AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC

Description

Essentials about the Aquarium of the Pacific in brief

If you want to get in touch with the underwater world of the Pacific, you don’t necessarily have to learn to dive – a visit to the Aquarium of the Pacific is a very good alternative for that. In the approximately 20,000 square meter aquarium in Long Beach, around 11,000 marine creatures from over 500 different species can be seen. The fish and marine animals on display come not only from the coastal regions of California, but from all parts of the Pacific Ocean, from the icy waters of the North Pacific to the coral reefs of the tropical Pacific.

The indoor areas of the Aquarium of the Pacific

The aquarium is divided into three sections: Southern California & Baja, Northern Pacific and Tropical Pacific. The Southern California & Baja Gallery aquariums feature animals that live around Catalina Island off Los Angeles as well as in Baja California in northern Mexico, such as scorpionfish, hedgehogfish and the Mexican ground-gazer. In addition, seals, sea lions also live in this area and there is a pool where you can touch rays.

The Northern Pacific Gallery features marine life from the Bering Sea. These include sea otters, the giant Pacific octopus, Japanese crab spiders and puffins. The Tropical Pacific Gallery recreates a typical reef off the coast of the island of Palau. With a volume of 1.3 million liters, it is the largest tank in the Aquarium of the Pacific. Olive bastard turtles and zebra sharks, among others, cavort here.

The outdoor areas of the Aquarium of the Pacific

In addition to the indoor aquariums, the Aquarium of the Pacific also has a large outdoor area consisting of two main areas, Explorer’s Cove and the June Keyes Penguin Habitat. Explorer’s Cove is in turn divided into two parts, Shark Lagoon and the Lorikeet Forest. As the name suggests, Shark Lagoon is home to over 150 sharks. Here whitetip reef sharks, nurse sharks and santiger sharks make their rounds. If you dare, you may even touch bamboo and epaulette sharks in touch pools.

The Lorikeet Forest is a bit of a change of pace from the sea creatures. The forest is home to five different species of rainbow parrots. At the June Keyes Habitat, visitors have the opportunity to get up close and personal with penguins. Through a small underwater tunnel, visitors can observe the resident Magellanic penguins up close.