Explore every episode of the podcast The Podcast Aquatic
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature's Most Devious Tricksters and Treatsters | 28 oct. 2026 | 00:51:30 | |
With Halloween just a few days away, we’re pretty much at peak spooky season. At the Aquarium, that’s code for ODDtober, our celebration of nature’s weird and wonderful side. At the time this releases, the odds are you’re either actively workshopping costume ideas or are already hard at work getting one ready for yourself or your homegrown knee-high trick or treaters. However skilled you think yourself to be, though, your efforts have got nothing on some of nature’s most cunning masters of masquerade and mischief. In this episode, a trio of aquarium experts explain how these legends of the animal and plant kingdoms put our own tricking and treating to shame. Episode cast
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| Mic Droplet: Invasion Of The Joro Spiders! | 16 oct. 2026 | 00:17:15 | |
Ecologically, it's always problematic when a species ends up in a place it doesn't belong. Lately, plenty of people in the Southeast are experiencing an added "ick" factor after coming face-to-web with an especially creepy invasive species, the Joro Spider. This large, colorful species is native to Southeast Asia, but for the last 10 years or so, it has been quietly reproducing rampantly and spreading through the American Southeast. Public awareness of this arachnid invasion hit fever pitch recently thanks to the appearance of Joro Spiders in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The species is now on the park's official "Most Wanted" list. In this episode, the Aquarium's senior entomologist discusses how Joros made their way to the States, what risk they pose to native ecosystems and why we're seeing so many of them in our neck of the woods. The National Parks Service has recommended the public document sightings of Joros as they encounter them through the app iNaturalist. This free app is available for iOS and Android devices and is a fun way to keep track of all the animals and plants you encounter, invasive or otherwise: Episode Cast
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| Tales from the CROC POD! | 06 oct. 2026 | 01:01:41 | |
Whether you're talking crocodiles, cayman, alligators or gharials, crocodilians are some of Earth's most successfully designed species. With armored bodies, incredible bite force and surprisingly dedicated parental care regimen, these reptiles have successfully adapted to thrive around the planet and have outlasted many other animals, including the dinosaurs. In this all-croc episode of the show — the first to tie into the Aquarium's annual ODDtober celebration — two animal care specialists with herpetological leanings chat about sensory organs, how to tell a 'gator from a croc' and why we should be thankful these ancient predators are around. Episode cast
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| Telling BIG Fish Stories | 23 sept. 2026 | 00:51:34 | |
Generally speaking, the exhibits at the Tennessee Aquarium are designed to replicate a single, distinct ecosystem, from the species residing there to the vegetation that helps set the stage. There are a few exceptions to this, however, and the subject of this episode is one of them. When it opened 14 years ago, the River Giants exhibit offered a single, massive system in which to showcase truly gargantuan fish from all over the world. In one place, guests could see everything from South American Red-tailed Catfish and Arapaima and Southeast Asian Giant Gourami to gigantic whiptail rays from North America. This episode was recorded more than a year ago, at time of publication, but it's still a fascinating deep-dive into one of the Aquarium's most impressive collection of huge, HUGE fish. Episode Cast
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| A Six-Story Celebration | 09 sept. 2026 | 01:05:50 | |
In 1996, the Tennessee Aquarium opened the first major expansion to its campus on Chattanooga's downtown riverfront. This new building showcased every kind of sea life imaginable, not to mention every conceivable biome on the planet. It also introduced guests to dinosaurs and interstellar phenomenon and — much later — wizards, superheroes and one exceptionally embattled Greek king just trying to get home. This year, the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater celebrates its 30th anniversary. It has done so in typically cinematic style by dusting off its old, but still very much venerable IMAX 70mm GT projector to offer guests the opportunity to see the first-ever film recorded entirely on IMAX 70mm film: director Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. In this episode of the show, our theater's most-tenured projection staff and the Aquarium's earliest proponent of opening a giant-screen theater, join host Casey Phillips in the Studio Dive Cage to chat about the shift from film to digital (and back again), what makes 70mm cinema so special and why The Odyssey shines best in this format. Episode cast
Screenings of The Odyssey, which is only available to view on 70mm film at a handful of American theaters, have been extended at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX Theater through Sept. 30, 2026. Further details available, along with screening schedule and advanced tickets, at https://www.tnaqua.org/imax | |||
| How the Heckin' HECK Do You Find Endangered Fish? | 28 août 2026 | 01:10:22 | |
By their very nature, endangered animals are a difficult target for scientists to research. They tend to be few in number — naturally — and the populations that exist have sometimes survived purely through remaining isolated from their top threat, which all too often is us. To those outside the field of academia, the assumption might be that science takes place in the kinds of locales that appear on the pages of National Geographic — pristine forests, wind-swept deserts and coral reefs. In reality — as you’ll discover in this episode — science can sometimes mean dodging cow pies in a field or blindly reaching under a muddy stream bank only to come back with a handful of diaper rather than a Hellbender salamander. In the launch episode for the third season of The Podcast Aquatic, Aquarium freshwater scientists pull back the curtain to show the sometimes remarkably unremarkable places where we find the animals we’re working to study and protect. Watch us find beautiful endangered darters off the side of an Alabama highway: https://youtu.be/8Jg_u37G6iI?si=molX52-gSueb__Vq Episode cast • Casey Phillips, host/senior communications host/occasional spelunker/enthusiastic cowpie dodger • Dr. Bernie Kuhajda, aquatic conservation biologist • Emily Culp, GIS analyst • Dr. Jeronimo da Silva, research scientist (geneticist) | |||
| Season 2 Finale: A Jolly Good Fellowship | 30 juil. 2026 | 00:56:16 | |
Being selected for an internship or fellowship is a career milestone for many students and recent graduates, but it can also be a bit of a double-edged sword. Ideally, these programs are a chance to battle test skills honed in academia in a real-world setting. They're opportunities to build out a portfolio, to network and to determine whether your education adequately prepared you for your desired role. In reality, for many interns and fellows, these programs ultimately end up being little more than a chance to take coffee orders and keep a seat warm. You might not even get paid for the privilege. Not so at the Aquarium, where a robust offering of fellowships affords science- and conservation-minded students and grads the chance to work alongside experts in a variety of departments. In this episode, we close out the second season of the show by chatting with the first-ever Jim Hill marketing and communications fellow about his experiences this summer and how his work alongside our team benefitted us as much as it did him. To learn more about ongoing fellowship and externship opportunities at the Aquarium, visit https://tnaqua.org/get-involved/fellowship-opportunities/ Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Grand Moth Talkin' | 22 juil. 2026 | 00:43:56 | |
Despite outnumbering them (in species diversity) by a factor of almost ten to one, moths are the quintessential under-appreciated insect. To most people, they're an almost-spooky nocturnal curiosity at best and a wardrobe-endangering pest at worst. In reality, moths are hugely important, helping to pollinate plants during the night-time shift when butterflies have called it quits for the day. They're also more ancient than butterflies, not to mention faster and more efficient and, often, hardier. Join us for this week's episode as we celebrate National Moth Week by shining an ultraviolet light on these unsung heroes of the evening. Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| A Quick Drop-in with Oscar the Sea Turtle | 15 juil. 2026 | 00:34:16 | |
In the Aquarium gift shop years ago, there was once a sea turtle stuffed animal for sale that looked a little ... different. He didn't have all of his flippers, and his shell was missing a notch. This wasn't a manufacturing error, though; it was an homage to one of our most-beloved residents, Oscar. Thanks to an early life run-in with an oceanic predator and a boat, Oscar has never looked like a "normal" sea turtle. Yet despite the difficulty of swimming and diving with his injuries, Oscar managed to move around the Secret Reef with remarkable, even inspirational, agility. In 2020, Oscar had to relocate from the Aquarium to an off-site home, but questions about him and well wishes for his continued health and wellbeing have continued to pour into our social inboxes. In this episode, we take the Studio Dive Cage on the road to pay Oscar a visit at his new home. We chat about why he's such an inspiration to so many, the efforts we've undertaken to make his life comfortable and enriching and his surprising (if understandable) love of The Golden Girls. Episode cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| A First-class Freshwater Filmmaker (feat. Jeremy Monroe) | 01 juil. 2026 | 01:04:31 | |
When most people think about wildlife and nature documentaries, there are places that naturally spring to mind: the Great Barrier Reef, the Amazon Rainforest, the African Serengeti. What most people don't think about is the stream in their backyard or the river they drive over every day. But Jeremy Monroe isn't "most people." He's the founder and director of Freshwaters Illustrated, a documentary filmmaking studio that has, since 2003, focused its efforts on showcasing the incredible behaviors and diversity of life in rivers, lakes and streams. From funny newts to clever mussels to resplendent trout, Freshwaters Illustrated's films capture the same beauty and passion and exude just as much passion as those films focused on the places that tend to get more of our attention. Learn more about Freshwaters Illustrated and view samples of its incredible photography and videos at its website: https://www.freshwatersillustrated.org/ Episode cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Surprise, It's a Baby Lemur! | 17 juin 2026 | 00:56:37 | |
There’s no point in arguing that the arrival of a baby animal at an aquarium or zoo isn’t cause for celebration. Many, MANY new generations of animals have been born at the Tennessee Aquarium in our 34-year history, but few have been as much a thrill as the arrival of a tiny, chipmunk-sized bundle of furry joy to the Lemur Forest exhibit in April. This infant Red-collared Brown Lemur is a first in many respects. It’s the first lemur of any species born at the Aquarium since lemurs first arrived here in 2016, and it’s the first lemur baby cared for by one of our senior animal care specialists. It’s also one of only a handful of its species to reside in professional care in the United States, which is home to only about 50 of these adorable, endangered mammals. In this episode you’ll learn about the surprise circumstances that brought this adorable baby into the world, how its arrival has changed the paradigm of care for our entire troop of lemurs and what this birth says about the quality of care all of our animals receive. Want to help us name this new baby? Until July 9, 2026, you can take part in an online naming poll to help us select from some pre-approved selections! Visit https://tnaqua.org/animals/baby-lemur/ to cast your vote! Episode cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| We Really Caved On This One ... | 02 juin 2026 | 00:55:24 | |
From the shadow play of Plato's allegories and the trials of Beowulf to paintings adorning the walls of caverns in Lascaux, France, mankind has long been fascinated (if also a little unnerved) by the idea of caves. These subterranean landscapes may seem as lifeless as they are lightless, but in reality, they represent unique biomes — ones inhabited by a far larger and more diverse collection of species than you might think. In this special Cave Week special episode of the show, we descend (literally) into the depths of a North Georgia cave to talk about life underground, from the animals that live there and the scientists who study them to what the worlds beneath our feet can tell us about life on the surface. Read about how our scientist helped to discover a blind, nearly translucent cave fish where no one thought it should be: https://newschannel9.com/sports/outdoors/biologist-finds-blind-fish-underfoot-in-unexpected-place Episode cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| It's Shell Time, Baby! | 20 mai 2026 | 01:04:47 | |
Since opening its doors in 1992, the Aquarium has shone a bright spotlight on the world's 300+ species of turtles. In the decades since, our experts have had much success hatching and raising new generations of turtles, including some critically endangered species on the brink of extinction in the wild. In this episode, two of our lead herpetology experts talk about what it takes to raise these baby chelonians, from what they eat to how they wrestle their way out of their eggs (occasionally with a little bit of help). We'll also dive deep into what you can see in our working turtle nursery, which is undoubtedly the focal point of our Turtles of the World gallery. Watch a video highlighting a recent success story with hatching a record-setting clutch of critically endangered Arakan Forest Turtles! https://youtu.be/xZxaV8gFIJ8?si=Sm968-bsMKWKXwFc Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| A Dace By Any Other Name | 13 mai 2026 | 00:56:19 | |
In life, there are many ways that your legacy can outlive you, but one of the most common — if no less flattering — is to have someone, or something, named in your honor. In this episode, we’ll meet the scientific namesake of the Laurel Dace, a hard-luck minnow found in just a pair of streams on a ridge about an hour’s drive north of the Aquarium. Fifty years before the Laurel Dace would earn the unfortunate title as one of North America’s top 10 most-imperiled fishes, it was just a slightly different looking dace caught in Charlie Saylor’s collection net. The scientist who later formally described the Laurel Dace named this beautifully plucky fish in Saylor’s honor: Chrosomus saylori.
This discussion touches on Saylor’s history with the Laurel Dace, including his thoughts on its unfortunate decline and subsequent embracement by the residents of a nearby community, Spring City, Tennessee. On May 16, 2062 — just a few days after this episode’s release — the second Laurel Dace Day celebration will take place in Spring City. In addition to races and other activities, guests will be able to learn about the Laurel Dace and our efforts along with our partners to save it. Details about the event and pre-registration for those races are available on our website at https://www.tnaqua.org/events/laurel-dace-day Episode cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Biggest Continent, Biggest Screen | 28 avr. 2026 | 00:56:06 | |
When you consider how many species and places that have been the focus of films and series by the legendary documentarians of BBC's Natural History Unit, it's frankly astonishing it took them so long to tackle the subject of Asia. The world's largest continent is home to an almost incomprehensible variety of ecosystems and wildlife, from massive bears in its polar north to sharks and coral reefs off its southeastern coast. In 2024, the nearly-70-year-old filmmaking legend produced the aptly named Asia, a seven-part series highlighting amazing stories and incredible animals that call the selfsame continent home. Now, BBC Earth has produced a new giant-screen film that condenses the best moments from the series into a brisk — yet somehow unhurried — 40-minute runtime. Wild Asia: Life at Extremes 3D will begin screening at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater on May 15. In this episode, we'll chat with its director, Matthew Wright, about the importance of finding new ways to show charismatic, well-documented species, the experience of capturing never-before-seen behaviors and his hopes for how the film impacts audiences. Learn more about the film and purchase advance tickets to meet Matthew during his visit on May 5, 2026, at https://tickets.tnaqua.org/events/019d8819-45e2-43c4-5341-60bd2665f901?_gl=1%2awf73rw%2a_gcl_au%2aOTY3MTA3NC4xNzc0MzY3MjM5 Watch the film's trailer at https://youtu.be/ScWg4_mvVA0?si=p7lq7pROaExpojX2 Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Raising Fish Babbies | 23 avr. 2026 | 00:53:47 | |
Being a new parent is hard. Infants are small, fragile and, in most respects, completely incapable of caring for themselves. Raising them is a difficult — sometimes impossible-feeling — task. But fish babies? Take that challenge and multiply it. Everything is harder. The food? Probably too big. The lights? Too bright (or too dim). The eggs? Nearly microscopic. In this episode, two of the Aquarium's lead aquarists discuss the challenges of raising fish (both freshwater and saltwater species) from eggs that were laid in our exhibits. Successfully seeing these fish babbies to adulthood is a challenge, to be sure, but every fish born and raised in our buildings represents less impact we have to have on wild populations. Episode cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| A Well-tended Twilight | 08 avr. 2026 | 00:54:16 | |
More than 13,000 residents live at the Tennessee Aquarium, and because of the dedicated work of our caretaking and veterinary teams, many of them have far exceeded their species’ median life expectancy in human care. Just like with people, advanced age brings on a host of changes to how animals experience the world around them, and this necessitates adjusting how we care for them. In this episode, we’ll chat about how we adjust our approach to tending to our older residents. Episode cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Seeing Eye to Aye-Aye With Primatologist Dr. Tim Eppley | 23 mars 2026 | 00:54:00 | |
From leaping lemurs and 1,000+ species of orchids and hedgehog- and poison dart frog-likes, Madagascar is home to a splendiferous collection of life, the vast majority of which can be found there and nowhere else on Earth.
In this episode, we chat all things Malagasy with primatologist Dr. Tim Eppley, from his opinion on the "Is it cute or terrifying?" debate about the Aye-Aye to the titanic (and regrettably extinct) Elephant Bird. We also dive into the work of his nonprofit, Wildlife Madagascar, to preserve this island nation's rich ecology by working hand in hand with the Malagasy people to shore up their livelihoods and food security. Dr. Eppley will be visiting the Aquarium as a guest speaker at an event on April 7. He'll discuss his work and sign copies of his book, Lemurs of Madagascar, alongside Aquarium staffers who work with Malagasy species such as Ring-tailed Lemurs and Radiated Tortoises. For more information about this event, visit https://www.tnaqua.org/calendar To learn more about Wildlife Madagascar, visit https://www.wildlifemadagascar.org Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Lifestyles Of The Enriched And Fur-mous | 11 mars 2026 | 00:57:24 | |
In the zoo and aquarium world, creating true-to-wild habitats is critically important, but simply building these miniature worlds for our residents isn’t good enough. After all, even the most beautiful home would start to feel stifling if every day inside was the same and nothing ever changed. To keep the animals’ lives interesting and stimulating, our caretakers place immense priority on dreaming up and creating new forms of enrichment. Whether it’s a new scent, a treat delivered in a puzzling container, a “painting” session or the temporary addition of sprinklers, snow or even bubbles, these tweaks and alterations keep life interesting, encourage mental and physical exercise and reinforce natural behaviors. In this episode, two of the Aquarium’s most enthusiastic enrichment champions about why enrichment matters, some of their favorite enrichment success stories and how they devise new ways to keep the animals on their toes, fins and claws. Episode cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| How We're "Building" A Reef | 26 févr. 2026 | 00:51:45 | |
Excitement continues to mount on our campus as we anticipate the March 7 opening of our all-new Scuttlebutt Reef gallery. In the previous episode of the show, we took a top-level view of this exciting collection of habitats. This week, we’re zeroing in on what could be described as the gallery’s “centerpiece”: a massive, 6,000-gallon living reef exhibit. This bustling aquatic community was designed and built fromscratch by two of our aquarists, who join us on the episode about halfway through the construction process (at the time of recording). We chat about species selection, the challenges of caring for coral and the many other steps involved in designing a reef that’s pleasant for the animals to live in and for our guests to visit.
Watch the first of our two-part video docu-series about theconstruction of this exhibit: https://youtu.be/6aqTBv8YMSo Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. [Episode cover art is of a War Coral (Favites pentagona) and was taken by Communications Content Creator II Doug Strickland.] | |||
| What the Scuttlebutt?! | 18 févr. 2026 | 00:49:23 | |
Although the Aquarium is constantly changing up animals inthe exhibits or building new habitats, it’s not often that we get to celebrate the opening of a brand-new gallery. With a building like ours, space is at a premium, so when we add something big, something old often has to leave to makeroom for the new and exciting addition. In a little over two weeks, the Aquarium will cut the ribbonon Scuttlebutt Reef. This exciting new collection of exhibits is taking the place of the Boneless Beauties gallery and is the first major addition to our campus since 2023. Scuttlebutt Reef shines a spotlight on many smaller marinespecies with highly specialized (and often misunderstood) adaptations. These oddball superpowers allow them to — among other things — glow in the dark, suction themselves to rocks, refract light, dig without any limbs and punch well above their weight class. The new gallery opens on March 7, 2026, but in the meantime,this episode will preview the new space, explore its origins and introduce many of the species you’ll soon be able to see there. To learn more about Scuttlebutt Reef, visit tnaqua.org/exhibit/scuttlebutt-reef/
Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Wildlife Winter Games | 11 févr. 2026 | 00:54:56 | |
Whether you’re shoveling your way out of lake effect snow or get goosebumps and uncontrollable shivers whenever the thermometer dips below 50, winter can be a tough time of year. That’s especially true for wildlife, which can’t just keep nudging up the thermostat whenever they feel a bit of a chill. So what tactics do animals employ to make it through this tough time of year when food resources are thin on the ground, freshwater freezes solid and just a thin layer of leaf litter is all that’s separating them from exposure to the latest bomb cyclone? In this episode, several Aquarium experts point out the differences between hibernation, torpor and brumation, explain where bees go in the winter and how bears can manage to go months between bathroom breaks. Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Art+Science Part 2: A Modern-Day Leonardo Da FIN-ci | 04 févr. 2026 | 00:57:55 | |
Before the advent of photography and — obviously — videography, naturalists had no choice but to rely on their artistic skills if they wanted to preserve a visual record of their work. Whether an impromptu sketch or a laboriously detailed drawing or painting, scientific illustrations were a vital means of sharing scientific research and observations with the public. They were also, in many cases, absolutely beautiful works in their own right. In this episode of the show, we connect with a modern-day scientific illustrating savant, Joe Tomelleri, who is renowned the world over for this exactingly detailed depictions of freshwater fish. Using nothing but his skill, carefully preserved specimens and a set of colored pencils, he toils for dozens of hours to produce a single image that replicates identifiable characteristics down, without exaggeration, to individual scales. To learn more about Joe's work or to purchase a print, visit his website at https://www.americanfishes.com Watch a video documenting Joe and Dr. Bernie Kuhajda's work to study and document Mexican trout species at https://youtu.be/IgLvcImJW1I?si=12R290rrmZr3_rbu [The drawing of a Pumpkinseed used as this episode's art is by — and used courtesy of — Joe Tomelleri.] Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Art+Science Part 1: Pencil Urchins and Brush Coral | 28 janv. 2026 | 00:58:22 | |
While exploring the galleries of the River Journey and OceanJourney buildings, artwork might not be what you’re focusing on during a visit to the Tennessee Aquarium, but maybe you should take a beat to give it some love.
Stylized depictions of our living collection are all over campus courtesy of a pair of extremely talented and industrious graphic designers. In this episode — the first of a two-part mini-series — we’ll explore the overlap between art and science, learn about the role our graphic designers play in achieving our mission and how they heck they translate the recognizable features of an animal like an Epaulette Shark into a stylized illustration.
Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Parks and Rec(ording) | 21 janv. 2026 | 00:57:20 | |
For many people, a visit to a national park is like making a pilgrimage, a chance to commune with nature in a setting of remarkable beauty and peace. The United States is a big country, though, and even with more than 430 designated national parks, every region didn't get an equal share of the spoils. Although spectacular examples exist, such as the Great Smoky Mountains, Acadia and Everglades, only about 20% of national parks are east of the Mississippi. If you live far from a national park and want to seek solace in nature closer to home, your best bet is probably one of the almost 10,000 state parks. These sites are distributed far more evenly throughout the country and enshrine vistas every bit as beautiful and grandiose as those in national parks. Even better, there's probably one (or several) just around the corner from wherever you happen to be listening. In this episode, the Studio Dive Cage goes on the road to Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park about an hour west of Chattanooga. There, guests from The Tennessee Conservationist — the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks — and the park discuss the misnomer that gave Old Stone Fort its name, why the nearby Duck River is so biologically rich, the role state parks play in democratizing access to nature and the future of Tennessee state parks. For more information about or to subscribe to The Tennessee Conservationist, visit https://www.tnconservationist.org Learn more about Tennessee's State Parks at https://www.tnstateparks.com Episode cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Support Your Local Minnow | 14 janv. 2026 | 01:06:49 | |
For many species, the arrival of humans to the neighborhood is usually a portent of bad things to come. The alterations we make to our environment often wreak havoc on the other animals that share those wild spaces with us. No matter how you slice it, ours is the dominant species on the planet when it comes to shaping the world around us to suit our wants and desires. But that power also can be wielded to enact positive change, and when humans — especially an entire community of them — rally to a species' defense, their impact can be potent. In this episode, you'll learn about one small Tennessee community's response to learning about the plight of a critically endangered minnow living on a nearby ridge. Like all good neighbors, they came together in defense of this hard luck fish, and the story of how and why that came to happen is the subject of this discussion. Learn more about the Laurel Dace and the Aquarium's efforts to save it here: https://tnaqua.org/join-give/race-for-the-laurel-dace/ Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| We Need You! | 07 janv. 2026 | 00:43:39 | |
At the Aquarium, a LOT of work is done by full-time team members, from seeing to the needs of the animals and keeping the lights on to hosting special events and ... yes, podcasting. During their visit, however, many guests benefit in innumerable ways from the dedicated efforts of hundreds of volunteers. From prepping diet for sharks and watering tropical orchids to hosting underwater educational programs, volunteers make the Aquarium world go round. In this episode, our volunteer coordinators join a long-time volunteer diver to discuss why folks are so generous with donating their time and effort to the Aquarium and ways you — yes, YOU — can sign up to help out, too. Learn more about opportunities to volunteer at the Aquarium at tnaqua.org/volunteer/ Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Wrapping Up 2025 In A Bow(fin) | 31 déc. 2025 | 00:52:27 | |
As the last kitten-a-day page falls from the calendar, we're taking a moment to look back on the first full year of The Podcast Aquatic and celebrate the many high points for the show. Of all the topics we've covered this year, though, host Casey is most proud of our (admittedly fairly recent) discussion about how the Aquarium takes pains to ensure it is as accessible to as broad an audience as possible. Take a listen to this touching discussion as you toast in 2026. The show will be back up and running next week with a new episode to kick off season two! The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Yuletidal Interlude: We Are ALL Plant People | 17 déc. 2025 | 00:55:09 | |
While we recover from our 50-episode-long first season and get ready to swim into season two in 2026, we're revisiting some of our favorite episodes since our launch back in 2024. This oldie, but certainly a goodie, focuses in on the fascinating and important work being done by our horticulture team. Episode cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Season 1 Finale: A Real Table-Turner | 10 déc. 2025 | 00:59:01 | |
Hard to believe we're 50 episodes deep into The Podcast Aquatic! Listen in as we celebrate this milestone by turning the tables on erstwhile host/wannabe expert Casey Phillips to put him in the hot seat for once! Episodes we mention that you should check out:
Check out these other zoo and aquarium podcasts:
Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Mic Droplet: Is Extinction Provable? | 03 déc. 2025 | 00:13:35 | |
In the English language, there are few words that convey a sense of finality quite like "extinction." The notion that a species could completely disappear from the planet forever — down to literally the last individual — is incredibly sobering. But how "final" is extinction? How can scientists be sure that an animal has, in fact, completely disappeared forever? As sampling and surveying techniques improve and more and more eyes and camera lenses are trained on broader and broader swaths of the planet, supposedly extinct animals like the Coelacanth and Attenborough's Long-beaked Echidna have been rediscovered like Lazarus rising from the grave. In this quick-hit episode, we pose the question to our resident biologist of how extinction is determined, whether it's reversible and, if so, why bringing an animal back might not be a morally sound path to take. Learn more about how our intervention saved the critically endangered Laurel Dace from near-certain extinction: https://youtu.be/NPcm_d-PsXk?si=xRy63_gWZ_ktvExF
Episode cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.
It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| It's A Beast Feast! | 26 nov. 2025 | 00:59:49 | |
Why are lemurs such messy eaters? Why would a penguin refuse to eat a delicious capelin? If a snake hasn't eaten in three months, should I be concerned? If you think it's tough to feed your clan, consider the challenge of satiating more than 13,000 animals, all of which have different needs and preferences. On the eve of the most glutton-y holiday of all, this Thanksgiving-special episode homes in on all the delectably meaty details when it comes to nutrition here at the Tennessee Aquarium. Check out how many fish penguins can put down in a single sitting (waddling?) before undergoing their annual catastrophic molt: https://youtu.be/LFxelNv7Pwo Episode cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| A Classroom Designed By (And For) Teachers | 19 nov. 2025 | 00:51:05 | |
When you were a student — assuming you aren't still one — did you ever imagine that your teacher lived at your school? Sometimes, educators can give so much of their time and energy (and occasionally their money) to their craft that it can certainly seem like a school is where they call home. In reality, many teachers feel hamstrung at having to adapt their methods to their classroom facilities, working around inadequacies or equipment that doesn't quite meet their own needs or those of their students. What if teachers were invited to help design those same classrooms, though? Wouldn't their input be a valuable asset in the learning process? Wouldn't it ease their frustration and make them more effective at their critically important jobs? As this episode goes live, the Tennessee Aquarium is just one day away from opening a major addition to its downtown Chattanooga campus: The S.T.R.E.A.M. Learning center, supported by UNUM. This new facility sits next door to the Ocean Journey and River Journey buildings and will act as the hub of the Aquarium's previously decentralized educational efforts. Better still, its design was directly influenced by the educators who will be using it to teach and as a resource for professional development. In this episode, we discover why we invited teachers to participate in the design process and how their input will impact the Aquarium's long-standing role as an educational resource to so many. Episode cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| A Dream Fur-filled feat. Wild Kingdom's Dr. Rae | 12 nov. 2025 | 00:55:26 | |
All her life, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant was focused on one career ambition: to host a nature series like those that had so stoked her passion for animals early in life. Decades later, Dr. Rae was an author and host to a hit podcast with a long list of academic achievements to her name. She was content and had come to terms with the thought that she might not be destined to grace the silver screen. And then NBC came calling with an offer to co-helm one of the most well-respected, storied nature series to lead the revival of a legendary series: Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. Alongside co-host Peter Gros, she has visited wild faces and spaces across the world for Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, which recently began airing its third season in October. In this episode, Dr. Rae chats about growing up apart from nature but no less entranced by it and her hopes and ambitions as an inspiration to new generations of animal lovers. Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild airs Saturday mornings on NBC's "The More You Know" programming block. Check local airtimes and other ways to watch at mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/how-to-watch-mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild Learn more about Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant's many projects via her website, raewynngrant.com/ Episode cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Gabbin' About Gar feat. Dr. Solomon David | 05 nov. 2025 | 01:03:56 | |
There are some animals that don’t deal well with change. Or rather, they seem to somehow avoid being touched by the passage of time like they’re role playing as Peter Pan or Dorian Gray. These lurkers on the edges of the evolutionary flow are what scientists have catchingly termed “living fossils.” One of the most well-known examples of being adverse-to-change are the lepisosteiformes, the taxonomic order of fishes more commonly known as “gars.” These toothy-snooted, predominantly freshwater predators have a fearsome appearance but have come to be much beloved. This episode arrives concurrent with the annual celebration known as “Gar Week.” This weeklong social media event is the brainchild of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and offers an opportunity for the citizens of Earth to pay homage to these evolutionarily stubborn fishes. This episode features special guest Dr. Solomon David, a well-known, socially media savvy gar expert, researcher and aquatic ecology professor from the University of Minnesota. Learn more about him at solomondavid.net/ [Check out Dr. David’s gar-geous photos and videos via his Instagram (instagram.com/solomon.r.david/) and TikTok (tiktok.com/@solomonrdavid).] Episode cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Spooky Season Special: Appalachian Animal Mythbusters | 29 oct. 2025 | 01:06:16 | |
Appalachia is an ancient place. That's a fact. Whether your roots in this part of the world run deep, you just moved here or you're merely passing through, the feeling of age in this rippled, time-worn landscape is palpable, especially when you find yourself traipsing off the trail. The animals that dwell in the deep lakes and far-flung hollers betwixt Appalachia's mountains have birthed many tall tales and legends. And as it turns out, some of them might even have a kernel of truth to them. In this special episode of the show, we swap tales and shine a light of scientific truth on our old home place. A team of the Aquarium's in-house experts bring their experience to the task of debunking — or possibly lending credence to — common Appalachian animal myths, from rumors of mountain lions haunting the hills to literal big fish stories of giant catfish lurking at the bottom of rivers. Episode cast
[Disclaimer: The song used in the introduction to this episode was created through the generative audio platform Suno.] The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.
It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| 25 Years Of Raising Tennessee Dinosaurs | 22 oct. 2025 | 01:01:33 | |
For a fish that first appeared alongside dinosaurs and survived the calamity that wiped them out, the Lake Sturgeon has had a hard last half-century in Tennessee. Once abundant in the state's waterways, wild Lake Sturgeon were last seen in Tennessee in 1963. In 1998, the Tennessee Aquarium was among the organizations that founded the Lake Sturgeon Working Group. Since then, the group members have been hard at work raising and releasing baby Lake Sturgeon in hopes of re-establishing a stable wild population in the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. This year, that effort celebrates 25 years of releasing sturgeon raised in human care, and recent findings by wildlife managers suggest those years of effort may finally be bearing fruit. Watch our scientists help with spawning wild Lake Sturgeon in Wisconsin: https://youtu.be/ew_4yDb3Ccw Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| The Gold Standard (feat. AZA President Dan Ashe) | 15 oct. 2025 | 00:35:26 | |
To the general public, the acronym "AZA" might be largely meaningless, but in the zoo and aquarium world, it's associated with the gold standard by which all aspects of a zoological organization is measured, especially the animals' well being. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums was founded more than 100 years ago in 1924. It now comprises more than 9,000 individual members and has accredited more than 250 institutions worldwide. In this episode — recorded live at AZA's annual conference in Tampa, Florida — AZA President & CEO Dan Ashe talks about what it means to hold zoos and aquariums to this incredibly high standard, how it (like its member institutions) has had to change over the last century and the pride he takes in AZA's many global conservation-focused efforts around the world. Learn more about AZA's Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) Program: https://www.aza.org/aza-safe Episode cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Mic Droplet: Nine Brains Worth of Crazy 🐙 Facts | 08 oct. 2025 | 00:12:47 | |
From impossibly flexible, boneless bodies and mastery of camouflage to an over-abundance of brains and hearts, octopuses are like aliens come down from on high to boggle the minds of biologists. In this short-form, Mic Droplet episode of the podcast, the Aquarium’s resident octopus specialist helps celebrate World Octopus Day by ticking off a few of the most-noteworthy facts about these amazing cephalopods and explains how in the actual heck you weigh a 50-pound octopus. See what a morning in the life of an octopus caretaker looks like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMw9NkkqkmY
Episode cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| The Royal Majesty of Monarch Butterflies | 03 oct. 2025 | 00:50:11 | |
When it comes to the most impressive migrations in the animal kingdom , there are a few obvious standouts: the pole-to-pole voyage of the Arctic Tern; the horizon-spanning race of Wildebeests across the Serengeti; the bear-dodging spawning runs of Chinook Salmon. In the insect world, however, pretty much everything pales in comparison to the daunting voyage of Monarch Butterflies from Central Mexico to Canada and back again. Every year, these tiny, beautiful insects embark on this trip, which takes multiple generations to complete ... except when it doesn't. At the onset of fall, a single generation of butterflies completes the entire trip back to Mexico, a task that sounds laughably impossible for a featherweight insect with gossamer-delicate, three-inch wings. Yet they do it, every ... single ... year. The Tennessee Aquarium sits squarely in the middle of the migration route for the eastern population of Monarch Butterflies, making it a prime viewing location for these orange-and-gold beauties as they make their way northward each fall. In this episode, the Aquarium's senior entomologist talks about Monarchs set people's hearts a-flutter, the biological processes that allow them to undertake their unbelievable trip and steps society is taking to protect Monarchs from the greatest threat of all: us. Episode Cast
Additional Resources
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Meet Cristina Zenato, "The Shark Listener" | 25 sept. 2025 | 01:01:15 | |
It’s pretty much inarguable that sharks get a bad rap. In a given year, a handful of humans are bitten by sharks, and of these, an even smaller number result in serious injuries or fatalities. Flip the script, however, and sharks are far more likely to be the victims of "human attacks." Most data suggest about 100 MILLION sharks die each year due to intentional harvest, commercial by-catch or other human activity. Yet despite this decidedly lop-sided relationship, many of us continue to fear sharks due to reports of shark bites that over-emphasize the aggressiveness of these sleek marine predators. In this episode, Cristina Zenato -- a self-described "shark listener" -- talks about her and other ecologists' quest to understand how sharks behave, a view informed by countless positive interactions with them as a lifelong diver and researcher. She also discusses her role in the new giant-screen film, Shark Kingdom 3D, which is now playing at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater!
View a trailer of Shark Kingdom 3D at: https://youtu.be/YQndv-lBy1g?si=jJybdwvk1VQUKK7b To purchase tickets to see the film at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater , visit https://tnaqua.org/imax Learn more about Cristina's educational nonprofit, People of the Water, at http://pownonprofit.org/ Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at https://tnconservationist.org Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| In the "Danger" Zone | 17 sept. 2025 | 01:01:03 | |
At the Aquarium, we have animals of all sorts, from the beautiful and benign to graceful and powerful. Some of our residents could even, in some circumstances, be considered "dangerous." How, then, do you see to the needs of species whose adaptations present a serious risk to their caretakers? What tools do you need? What mindset do you have to adopt? In this episode, three caretakers of animals such as Electric Eels, Pacific Sea Nettles, American Alligators and ... River Otters? ... talk about how they approach ensuring the health of animals that pose a risk to theirs. Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure. Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Building An Aquarium For Everyone | 10 sept. 2025 | 00:51:43 | |
Every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors explore the galleries of the Tennessee Aquarium. The hope is that those experiences help guests to form a meaningful bond with the natural world and to better understand the importance of freshwater and how our behavior impacts it. That aim is the same for every guest, regardless of their sensory challenges or whether they are a person living with an impairment. In this episode, we talk about the efforts the Aquarium has made to improve accessibility, including being one of the first organizations in America to be certified as sensory-inclusive by Birmingham, Alabama-based nonprofit KultureCity. We'll also hear directly from an Aquarium member about how those efforts to improving accessibility have directly benefited his son, who lives with autism, by making the Aquarium a safe, inspiring, joy-filled place to visit. Episode Cast
For more information on the Aquarium's accessibility efforts, visit: https://tnaqua.org/plan-a-visit/accessibility-inclusion Learn more about KultureCity at https://www.kulturecity.org/ Download the KultureCity app for:
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Mic Droplet: What the Heck is Leucism? | 03 sept. 2025 | 00:09:53 | |
If you're ever in the wild and encounter an animal that looks ghost-like — pale skin, scales or fur — your immediate thought might be that this is an example of albinism. Look a little closer, though, and there may be some tell-tale signs that you've actually chanced on something different, if just as interesting. In our first-ever Mic Droplet, a shorter-format version of The Podcast Aquatic you know and love, we chat about leucism, how it differs from albinism and an exciting new opportunity to see it during your Aquarium visit. Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Pike-ture Perfect | 27 août 2025 | 00:58:34 | |
Because many of the animals are on the other side of a layer of soundproof acrylic, exploring an aquarium is an experience that is intensely visual for most guests. Combined with the ever-increasing capabilities of the cameras in most phones, it's no surprise, then, that some of the most cherished souvenirs taken home by most visitors are selfies and snapshots. But what if you want to level up your photography game so those images truly shine? In this episode, two Aquarium staff photographers — one relatively new, the other with images almost as old as the Aquarium itself — offer tips on how to overcome dark galleries and mirror-like exhibits to capture images that you'll cherish AND be proud to share with friends and your Insta followers. See plenty of examples of Doug Strickland's images on the Aquarium's Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/tennesseeaquarium/ Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| An Alliance Worth Shell-ebrating | 20 août 2025 | 00:57:02 | |
From loss of habitat to collection to supply the pet and medicinal trade, turtles all over the world are in serious trouble. Fortunately, turtles have organizations like the Turtle Survival Alliance looking out for them. From its home in Charleston, South Carolina, to operations in more than 30 countries, the TSA is on the frontlines of breeding and protecting critically endangered turtles. They're also a long-time collaborator with the Tennessee Aquarium, which partners with the TSA in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) American Turtles program. You can also see some of the offspring of critically imperiled turtles raised by the TSA in the Aquarium's working turtle nursery. Learn more about the Turtle Survival Alliance at https://turtlesurvival.org Learn more about the AZA SAFE American Turtles program: https://youtu.be/fdnQ7Kd8czk?si=kgPG4XpIE3UNTysU Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| The Pride of the Gulf | 13 août 2025 | 00:47:51 | |
Invasive Lionfish have been a big problem in the Gulf for decades. These beautiful, venomous visitors from the Indopacific wreak havoc on native fish populations. A single female is capable of producing 50,000 eggs every three days for her entire life, and once grown, Lionfish lack any natural predators to keep their populations from spiraling out of control. Like many ecological conundrums, the presence of Lionfish in the Gulf is thought to be the result of human activity and may require human intervention to correct it. For the last 10 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has led the Lionfish Invitational, a Lionfish culling event designed to prevent the species' spread into the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, a series of deep-water reefs off the coast of Louisiana and Texas. In this episode, four Tennessee Aquarium aquarists invited to take part in the Lionfish Invitational recount their time actively working to stave off an invasive species while also experiencing the real-life inspiration for the Aquarium's largest exhibit: the Secret Reef. Watch a video of the Tennessee Aquarium's participation in the 2023 Lionfish Invitational: https://youtu.be/_FW_M_ebFZM?si=b8hCyz6v_L5bKDZR Additional resources:
Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. Join other conservation enthusiastsand follow us on Facebook and Instagram | |||
| I Saw De-Sign | 30 juil. 2025 | 00:48:54 | |
In this episode, meet two of the minds behind the design of the Aquarium’s many exhibits. Whether it’s prioritizing an animal’s wellbeing in its future home or ensuring a habitat has the best sightlines for guests, seeing an exhibit from an artistic concept to a walkable, explorable space is a lengthy one, if often as invisible as it is hugely important. Learn why the poison dart frog exhibit is our exhibit designer’s favorite habitat in the aquarium: https://youtu.be/a-qDFRaxUEo?si=eX8QCeWPz1TzMRlW Check out our previous deep-dive episode focusing on thedesign, construction and ecological success of our large stream exhibit: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3pwR614ev4iW98NxGQXBiq?si=d185a2897c984ace Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from TheTennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks. Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paperwith UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||
| Kelp Wanted: Working at an Aquarium/Zoo | 23 juil. 2025 | 00:53:20 | |
Whether it's dreams of feeding sharks, corralling seahorses or culturing jellyfish, many visitors to aquariums wonder what it's like to work at a zoological institution or ... more particularly ... how to get a job there themselves. In this episode Casey is joined in the Studio Dive Cage by a pair of Aquarium coworkers, one relatively new and one with more than 25 years under her belt, and a special guest from the Chattanooga Zoo. Together, they tackle the highs and lows or what working with animals is like, whether they're directly involved or "animal adjacent." They also offer up some tested tips for how to make yourself a more appealing candidate to join the team. Want to see what working at an aquarium is like, from an employee's perspective? Check out the Aquarium's Fish Person Point of View series, including cleaning and feeding Penguins' Rock, making lunch for Lemur Forest and tending to a "garden" of anemones. Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjkmEccUchZbf2BYFLw0QDOL3_uzkkMnp Episode Cast
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| Don't Worry, We Have A Plan | 09 juil. 2025 | 00:54:18 | |
A Species Survival Plan (SSP) is a behind-the-scenes tool employed by zoos and aquariums to manage and promote the health of the entire population of a species in human care. By tracking genetics and making strategic decisions about where to move individuals in the interest of forming healthy breeding pairs, SSPs make top-down decisions in the interest of an entire species’ well-being. At the same time, however, SSP decision can be a bittersweet pill to swallow for the devoted caretakers who form bonds, often deep ones, with the animals with which they work. Some day, those animals could be sent to another facility by an SSP decision, a move which can tug on a caretaker's heartstrings, even if that sadness is blunted by the knowledge that a relocation is being called for in the interest of making the entire population more robust. Want to see how a recent SSP-prompted move helped provide much needed companionship for the Aquarium's lonely male Red-collared Brown Lemur? Check out this video to meet Kintana, a female Red-collared Brown who recently relocated to the Aquarium from the Dallas Zoo thanks to the species' SSP. Episode Cast
The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.
Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.
Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. | |||