Aquarium Of The Pacific; A Great Place To Walk

A sly old fish, too cunning for the hook

We Needed To Walk On 5/25/2016... What Better Place Is There?

We arrived just in time for the school busses and their occupants to depart! Perfect timing! We enjoy the kids learning something but alas, most of the time they are running and screaming... Not so good for old farts like us!

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016     Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
We did a great hour and a half walk!

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
It was a pretty good day in terms of weather

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
The giant Sea Bass was moving slowly

Did You Know? - Giant sea bass reaching a size of 2.5 m (8.2 ft) and a weight of up to 255 kg (562 lbs) have been reported. However, in Charles F. Holder's book The Channel Islands of California, published in 1910, the author claims specimens taken from the Gulf of California attained 800 lb (360 kg). Aside from its tremendous size, the giant sea bass is also known for its lengthy lifespan. They mature around the age of 11 or 12, around the weight of 50 lb. However, some of the largest specimens have been known to exceed 7 ft, and are estimated to be 75 years or older.

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Look, bait!  Little guys hiding from the big guys

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Dinner?

Did You Know? - Lobsters were once considered the poor man's chicken. In Colonial times, it was fed to pigs and goats and only eaten by paupers.

Lobsters aren't red. They turn red when cooked, but in nature they can be green or yellow or even bright blue.

Native Americans ate lobsters after wrapping them in seaweed and baking them over hot rocks.
Native Americans also used lobster as bait and to fertilize their crops.
Lobster meat is a great source of protein, providing 28 grams of protein per cup.

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Not known for their intelligence

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
The Jellies were active this afternoon

Did You Know? - As jellyfish are not true fish (which are vertebrates, unlike jellyfish), the word jellyfish is considered by some to be a misnomer. Public aquariums may use the terms jellies or sea jellies instead. The term "jellies" may have become more popular than "jellyfish". In scientific literature, "jelly" and "jellyfish" are often used interchangeably.

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Beautiful... One could watch them all day!

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
The flowers on the grounds were looking good

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
The Salmon displays were "new"

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Hard to see with the reflections but these guys can swim fast

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Horseshoe Crabs look like their ancestors ... Real "Blue Bloods"

Did You Know? - Unlike vertebrates, horseshoe crabs do not have hemoglobin in their blood, but instead use hemocyanin to carry oxygen. Because of the copper present in hemocyanin, their blood is blue. Their blood contains amebocytes, which play a role similar to white blood cells of vertebrates in defending the organism against pathogens. Amebocytes from the blood of L. polyphemus are used to make Limulus amebocyte lysate, which is used for the detection of bacterial endotoxins in medical applications. The blood of horseshoe crabs is harvested for this purpose.

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
How south can you go??

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
"I like the tux..."

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Tuxedo Junction

Did You Know? - Penguins are primarily found only in the Southern Hemisphere. While most people associate penguins with Antarctica, they are much more widespread and penguin populations can also be found in South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, as well as many small islands in the southern Pacific Ocean.


Emperor penguin males will incubate their eggs for two months in the winter without eating while the females are at sea. During that time, they live off their fat reserves and may lose half their body weight. When the females return shortly after the chicks hatch, they switch parental duties and the females fast while the males go to sea to replenish their fat stores.
 
Depending on the species, a wild penguin can live 15-20 years. During that time, they spend up to 75 percent of their lives at sea.

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Can't tell the names without a program!
Look for the color bands are their arm (wing)

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
I think he is posing

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Skunk with wings!

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Baja on display... The water in the tank is quite warm!

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Paper Jellies... Look pretty realistic

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Sea Anemone

Did You Know? - A sea anemone is a sessile polyp attached at the bottom to the surface beneath it by an adhesive foot, called a basal disc, with a column-shaped body ending in an oral disc. Most are from 1.8 to 3 cm (0.71 to 1.18 in) in diameter, but anemones as small as 4 mm (0.16 in) or as large as nearly 2 m (6.6 ft) are known. They can have from a few tens to a few hundred tentacles.

A few species are pelagic and are not attached to the bottom; instead, they have a gas chamber within the pedal disc, allowing them to float upside down in the water.

The mouth, also the anus of the sea anemone (Must be liberals), is in the middle of the oral disc surrounded by tentacles armed with many cnidocytes, cells that are both defensive and used to capture prey.

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Dinner anyone? See the two yellow bands... That's how they tell them apart!

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
The reflections on the top of the tank were amazing

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
See the frog?   This one is NOT to touch!   Very poisonous!

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Anura 1-Litoria peronii 2-Bombina bombina 3-Leptopelis flavomaculatus 4-Ranitomeya fantastica 5-Allobates femoralis 6-Bufo japonicus 7-Phyllomedusa hypochondrialis 8-Bufo balearicus 9-Pelophylax lessonae
Note: Try to pronounce their names!

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Little bitty sea dragons!   Looks like a stick of wood!

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
The real thing!

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Tiny Sea Horses

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Not going to make the Kentucky Derby this year!

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Sea Dragons are amazing creatures

Did You Know? - Much like the seahorse, the leafy seadragon's name is derived from its resemblance to another creature (in this case, the mythical dragon). While not large, they are slightly larger than most seahorses, growing to about 20–24 cm (8–9.5 in). They feed on plankton and small crustaceans.

The lobes of skin that grow on the leafy seadragon provide camouflage, giving it the appearance of seaweed. It is able to maintain the illusion when swimming, appearing to move through the water like a piece of floating seaweed. It can also change color to blend in, but this ability depends on the seadragon's diet, age, location, and stress level.

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Rainbow harbor is a nice place to walk and see the sights

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
We are putting on more miles...

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
She belongs on the Mighty Mississippi River

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Our intended target... Gladstones

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Almost there...

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Ever see a blimp hind in the bushes?

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
See... we scared it out of the bushes

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Good old Goodyear

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
Time for a vino break!

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
She spots the blimp!

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
"Pardon me... I am an Airship"

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016
"Right"

Walking at the Long Beach Aquarium 5/25/2016