Aquarium Audio

Surgeonfish are colorful members of coral reef communities throughout the tropical Pacific Ocean, popular with divers and aquarists. Their brilliant colors are a warning to potential predators of their sharp defenses.

As kids head back to classes this September, they aren't the only ones in school. Most species of fish form large aggregations called "schools" as well. The reasons why range from safety in numbers to finding food more easily to saving energy while swimming.

Seabirds nest in remote rookeries, often on high cliffs. Their eggs are adapted to survive the sometimes harsh, highly vertical environment where the birds nest.

Check out our "kid friendly" podcast that's all about sharks! This exclusive podcast includes terms that people of all ages can understand. You'll learn how sharks use their senses of hearing, smell, touch, taste, and sight. They also have a sixth sense, the ability to sense electricity.

During the summer months above the Arctic Circle, the sun may stay above the horizon for up to weeks or months. Wildlife at these latitudes adapt to the absence of night.

Each year grunion return to the sandy beaches of Southern California to lay their eggs. This unusual spectacle is readily observable during a walk on the beach, provided you’re willing to stay up late enough.

Aquarists at the Aquarium of the Pacific have achieved remarkable success in breeding marine organisms. This often involves interesting challenges that result from the unusual ways in which ocean-dwelling animals breed.

Seals have remarkable adaptations for surviving the cold, pressure, and darkness of deep water.

Clipperton Island is the easternmost coral atoll in the Pacific Ocean. This remote island enjoys a colorful history. Its isolation is not enough to protect its pristine reefs and unique wildlife from human impacts.

The demand for live fish for both the marine aquarium and seafood trade spurs the use of destructive collecting techniques, including cyanide fishing. Cyanide is a toxic chemical used to stun the fish, allowing them to be gathered by hand. Many fish suffer lasting injury and experience early mortality. The fishermen frequently cause physical damage to reefs during collecting as well, destroying branching corals while getting at small fish in crevices.

Monitors are intelligent carnivorous lizards that include the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard in the world. A species of monitor known as “Kalabeck’s monitor” was rediscovered in the 1990s after it had been re-identified as a distinct species. Baxter the monitor at the Aquarium is an example of this species.

The menacing-looking sand tiger shark is unfairly labeled as a man-eater. The species is vulnerable across much of its range due to bycatch and recreational fishing. In Australia, efforts to restore the sharks’ population include endangered species listing, recovery planning, and captive breeding.

The Cabo Pulmo reefs along Baja California support marine life ranging from strikingly colorful fish to playful seal lions, but these reefs have been endangered by a variety of sources. Due to this threat, the Mexican government has made it a national marine park. See some of the animals native to Cabo Pulmo represented at the Aquarium.

Coral reefs can be found all over the world, and are as old as they are diverse. Although they've survived millions of years, human impact threatens the longevity of coral reefs and the organisms that inhabit them.