Dauphin Island Sea Lab facts for kids
| Date opened | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Location | Dauphin Island, Alabama, United States |
| Coordinates | 30°15′01″N 88°04′43″W / 30.25028°N 88.07861°W |
The Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) is a special place in Alabama. It's a top center for learning about the ocean and doing ocean research. It was started in 1971 by the Alabama government. It's also home to a group called the Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium.
You can visit its public aquarium, called the George F. Crozier Estuarium. This aquarium shows off animals and plants that live in estuaries. An estuary is where a river meets the sea, mixing fresh and salt water.
The Sea Lab is located on the east side of Dauphin Island. It's right next to the old Fort Gaines. The land used to belong to the US Air Force.
Contents
Discover the Alabama Aquarium
The George F. Crozier Estuarium is part of the Discovery Hall education program. It has a large Exhibit Hall that is 10,000 square feet. There is also a Living Marsh Boardwalk where you can explore.
The Exhibit Hall has four main areas. Each area shows different kinds of aquatic life. These animals and plants can be found in nearby waters.
Explore the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta
This exhibit shows what Alabama's largest wetland looks like. It's called the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. You can see many different species here. Some of the animals include the American alligator, turtles, and gar fish.
Journey into Mobile Bay
The Mobile Bay exhibit has a cool replica of the legs of the Middle Bay Lighthouse. It's home to animals that live in the brackish water of Mobile Bay. Brackish water is a mix of fresh and salt water. You might see stone crabs, horseshoe crabs, blue crabs, oysters, spadefish, and flounder.
Visit the Barrier Islands
This area features saltwater species. These animals are commonly found on and around Alabama's barrier islands. Look for shrimp, blue crabs, and hermit crabs in this exhibit.
Dive into the Northern Gulf of Mexico
The Northern Gulf of Mexico exhibit shows different ocean communities. You can see amazing creatures like octopus, lobsters, eels, and seahorses. There are also red snapper, sharks, and jellyfish.
Touch Rays of the Bay
Rays of the Bay is the newest exhibit at the Estuarium. It opened in March 2013. This is a large touch tank, holding 6,400 gallons of water. It has different types of rays and skates. These animals live in the Northern Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay. You can gently touch species like the Southern stingray, Cownose ray, and Atlantic stingray.
Ocean Research at DISL
The Dauphin Island Sea Lab also does important research. In 2014, they announced a new research building. It opened in mid-2015. This building is 2,300 square feet.
It is used to study dolphin, manatee, and whale strandings. A stranding is when a marine mammal gets stuck on shore. The Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network (AMMSN) moved into this new building on May 22, 2015. They help rescue and study these animals.
