-
Think Tank: Empty nest and dabbling in chemistry
It couldn’t be more obvious. The fry are ready to leave the nest. The trout in our virtual trout tank at the Trailside Museum are very active, hungry and ready for more space. Today we lowered one corner of the basket to let the brave fish swim out and search for food. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo3gB_J8JMc&feature=youtu.be The increase…
-
Think Tank: Chilling in the Cross River and still finding bugs
It’s a chilly 30 degrees Fahrenheit in New York City’s East of Hudson watershed today. Ihor Szholar, from Croton Watershed Trout Unlimited, and I took a short hike from the Trailside Museum to the Cross River. Equipped with a kick net, waders, small bucket, and hopes for finding what we came for: Benthic stream Macroinvertebrates.…
-
Killer instincts? Not yet!
The NYC and Watersheds TIC virtual trout tank fry have lost their yolk and are swimming up to the surface of the tank. These important clues tell us that they are ready for food. Trout in the Classroom fry eat fish food called meal and crumbles. They are made from cuttings from seafood harvested for consumption.…
-
Trout fry — not the cooking kind — on a rainy day
The NYC and Watersheds Trout in the Classroom virtual trout tank fish have lost their yolk sacs and we can officially call them fry. They are not exactly ready for food, but they are certainly more curious and adventurous on this rainy day. I’m not sure if the tank trout can hear or see the…
-
Adipose fins are meant to be
The NYC and Watersheds Trout in the Classroom virtual trout tank's alevin are looking great and especially active today. At closer look we noticed that they have developed strong fins. Eight fins to be exact. Why are these fins so important? Not only does every fin have a function and purpose, ichthyologists also rely on meristic characters, or countable structures, such as the numbers…
-
The amazing trout gender reveal
The alevin at the trailside museum are looking great! How can we tell the males from the females?
Also known as sexual dimorphism — luckily no forest fire risk with this reveal The alevin are looking great and we only need about 291 more names. But, "Are they males or females?" asks Elanor the Animal Expert (age 7) from The Bronx. Thanks for the great question, Elanor. While "gender reveal parties" are the…
-
‘Frankentrout!’ Are two heads better than one?
We have a two headed alevin! Check out our virtual trout tank at trailside museum and our unique findings.
While checking on the alevin at the Trailside Museum Trout Tank, we made a Halloween discovery ... Frankentrout! This two-headed trout is a result of double fertilization, a rare occurrence in nature. As unfertilized trout eggs are exposed to fresh water, the micropyle opens and allows a 60 second window for milt (male genetic material)…
Author