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The Upland Tropical Rain Forest currently has a very loud visitor. Aviculturists are gradually introducing a female screaming piha to our male piha, and both birds' ear-piercing whistles ring throughout the habitat. While you're sure to hear them, you might not catch a glimpse. Their dusty grey coloration and small size can make them hard to find among the foliage.
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Rainbowfish frequently lay eggs in Australia: Wild Extremes, which has given aquarists plenty of practice raising these fish from larva to fry to juveniles. The Aquarium team places thick yarn in the habitat to mimic the submerged plants and roots where rainbowfish lay eggs. This allows aquarists to easily move the yarn and attached eggs from the exhibit to the backup space where the fry can hatch and grow under the team's care.
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Those with keen eyes might spot some new longnose hawkfish among the branching corals of Blacktip Reef. Distinct for its long snout or rostrum, the species earns the rest of its name by perching on coral and swooping down when it sees potential food closer to the sandy ground, much like a bird of prey does.
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Selkie—a week-old grey seal pup rescued in Lewes, Delaware, in February—was the youngest seal patient ever to be treated at the Aquarium's Animal Care and Rescue Center. By spring, she was successfully eating on her own and ready to return to the ocean. Selkie was released at Assateague State Park in May. All National Aquarium stranding response and seal rehabilitation activities are conducted under NOAA permit 18786-04.