Axolotl Challenge

The paradox of caring for Mexican axolotls is that they need extremely clean water, but their eating habits are extravagantly messy – creating anxiety for our Animal Caretakers at Pacific Science Center. Fortunately, our creative staff have figured out a way to keep our amphibians’ habitat clean and healthy.



Axolotls are native to two lakes in Mexico; their habitat is very threatened in the wild. They do well in captivity and are fascinating animals for those who are willing to work hard to keep water quality high.

Unfortunately axolotls are very messy eaters. They dive at food, eating as much as they can and letting the leftovers scatter through the water. In an aquarium habitat, this leads to loss of water quality and can make the animals fall ill.


Pacific Science Center's animal care team takes this problem seriously - but they also like to have fun. Adrian and Nancy have been working on some feeding schemes to help keep the mess to a confined area. Here are Nancy's drawings.

And here is the feeding chamber.


The animals can learn to go in, eat, and come out again safely. The chamber can then be pulled back out, taking most (but never 100%) of the leftover food with it, and leaving the water relatively clean.
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Fresh Sheet - July 24, 2009

“Fresh Sheet” is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center's Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.



El Salvador

30 - Battus belus (Belus Swallowtail)
30 - Catonephele numilia (Numilia)
18 - Colobura dirce (Mosaic butterfly)
14 - Heliconius charitonius (Zebra Longwing)
25 - Heliconius hecale (Tiger Longwing)
8 - Heliconius hortense (Mountain Longwing)
25 - Morpho peleides (Blue Morpho)
10 - Morpho polyphemus (White Morpho)
25 - Myscelia cyaniris (Blue Wave Butterfly)
40 - Myscelia ethusa (Blue Wing Butterfly)
30 - Papilio erostratus (Dusky Swallowtail)
15 - Papilio torquatus (Band-gapped Swallowtail)
10 - Parides montezuma (Montezuma Cattleheart)
10 - Parides photinus (Queen of Hearts)
8 - Phoebis philea (Orange Barred Sulfur)
10 - Prepona omphale=archeoprepona omphale (Blue Belly-Button)
15 - Smyrna blomfildia (Blomfild's Beauty)

London Pupae Supplies of LA

10 - Charaxes brutus (White-barred Charaxes)
10 - Charaxes candiope (Green-veined Charaxes)
10 - Charaxes castor (Giant Charaxes)
10 - Charaxes cithaeron (Blues-spotted Charexes)
10 - Charaxes protoclea (Flame-bordered Charexes)
10 - Charaxes varanes (Pearl Charexes)
7 - Euphaedra neophron (Gold-banded Forester)
10 - Euxanthes wakefieldi (Forest Queen)
27 - Heliconius numata (Numata Longwing)
10 - Hypolimnas misippus (Danaid Egg-fly)
10 - Junoia natalica (Brown Commodore)
30 - Papilio constantinus (Constantines's Swallowtail)
30 - Papilio dardanus (Mocker Swallowtail)
30 - Papilio demodocus (Orchard Swallowtail)
30 - Papilio nireus (Blue-banded Swallowtail)
10 - Salamis anacardii (Clouded Mother Of Pearl)
10 - Salamis parhassus (Forest Mother Of Pearl)

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Gooey Gastropods

Everything you need to know about Banana Slugs in two minutes. Read on to watch the video.




Pacific Science Center's Life Sciences Manager, Sarah Moore gives us a quick introduction to this fascinating Northwest native.
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Fresh Sheet - July 17, 2009

"Fresh Sheet" is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center's Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.


Costa Rica

13 - Archaeoprepona demophon (One-spotted Prepona)
16 - Battus polydamas (Polydamus Swallowtail)
15 - Caligo memnon (Owl Butterfly)
8 - Catonephele numilia (Numilia)
6 - Chlosyne janais (Crimson Patch)
8 - Colobura dirce (Mosaic butterfly)
25 - Danaus plexippus (The Monarch)
28 - Dryadula phaetusa (Banded Orange Heliconian)
21 - Dryas julia (Julia Longwing)
12 - Eueides isabella (Isabella's Longwing)
6 - Greta oto (Glasswing butterfly)
6 - Hamadryas amphinome (Red Cracker)
6 - Hamadryas feronia (Variable Cracker)
14 - Heliconius charitonius (Zebra Longwing)
9 - Heliconius doris (Doris Longwing)
27 - Heliconius hecale (Tiger Longwing)
3 - Heliconius melpomene (Postman)
2 - Heliconius sara (Sara Longwing)
17 - Mechanitis polymnia (Polymnia Tigerwing)
37 - Morpho peleides (Blue Morpho)
16 - Myscelia cyaniris (Blue Wave Butterfly)
9 - Nessaea aglaura (Aglaura Olivewing)
2 - Opsiphanes tamarindi (Tamarind Owl)
9 - Papilio anchisiades (Ruby-spotted Swallowtail)
6 - Parides iphidamas (Iphidamas or Transandean Cattleheart)
13 - Siproeta stelenes (Malachite)
6 - Tithorea tarricina (Cream-Spotted Clearwing)
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Fresh Sheet - July 8, 2009

"Fresh Sheet" is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.

El Salvador – July 8, 2009

20 – Caligo memnon (Owl Butterfly)
30 – Catonephele numilia (Grecian Shoemaker)
7 – Hamadryas glauconome (Glaucous Cracker)
20 – Heliconius charitonius (Zebra Longwing)
30 – Heliconius hecale (Tiger Longwing)
10 – Heliconius ismenius (Ismenius Longwing)
70 – Morpho peleides (Blue Morpho)
30 – Morpho polyphemus (Handkerchief Morpho)
10 – Myscelia cyanaris (Royal Blue)
30 – Myscelia ethusa (Mexican Blue Wing)
10 – Papilio erostratus (Dusky Swallowtail)
30 – Papilio photinus (Queen of Hearts)
30 – Phoebis philea (Orange Barred Sulfur)
20 – Prepona omphale (Blue Bellybutton)
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Fresh Sheet - July 2, 2009

"Fresh Sheet" is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center's Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.

Philippines – July 2, 2009

20-Danaus chrysippus (Plain Tiger)
20-Cethosia biblis (Red Lacewing)
50-Hypolimnas bolina (Great Egg Fly)
50-Papilio polytes (Polite Swallowtail)
40-Pachliopta kotzeboea (Pink Rose)
100-Idea leuconoe (Paper Kite)
80-Parthenos Sylvia (Clipper)
20-Papilio rumanzovia (Crimson Swallowtail)
80-Papilio palinurus (Banded Peacock) Read more!

July Butterfly of the Month

Parthenos sylvia
The Clipper

Range: India east through southeast Asia and New Guinea

• More than any other species, the clipper is found near water. They often congregate near our ponds or on spots on the floor where the sprinkler got a little carried away. This is similar to their behavior in the wild, where they frequently drink from streams in deep forest cover.


• Many butterflies bask with open wings but P. sylvia rest with their wings open so frequently that some visitors believe they are moths. However, holding the wings open is not a reliable way to tell butterflies from moths. The clipper is in fact a butterfly.


• Rarely but strikingly, we may have two color phases of this butterfly at the same time. We get our brown clippers from the Philippines and the blue variety from Malaysia. There are other color variations including a bronzy-green variety found in India. Because they evolved on islands and in forest areas isolated by mountains, different colors became dominant in different places. There is little overlap of coloration in the wild.

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