To complement our Cultural Capital offering for our pupils at NRHS, Year 9 pupils visited the Sea Life Aquarium at Southbank in London. In Science, Year 9 pupils are currently learning about ‘Ecosystems, Adaptations and Interdependence’, the biology strand of science. Pupils were able to explore a variety of different aquariums dedicated to the different and varying habitats of the world. This included coral, ocean, polar and rainforest regions.
Some of the pupils’ favourite aquarium was the ‘Shark Aquarium’. Sharks predate dinosaurs, having lived in the ocean for more than 420 million years. These incredible and magnificent fish are the apex predators of the ocean. The most formidable ancestor of the current day shark was the Megladon. It was approx. 20 metres wide and had a mass of 48 tonnes. Pupils learnt that sharks can get through 300,000 teeth in a lifetime and never stop regenerating teeth, replacing the old with new quickly and efficiently. The pupils also discussed their strong sense of smell, an evolutionary characteristic that has made them more intelligent and dangerous.
The pupils were delighted to get the opportunity to walk through the ‘Aquarium Tunnel’; a glass tunnel 5 meters under the surface of the aquarium, surrounded by a magnificent 750,000 litres of water! The pupils spotted lots of tropical creatures, such as the Zebra Shark, Green Sea Turtle, Cownose Ray and White-spotted pufferfish. The pupils watched as the tropical fish glided over their heads and the beautiful colours shimmered and glistened in the water, reflected effortlessly on the glass. A mesmerising experience!
Our pupils showed a great deal of interest in knowing more about the animals and how they have evolved to adapt to their environment. The weather was great, the behaviour of pupils was exemplary and they demonstrated an understanding of good social skills in a wider community setting.
One of the pupils commented that he ‘was able learn more in a different setting’. The pupils finished the day off with ice creams, on the grass with the London Eye as a back drop! An unforgettable adventure for all!