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Within this guide you will find information, activities and suggested
activities, to help you and your group get the most out of your visit to
The Lake District Coast Aquarium.
Contents
Your visit to the Aquarium.
2-3
Location Map
4-5
Before you Arrive
6
Risk Assessment Guide
7-10
Foundation / Reception stage
11-12
Key stage One
13 - 19
Key stage Two
20 - 32
Key stage Three
33 - 35
Teacher’s notes
36 - 39
Advanced level
40 - 41
Shorelink
42 - 43
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Your Visit to Lake District Coast Aquarium
How to find us:
We are located in Maryport, which is approximately 30 miles from
Carlisle, 15 miles from Whitehaven and Keswick, and 7 miles from
Workington. Access from the M6 J40 is via the A66 to Cockermouth and
onto Maryport via the A594. From Carlisle the A596 is well signposted to
Workington and Maryport. A street map is attached showing the route to
the aquarium and parking for coaches.
Facilities
There is a cafeteria and shop selling drinks, confectionery and ice creams
as well as a range of gifts, books and toys. There are full toilet facilities
at the aquarium and there will be a trained first aider on site during your
visit.
There is a ‘pirate ship’ themed adventure playground adjacent with free
access for aquarium customers. The Quayside in which we are situated
features fishing boats and a marina, an interesting walk from the car
park.
Packed Lunches
If you are bringing your own food to the aquarium, you will be able to use
our Wild Solway Centre to eat your lunch. The use of this facility is
included in the price.
Cost
Current group rates are £4.25 per child (3-16) for parties of ten or more.
Schools get 2 free teachers, then 1 free with every 5 children.
Higher Education student’s get 2 free teachers, then 1 free with 15
children.
For Children under 3 years old, please ring and ask for details.
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Planning Visits
We will be delighted to welcome you on a preliminary planning visit when
you can see our facilities at first hand and discuss with us any particular
requirements you may have regarding our tour content or administrative
matters. Just turn up and make yourself known to the receptionist upon
arrival.
Booking
Phone or email us stating school, number of children, number of
accompanying adults, and preferred date of visit and time of arrival. We
will then ask for a £20 deposit to confirm your booking. Please note that,
to avoid confusion and overcrowding, we can only accommodate one school
at a time so early booking is advised. We do also expect the rest of
the payment on the day of your visit. If your school does require an
invoice then please state this in the booking phone call and we can process
it for your visit.
Hazard Assessment
You will find a hazard assessment in this pack. This lists important Health
and Safety information but is meant primarily as an aid to your own
assessment. You are welcome to come at any time with some ID and make
a free pre-visit inspection of your own.
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How to find the Lake District Coast Aquarium
The Lake District Coast Aquarium
South Quay
Maryport
Cumbria
CA15 8AB
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The Aquarium
Main Car and
Coach Park
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Before you arrive
Within this pack you will find information, activities, suggested activities
and references to the NNS, NLS and the National Curriculum which will
support your visit to the Lake District Aquarium. We intend to provide
you with a pick and mix structure to enable you to get the most out of
your day. If there is anything more we can help you with please let us
know.
Prior to your visit you may wish to prepare the children with some
activities to get you all in the mood. We are sure you have your own fishy
favourites but we do stock a wide range of books in our gift shop if you
wish to have a look. We also sell our own guide book: The Lake District
Coast Aquarium Display Guide which has 100 + species described and
photographed and is written in an easy to understand format. It is an
ideal for an introduction to native marine life. Always in stock they are
£1.00 each. For one of the best books available on marine wild life look up
the author Paul Naylor whose books we also keep in stock and are great
for marine life enthusiasts.
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Risk Assessment Guide for the Lake District Coast Aquarium
Note: This listing is provided by the Lake District Coast Aquarium as an
aid to planning your visit to us and to help re-assure you that we are
taking every reasonable precaution to avoid unnecessary accidents. As a
staff member of a prospective school you are invited to come beforehand
at your convenience and freely view our premises.
1.
Insurance. We have all the current required cover for an
establishment of this type, the minimum now being £10,000,000. We are
insured with Sterling and the certificate no. EB102426 can be viewed in
our office. Periodic assessments by the Insurance agents are made to
ensure we are currently compliant.
2.
Fire risk.
We are viewed as being low risk, given all public access
is on the ground floor with ample fire exits well signposted in all areas. All
fire fighting equipment is inspected under contract by Chubb, the current
certificate no.A025254 having been issued in February of this year. This
again is viewable in our office.
3.
Fire alarm system.
This is maintained by Protec ltd,
Maryport. We have periodic training sessions with the staff. Who are
therefore familiar with evacuation procedures. The whole building has
wall mounted call points and smoke sensors as per the Fire Officer’s
rulings.
4.
First Aid. There is a comprehensive first aid kit to be found in
our Office at all times. Periodically we send a number of our staff on
first aid courses so that there is a qualified person present at most
times.
5.
Arrival and Departure. We are situated on the South Quay at
Maryport, which is on a quiet service road. Coaches can draw up right
outside the door, and there is a free waiting bay nearby. There is full
disabled access which is a ramp to the left of the steps, both leading up
to the aquarium entrance and we do in fact have an award for full
compliance for the disabled. There is a wheelchair freely available on
request.
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6.
Supervision of Children (u/16s).
It is a requirement of entry
to the display area that all children under 16 must be accompanied by an
adult at all times. With School groups we recommend at least one staff
member per 10 children (one free adult is admitted with every ten
children so this is not a financial consideration). If a guided tour is part
of the itinerary then the appointed aquarist will give a short safety
related talk before anyone enters the display area. The aquarist will be
present for the duration of the guided tour and for any other agreed
functions but is not at this or any other time responsible for the actions
of the group being guided. This is the sole responsibility of the
accompanying adults or staff members. What the aquarium does to the
best of its ability (see next section on Zoo licensing) is to advise verbally
and in writing of the main hazards to visitors, and also of the need to
avoid abuse of the animals (fish and invertebrates) where they are within
reach.
7. Lake District Aquarium current Zoo Licence no. LN/20000032
The aim of this legislation is to ensure both the welfare of the
‘wild’ inhabitants of the aquarium and the safety of the visiting public.
Our current licence runs to 31/6/2014 and can be viewed on our premises.
To hold this licence, which is obligatory, the aquarium undergoes detailed
and routine inspections by Allerdale HSE and a government appointed vet.
We cannot operate without their approval.
8.
Acceptable Risk. The display environment is imaginative and
captivating for people of all ages. A traditional old fashioned aquarium
would have all displays presented as a series of windows set behind
fascias which today’s public would find boring and uninviting. This
aquarium has a huge variety of displays of all shapes and sizes, some of
which are ‘open plan’ so that fish can be viewed from above as well as
from the side.
1. No running. There are hard surfaces, and some floors are wet
(especially next to the crashing wave display). Warning signs are present
but children must be reminded, not least of all because of the hazard this
might present to other visitors.
2. No climbing. In order to get a closer look children are tempted
to use the front and sides of some of the displays as climbing challenge.
This is absolutely forbidden.
3. Keep hands out of the displays. We are a modern aquarium
that in fact allows gentle contact (stroking only, not picking up) of the
creatures in the rock pool display (starfish) and the rays only in the ray
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pool. This facility may or may not be available long term depending on the
combined opinions of our insurers, the Health and Safety executive, and
the Zoo licensing authority’s recommendations on animal welfare. The
aquarist will be present to supervise these activities during your tour, but
we also expect you as the children’s guardians to have an active
supervisory role. Despite a verbal caution on entry and numerous written
warnings around the displays people of all ages are still tempted to reach
into other displays. In reality this is highly unlikely to be a threat to the
public, but can certainly cause fright and possible trauma to the fish so is
absolutely forbidden.
Children and adults like to dangle their hands in the water and
splash to try and attract the rays. This practice is allowed in some
aquariums abroad so some visitors are ‘preconditioned’ and ignore all
warnings, setting a bad visual example for others.. This is not allowed.
We have high definition CCTV cameras covering the Rock Pool and Ray
Pool to monitor visitor actions and have escorted individuals and groups
out of the aquarium who persistently ignore our warnings.
4. Hand wash facilities. It is highly recommended that after any
contact with seawater or animals in the aquarium you make sure that
children and adults alike make use of the hand wash facilities. There is a
basin for rinsing off hands right by the ray pool/touch pool and basins
with soap both in Wild Solway and at Reception. Anyone with unhealed
cuts or skin abrasions should not take part in any direct contact with
display water or animals.
5. No tapping or banging on the glass. This is almost a reflex
action for some people if a fish is stationary. There is no chance of
causing a breakage but the shock transmitted to the display inhabitants
is real and can lead to trauma or death.
9.
Security.
We are open to the public but as a private concern we
have the right to refuse entry to any persons we see as undesirable, or
any persons who flagrantly break any of the important rules we clearly
advertise. We have a CCTV system which covers all the main entry and
exit points which gives us the ability to determine whether any individual
is still on the premises, or when they left (i.e. in cases of a missing
person) We also have immediate and direct summoning of the police via
push buttons from key areas.
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10. Other considerations.
1.
Light levels in some areas are low. This is partly to reduce
reflected light which would make looking into the displays difficult, partly
because of the requirements of the fish and other inhabitants, and partly
to add atmosphere and theatre which is part of the whole experience.
Low light levels are another reason why running about is not permitted.
2.
Power cuts. In the unlikely event of a power cut there is a
comprehensive network of emergency lights maintained under contract by
ADT which will automatically light all areas. Our staff are trained for this
eventuality and will supervise evacuation to daylight.
3.
Trip and fall hazards. All open displays are at a height that
prevents any possible accidental entry by the public. The walkway above
the ray pool has rigid mesh barriers that meet all current safety
regulations. The same applies to our model boat pool outside.
4.
Service doorways and staff areas. All these doorways
where they are in public areas are marked as private and are required for
insurance purposes to be kept locked at all times. The route through the
aquarium is ‘one way’ and it is relatively easy for a few staff members to
have full control of their charges.
5.
Toilets for male, female and disabled/baby changing
are all grouped at the main entrance lobby. There is a further set of
disabled/baby changing and general toilets in the Wild Solway suite.
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Reception
Starfish
Most Starfish have five arms.
They move using tube feet that are also great for suction.
They can re-grow lost or damaged arms.
The mouth of a Starfish is under its body.
They do not have eyes but instead have ‘eye spots’ on the end of each
arm.
In this picture there are three different types of starfish visible, all of
which can be found at low tide near Maryport Aquarium.
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Reception/ Foundation
These shapes may be photocopied and
used in numberlines or maths activities.
Photocopy
Add numbers and mathematical
symbols for numeracy work
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Key Stage One
Literacy: Non Fiction Facts
Sharks
the shark below is a smooth hound
Sharks have lived in our oceans since the time of the dinosaurs and date
back more than 420 million years
There are over 470 different species of sharks.
Sharks eat other sea animals
Sharks have a cartilaginous skeleton
They have five to seven gill slits on either side of their heads
Sharks take in oxygen from the water through their gills
The largest shark is a Whale shark, harmless to man.
Whale Sharks can grow to be longer than 14 metres.
The smallest shark is a Spined Pygmy Shark.
They can be smaller than 20cms.
Rays are members of the shark family.
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Key Stage One
Literacy: Topic Words
Look for the words listed in the grid below.
S
O
S
W
A
V
E
S
T
C
E
S
T
S
Q
H
SHARK
SEA
SAND
WAVE
RAY
A
T
A
S
J
A
R
A
R
O
F
V
Z
N
A
R
F
P
B
M
N
D
Y
K
I
U
H
E
X
I
O
P
S
S
B
E
A
C
H
R
H
G
K
L
T
I
D
E
STARFISH
BEACH
OCTOPUS
TIDE
EEL
The words can be found reading across and down.
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Key Stage One
Life on the Shore
All of these animals can be found at the seaside at low tide
Sort them into those that could sting you if you touch them and those
that will not.
Beadlet Anemones
Sea Scorpion
Starfish
Snakelocks Anemone
Weeverfish
Comb Jelly
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Key Stage One
Science Classification
What am I?
Identification
I have a frilled skirt and stripes
I have eight legs and big claws
Crab
Ray
I have spots but no legs
Fish
I have five arms
Octopus
I have eight legs
Starfish
I have a long tail and am shaped like a kite
Lake District Coast Aquarium
Cuttlefish
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Key Stage One
Literacy: Key words / Dictionary work / research skills
Fish
In the Sea there are lots of fish and sea creatures, some have the word
fish in their name but are not really fish.
Can you guess which ones are fish and which are not?
Cuttlefish
Triggerfish
Starfish
Monkfish
Flat fish
Jellyfish
Fish: a dictionary definition
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Key Stage One Numberline
Starfish Maths
Use copies to illustrate
5’s to 20/30
as numberline
to illustrate number bonds to 20
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Key Stage One
Literacy: Writing Frame
I Wish I Was A Fish.
I wish I was ………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
I would live …………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
My favourite food would be ………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Key Stage Two
………………… ………………………………………………………………… …………………….
Habitats
A habitat is the place where an animal or plant lives.
Name an animal that lives in:
Sand
Rocks
Open Sea
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Key Stage Two
Science: Food Webs
All animals are part of a food chain and must eat or be eaten.
What do these creatures eat?
Basking Sharks
Conger eels
Sponges
Starfish
Pollack
Can you draw a food web for these animals?
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Key Stage Two
Literacy: Key Words
Word search
Find the following words in the square below and carefully cross them out
as you go.
C
B
T
U
R
B
O
T
S
U
L
R
R
K
A
H
G
E
T
E
O
T
L
R
B
O
A
BEACH
SEAWEED
CUTTLEFISH
SEAHORSE
TROUT
T
N
U
A
A
N
E
S
A
L
N
T
G
P
A
A
E
N
E F
Y M
C U
M F
W S
C L
C H
AW
E M
I
G
S
R
U
E
E
E
O
S
E
A
H
O
R
S
E
N
H
A
D
D
O
C
K
D
E
SEA ANEMONE
BARNACLE
TURBOT
HADDOCK
BLENNY
The words can be found reading across and down.
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Key Stage Two
Number lines: Eight times tables
Use the octopus shape to liven up your eight times table work. Copy and
include the numbers for display, i.e. 8, 16, 24 etc
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Key Stage Two
Fact Sheet
Octopus
Octopuses belong to the family Cephalopod: Squid and Cuttlefish also
belong to this family making them close relatives.
Cephalopod means head-foot. Octopuses and their relatives have their
arms or feet joined to their heads.
They have three hearts, blue blood and suckers on their tentacle.
Octopuses live deep down in the ocean. It is dark and cold.
An Octopus will eat crabs and sometimes fish. They have also been
known to eat other octopuses.
The Octopus has a beak that can crush shellfish and crabs.
An Octopus is really very clever and in captivity will even learn how to
unscrew a jam jar that contains food! .
If under attack and Octopus can squirt ink to confuse its attacker and
get away.
Octopuses have special skin cells that allow them to camouflage better
They do not have a skeleton so find it easy to squeeze into tight
spaces.
They swim using jet propulsion and use their tentacles to walk around.
They lack the ability to sense smell and therefore rely on their eyes
and tentacles in finding their food.
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Key Stage Two
Science: Environments
Pollution
Litter on the beach looks bad to us, so imagine what harm it causes to the
environment and the creatures that live there.
How much damage will these things do to the sea, the coastline and the
wildlife?
Use the table to record your answers.
A lot of damage
Some damage
Very little
damage
Fizzy Drink Cans
Raw Sewage
Apple Cores
Plastic Bags
Glass Bottles
Oil Spills
Pick one of the items in your list and explain in a sentence why you put it
in the category you chose.
Now design a poster to encourage people to protect the seashore by
taking rubbish home or putting their rubbish in the bins along the
seashore.
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Key Stage Two
Science : Pollution
Pollution 2
From time to time our coastlines are at risk from large-scale pollution
such as oil or chemical spills. These can cause damage to all living things
on the seashore… birds and animal and plant life.
Solve the puzzle and use the first letter of each word to spell something
that can, if damaged cause pollution at sea.
1. _ _ r
a sticky black beach
pollutant
2. _ l _ _ _ _ _ _ m
drink cans are made from this
material
3. _ y_ _ n
this man made material rots
slowly
4. K _ _ l
pollution can do this to fish and
sealife
5. _ n v _ _ _ _ m _ _ t
we need to keep this
clean
6. _ _ s _ _ v _
an area set aside for
wildlife
7. S _ a _ _ _ d s
the animals most at risk from oil on the sea’s
surface
Now use your word to finish this sentence
Oil _ _ _ _ _ _ _ can pollute the sea if they sink or crash.
Extension questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Does oil move from the site of a spill?
Does oil sink or float?
Will an oil spill effect the coastline or seabed most?
What effect does spilt oil have on seabirds
Would a sea anemone or a fish be at most risk from an oil spill?
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Key Stage Two
Numeracy: Number
Sealife Number Sentences
An octopus has ___ Legs
A common starfish has ___ legs
A starfish has ___eyes.
A ray has ___ tail.
A crab has ___legs.
An anemone has ___ eyes.
An eel has _ eyes.
Make number sentences for these questions, then solve them.
1. If three octopuses go shopping for new shoes, how many shoes will
they have?
How many pairs?
2. How many will you have if you multiply the number of eyes of an
anemone, by the number of legs that a crab has?
3. Mrs Squid is washing the football socks for the five-a-side undersea
team. Look at the team list below and decide how many socks she will need
to wash.
Team Captain: Stanley Crab
Winger: Susie Starfish
Defender: Louis the Ray
Striker: Calvin Crab
Goal keeper: Annie the Octopus
4. Einstein the scientific starfish has one telescope for each eye. He is
looking at the stars and can see 7 in each telescope. How many stars can
he see in total?
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Key Stage Two
Here are some shells you will often find
lying on the shore. This is a cockle, and you
can see that the two halves of the shell
come together and make a perfect seal.
When alive, they are hidden under the sand
where they find their food. Severe storms
can move the sand and wash the cockles up
on the beach where they provide a feast
for seabirds like oystercatchers and
seagulls.
Here are some razor shells. When alive they
are completely hidden under the surface of
the sand. They get their name because of
their similarity in shape to old fashioned ‘cut
throat’ razors which were commonplace for
shaving until electric and disposable razors
were invented. They are very good to eat, and
can be made to appear out of the sand at low
tide by pouring fresh water down the hole
they construct to the surface.
This is an oyster shell belonging to the
‘Native Oyster’. When alive they lie
buried just under the sandy mud surface,
with the rounded half of the shell at the
bottom. They were so popular and
plentiful about 150 years ago that they
were a popular food of the poor in towns
like London. If you look carefully at the
shell you can make out annual growth rings
which allow you to estimate how old the
oyster was when it died.
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Key Stage Two
Science: Habitats: Adaptations
A habitat is the place where an animal or plant lives.
Name an animal that lives on or in the following:
Sand
Rocks
Open sea
Mud
Saltmarsh Creeks
What are we and where do we live?
Below are four bony fish that look very different. Can you find out their
names and decide where in the sea they live?
Bottom Dwelling
_______________
Deep Water
_______________
Shallows
_______________
Free swimming
_______________
John Dory
Turbot
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Weever Fish
Cod
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Marine Habitats
Different animals and plants live in different habitats, e.g. seaweed lives on rock.
Look at the sea creatures on the previous sheet. Where does each of them live? Finish the picture by drawing each animal
where you would expect to find it.
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Key Stage Two
Science Classification
What am I?
Twenty Questions
Think of an animal from the sea and then answer the questions your
partner puts to you to try and identify the creature.
For example: Is it a mammal? No
Does it have legs?
Yes
Does it have claws?
No
Does it eight legs?
Yes
Are you thinking of an octopus? Yes
When you have had practice at formulating questions then you can start
to prepare classification tables for sea animals.
Let’s have a go using the creatures listed below:
Ray
Fish
Octopus
Crab
Starfish
Cuttlefish
The first one has been done for you.
Does the animal have legs?
Yes
No
Crab, Starfish, Octopus
Ray, Fish, Cuttlefish
Does the animal have claws?
Yes
Lake District Coast Aquarium
No
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Key Stage Two
Science Classification
Pictures for comparison.
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Key Stage Three
Science : Investigations
Sea Water
Fast Facts
The Oceans of the World contain 97% of the world’s water.
The Sea covers 70% of the Earth’s’ surface.
The sea contains 99% of the Earth’s’ living space.
The deepest part of the sea is the Western Pacific, where it is nearly
7 miles deep.
Life evolved from water, and all forms of plant and animal life need
water.
Water can be found in several different forms.
Fill in the gaps using these words.
Gas
Ice
Evaporation
Liquid
Solid
Steam
When water comes out of a tap it is a _______.
If you boil a kettle then water will turn to _________ by a process of
evaporation.
Leave water in the freezer and it turns to ________ which is a
________.
If you forget to put it back in the freezer then it will become a
_________ again!
Extension Questions
1. What is the main difference between water from a river and water
from the sea?
2.You are given two saucepans of water. One contains water from the sea
and the other contains water from a lake.
a. What will happen if you boil each pan on a cooker until the water
evaporates?
b. How will you tell which pan held the seawater?
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Key Stage Three
Science: Investigation
Fish
Fish are vertebrate animals, which means that they have a _________.
They breathe with _____, swim with ______ and can only live in
_______.
Some are __________ and have skin that is covered by hard _______.
Others such as sharks have a skeleton of flexible __________ and a
skin that is covered in rough, teeth like _______.
Bony
Gills
Cartilage
Denticles
Fins
Water
Scales
Backbone
Can you label the diagram of a bony fish? The first letter is provided
foryou.
1.
2.
L…….
D…....
3.
8.
B…….
7.
O……..
4.
6.
P…….
5.
T…….
V…….
P……..
Complete the table to show whether the features below belong to bony or
cartilaginous fish, or to them both.
Bony Fish
Cartilaginous Fish
Operculum ( gill cover)
Teeth
Mermaids’ purses
Scales
Eyes
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Changes all Round
Many living things change greatly during their life. On land caterpillars become moths or butterflies and a
small oval acorn can grow into a huge Oak tree. Many creatures in the sea also undergo big changes, you
should be able to spot these in the Aquarium.
Do the parents look after the babies?
Do the babies look like their parents?
Mermaids purse
Lobster eggs
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Dogfish
Lobster larva
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Teacher’s notes Key Stage one
Shark: Suggested Classroom Activities
Photocopy the Fact sheet to A2 size for use as a big book page.
Discuss the structure of the page. How does this factual text differ
from a fictional text?
Use blank word cards to hide words in the text to encourage prediction.
Use text to formulate questions.
Encourage children to formulate their own shark fact sheet
Use the picture to make labels
Gills, Eye, Fin, Tail, Snout, Head.
Classification. Suggested Classroom activities
Use the pictures and/ or descriptions for identification and classification
exercises.
These questions may be converted to the prompts for a classification
exercise using the pictures included over. For example:
Do I have eight legs?
Yes
No
Crab
Octopus
Ray
Fish
Starfish
Do I have claws?
No
Yes
Crab
Octopus
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Teacher’s notes Key Stage two
Octopus Suggested Classroom Activities
Photocopy fact sheet to A2 size for use as a big book page.
Discuss the structure of the page. How does a factual text differ from a
fictional one?
Display key words and encourage children to identify them in the text.
Use the facts to formulate a true or false quiz. This could be a whole
class activity or an individual one.
Use the picture to identify parts and label them.
Beak
arm
siphon
head
sucker
eye
Draw up a menu for your octopus thinking about the fish that you have
seen at the Aquarium.
Make Octopus fact sheets for classroom display.
Pollution Suggested Classroom activities
Pollution 1
This worksheet can help raise awareness of environmental issues and can
be used to support literacy skills as well.
The children can work alone or in groups.
ICT skills may be used to create tables from the information gained
rather than simply completing the table provided.
The poster and answer to the final question can be used to allow the
children to present their ideas to the rest of the class, or for
classroom display.
Literacy links may be formed by using newspaper reports to further the
story of oil pollution in recent years, allowing for non fiction work-study.
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Pollution 2
Tar
Aluminum
Nylon
Kill
Environment
Reserve
Seabirds
a sticky black beach pollutant
drink cans are made from this material
this man made material rots slowly
pollution can do this to fish and sealife
we need to keep this clean
an area set aside for wildlife
the animals most at risk from oil on the sea’s surface
Key words from environment study are introduced here, a link may also be
found with local and global study areas in geography.
Literacy links can be found by asking the children to write a newspaper or
television report on an oil spill or pollution issue.
This may be extended to include the use of audio-visual equipment such as
a video recorder to present reports to the class. This provides an
opportunity to practice the different format required to present facts to
a wider audience.
Sealife Number Sentences.
Answers
An octopus has 8 Legs
A common starfish has 5 legs
A starfish has 5 eyes…..one on each of its legs
(technically a light sensitive spot but hey!)
A ray has 1 tail.
A crab has 10 legs. (eight walking and two adapted)
An anemone has 0 eyes.
1. 24 shoes and 12 pairs
2. 0
3. 33 socks
4. 35 stars
What are we and where do we live?
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John Dory : Deep Water
Cod : Free Swimming
Weever Fish : Shallows
Turbot : Bottom Dwelling
Teacher notes Key Stage Three
Fish
Fish are vertebrate animals which mean that they have a backbone. They
breathe with gills, swim with fins and can only live in water.
Some are bony and have skin that is covered by hard scales.
Others such as sharks have a skeleton of flexible cartilage and a skin
that is covered in rough, teeth like denticles.
Answers to fish labeling P 30
1. Lateral Fin
2. Dorsal Fins
3. Tail ( caudal fin)
4. Ventral Fins
5. Pectoral Fin
6. Pelvic Fin
7. Operculum ( Gill Cover)
8. Barbel
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Advanced Level
With your background knowledge of science you should be able to find or
deduce the answers from the information or exhibits in the LDC Aquaria.
Good luck!
Aquarium Questions
1. Briefly describe the role of micro-organisms in the marine
environment.
2. How do seaweeds cope with reduced light intensity when the tides
are in?
3. What factors will determine the tidal range at any given location on
the shore?
4. What steps might be taken to limit over-fishing?
5. What is a habitat?
6. Name five habitats (each with representative inhabitant) found in
the Solway Firth.
a)
d)
b)
e)
c)
7. What is a primary producer?
8. Filter feeders require sieves. Name one invertebrate and one
vertebrate that are filter feeders. Describe how they feed.
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9. What is convergent evolution?
a) An octopus eye is similar to a vertebrate eye. Are they
homologous or analogous?
b) Name two fish that illustrate successful convergent
evolution.
10. What factors control zonation on the rocky shore?
11.
Inshore fish tend to lay fewer eggs than open sea fish that
spawn millions of small eggs. Why? What are the pros and cons of
each system?
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SHORE LINK
Introduction
People of all ages are drawn to the coast and for a variety of reasons. For those with a
particular interest in wildlife the huge variety of habitats and the diversity of wildlife
acts like a magnet. The Solway Firth, particularly on the Cumbrian side has been noted
more for the damage that has resulted from industry than it’s beauty, but this was
always localized and now that manufacturing and heavy industry has largely vanished,
nature is healing the scars.
It is worth reflecting that at the turn of the century
Silloth ( 15 miles further up the coast from Maryport) was host to over 2,000 people a
day, transported in by the railways to enjoy the benefits of sea air and leisure activities.
Rarely is a visit disappointing, even the most desolate waste topped beach can, if
explored closely, reveal fascinating plants, animals and rocks. We very much hope that
you will be able to combine a visit to the aquarium with one to the shore to get a feel of
the ‘real thing’. We can provide you with any information on tides for your chosen day.
PLEASE NOTE: all sites mentioned have been assessed for their scientific
interest and hazard level. All groups should be closely supervised as rocks can be
dangerous and The Lake District Coast Aquarium cannot be held responsible for
excursions outside our site. All the information was accurate at the time it was compiled,
but the nature of the dynamic environment may mean that localized changes to the
shore are always taking place. There are a number of features which the teacher should
be aware of when interpreting the Solway coastline.
Relative sea levels have changed in recent times and this coastline is described
as emerging, witnessed by the raised beach characteristics North of Maryport.
Note the changing levels of exposure of the coastline, and that if conditions are
producing waves, how their size varies from one location to the next.
The Geology changes along the coast. There are Permian sandstones at St.Bees
Head, coal measures which outcrop at Workington, glacial deposits which outcrop
at Swarthy Hill and soft peat and the remains of a submerged forest between
Allonby and Mawbray.
Today there are dynamic geomorphological processes in action. For example, the
accretion of saltmarshes, the movement of sandbanks and channels, and the
migration of shingle. To the north of St. Bees sediment travels north eastwards
into the Solway while to the south of St. Bees the sediment is moving
southwards along the coast.
On this Physical Framework there is an additional salinity gradient both on a
large scale ( up the Solway) and on a smaller scale associated with local fresh
water inputs, heavily influenced by current or recent rainfall.
Finally there are many man made changes which vary from the historical dumping
of coal waste, the grazing of salt marshes, and the now approved erection of
offshore wind turbines supplementing those already built on the coast between
Maryport and Workington.
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NAME: Maryport North Beach
½ mile from the aquarium
Suitability: all ages (under supervision)
Habitat type: rocks, rockpools, sand
Facilities: Good parking, toilets,
access to beach
WHAT TO LOOK FOR (see photographs)
Underlying material/substrate
Mainly sandstone outcrops at the top and middle
reaches of the beach, worn smooth by water action. Otherwise sandy. This is an exposed
beach and after a period of rough weather the whole appearance can change dramatically with
some outcrops vanishing under the sand and new ones appearing.
Plants and Seaweeds. At the top of the shore there is some Channelled Wrack Pelvetia
canaliculata and on cobbles Enteromorpha. At mid shore level Fucus serratus ,Fucus
ceranoides, and occasional Ascophyllum nodosum. Some encrusting red seaweeds may be found
during Summer months.
Animals.
Probably the most common shellfish on the upper shore is the Common
Periwinkle Littorina littorea. Look for barnacles on the rocks, Chthamalus stellatus and
Semibalanus balanoides, also attaching themselves to Limpets Patella vulgata. There will also
be some predatory dog whelks Nucella lapillus in or near rock pools. In late Spring you may
also find their cream coloured, goblet shape eggs under rock ledges and overhangs. Lower
down on the shore you will see colonies of the reef building Sabellaria worm, which finds the
high sediment loads and fast currents of the Solway very much to it’s liking. These reefs can
take a battering during Winter storms, but then rapidly recover and provide shelter for a
variety of other marine organisms. From June to October the tide pools are likely to be full of
shrimps Crangon vulgaris, mysid shrimps, prawns Leander serratus, Shore crabs Cancer
maenas, and Hermit crabs Eupagurus bernhardus. Masses of Sand Gobies Pomatoschistus
minutus and the occasional Common blenny Blennius pholis will be seen.
On exposed
areas of sand the castes of Lugworm Arenicola marina will be seen. Locals come and dig
furiously to retrieve them as bait.
Other features of interest The high tide mark will often reveal evidence of the rich marine
life below the low tide mark. Typical debris will contain Hornwrack Flustra foliacea, Whelk
shells Buccinum undatum, the hatched egg masses of the whelk, egg cases (Mermaid’s Purses)
of Lesser and Greater Spotted Dogfish, and sometimes Rays as well. The Sabellaria reefs
just to the south of Maryport can be explored on foot at extreme low spring tides (timed
between 7-8am or pm) when Kelp forest habitat is exposed along with a variety of other algae
and starfish types.
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