The Tennessee Aquarium’s husbandry staff has been performing a cattle drive of sorts recently. More than 250 reef fish are being rounded up and driven from the Aquarium’s Animal Care Facility to the Ocean Journey Building in three shipments, adding even more color to the Secret Reef exhibit.

“It’s really quite a process caring for these fish during quarantine, then safely corralling, transporting and introducing them into the exhibit,” said Thom Demas, the Aquarium’s curator of fishes. “You could call it an underwater rodeo.”

Among the species brought in with the first herd were scrawled cowfish. These distinctive looking fish have box-like bodies with two spines projecting from their heads which have the appearance of cow’s horns.

“They are some of my favorite fish,” said aquarist Nikki Eisenmenger. “These particular cowfish seem to have a lot of personality and are very fun to watch.”

One of them is a “high plains drifter,” managing to roam the entire length of the exhibit in its first night. Visitors can look for this particular cowfish grazing near the windows closest to the Jellies: Living Art gallery.

Some other bovines stopped by to observe the cowfish release. Two cows from Chick-fil-A were on hand to see these fish mooove into their new home. Chick-fil-A is the official sponsor of the Aquarium’s Lunch & Learn Programs. “The Chattanooga Area Chick-fil-A restaurants are honored to help support the Tennessee Aquarium’s Lunch and Learn programs,” said Mitch Collins, operator of the Chick-fil-A restaurant at Gunbarrel Pointe. “We fully encourage quality, interactive and fun activities for families, and are proud to support the Aquarium as it provides programs, events and unforgettable experiences for the families in our community."

Last year, more than 77,000 students visited the Aquarium to see cownose stingrays, cowfish and thousands of other creatures. Lunch & Learn Programs give teachers added value to each outing. “Thanks to ongoing community support, we are able to offer educational programs free of charge to visiting school groups,” said Tim Baker, the Aquarium’s director of education. “Lunch and Learn helps teachers make the most of their time here. We offer four different, grade-specific programs students can receive while they are having lunch. The kids enjoy them as much as our educators enjoy delivering them.”

Classroom Programs, Lunch & Learn and Auditorium Programs are free for school groups visiting the Tennessee Aquarium, IMAX 3D Theater or River Gorge Explorer. These free programs are limited to one per school group but additional programs may be scheduled for $3 per student.

More about the Tennessee Aquarium’s Lunch & Learn Programs:
Lunch and Learn Programs last 45 minutes and may be scheduled at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. Lunch & Learn Programs are an option for a tight schedule since it combines lunch time with an educational learning experience. Students will be taught in one of the Aquarium’s state-of-the-art classrooms.

Pre-K: Animal Senses
Grades 3 to 5: Reptiles
Grades 6 to 12: Biodiversity
All Grades: Penguins

For more information about Tennessee Aquarium education programs, call 785-4050 or 785-4049. School groups wishing to schedule a program may call 265-0698 and speak with a reservationist.