can contain from 100 to 800 eggs, of which, after about two weeks, larvae less than 2 cm long hatch. After about a year and a half, the young reach sexual maturity. In their natural environment, axolotls were the leading predators until the water bodies were enriched with large predatory fish that feed on these amphibians. In the past, they were also eaten by local people and generally available for purchase at fairs, but due to the degradation of their natural environment and the drastically declining population, they have been legally protected, and selling them is prohibited. In the Red List of Threatened Species, the axolotl has the status of an extremely endangered species. Since 1975, it is also on the II list of the Washington CITES Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild animals and plants. In order to prevent further changes in their natural environment, also the remnant of the once large Lake Xochimilco was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. Despite these efforts, the population of the axolotl in nature is still very low. In 2008, their estimated number was 100 individuals per km², but it is still significantly decreasing. In 2013, only 2 individuals were caught.

    The use of the Mexican axolotl in medicine

    The axolotl can regenerate a bitten off limb, gills, tail, and internal organs such as the heart and brain. It can also regenerate a damaged spinal cord. This gives hope to use it as a preclinical model in regenerative medicine and integrative biology. This can help patients with diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. In addition to their high ability to regenerate tissues, these amphibians show remarkable resistance to cancer. Using it as a model organism offers a unique opportunity to research cancer and discover anti-cancer drugs and mechanisms responsible for controlled cell growth and regeneration. Overall, the axolotl is an important research animal used in research in the fields of transplantation, gene expression regulation, embryology, neurobiology and regeneration.

    Polish contribution to axolotl research

    Axolotls have been bred since the 19th century. Due to their form of life and high regenerative abilities, they have become the focus of research. In 1917, the Polish researcher Laura Kaufmann, by administering thyroid hormone to ambystomas, transformed them into a land form. During the transformation, the appearance of these animals changes, the external gills and caudal fin gradually disappear, and the end of the tail becomes rounded.

     text prepaired by Monika Wiśniewska

     

  • Biodiversity of the Bay of Puck

    Biodiversity of the Bay of Puck

    The classes aim to familiarize participants with the ecosystem of the Bay of Puck, which as a valuable natural reservoir, has become the first protected marine area in Poland. Inner Puck Bay has excellent conditions for the development of life on the bottom and in the water, because it is characterized by a small depth and low impact of open sea waters. These factors influenced the development of rich plant and animal assemblies, and as a result the creation of the reservoir that distinguishes the greatest biodiversity in the entire Polish coastal zone.

Skip to content