we left early this morning for mystic aquarium. it was a good day, not too hot, with some clouds. we also had a coupon from the library for three dollars off each ticket, which was nice.
these photos were taken along the marsh trek, which isn't labeled as being an exhibit (!), but was one of my favorite parts of the aquarium. observing water lilies, tadpoles, turtles and frogs always interests me.
i love watching the turtles swim through the water with their little heads poking through the surface of the pond, and laying on logs or lily pads, sunbathing.
there were many exhibits inside. one was about florescent fish at night and in the deep.
this is a lionfish, originally found in the Indo-Pacific, but now an invasive species along the US east coast.
touching the stingrays . .
. . or attempting to touch them. i didn't. but i did touch one of the small sharks.
at the touch tanks for the sting rays. m and c enjoyed this part.
we had a great time and learned about the nautilus live (a group of scientists who explore the ocean and broadcast live about their work), penguins, and beluga whales.
we also saw the california sea lion, and the steller sea lion. steller sea lion males can weigh between 1200 and 2500 pounds, females around 660 pounds. they range in the northern pacific from china, up through the bering sea and alaska, and down again to the western states. their numbers have significantly dropped in their alaskan range. the california sea lion is the common sea lion usually seen in zoos and marine shows, and off the santa cruz pier, where greg and i saw them years ago. they're smaller in size (females at 220 pounds and males at 850 pounds) and range from alaska down to mexico.
we ended the day walking around the shops across the street, especially the norwegian store, bestemors, where i bought a few small trays with copies of paintings by carl larsson as gifts for friends at home. aunt kathy also treated us to ice cream cones!
we left early this morning for mystic aquarium. it was a good day, not too hot, with some clouds. we also had a coupon from the library for three dollars off each ticket, which was nice.
these photos were taken along the marsh trek, which isn't labeled as being an exhibit (!), but was one of my favorite parts of the aquarium. observing water lilies, tadpoles, turtles and frogs always interests me.
i love watching the turtles swim through the water with their little heads poking through the surface of the pond, and laying on logs or lily pads, sunbathing.
there were many exhibits inside. one was about florescent fish at night and in the deep.
this is a lionfish, originally found in the Indo-Pacific, but now an invasive species along the US east coast.
touching the stingrays . .
. . or attempting to touch them. i didn't. but i did touch one of the small sharks.
at the touch tanks for the sting rays. m and c enjoyed this part.
we had a great time and learned about the nautilus live (a group of scientists who explore the ocean and broadcast live about their work), penguins, and beluga whales.
we also saw the california sea lion, and the steller sea lion. steller sea lion males can weigh between 1200 and 2500 pounds, females around 660 pounds. they range in the northern pacific from china, up through the bering sea and alaska, and down again to the western states. their numbers have significantly dropped in their alaskan range. the california sea lion is the common sea lion usually seen in zoos and marine shows, and off the santa cruz pier, where greg and i saw them years ago. they're smaller in size (females at 220 pounds and males at 850 pounds) and range from alaska down to mexico.
we ended the day walking around the shops across the street, especially the norwegian store, bestemors, where i bought a few small trays with copies of paintings by carl larsson as gifts for friends at home. aunt kathy also treated us to ice cream cones!
