Discover a place where families can explore the ocean together. With over 45 interactive exhibits in English and Spanish, you can dive into a kelp forest, visit a coral reef kingdom or explore a rocky shore. Rockfish, sharks and penguins call these places home. Meet them in their magical worlds.
You're watching video highlights of daily activity in this exhibit.
In this Exhibit
Anemonefish, also called clownfish, live nestled among the tentacles of stinging anemones. Most fishes are paralyzed by the sting of an anemone, but clownfish are covered in a special layer of mucus that protects them. All clownfish start life as males. As they grow, some turn into females.
This green plantlike creature is actually an animal with algae plants living inside it. In this symbiotic relationship, the algae gain protection from snails and other grazers and don't have to compete for living space, while the anemones gain extra nourishment from the algae in their guts. Contrary to popular opinion, this anemone's green color is produced by the animal itself, not the algae that it eats.
More Splash Zone Animals
- When penguins flap their wings or bow their heads, they're telling each other how they feel. Throwing their heads back and wings out means "I'm happy," while leaning forward and opening their beaks means "Go away."
- Pharaoh cuttlefish can shoot clouds of ink for protection. Long ago, this dark-brown ink, called sepia, was used for writing and drawing.
- Zebra morays don't have scales. Instead, the bodies of these snakelike fish are covered with a slimy coating of mucus that protects them.
- Slow-growing rockfish live a long time—some in the Gulf of Alaska are over 200 years old. That means a rockfish that's swimming the seas today might have been alive during the Civil War.