THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 1, 1996 TAG: 9606010206
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL CLANCY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 96 lines
Two sleek, wary animals crept along the unfamiliar edge of their new habitat Friday, poked their noses into the water and then their heads. And retreated.
It was the first appearance of Tango and Cash, the advance team of a five-member party of North American river otters that are certain to be one of the big hits of the soon-to-open pavilion at the Virginia Marine Science Museum.
Soon after debuting, as visitors and museum staff watched in awe, the powerful swimmers plunged into their spacious new tank at the Owls Creek Marsh Pavilion and swam like liberated fish. They seemed intrigued by the nooks and crannies of their riverine world and, especially, by the people who stooped and knelt and watched their graceful ballet.
``I think they're neat,'' said Rebecca Wood, 13, of Chesapeake, letting the curious critters follow her hand along the glass wall of the tank. ``It's neat that they're here and we can see them in their own habitat.''
In fact, they are a stone's throw from the real Owls Creek, the brackish waterway behind the museum that teems with wildlife and is celebrated by the pavilion and its exhibits.
``I'm envious of their lifestyle, because they get to swim all the time,'' said Erik Johnson, 14, of Virginia Beach.
The otters had just inaugurated the first exhibit to open in the ambitious $35 million expansion of the Marine Science Museum on General Booth Boulevard. The grand opening of the expanded Atlantic Ocean Pavilion and the six-story IMAX theater is planned for June 15.
The showpiece of the otter exhibit is a 20,000-gallon, window-sided tank that follows the shape of a steep, muddy riverbank. It may be the largest exhibit in the United States devoted solely to the river otter, museum officials say.
Tango and Cash have been in residence next door to the pavilion for six months and it didn't take much encouragement from their handlers to make the transition through a stovepipe-size plastic tube to the public space.
But three other otters, nicknamed Pungo, Rudee and Willoughby, were in no hurry to make their appearance. Sated with their morning meal, they curled up together and napped in the building next door, which is part cage and part holding tank.
The hope is that Tango and Cash, the dominant pair in the group, will encourage the others to make the transition.
``I think it's going to take a few days, maybe even a few weeks, but once they discover the wonderful world of the exhibit, they're really going to like it,'' said Chip Harshaw, an animal behaviorist who is the otters' chief handler. ``For Tango and Cash, it's like Disneyland out there.''
River otters, once an endangered species, have made a dramatic comeback and are now plentiful in Virginia waters. They are partial to fresh water, but go wherever food is plentiful. They're known as curious and playful, but will defend their territory and bite when threatened.
``People should make no mistake that they're wild animals, and you have to respect that,'' Harshaw said.
They looked anything but threatened in their temporary quarters Friday. Pungo, the most rotund of the three other otters, made soft purring sounds, then rubbed his back vigorously on the floor of the cage to help shed his fur.
Rudee busied himself licking the sides of the metal cage. Willoughby sauntered over to the connecting tube to the exhibit as if to make his move, then seemed to lose interest and came back.
Then the three snuggled up together, raised their paws in the air as if cooling themselves off, and prepared for another, Thanksgiving-like nap. ILLUSTRATION: EXPANSION COUNTDOWN: 14 DAYS TO GO
STEVE EARLEY photos/
The Virginian-Pilot
Zach Blaine, 14, makes a point with one of the river otters that
debuted Friday at the Owls Creek Marsh Pavilion at the Virginia
Marine Science Museum in Virginia Beach. Blaine was visiting the
museum with his class from Princess Anne Middle School.
THE WORLD OF OTTERS
With their webbed feet, otters can swim for up to a quarter-mile
underwater before surfacing for air.
Although they'd rather travel in water, otters can run faster
than a human.
Favorite fare for a river otter includes crabs, clams, frogs,
insects, snails, snakes and sometimes waterfowl.
One of the otter's favorite games is to slide down a steep bank
of mud or snow and plunge into water or snow.
Otters use a variety of chirps, chuckles, screams and squeals to
communicate with one another.
Special muscles enable otters to close their ears and nostrils
tightly to keep water out.
Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica, The World Book Encyclopedia.
A splashing debut at Beach museum
The showpiece of the otter exhibit at the Atlantic Ocean Pavilion at
the Virginia Marine Science Museum is a 20,000-gallon tank that
follows the shape of a steep, muddy riverbank.
STEVE EARLEY
The Virginian-Pilot by CNB