IT’S a whale of a task – but someone’s got to do it.

From the smallest Malawi cichlids and neon tetras to the giant green sea turtles, aquarists at Bournemouth’s Oceanarium are spending January counting all the creatures for the annual stock take.

There are close to 1,500 creatures to account for across five animal groups: mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates.

While the Oceanarium’s biggest characters such as the black tip reef sharks are not too difficult to account for, when it comes to the Ganges and Amazon display, which are teeming with life swimming in all directions, the task can be quite time consuming.

The stock take happens every January, but extensive records are kept by the displays team throughout the year which are essential to record the ongoing births, deaths, rescues and donations.

All zoo-keepers and aquarists across the UK are required to submit records to the local authority which issues the zoo licence.

The Oceanarium’s group curator Oliver Buttling said: “It has been an eventful 2011 with new recruits from lobsters, dragon eels, tree frogs and new creatures Roxy and Stan, the Oriental small clawed otters, to add to our head-count, plus the recent arrival of 30 common clownfish.

“We look forward to the announcement of some special new arrivals over the months, and an exciting and eventful 2012 when we hope to have otter pups.”

Home to more than 300 species

• Bournemouth’s Oceanarium is home to more than 300 different species.

• Mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates housed there eat between them 1.2 tonnes of fish, one tonne of squid and 364 kilos of vegetables each year.

• Around 50,000 litres of water is pumped every week into the Oceanarium via a 160metre long pipeline running directly from the sea.