the Ocean voyager exhibit is the largest salt water aquarium in the US.. that's what the guides keep saying...i believe them! this is one huge aquarium. if you're certified, you can scuba inside it!!!
(the glowing dots are the can lights behind us in the ballroom ceiling...davis didn't like that, said the electrician should of pointed them away from the glass- he would know)
four whale sharks.....FOUR!!
the 'little' fish is a yellow tail jack
one 20ft wide manta ray named billie
if i remember correctly, she's a new addition to the exhibit.
here's the link to the
Georgia Aquarium's website....they have all the nitty gritty detail of all the animals...and webcams!!! you can watch the belugas, ocean voyager (the whale sharks), the penguins and the otters. sometimes they are not working, sometimes they are...
there are also sharks- four different species...on the way home i asked davis if he remembered seeing any hammer head sharks in the big tank and he said no....the last time we went their were a couple of hammer head sharks *shrug*
there's a walk thru tunnel under the water- very cool.
another local's tip- DO NOT wear open toe shoes...ask me how i know. i wore my tevas and i can't tell you how many people stepped on my toes....not to mention the korean gentleman who thought my right foot was the
perfect spot to park his kid's stroller.
a school of grouper...lots of grouper (i like the belugas- davis likes the grouper)
this is feeding time for one of the whale sharks.
they are trained to follow their special color cup (this one's was red) and someone rides a raft scooping food into their mouths.
*oh look krill*
*swim away swim away!*
see the big black round shape- that's the raft.
just some pictures for scale....
grouper
i didn't ask, but they probably weigh around 300 lbs.
that's a shark up at the top
(this is also the two story tall main viewing window into the exhibit.)
whale shark
that's a grouper under the shark towards the tail....
davis reminded me to take the pictures to show the scale for yall...you see pictures in books and on documentaries, but until only 2feet of acrylic separate you from them do you get a true feeling how big these guys are.
this was taken looking up while in the walk through tunnel.
when the whale shark swam by it made me feel tiny.....that's the manta, Billie, underneath.
just think- there are animals (whales) in the ocean that would make that whale shark look like a minnow...
we, as humans, should really think about taking care of our oceans...we know more about space than we know of our own oceans. there was a nice (over looked) presentation about trash in the oceans...the sad thing is most didn't even glance at it on their way by. just think of the belugas next time you go to throw a bottle in the trash- think about tossing into the recyclable bin...recycling is cool!
sorry, i got all public-service-announcement-y there for a minute...
it's hard to see, but there is a little skinny blue fish at the top of this grouper's gill. he's about the size of a man's finger.
we watched him 'clean' the groupers skin....up over his head....
then along his dorsal spines towards the tail.....
i asked if the bigger fish ate the smaller fish and the guide said that they feed everyone enough to not be hungry, but there are "accidental cases of predation"
"hey, hank, where'd all the yellow jacks go?"
tomorrow: the goergia coast exhibit and i got to touch a shark!!!!!
let's see, what all have i done...
i'll try to remember to shave more often *snort*
i'll try to remember to shave more often *snort*
Posts
