Durban - Meet some of uShaka's inhabitants
The Independent on Saturday webinar series continues next week with a fun virtual tour of uShaka Marine World.
uShaka guest relations officer Preleen Govender and our photographer Shelley Kjonstad take in the tour that highlights Tripod, the three-legged turtle; Stanley, the 400kg brindle bass; and a southern right whale skeleton affectionately nicknamed Missy.
“Poor Missy broke her jaw colliding with a boat and was no longer able to feed,” Govender tells us.
Viewers get to see different environments, from rocky reefs and the open ocean to the kelp forests of the cold Cape waters, home to South Africa’s national fish, the galjoen. There are also majestic stingrays and a large variety of sharks, including the feared “raggie” and unusual pyjama shark.
The centre’s octopus, which can squeeze through the tiniest of rock crevices, was too shy for the video and camouflaged himself among the rocks.
There is also a Nemo-themed tank dedicated to clownfish and the poisonous sea anemones they inhabit to which only the clownfish is immune.
Meet Tripod’s turtle mates DJ, Wasabi and Napoleon. Tripod is doing so well, she may be able to be released into the wild again. Find out how plastic waste is affecting these magnificent creatures who mistake floating plastic for the sea jellies they feed on. “They ingest plastic and feel full, but starve without knowing it,” Govender says.
And find out how parrot fish get a “good night’s sleep”.
“They excrete a smelly mucous around their bodies at night so no predator will touch them,” she reveals.
And did you know that fish can live to be 30 years old, and can undergo sex changes?
Find out more in our webinar on our Facebook page, IOSnewsSA, on Wednesday, October 21, at 3pm.
The Independent on Saturday