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Meet the elephant seals visiting Cape Town's beaches
Cape Town’s shores have recently been graced by some fascinating (and rather large) visitors from the South Atlantic Ocean: Southern elephant seals! This is a unique opportunity to learn more about a seal species very different to our local Cape fur seals, so let's dive in...
Globally recognised teen says the Ocean Campus sparked her marine conservation journey
Tahirah Naicker might come across as an ordinary South African teenager who will be writing her matric exams in 2025. But it just takes a little bit of conversation and a look at her National Geographic cap to realise she’s anything but ordinary.
Our Turtle Conservation Centre released 75 post-hatchling loggerhead turtles!
Our Turtle Conservation Centre released 75 post-hatchling loggerhead turtles into the warm waters off Cape Point last week! After nearly eight months of rehabilitation, the turtles were strong, healthy, and ready to be released back into their ocean home. This was particularly special as it marked one of the final batches of the young turtles to be released since their unprecedented mass stranding in April this year.
Tracking our turtles: Bokkie the amputee green turtle making waves
Just 50 days ago, Bokkie was released into the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and recently crossed the border from Kosi Bay into Mozambique! To gain some perspective on where Bokkie is now exploring, we reached out to a fellow turtle scientist who is doing some awesome work in that area.
2024 recap: Fabulously fishy moments from the Two Oceans Aquarium
2024 was a wonderfully jam-packed year for the Two Oceans Aquarium and its Foundation - from our biggest Waddle yet to being named co-champion of the Mission Blue Hope Spot in False Bay. We are excited to see what the next year brings but first, let's look back on 2024...
A Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation first: Releasing three turtle species into De Hoop MPA
On 5 December 2024, the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation’s Turtle Conservation Centre team released four rehabilitated sub-adult turtles into the De Hoop Marine Protected Area (MPA). Solé and Plum (green turtles), iKhwezi (loggerhead turtle), and Harley (hawksbill turtle) represent an incredible first for the Turtle Conservation Centre.
The Two Oceans Aquarium has welcomed a new arrival – the shaggy sponge crab
The ocean can be treacherous for shaggy sponge crabs, and camouflage is key to staying safe from predators. Other ocean animals, like octopuses, are masters at blending in with their surroundings, but shaggy sponge crabs must accessorise to shield themselves. This is where a hat comes to the rescue!
Orbicular batfish
The orbicular batfish is a large, disc-shaped fish with a flattened dusky silver body. Its anal and dorsal fins are symmetrical, giving the adult batfish a spade-like appearance. Its dorsal, anal and tail fins are translucent yellow with black margins, and its pectoral fins are yellow. It has two prominent vertical black bars, a thick one behind the head that crosses the gill cover, and a narrower bar though the eye. Some sub-populations have small black spots on their sides.The adult orbicular batfish very closely resembles the longfinned batfish, and distinguishing between the two is understandably difficult. The longfinned batfish has dark blotches under its pectoral fin and on the bottom edge of its anal fin which are absent on the orbicular batfish.The juvenile orbicular batfish relies on its long fins to mimic a dead leaf by flopping onto its side and allowing the current to take it. It has a great affinity for brackish coastal environments, particularly mangroves and lagoons and can change its colour to a rusty brown to more closely resemble a leaf.As it grows larger, it takes on a silver colouration more closely resembling the longfinned batfish. Gradually its fins become shorter until it takes on the characteristic spade shape of other members of its family.The adult will move out of its sheltered coastal habitat to reefs where it will feed primarily on algae, but will snack on small fish if given the opportunity. Perhaps its strangest dietary quirk, the orbicular batfish will often follow sea turtles around to eat their faeces.It ranges from Knysna in the Western Cape to the Red Sea, Australia, Polynesia, Japan and Alaska. Invasive populations are also present in the Caribbean.Bluefin gurnard
Bluefin gurnards are a common bottom-dwelling fish throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Their colouring may seem drab and unimpressive, camouflaging them will with the seafloor - until it spreads its brilliant blue pectoral fins, from where it draws its name.Just in front of these fins, you might notice that it appears to have a set of little “legs” that helps it creep along. These are not actually legs, they are modified rays of its fins, which the gurnards use to stir up the sand to find prey – small crustaceans. They are predators that feed on small crabs and shrimp.Gurnard's bodies are long and compact, with armoured, bone-plated heads.Sergeant major
The sergeant majors are small, oval damselfish. It has a grey body with a yellow dorsal area. Most notably, they have five vertical blue-black bars across their bodies.Although they sometimes form schools, the pair up during breeding. Breeding pairs have a preferred territory and will fight other fish to protect it. Once the eggs have been laid, the male will remain to guard and aerate them - this fierce behaviour is where they get their name "sergeant major" as well as their scientific name Abudefdul, with "abu" meaning father or guardian in Arabic.They are omnivores and will opportunistically feed on algae and small invertebrates.Juvenile sergeant majors are commonly found in tidal pools, while adults prefer rock and coral reefs on South Africa's Indian Ocean coasts. Globally, they occur throughout the Indo-Pacific, ranging from South Africa to the Red Sea, Japan and the Pitcairn Islands.Steentjie
This blue-grey fish has an oval-shaped body with several faint yellow horizontal stripes on its flanks and dark blue-grey fins.It has several sets of both incisors and a row of molars. They use this combination of teeth to pick up bottom-dwelling invertebrates and crush their shells. As they mature they become more omnivorous and will graze on algae.During spring and summer months, male steentjies will take on brighter blue and yellow colours and will construct nests in the sand. Once spawning has taken place, the males will remain at the nest to guard the eggs until they hatch.The steentjie occurs in large shoals above shallow, rocky reefs on the coasts of the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and southern KwaZulu-Natal.Hottentot
The hottentot is a small bronze-grey seabream with small dark fins that occurs along the coast of Angola, Namibia, and the South African West Coast to Cape Point.