The Birch Aquarium
The Birch Aquarium sits on a hilltop by the ocean in La Jolla. Many different sea animals and plants live inside and outside of the buildings. The aquarium is part of the University of California at San Diego. Students and teachers at the university learn more about the ocean at the aquarium. In turn, the aquarium teaches the public more about the ocean.
In the Hall of Fishes, a 20-foot deep tank is home to a kelp forest. The tank holds 70,000 gallons of water! Tall green kelp plants sway gently in the water's current. This exhibit teaches people about the fish and plants that live in kelp forests. Kelp forests are an important part of the ocean's food chain.
Seahorse conservation is one of the missions of the aquarium. Many people have taken seahorses from the ocean. Now some of the seahorse populations are getting very small. The aquarium has spent over ten years studying the seahorses. The aquarium's work has been very successful. They have sent over 1,400 seahorses off to live in other aquariums around the world!
Outside the Hall of Fishes is a large patio. In the center of the patio is a tide pool exhibit. People can see up close the kinds of animals that live in tide pools. Sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and sea stars all live in the tide pool exhibit.
Whitetip and blacktip reef sharks are just around the corner. Visitors can watch the sharks swim through their 13,000-gallon tank. Signs and displays teach people more about sharks and shark conservation.
For more than 100 years, the Birch Aquarium has been teaching people more about the ocean. Each year more than 350,000 people visit the aquarium. They learn more about the plants and animals living in the ocean just down the hill from the aquarium.
Vocabulary
Sources:
- Birch Aquarium
- http://aquarium.ucsd.edu
- Conservation/Secrets of the Seahorse
- http://aquarium.ucsd.edu/Education/Learning_Resources/Secrets_of_the_Seahorse/
- Birch Aquarium Scripps News
- http://aquarium.ucsd.edu/Newsroom/News_Items/