Exhibit Feature Friday: From the Mountains to the Sea: Saltwater
Exhibit Feature Friday
At the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine (CMTM), we use the word exhibit to describe the interactive experiences, spaces, and displays spread across three floors and immediately outside the facility at 250 Thompson’s Point Road. CMTM is home to over 15 exhibits designed to encourage experiential learning through open-ended play.
Our team at CMTM decided to give each exhibit the spotlight it deserves and is dedicating Fridays to highlighting a new exhibit, diving a little deeper into the WHY and HOW behind each playful space and experience.
EXHIBIT: From the Mountains to the Sea: Saltwater
LOCATION: 3rd Floor
From the Mountains to the Sea, made possible by a generous gift from Poland Spring, is home to freshwater and marine animals. Last week’s Exhibit Feature Friday focused on the freshwater tanks. This week’s feature will highlight the saltwater tanks!
From the Mountains to the Sea: Saltwater
From the Mountains to the Sea is an aquarium, science exhibit, and play space centered around Maine’s watersheds.
What is a Watershed?
Water moves in a constant cycle. It evaporates into the air, then condenses in the atmosphere before falling back to the earth’s surface as rain or snow. A watershed is a land area where that rain or snow is channeled from high elevations like mountains down to creeks, rivers, and, ultimately, the sea. A watershed community includes all the plants and animals (including humans!) who live in, or around the watershed.
Design and Tanks
“CMTM currently has two marine tanks that showcase three different habitats; rocky Tidal Pools, muddy Sand Flats as well as the Wharf which shows what life is like in human-influenced habitats. Both the Tidal Pool and the Sand Flat act as interactive exhibits where in addition to viewing, visitors are sometimes invited to perform experiments, gather data that helps our aquarists care for the residents, and maybe even reach into the cold waters to gently touch some of the creatures living there.”
There are two saltwater tanks in the From the Mountains to the Sea exhibit.
An Acadian hermit crab, one of the many residents of the Tide Pool / Sand Flat tank.
TIDE POOL / SAND FLAT This horseshoe-shaped tank, made possible by a generous gift from The Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust in memory of Joan Kelly, represents two marine ecosystems: tide pools and sand flats.
The left side of the tank is dedicated to tidepools, and is a wonderland of color and movement. It is home to many Gulf of Maine intertidal creatures, like plumose and dahlia sea anemones, Forbes’ and northern sea stars, and hermit crabs. Visitors may also see curious rock gunnel and spirited mummichogs drifting around the enclosure.
On the right side of the tank is the sand flat. This tank is home to CMTM’s two chain catsharks, Eugenie and Sylvia. Named for ichthyologist Eugenie Clark and marine biologist Sylvia Earle, these small, docile sharks have gorgeous patterns that help them camouflage within their natural environments. The tank also houses a lumbering, palm-sized Acadian hermit crab, a waved whelk, and an elusive northern moon snail who loves to burrow.
WHARF The Wharf tank, made possible by a generous gift from Julie and Michael Ouellette, mimics the unique habitat under human-made docks. These sheltered spaces offer cover from predators and the elements, and are home to many unique species. The CMTM Wharf tank houses a variety of unique fish, including winter flounder, cunner, and lumpfish. There is also a blue mussel rope, where visitors can watch these familiar bivalves feed alongside other species like barnacles and invertebrates (animals without backbones) called tunicates.
Creature Features
A rock gunnel., blending in with its rocky habitat.
Rock Gunnel: Keen-eyed visitors may spot a slimy, squiggly fish peering from underneath the rocks in the Tidal Pool. That's no eel, rather an eel-like fish called a rock gunnel. Rock gunnels have thin, elongated bodies and extra slimy skin to help them slide in between the rocks of their intertidal homes. Rock gunnels are also known as butterfish because they are so slimy that trying to catch one is like grabbing a stick of melting butter.
Winter Flounder: A single winter flounder lives inside the Wharf tank. This fish (along with CMTM’s catsharks) came to CMTM from New England Aquarium. This flounder, like most members of their species, is on the shy side, and spends most of their time hiding in the sand. While adult flounder have both eyes on one side of their head, they are not born that way. Instead, one eye migrates over the top of their head as they grow up.
Northern Moon Snail: CMTM is home to a Northern Moon Snail that has lived here for nearly two years. Like the flounder, they spend the majority of their time hiding in the sand, making a "snail sighting" a very exciting event! Moon Snails have a special organ in their mouth called a radula that acts like a drill, allowing them to bore into the shells of their prey such as clams, oysters, and other snails.
WHEN IS THE TIDE POOL / SAND FLAT TANK OPEN?
CMTM aquarists assess the tanks daily to determine whether or not to open them for hands-on experiences. They review the animal’s body language, water quality, and demeanor. If the animals look comfortable, the tank will open once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
Hands-on Learning
The Tide Pool/Sand Flat tank was designed with a removable lid so that staff members can offer guided learning experiences with the tank residents. CMTM regularly offers programs where visitors can meet animal ambassadors, speak with aquarists, and learn about the fascinating creatures that call the intertidal zone home.
Afterschool Programming
From the Mountains to the Sea is also the location for an aquarium-focused afterschool program: Watershed Friends. CMTM Afterschool Experiences, designed for children ages 5 - 12, allow for deeper explorations of STEM topics centered around specific themes. Participants learn about ecosystems, connect with animal ambassadors, play games, and create projects while studying the importance of watersheds. Learn more about upcoming aquarium programs on the Afterschool Experiences Page.
A cunner fish, drifting through the Wharf Tank.
From the Mountains to the Sea was made possible by a generous gift from Poland Spring.
Tide Pool / Sand Flat Tank was made possible by a generous gift from The Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust. In memory of Joan Kelly.
Wharf Tank was made possible by a generous gift from Julie and Michael Ouellette.
Would you like to learn more about the From the Mountains to the Sea exhibit? Check out:
https://www.kitetails.org/news-blog/exhibit-feature-friday-from-the-mountains-to-the-sea-freshwater
https://www.kitetails.org/exhibit-from-mountains-to-the-sea
Coming up next:
Tune in next Friday to learn about the Lighthouse Cove exhibit!