The official podcast of the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Gain new insights into the animals — even the human kind — living and working in one of the world’s largest freshwater-focused aquariums!
Episodes
See what you’ve missed and what’s coming soon!
Episode #26: 🎶 Like A Sturgeon, Lost For A Very Long Time 🎶
The world’s smallest sturgeon species, the Syr Darya Shovelnose Sturgeon, is found in muddy rivers flowing through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other parts of Central Asia. It tops out at a diminutive 9 inches long.
But the thing is, it hasn’t been seen in more than 60 years.
In this episode of the podcast, two of our scientists, Dr. Bernie Kuhajda and Dr. Dave Neely, and graduate student Christian Swartzbaugh discuss a recent trip they made to Uzbekistan as part of the Search for Lost Species. Their quest? To ascertain whether the Syr Darya Shovelnose Sturgeon is still around or if it has gone extinct.
From clandestine show-and-tells of preserved specimens in back alleys to adhesive catfish to self-destructing dirty diapers, this one’s got it all.
Episode Cast
- Casey Phillips, senior communications specialist, host and sturgeon stan
- Dr. Bernie Kuhajda, aquatic conservation biologist
- Dr. Dave Neely, adjunct scientist
- Christian Swartzbaugh, graduate student, University of Georgia
Upcoming Episodes
- Diving at the Aquarium
- Enrichment 101
- Otters and Lemurs and Penguins… oh my!
- How to get a Job at a Zoo or Aquarium
