Ask the Aquarium Archives

Ask the Aquarium is the place to find information on the aquatic life of North Carolina. Updated once a month, Ask the Aquarium is also published as a public service by over 30 newspapers across the state.

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Sharks, Rays and Skates

• Do sharks lose teeth like people do?
• How many kinds of sharks are there?
• What is a shark's sixth sense?
• Is a Whale Shark a whale or a shark?
• Is there a difference between a Tiger Shark and a Sand Tiger Shark?
• What kinds of sharks are found off the North Carolina coast?
• What is the difference between skates and rays?

• What is the difference between an alligator and a crocodile?
• What are wetlands and why are they important?
• Can alligators be found in North Carolina?
• Do alligators have ears?

• Do turtles ever leave their shells?
• What is the difference between turtles, tortoises and terrapins?
• Which sea turtle is most commonly found in North Carolina?

• What’s the difference between a seal and a sea lion?
• Do we have manatees in North Carolina?
• Do we have otters in North Carolina?
• What's the difference between a dolphin and a porpoise?
• What kind of whales visit North Carolina?
• What's the difference between river and sea otters?

• What can you tell me about triggerfish? I see them in aquariums and on restaurant menus.
• Are toadfish and frogfish the same creature?
• How did lookdown and stargazer fishes get their names?
• Is a spadefish the same thing as an angelfish?
• What fish are native only to North Carolina?
• What is the fastest fish?
• Which ocean-dwelling male fish actually gives birth?
• What is North Carolina's state saltwater fish?

• How dangerous are barracudas?
• Do fish talk?
• Why do fish school?
• What causes fish kills?
• How can you tell the age of a fish?
• How do fish defend themselves?

• What’s the difference between a bay and a sound?
• What is sargassum?
• What are wetlands and why are they important?
• What lives in an estuary?

• What should I do about all those little green frogs that get on my outdoor houseplants each summer?
• Is there such a thing as a soft shell turtle? I thought if a turtle’s shell was soft it meant it wasn’t healthy.
• Are salamanders lizards?
• How did the poison dart frog get its name?
• Is there a difference between “venomous” and poisonous?
• Does North Carolina have chameleons?
• How many venomous snakes are found in North Carolina?
• What is a hellbender?

• What do starfish eat?
• Do we have moray eels in North Carolina waters?
• We like to catch blue crabs off the dock when we visit the beach, but when the weather cools we can’t find any. Where do they go?
• What kinds of jellyfish do we have along our coast?
• What are those little gray bug-like things that dig into the sand where the waves break on shore?
• What are those little shells on the beach that look like butterfly wings?
• I found a round, purple, prickly ball about the size of a lime at Cape Lookout jetty. It looked like a pin cushion. Can you tell me what it is?
• Scotch bonnets are North Carolina’s state shell. Why are they so hard to find?
• When is a good time to find shells?
• How does an octopus eat?
• What are sea shells made of?

• Are there really such things called “sea beans”?

• Where do seahorses live and what do they eat?
• I hear horseshoe crabs are used for medical testing. Are they killed?
• What are those white crabs I see on the beach, and how can they live out of water?
• Do we have octopus and are they dangerous?
• Which is the most intelligent of the invertebrates?
• Which coastal crab is known as a living fossil?
• What sea shells can be found in North Carolina and when is the best time to look for them?
• What kinds of jellyfish can be found in North Carolina waters?
• Is a star fish really a fish?

• What will be new when the new Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores reopens?
• Is there a difference between exotic and invasive species?
• What type of animals should I expect to see in the touch tanks?
• How do you keep the Aquarium tanks clean?
• What's the difference between skin and scuba diving?
• What is an endangered species?
• What is Gyotaku?