Groundhog Day Forecast by Chattanooga Chuck

Chattanooga Chuck, the Tennessee Aquarium's groundhog, searched for, but did not find his shadow today. So it looks like an early spring for the Tennessee Valley.

In a wonderful world of groundhogs, Chuck does not stand alone however. Read how his Storm Team of Animal Forecasters helped with his 2012 prediction.

Chattanooga Chuck's Groundhog Day 2012 Forecast from the Tennessee Aquarium



Predicting weather is easy, or so it would seem.
If you have all of the tools and a great weather team.

So through the Aquarium buildings I wandered about,
stopping by the Cove Forest to see Brooke Trout.

Folklore says fish feed like crazy, acting slightly deranged,
whenever storms approach and the barometer's changed.

"I don't have time to chat, I'm sorry to say,"
Brooke said as she jumped and then swam away.

Could a change in the weather be the big reason,
Brooke wouldn't discuss the upcoming season?

Terry Treefrog was seen singing with a bunch of his friends.
That means wetter weather ahead - or so the folklore portends.

Hoping for sunshine, I sought an amphibian exemption.
It's Leap Year...so perhaps this chorus is a deception.

To get a weather leg up, I searched a little wider.
And quickly met up with my old pal the spider.

Harry Tarantula is part thermometer and an eight-legged anemometer.
He can sense air currents and humidity, just like a hygrometer.

He explained his forecast as he scurried away,
Folklore states, "More rain is coming when I crawl by day."

Larry Lobster seemed happy when I stopped by his tank.
Consulting crustaceans are helpful, if I can be frank.

He said, “The seawater is swell,” as he raised up his claws,
"And if you don't believe me, why don't you go ask Jaws."

I knew he was kidding with his snappy remark,
so I moved along to check with Sandie the Shark.

She mentioned to me with a big, toothy smile,
"I wouldn't forecast snowflakes here for quite awhile."

I headed back to my stump with all this advice,
other friends were around to sort through it twice.

Helping me forecast in Ranger Rick's Backyard Safari,
are creatures like lizards, parrots and a green aracari.

Even with my Storm Team of Forecasting Friends,
I felt something missing right at the end.

I realized what was gone when I looked below.
My mirror image was absent - No shadow!

So with a couple of brief exceptions, it's more of the same thing,
Repeated rounds of wet weather and feeling like spring!

Visit the Tennessee Aquarium to meet Chattanooga Chuck’s Storm Team of Animal Friends.

College students can take advantage of a special half-price offer throughout February.
“College Days” discount details available at: http://www.tnaqua.org/PlanYourVisit/CollegeDays.aspx

Groundhog Day at the Tennessee Aquarium

The following post was contributed by Chattanooga Chuck, the Tennessee Aquarium's lead long-range forecaster. Chuck lives in Ranger Rick's Backyard Safari and enjoys spending time greeting Aquarium guests and mingling with the other mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, butterflies and fish that live in River Journey and Ocean Journey.

I'm just coming out of hibernation right now, so imagine my surprise when Susie Grant, a senior educator at the Aquarium, said we were going to take a trip to Atlanta, GA. "Have yams will travel," I thought. I never imagined I would be visiting the CNN studios. The ride didn't seem very long. I had a chance to doze a little on the way. A couple of my pals joined me. Blinky, the screech owl and Harry the tarantula. Many folks don't know it, but groundhogs like me aren't the only animals that have weather predicting prowess. That is, if you believe the folklore.

We got to meet CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras and CNN national correspondent / anchor Gary Tuchman. They're probably two of the nicest people you'll ever meet. It was pretty cool hanging out with them. We even had tour groups stopping by to peek in through the windows to wave and say hello.

You can watch the interview here. Fun animal facts and weather history. I might have paid attention while I was on the set, but Susie kept handing me kale, yams and bananas. So, after sleeping most of the day before, I was ready for chow.

Good thing I have a laptop. (Don't tell anyone....but sometimes when the weather is nice I spend time watching the Aquarium's YouTube channel.)

Since Jacqui interviewed me, I asked if I could interview her. She graciously agreed. I'll admit, I'm no Mike Wallace. But I think you'll see that I'm one marmot who's not afraid to ask the tough questions.

Chuck: What’s the best thing about being a meteorologist for CNN?

Jeras: The best thing about being a meteorologist at CNN is that I get to talk about weather all over the country and the world, not just in one city or state. There is always extreme weather happening somewhere and it makes my job fun, exciting, and challenging every day.


Chuck: I always have trouble deciding my favorite season. Sometimes I'd like to have a little more winter, other times I think it would be nice to have an early spring. What’s your favorite season?

Jeras: My favorite season is fall. I love the outdoors and there is nothing better than a good bike ride, hike or run in the crisp fall air, looking at the changing leaf colors.

Chuck: Any memorable weather events you’ve covered?

Jeras: I’ve covered many memorable weather events in the 12 years I have worked at CNN. Some most notably, The EF5 tornado in Joplin, MO, Hurricane Katrina, and of course, the Groundhog Day Blizzard last year.

Chuck: I like yams. What’s your favorite vegetable?

Jeras: My favorite vegetable is asparagus. I also LOVE sweet corn in the summer, but I think that is technically a grain.

Chuck: Final question. Who’s a better meteorologist – You or Reynolds Wolf?

Jeras: Me or Reynolds?! Unfair question. Everyone I work with at CNN in the weather department is awesome. We all have our own strengths. We’re like a family. Reynolds always makes me laugh. He’s great! Plus, I’m darn sure we’re all better meteorologists than any rodent I might know… sorry Chuck

Oh well. You can learn about the Tennessee Aquarium's Storm Team of Animal Forecasters here and see which creatures actually do respond to weather changes to give us clues about what may be ahead.

New birds: An Elegant Egret & A Dashing Duck

Two new birds are waiting to greet Tennessee Aquarium guests. A beautiful snowy egret can be seen in the Delta Swamp exhibit. According to Kevin Calhoon, the Aquarium's assistant curator of forests, this bird species tends to be very calm, cool and collected. "We are excited to have this bird which is probably the most laid back, elegant and graceful of the North American herons and egrets," said Calhoon. This particular snowy egret might be glad to be alive. It was donated to the Aquarium by Sea World of Orlando. It had a severe right wing injury when it was first discovered. Veterinarians had to amputate that wing due to the severity of the injuries. Today this bird is doing great, but could not be reintroduced to the wild without the ability to fly. In the wild, snowy egrets stand out from the crowd with their black legs and bright yellow feet. They can also be quite vocal when defending their territory. You can hear this vocalization on the Cornell Lab or Ornithology web site.

After visiting the snowy egret in the Delta Swamp, look for another marvelous bird in the Rivers of the World Gallery. A new male Mandarin duck can be viewed in the Nishikigoi exhibit. He's a striking bird with stunning plumage. Calhoon says this duck came from a waterfowl breeder and was hatched last spring. Which means he's young and full of energy. 

He can be seen with a female Mandarin duck who has been at the Tennessee Aquarium since 2004. "She is around eight years old," said Calhoon. "But she seems to be holding her own with the sudden appearance of this dashing young male."

If you'd like to hear a Mandarin duck vocalizing, check out this audio clip on the BBC Nature website.

We invite you to slow down on your next visit to do a little bird watching at the Tennessee Aquarium. Bring your binoculars to view 50 native songbirds in the Cove Forest exhibit - like scarlet tanagers.


Then get up close to additional birds throughout both River Journey and Ocean Journey. We also offer some entertaining and educational bird shows throughout the day in Ranger Rick's Backyard Safari.

And of course, you want to spend plenty of time with our penguins!

Tennessee Aquarium Octopus to be Featured on Nat Geo Wild

 It was, "Lights, camera and action!" at the Tennessee Aquarium this morning. Medusa, a giant Pacific octopus, was being moved from the quarantine room in the River Journey building to her new home in the Boneless Beauties gallery in Ocean Journey.

Medusa will soon star in an episode of a new series that is scheduled to run on National Geographic Wild. A production team from Sharp Entertainment was in Chattanooga for two days working on this program.

 Giant Pacific octopus are really amazing animals that Aquarium guests truly enjoy. Although some visitors might initially think these creatures are kind of creepy, their impressions quickly change after talking to our animal experts or docents. Once guests discover that cephalopods are very intelligent, and begin to understand their unique adaptations, they usually walk away big octopus fans. Now, they'll have a "TV Star" to get excited about.

 While we don't yet know when Medusa will be seen on Nat Geo Wild, you can keep an eye on their program schedule this spring - the earliest time this episode might air. But we'll also try to keep you updated through our Facebook page, Twitter feed, and of course here in our blog.

While Medusa, and the Aquarium's other giant Pacific octopus Minerva, won't be signing any autographs, you may see them manipulating jars filled with crab or fish. You might also see them playing with a Mr. Potatohead or other enrichment item.

Until Medusa's world premiere, enjoy this short video clip of a truly wonderful animal - the giant Pacific octopus.

Penguin Parties at the Tennessee Aquarium

 Ever bump flippers with a penguin? This little guy above got a big kick out of giving our gentoo penguin character a high five to start the day. Families are having a ball at the Tennessee Aquarium during our daily "Party with the Penguins" events. Now through January 8th, you can meet one of our costumed characters, learn more about gentoo and macaroni penguins and then tap your toes at the IMAX 3D Theater when "Happy Feet Two" hits the giant six-story screen.

 Shivers, the Aquarium's youngest gentoo shown above, seems to think the giant penguin looks like her.

 Kids can make flipper bands to match "Shivers," or their favorite penguin, and make some penguin feet to wear around the Aquarium.

Inside the penguin gallery, keepers have some special enrichment activities planned for the birds that our guests will enjoy seeing. When senior aviculturist Amy Graves asked visitors, "What is enrichment?" A little girl answered quickly, "Toys!" Amy explained that while that's correct, enrichment activities are not just toys for the animals. Enrichment includes visual, tactile (touch) or tasty activities. "We try to offer the penguins a variety of fun things that help stimulate the penguins mentally and physically," said Graves. "This could be offering them the choice to play with extra ice brought into the exhibit, which Nipper loves. Today he was trying to build a nest out of ice cubes. Or, it could be blowing bubbles."

 Blowing bubbles? You bet! In the image above, Amanda Pippen keeps a steady stream of bubbles floating through the exhibit while Graves explains the activity to visitors. "Pepper is all about the bubbles today," Graves said. "She loves hopping around and popping bubbles with her beak. And she even went straight to Amanda to pop the first bubbles to appear." Graves explained that anything breaking up the day for the birds is fun and exciting. "Even if they don't chase the bubbles like Pepper, many of the birds seem to enjoy watching them."

 Shivers, seen above, was one of the penguins that seemed to enjoy watching the bubbles. Graves said like puppy dogs, not all penguins choose to play "fetch." While Pepper was more active and engaged, Shivers chose to watch and enjoy.

While bubbles might not be a big hit with all of the penguins, there is one enrichment activity they ALL love - chasing smelt. "Smelt is their all-time favorite food, so we broadcast or toss the fish into the water," said Graves. "The birds dive in and swim fast for their favorite fish, simulating how they would feast in the wild. It's a great opportunity for guests to see how the penguins use their flippers and feet to quickly change directions to chase down a tasty treat."

See how macaws and otters enjoy special holiday enrichment items:


Enjoy all of the Penguin Party fun at the Aquarium offered each day at 10 am through January 8th, then head next door to see Happy Feet Two at IMAX.

You'll have plenty of time to enjoy both Aquarium buildings and the movie with your combo tickets.

Setting foot on the Antarctic Continent

Friday, December 16th, 2011

We awoke this morning to another rainy day. Expedition leader Larry Hobbs, who has been coming to Antarctica for more than 25 years, has never seen two consecutive days of rainy weather in Antarctica before. “It’s another sign of how rapidly things are changing in this part of the world,” Hobbs said.

In spite of the light showers, we had a wonderful time at our first stop in Neko Harbor. When you are dressed properly, the weather is taken out of the equation. We were welcomed ashore as we set foot on the Antarctic Continent for the first time. (All of our other landings were on islands to this point.) For some passengers, this was the milestone “Seventh Continent.” Others were able to say they had gotten the most difficult journey out of the way first, hoping to eventually travel to the remaining continents on their life lists.

Another gentoo rookery is located at this landing site and we enjoyed the antics of these birds from several different vantage points. Some birds were incubating eggs and aggressively defending their nests from rock-stealing neighbors while others were busy keeping an eye out for marauding skuas. It was especially fun to watch the penguins at this location bathing in the clear waters near the shoreline. They would clean their feathers and splash around before zooming away underwater for their morning meal of krill.

Several huge, blue blocks of ice across the harbor appeared as if they break loose at any time. Our guides asked us to stay away from the beachfront in case that happened. If it would have, a sizable tidal wave would have been generated that could have had bad consequences. So when a large cracking sound was heard, virtually everyone looked across the harbor. Higher up, a pretty big piece of snow and ice was cascading down the jagged mountain face. From a distance it didn’t look like much, but I’m almost certain that tons of snow and ice were involved in that small avalanche. I got video of that crash and one that followed about a half hour later.

Off in the distance some porpoising gentoos caught my eye. They were zigzagging in an attempt to escape a leopard seal. The action was moving a bit to rapidly to capture on camera, but it was interesting to watch. It’s a little too early for leopard seals to be hunting penguins. They have better luck a bit later in the breeding season when juvenile penguins are learning to swim.

Later in the morning we set sail for Paradise Bay, a short cut the captain was hoping to use was blocked by a huge tabular ice berg and the entrance to the passage appeared to be choked with ice. So we took “the scenic route.” Whenever the sun would break through the clouds, you were treated to truly unimaginable sights. (You begin to run out of superlatives for Antarctica pretty quickly.)

We spent more than one hour slowly easing up on tabular ice bergs, getting close to sea birds and slipping through the so called “grease ice” that was forming in the bay. Even though we didn’t get to shore one last time, this excursion felt like we were traveling inside a giant snow globe that had just been shaken vigorously and set down to be admired.

Every evening we enjoy an expedition recap, learning more about what we had experienced and what the next day would bring. During this evening’s recap, the captain took the stage to give us a weather briefing. He was able to make us all laugh about the challenges we were about to face as we re-enter the Drake Passage. The weather system that had been responsible for our wet and snowy conditions today was passing by us to the North. We were going to experience some rough seas as we ventured out into open water.

After the briefing adjourned, everyone headed to their rooms to lash things down before taking the captain’s advice and eating a quick meal. Shortly after dinner the winds started raging, peaking at 74 knots – the lower threshold for hurricane force winds. The seas were pretty choppy as we watched the waves breaking over the bow. Occasionally the spray would cover the windows of our perch inside the observation lounge on the 6^th deck.

We had two days of “Lake Drake” on the way to Antarctica, now we got a few hours of what it’s normally like in the Southern Ocean. And a couple of the boat’s crew members said this storm paled in comparison to what they have seen before. I spent some time videotaping the action without experiencing seasickness, so I suppose I have officially earned my sea legs.

Tomorrow’s weather is expected to be more calm. We have a few more adventures on board before packing our bags for port and the lengthy flights back home.

Gentoo-Fest in Antarctica!

Sometimes Internet connectivity is touch and go when you are trying to send something from the southern most continent on Earth.  These are blogs from Wednesday and Thursday of last week.  More to come soon!

Wednesday, December 14^th, 2011

We are greeted early each morning by the voice of expedition leader Larry Hobbs over the ship’s public address system saying, “Good morning everyone, it’s another beautiful day in Antarctica!” Not only was the day beautiful, we marked the 100^th Anniversary of the Roald Amundsen Party reaching the South Pole today.

 Our group geared up early for a Zodiac tour of the bay around Enterprise Island. According to the expedition notes, the island got its name to commemorate the “enterprising success” of whalers operating in the area. This location was a major center of the industry from 1916 to 1930. One of the vessels operating in the waters around Enterprise Island was the whaling ship, “Gouvernoren” that caught fire and sunk around 1915. Today that ship is great habitat for nesting Antarctic terns. We were afforded many great birding opportunities including a few Chinstrap penguins.

Enterprise Island Gouvernoren wreck

Antarctic Tern

Chinstrap penguins

After a chance to recharge our batteries, both literally and figuratively, we headed out again at Cuverville Island – home to thousands of breeding pairs of gentoo penguins. These guys are every bit as entertaining to observe as the gentoos at the Tennessee Aquarium. Two noticeable differences: Many of the gentoos on Cuverville are covered in filth. The nesting sites are pretty muddy, but the birds seem quite content when they are not defending their nests from egg-stealing skuas. Several were seen flying off with stolen eggs to a raucous cacophony  of calling by upset gentoos. Rocks were being carried around by many of the penguins and I even saw a few carrying small sticks, bits of moss and a few small blades of grass.

Gentoo Rookery- Cuverville Island

Gentoo penguins!

The snow was slushy as we hiked up the rugged hillside above the main rookery. We had fun sliding down the hill, but apparently the penguins prefer walking downhill rather than tobogganing down the slopes on their bellies.

Thursday, December 15^th, 2011

Visiting Palmer Long Term Ecological Research Station

There was a patter of raindrops on my cabin window this morning. Through the light showers, I could see the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research Station across Arthur Harbor from Le Boreal. Rain in Antarctica – yet another face of the “White Continent” we are seeing at the bottom of the Earth. Rainfall is becoming more and more common in this part of the Antarctic Peninsula. And it is one of the many things scientists are studying at Palmer Station.

We began our day with a Zodiac tour of the harbor, cruising through “brash ice” before spotting southern elephant seals, one of the six species of seals that live in the southern ocean. These guys are giants, sometimes reaching five tons in weight. Most of the elephant seals we saw this morning were juveniles, lacking the trunk-like noses of the mature males. These elephant seals were molting, or replacing their fur. They are amazing animals to observe, even though they don’t move much once on land.  In spite of their size, most elephant seals are rather shy and docile.

Elephant Seals

Did you know that a 10,000 pound elephant seal is not the largest Antarctic animal? If not, what is?

Senior educator Julia Gregory and the kids who are part of The Tennessee Aquarium’s Bug Club: http://www.tnaqua.org/Education/BugClub.aspx will be interested to know the answer.

It’s a trick question, because the answer is an insect called the wingless midge, which grows to a whopping three millimeters in length. This insect lives its entire life cycle on land, so it can be considered Antarctica’s largest animal. Entomologists have been coming to Palmer Research Station to study these amazingly hearty larvae for quite awhile now. They want to better understand how these creatures can survive being frozen, almost completely dehydrated and how they can be deprived of oxygen for long periods of time without perishing.

We also saw an Adelie penguin colony along with a few chinstraps and some gentoos. Researchers at Palmer Station have been tracking a rather rapid decline in the Adelie populations in the past several years. This is caused partially by the rainy weather that occurs as eggs are being incubated or when the chicks begin to emerge. Ideally the eggs and young would experience cold and mainly dry weather, but warmer and wetter conditions have been happening with more frequency. Gentoos are also moving farther south into the Antarctic Peninsula.

Everyone aboard this Abercrombie & Kent expedition had a portion of their cruise cost set aside to purchase a piece of scientific equipment for the researchers at Palmer. This year’s gift was handed over to them aboard Le Boreal.

It was an international affair, as Dr. McClintock invited one passenger from each of the twelve nations aboard this cruise, to join him on stage to present this new tool to the scientists.

Tour of Palmer Research Station

We toured the research station, including their Aquarium. Unfortunately, the researchers that will be collecting and studying sea creatures will not arrive until sometime in January so we were not able to get up close and personal to ice fish or sea stars. The staff met us for brownies and coffee at the end of the tour and answered all of our questions before we returned to our floating home away from home.