Someone once told me that Long Beach is the armpit of California. In some ways, I guess it is sort of shaped like an armpit, but it sure didn’t look like one from where I was: the Aquarium of the Pacific!
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This is one of the more impressive aquariums (aquaria?) out there, with over 11,000 animals in 11 exhibits. Is it ironic that I came here in 2011? Maybe I should come back on November 11th… But I digress. The first and most thought-provoking exhibit was called Arctic and Antarctic: Our Poles in Peril. Did you know that by the end of the century, the sea levels will probably be six feet higher than they are now? Even though I love the ocean, it makes me wonder what will happen to the 19 million people in New York City, the 22 million people in Shanghai, or the entire country of the Maldives, where the governmental cabinet is holding sessions using SCUBA gear to prepare!
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Next, I went to visit the sea lions! It’s hard to see other animals behind glass when I’m free to travel the world, especially when frolicsome animals don’t have enough space to frolic. However, I thought this seal and sea lion exhibit did a great job of giving frolic room to these jolly fellows. Their tank stretches all the way down under a viewing hallway, and when they get up for their regular shows, the trainers have given them all sorts of activities to keep their minds sharp, sort of like having weights in a prison yard, only there’s a huge difference: these pinnipeds are ambassadors for their species! Their daily shows are meant to teach young children why it’s not a good idea to throw their garbage in the water, sort of the opposite of scare tactics. If only more people would watch this program. Let me rephrase that. If only more people would pay attention to this program!
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Another great spot for animal education is the Shark Lagoon! Here, you can touch all kinds of sharks: zebra sharks, bamboo sharks, and epaulette sharks! There are also bat rays and sting rays all tooling around the tanks at leisure! I wanted to touch them, but my arms weren’t long enough. Even if they’re friendly to people, I don’t want to take my chances diving into a shark tank without a cage or a salve of Moses sole, thank you very much! Some sharks were a bit too big for petting, like sand tiger sharks and, my favorite, a sawfish! It’s one thing to see a picture of a sawfish, but watching a real one swim around is something else altogether! They’re just like cartoons that have popped out of the television, but unfortunately, they’re also on the IUCN Red List for critically endangered species. That makes me sad.
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While there are lots of really great things to see here, from sea snakes to leafy sea dragons to adorable Arctic fox pups, where this aquarium excels most is in raising awareness of our responsibility toward the ocean. There is a dolphin sculpture hanging in the main hall that is made entirely of bottles to raise awareness for the thousands of plastic bottles floating around the Pacific Ocean and into the great Pacific Gyre. There is also a really swell exhibit on watersheds that tells you what you can do to help out and save money doing it!
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Now I’m sure some readers will be put off by this semi-aquatic rodent going all Captain Planet in my blog, but come on, folks, it’s your world too! Go see the Aquarium of the Pacific, and you’ll immediately discover why our water is worth saving!
We’ll all float on, okay?