Question:
	In public aquariums and zoos, is real rock used in the displays of ocean creatures or is a light-weight substitute used instead? If so, what is the source of the "fake rock"?
	By A. Gillan on 22/01/2007
Answer:
	Hello! Either can be used depending on the requirements of the creatures and the preference of the Displays Manager!! At Anglesey Sea Zoo we try to use as many natural display materials as we can. We are very lucky to be situated so close to the Menai Straits and so have access to materials such as rocks and seaweed as we need it. For larger displays or to recreate environments that are endangered, delicate or just unavailable there are many companies that provide 'fake' rock work structures, plants, corals and even animals specifically designed for Zoos and Aquaria.

Question:
	why are all crabs blind?
	By Euros Lake on 06/12/2006
Answer:
	Crabs aren't necessarily blind. They don't have particularly good eyesight as they have other senses that are much more useful to them - they might not be able to see food a metre away when the water is cloudy but their good sense of smell ensures they can find it!

Question:
	what qualifications do u need to become an aquarist? because i'm doing marine biology/zology but not really enjoying it so thought about doing zoology/marine biology or zoology with marine zoology. nic xx
	By nic on 15/11/2006
Answer:
	Hi Nic It's not as much about the degree so much as the relevant experience you have in the field. Volunteering is a good way to get your foot in the door see our Job Opportunities page for more details of the commitment here but there are lots of other organisations that will take on volunteers (some listed on our Useful Contacts page). If you're in your first year at uni stick at it as courses tend to get more specialised in the 2nd and 3rd years. Good luck!

Question:
	why are sharks agressive and eat human beans at sea? from charlotte xxx
	By charlotte on 16/09/2006
Answer:
	Sharks are predators so what may seem to be aggression is really their natural instinct to survive. Attacks on humans tend to occur by accident as they mistake us for their prey!! Sharks are a lot less dangerous than people think - for every human that is killed by a shark 2 million sharks are killed by humans!!

Question:
	hello, ive been interested in aquatic life for a few years now and even keep my own fish. i would love to have a job as an aquarist in a zoo,what do you think is the best way to go about it?thank you. stephen jones...bangor
	By stephen jones on 13/09/2006
Answer:
	Getting your foot in the door is always the first step!! Most zoos and aquaria run volunteer placements so this is probably the best way to get some experience and find out whether you like the job. Some qualifications in animal husbandry are useful but not essential. See our Job Opportunities page for more details about our volunteer placement scheme. Good luck!

Question:
	We Have just seen your web site and it looks great. We will be on holidays at half term from the 28/05/06 to the 04/06/06 and since we will be travelling from West wales we were wondering if there is any chance of seeing any octopus or squid, we are facinated and realy love these creatures and it would make the 4hr journey worth while Many Thanks David & Daniel aged 10
	By Daniel Jones on 22/05/2006
Answer:
	Hello David and Daniel We currently have some Octopus at Anglesey Sea Zoo so come and learn about their favourite foods and ask one of our aquarists about their new toys. Hope to see you soon!!!

Question:
	im going to your aqarium on a school trip to bangor i a m really looking foward to seeing all of the creatures and id like to ask what creatures are most dangerous and if i only have litle time what creatures should i not miss. many thanks. Kristien
	By kristien on 03/04/2006
Answer:
	Hi Kristien, The most dangerous creature we have here is the Lesser Weever Fish. They bury in the sand with only their black poisonous fins showing and give a very nasty sting if trodden on accidently! Don't miss our new Seahorse display and the feeding talk, put any questions you've got to the aquarist on duty and have lots of fun with our underwater camera!!!

Question:
	Hello. I am interested in dolphins, and i wondered if i could spend a week with the dolphins to learn more about them.
	By Aaron James on 21/03/2006
Answer:
	I'm afraid we don't keep dolphins here at Anglesey Sea Zoo. We have a Marine Animal Medic who is qualified to help any stranded or distressed marine mammals around the North Wales coast. Details of this work is available in our Dolphin Area if you would like to come and visit us to learn more.

Question:
	I'm a kindergarten teacher and I'm writing this for Kyle Lee. We are doing research on animal babies. His favorite animal is the lobster (he doesn't speak english and I'm afraid he thought that I meant which animal do you like to eat). We want to know what a baby lobster is called.
	By Brad Levenhagen on 22/02/2006
Answer:
	Hello, Baby lobsters don't have a specific name. In the Lobster Hatchery of Wales we define them by their moult stage. Lobsters grow by moulting their hard outer shell. When they are released from the female they stay in the water column for the first 3 moults (Stages 1 - 3). They then become 'benthic'(bottom dwelling) when they moult to Stage 4 and look like a minute lobster. After these stages we call them 'Juveniles' until they are mature and can breed and they are then refered to as 'Adults'

Question:
	Dear Sir/madam, I am currently researching lobster hatcheries and how they are developed. I was wondering if you could help me out with a few enquiries? 1.What do you feed the baby lobsters? Where would you get the feed from and how much does it cost? 2.What temperature do you keep the water at? 3.How do you monitor population numbers in the sea? 4.Would you be able to give me an estimate for how much it would cost to develop a hatchery from scratch? 5.What are your approximate running costs per year? Just one final question, I have obtain information from your website and have used it in my report, I want to reference this material but need the date of when the website was put together – please could you let me know what it is? I look forward to hearing from you. Kind regards Shelley Hawkins
	By shelley on 20/01/2006
Answer:
	Hi Shelley. We offer a consultancy service here at Anglesey Sea Zoo so it would be better for you to contact us directly at info@angleseyseazoo.co.uk. Many thanks for your enquiry

Question:
	Hello. I'm living in Bangor. I visited the Sea Zoo and I enjoyed it. I would like to have a cold water marine aquarium. I am specially interested in lobster. Since you've got a big number of lobsters, is it possible to buy one or two of small lobsters (2-4 inches) from you ? Many thanks. Best regards, Min.
	By Min Lee on 23/09/2005
Answer:
	Hello Min, I'm afraid we cannot sell any of our lobsters as they are part of a breeding programme to enhance the numbers around Anglesey. It is illegal to keep undersize lobsters without a license so you would need a very large tank to keep full sized lobsters. You also need to bear in mind they are cannibals and would need to be kept separately from each other.

Question:
	My 6 year old son was stung by something in the sea at llandwynn Island. I suspect that it was a jelly fish because we saw quite a few of them floating... We saw two different types - one was translucent white whith black spots around the edge, and the other was very dark blue and much smaller. Could you tell me what species of Jelly fish are found in the waters around Anglesey, and can they be dangerous? Thanks Glyn
	By Glyn Williams on 10/07/2005
Answer:
	Hi Glyn, I hope your son recovered from his sting. You are probably right in thinking it was a jellyfish the most common ones around Anglesey are the compass jellyfish and the common jellyfish but since it was a warm summer there have been sightings of unusual visitors this year. Both of the jellyfish found around Anglesey can give a nasty (though not fatal) sting but anyone susceptible to anaphalatic reactions should be very careful if stung.

Question:
	Last week we had a family holiday at Benllech on Anglesey. We loved the Sea Zoo and feel you may be able to asnwer our question. Whilst walking on the sea shore a strange crab like creature was washed up. It was only 1 1/2 inch in size, it had a shell body, all 8 legs were situated at the head of the animal, it did not have any claws, it's eyes must have been retracted as there was no evidence of any and it had a long tail ..... please, do you know what it was? Rita?
	By Rita on 19/04/2004
Answer:
	Would have liked to have seen a photo of this creature. From what you have described it sounds like a hermit crab out of its shell. If you found it within the strandline it is likely that it had been picked up by a bird and possibly damaged. I am glad that you liked the Sea Zoo Rita and hope that you visit us again. Keep watching the site for information on our special event days throughout the summer.

Question:
	Do you find sea horses in UK waters?
	By Mike Roberts on 24/02/2004
Answer:
	Yes! They have been spotted along South Coast of England and as far North as North Wales.

Question:
	Where do all the fish come from?
	By Graham on 02/02/2004
Answer:
	Most of the fish have been collected from around the coast of Anglesey either by the zoo staff or local fishermen. The tropical specimens mostly obtained from other zoos/aquaria.

Question:
	What do they eat?
	By Graham on 02/02/2004
Answer:
	Nearly all eat squid, which we buy frozen in boxes. Some, such as octopus and smoothhounds, prefer small crabs. Very small fish eat mysids frozen shrimps. Tiny brine shrimp are fed to filter feeders.

Question:
	How often are the fish fed?
	By Dave on 02/02/2004
Answer:
	Most of the large fish are fed once a week as it is very easy to harm them by overfeeding. Juvenile lobsters and the small fish are fed more frequently. Seahorses and juvenile fish are fed at least once a day.

Question:
	Why are the lobster claws banded?
	By Grant on 02/02/2004
Answer:
	Because they are cannibals and if two were in the same tank, unbound, one would kill and eat the other. They are still able to eat using small pincers on their first two pairs of legs to handle food.

Question:
	Why are the lobsters blue and not red?
	By Paul on 02/02/2004
Answer:
	Only cooked lobsters are red. Live lobsters have a blue pigment in their shell called 'astaxanthin'. They also have blue blood.

Question:
	Why are we farming lobsters?
	By Jane on 02/02/2004
Answer:
	Recent trends in fishing have suggested that lobster stocks around Anglesey have diminished by up to 80%. The baby lobsters reared at the zoo are released into the Menai Strait where only the threat of capture is by local divers. In the last eight years we have released over 2,500 lobsters. The new hatchery should further improve on these numbers.

Question:
	What are the biggest fish at the zoo?
	By Derek on 02/02/2004
Answer:
	The Conger Eel, which can reach up to 3m in length and weigh more than 65kg.

Question:
	Do you have sharks?
	By Graham on 02/02/2004
Answer:
	Yes, but not of the Jaws kind! Of the 20 different sharks which visit the UK, you can see Bull Huss, Lesser Spotted Dogfish, and Smoothhounds. Rays (Thornback and Undulates) are also members of the shark family.

Question:
	Why do rays poke their heads out of the water?
	By Kevin on 02/02/2004
Answer:
	We don’t know but there are a number of theories. It could be that they are using the surface tension to keep their mouths free of the slime, which they constantly produce. Or that they are used to being fed at the surface. Or they could be smelling air for food – sensory pits are underneath both at the tip of their heads.