The Podcast Aquatic

Did you realize the Tennessee Aquarium is home to the largest collection of freshwater turtles at a public institution in North America? Yessiree, we're really fond of our chelonians (read: tortoises and turtles) here, so we invited our resident herp expert to help us shellebrate these amazing reptiles.

(And no, we can't promise those are the last puns you'll encounter during this slightly-longer-than-normal episode.)

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With Halloween just around the corner, many of our minds are drawn to all things spooktacular. To many people, the spookiest of spooks — and the source of the most common animal-centric phobias — are snakes and spiders. But do these creepy, slithery, jittery critters deserve their bad reputation or are they just the victims of bad PR?

In this episode, two Aquarium experts and resident spider- and snake-friends delve into the how and why of arachnophobia and ophidiophobia and explain why these legless and (some would argue) too-many-legged animals deserve more respect than fear.

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Did you realize it's legal to keep lemurs as pets in Tennessee (and several other American states)? Yeah, we were shocked, too. Trust us, though, you don't want to go down that path for a lot of reasons.

In this week's episode, we've brought in one of our lemur caretakers to explain why these prosimians are like furry little fireworks displays. They're beautiful and fun to watch, but you wouldn't want one in your living room.

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Every day, Aquarium educators present programs to the public, both on site and at schools or other facilities, accompanied by assistants of the furry, scaly or feathered variety. The animals who take part in these outreach presentations are known as "ambassador animals," and Tanisha La Guardia is in charge of caring for them.

Before she became a lover of snakes and lizards of all sorts, however, Tanisha was scared with a capital "S" of reptiles. Find out how she overcame that discomfort and the delight she takes in winning others over to the herpetological camp.

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For more than 50 years, the Endangered Species Act has provided the mechanisms to protect imperiled species in the United States. But like most legislation, understanding how it actually works can be a pretty daunting task. No worries! We've got just the scientists for that.

In this episode, our vice president of conservation science and education and resident aquatic conservation biologist swoop in to offer reams (REAMS) of knowledge to help you understand how the ESA helps protect our nation's most at-risk species and why landing on the list of endangered species isn't the death sentence some may assume it to be.

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The Tennessee Aquarium's home in Chattanooga sits in the heart of some of the oldest mountains on Earth (the Appalachians), but what was life like in our neck of the woods, say, 5 million years ago? How about 65 million?

In honor of the latest film now playing at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater, T. REX 3D, we've called up paleontologist and mammalogist Dr. Steven "Wally" Wallace to offer up some expert insights into life in ancient (and REALLY ANCIENT) Appalachia.

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To many residents of the United States, the thought of eating an insect is probably enough to turn them off the idea of food entirely, but for cultures around the world, entomophagy is not only common; it's just common sense.

In light of this summer's headline-grabbing 13-year cicada brood emergence, we've called on the Aquarium's resident entomologist — who has eaten insects before — to make the case for why bugs SHOULD be on your menu.

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They may be a lot more fun to visit than a lab, and their employees may not walk around in white coats, but aquariums and zoos are important contributors to scientific research. The combination of ready control of environmental conditions and the opportunity to observe animals without interruptions caused by inclement weather or other factors make them an ideal place for studies to be conducted.

In this week's episode, we'll chat with our assistant curator of fishes to learn more about her study into the impacts of ocean acidification on jellyfish and what it was like overcoming her feelings of scientific "imposter syndrome."

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Did you realize the Southeastern United States is home to more species of aquatic life than anywhere else in the temperate world? A lot of people, even those who live here, don't realize they live in the midst of an underwater rainforest that rivals celebrated ecosystems like the Amazon Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef.

In 2023, the Aquarium decided to shine a light on the abundance in its own backyard with its newest gallery, Ridges to Rivers. In this week's episode, meet the aquarists who overcame seemingly endless challenges when designing the centerpiece of the gallery, an 18-foot-long artificial stream. This exhibit is so true-to-the-wild that its residents recently engaged in an unprecedented mating display, but getting to this point was no easy feat.

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Next year is the 50th anniversary of the movie Jaws, which means Hollywood has been hard at work painting sharks as villains of the deep for half a century.

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