The aquarium just opened a few months ago and we are lucky to get there early enough to buy tickets. I absolutely love marine life and, of all of our city options, this is the one I am looking forward to the most. We start out with the major attraction -- a moving sidewalk that runs through an underwater glass tunnel. We see giant sharks swim overhead, different types of rays, sea turtles and other large fish that I can’t identify. The sides of the tunnel are rocky underwater cliffs with crevices where eels of different colors and patterns poke out their heads.
At the tunnel exit, there is an exhibit about shark teeth. It explains that a shark will lose and regrow thousands of teeth over its lifetime and that it is not uncommon to find fossilized shark teeth washed up on the local beaches. Further down the hall, there is a shark’s jaw that is big enough for a grown man to stand inside. It is a replica of a megalodon jaw, an extinct species of shark that is believed to have grown in excess of 35 feet long!
The aquarium is beginning to get crowded and we have to wait in line to see some of the more popular exhibits. We wait in line to watch a very active octopus moving its tentacles (which I later learn are arms) along the tank, attaching and detaching its suction cups to the glass. There is a mini film next to the exhibit explaining that octopuses both feel and taste with their suckers, that they are intelligent enough to navigate their way through mazes and that they like to play! To learn about octopuses, click here.
Monroe really wants to see the jellyfish. When I think of jellyfish, I think of stinging tentacles wrapped around my legs in the ocean or a big glob of goo washed up on the beach. The minute I see the graceful creatures floating through the water, I am mesmerized. I never imagined jellyfish could be so beautiful.
We are hungry and the line at the aquarium's cafeteria is too long. We have seen just about all of the aquarium's exhibits, so we decide to leave and grab a bite on our way home. Pizza anyone?