Birch Aquarium facts for kids
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Birch Aquarium
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| Date opened | 1903 |
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| Location | Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California |
| Coordinates | 32°51′57″N 117°15′2″W / 32.86583°N 117.25056°W |
| No. of animals | 3,000+ |
| No. of species | 380 |
| Volume of largest tank | 70,000 U.S. gal (260,000 L) |
| Annual visitors | 439,000+ |
| Memberships | AZA |
The Birch Aquarium is a cool place where you can learn all about the ocean! It's part of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Think of it as a public science center that shares amazing discoveries about the ocean.
Every year, over 439,000 people visit, including more than 40,000 students. You can see over 3,000 animals from 380 different species here. The aquarium sits on a hill, giving you awesome views of the ocean and the Scripps campus. Its main goal is to show off the incredible work of ocean scientists through fun exhibits and events. It also offers hands-on learning for kids of all ages.
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History of Birch Aquarium
The aquarium started way back in 1903. A group called the Marine Biological Association of San Diego began studying the Pacific Ocean. They wanted to share what they learned with everyone, so they built a small public aquarium and museum.
At first, their lab was tiny, in a boathouse. Then they moved to a small lab in La Jolla Cove in 1905. A few years later, they bought a big piece of land at La Jolla Shores. In 1910, the first permanent building was built there. Today, this building is known as the Old Scripps Building and is a historic landmark.
In 1915, the first building just for the aquarium was built. It had 19 tanks of different sizes. The museum was in a building nearby. The group's name changed to Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1925 as their studies grew.
A new, bigger aquarium and museum opened in 1951. It was named after a former director, T. Wayland Vaughan. This building had 18 tanks, with the largest holding 2,000 gallons of water! It also had a museum showing Scripps' research. People from all over the country visited within a month of it opening.
In 1985, a family named Stephen and Mary Birch donated $6 million to help build an even newer aquarium. The current Birch Aquarium, costing $14 million, opened its doors in 1992. The land for it was given by UC San Diego. In 2012, Birch Aquarium celebrated its 20th birthday!
Explore the Exhibits
The Birch Aquarium is huge, covering over 64,000 square feet! It has a main lobby that leads to all the different exhibit areas. All the display tanks together hold 175,000 gallons of seawater.
Hall of Fishes
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The Hall of Fishes has more than 60 tanks filled with amazing fish and other sea creatures from the Pacific Ocean. As you walk through, you follow the ocean currents, seeing animals from different parts of the Pacific. You'll start with creatures from the chilly Pacific Northwest, then move to California, then Mexico, and finally to the warm Indo-Pacific. The biggest tank here is a giant 70,000-U.S.-gallon (260,000 L) kelp forest tank. You can even watch it live online with the "Kelp Cam"!
ElasmoBeach
After the Boundless Energy courtyard, you'll find ElasmoBeach. This outdoor tank has a sandy bottom, just like the seafloor near La Jolla. Here, you can see different kinds of sharks and rays, including leopard sharks and pacific angelsharks.
Tide-Pool Plaza
At Tide-Pool Plaza, you can get up close and personal with ocean life! There are three living tide pools where you can gently touch and learn about animals like starfish, hermit crabs, sea cucumbers, and lobsters. Friendly guides are there to help you. From here, you also get amazing views of La Jolla and the Pacific Ocean.
Seadragons & Seahorses
This exhibit is all about protecting sea dragons and seahorses! You'll see many types of these unique fish, including seahorses, pipefish, and sea dragons. Birch Aquarium works hard to help these species because climate change and illegal fishing can harm them.
The exhibit also has a special seahorse nursery and fun activities for all ages. Birch Aquarium is a world leader in raising seahorses, which means fewer seahorses need to be taken from the wild for other aquariums.
Oddities: Hidden Heroes of the Scripps Collections
This cool exhibit is designed like a comic book! It shows off the strange and wonderful qualities of ocean creatures. Working with the Scripps Oceanographic Collections, the aquarium reveals the "superpowers" of aquatic animals. You'll learn about creatures with armor, super eyesight, or even electricity! It's amazing to see how these real-life ocean heroes have inspired movies, medicine, and engineering.
Beyster Family Little Blue Penguins
The Beyster Family Little Blue Penguins exhibit is named after the Beyster Family, who generously supported the aquarium. This exhibit is home to adorable little blue penguins! They live in an 18,000-gallon lagoon that looks just like their natural home on the coasts of Australia and New Zealand. There's also a small area where you can watch the penguins, plus a "discovery cove" for kids to get an even closer look.
Boundless Energy
This is an outdoor play area that shows how we can use natural power sources. You'll find interactive stations that teach you about renewable energy from the sun, wind, and ocean waves. Kids can even use their own energy on stationary bikes, hand cranks, and a seesaw to power a fun water sculpture!
Images for kids
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The original Scripps marine biological laboratory, 1910
