Aquarium of the Pacific facts for kids
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| Date opened | June 20, 1998 |
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| Location | Long Beach, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 33°45′44″N 118°11′49″W / 33.76216°N 118.19692°W |
| No. of animals | 11,000 |
| No. of species | 500 |
| Volume of largest tank | 350,000 US gallons (1,300,000 L) |
| Annual visitors | 1.7 million |
| Memberships | AZA |
| Major exhibits | Coral Reefs: Nature's Underwater Cities, June Keyes Penguin Habitat, Lorikeet Forest, Northern Pacific Gallery, Shark Lagoon, Southern California/Baja Gallery, Tropical Pacific Gallery, Frogs: Dazzling and Disappearing, Sea Otter Habitat |
The Aquarium of the Pacific is a large public aquarium. It is located in Long Beach, California, right on Rainbow Harbor. You can find it near the Long Beach Convention Center and the famous Queen Mary ship.
About 1.5 million people visit the aquarium each year. It has many staff members and over 1,500 volunteers. The aquarium is a non-profit organization. This means it uses its money to help animals and teach people. It is also a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). This group makes sure aquariums and zoos are well-run.
Contents
Amazing Ocean Exhibits
The Aquarium of the Pacific is home to over 11,000 animals. These animals represent more than 500 different species. The exhibits range in size from small tanks to huge ones. Some tanks hold up to 350,000 gallons of water!
The aquarium focuses on the Pacific Ocean. It has three main areas:
- Southern California and Baja
- The Northern Pacific
- The Tropical Pacific
These exhibits show you the amazing animals and underwater worlds of the Pacific. They also teach you about protecting these ocean environments.
Southern California and Baja Gallery
This gallery shows you the different habitats found in Southern California and Baja. One of the first things you will see is the Blue Cavern tank. This huge tank holds 142,000 gallons of water. It is three stories tall! It is home to animals that live around Catalina Island.
Next, you can explore the Amber Forest exhibit. This area looks like a giant kelp forest. Here, you can see colorful Garibaldi fish. You might also spot California scorpionfish and other cool creatures.
The Gulf of California exhibit shows animals from that warm sea. You can see bright Cortez rainbow wrasse and Mexican lookdowns. There are also interesting porcupine fish. Other parts of this gallery include:
- The Seal and Sea Lion Habitat, which holds 211,000 gallons of water.
- A special Ray Touch Pool where you can gently touch some rays.
- The Shorebird Sanctuary, where you can see birds that live near the water.
Northern Pacific Gallery
The Northern Pacific Gallery focuses on animals from the cold Bering Sea. One popular exhibit is the Sea Otter Habitat. Here, you can watch playful southern sea otters. They are very cute and fun to watch!
You can also see a giant giant Pacific octopus. These octopuses are very smart and can be quite large. Another exhibit is Diving Birds. Here, you can watch puffins and auklets swim and dive. Other animals you might see in this gallery include:
- Huge Japanese spider crabs.
- Beautiful, floating jellyfish.
- Colorful sea anemones.
Gallery
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Entrance to tropical gallery, designed to replicate a tropical coral reef lagoon
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California sea lion during training session
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Top of 350,000 gallon tropical habitat, viewable only during behind the scenes tours
See also
In Spanish: Acuario del Pacífico para niños
