There’s Something About Seahorses at Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Filed under: News & Resources,Understanding
(Click to enlarge image) Leafy sea dragons are brown to yellow in body color and are more ornately adorned than the reddish colored weedies. (Credit: NatGeo / George Grall)
New exhibit opening Nov. 14 explores the life and times of this amazing fish.
Saddle up for a close encounter with the sea’s most captivating creatures in There’s Something About Seahorses, opening Nov. 14 at Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego.
Experience a fish with a head like a horse, a tail like a monkey, a pouch like a kangaroo and the color-changing skills of a chameleon! This 2,000-square-foot, interactive exhibit will feature up-close experiences with more than a dozen species of live seahorses and their relatives, including pipefish, shrimpfish and seadragons.
Explore the unique biology and adaptations of the famously camouflaged creatures. Discover how the male seahorse gets pregnant and gives birth. Investigate what makes the seahorse a fish, though it doesn’t quite look like one. Learn about the incredible threats these animals face in the wild. Journey with Scripps researchers solving mysteries about the seadragon family tree.
“To this day, visitors inquire about the seahorses featured in our popular exhibit from several years ago, so we know they are still as captivated by the animals as we are,” said Nigella Hillgarth, Birch Aquarium at Scripps executive director. “There’s Something About Seahorses is a re-imagining of that exhibit paired with cutting-edge research about the life of these fascinating creatures and the challenges they face to survive.”
A highlight of the exhibit is a chance for visitors to meet the next generation of seahorses in Birch Aquarium’s special seahorse nursery. True to its mission to promote marine conservation, Birch Aquarium at Scripps is a world leader in the breeding of seahorses with the goal to reduce pressure on collecting seahorses from the wild.
Eight of the roughly 36 known seahorse species and two seadragon species are considered threatened to some degree under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, the most authoritative conservation assessment of the world’s plants and animals. One species of pipefish – the River pipefish – is listed as critically endangered.
“Since seahorses live near the coast, they are affected by all human activities that impact the coastal marine environment,” said Debbie Zmarzly, curator of There’s Something About Seahorses. “Polluted runoff, trash, climate change, fishing practices such as bottom trawling – all of these threaten to destroy the fragile habitats of seahorses and their kin. A strong component of this exhibit will be letting visitors know how they can help seahorses survive.”
Birch Aquarium is trying to do its part. In the past 15 years, the aquarium has raised 13 species of seahorses and shipped more than 3,000 specimens to 78 aquariums and zoos. Animals featured in There’s Something About Seahorses were either bred onsite or at other aquariums or obtained from top-notch aquaculture facilities inspected by Birch Aquarium aquarists.
With their unusual appearance and lifestyle, seahorses and their kin have enthralled humans since ancient times. Discover all the unique “somethings” about these fascinating creatures at Birch Aquarium at Scripps!
There’s Something About Seahorses will remain open until 2011 and is included with general aquarium admission. For more information about the exhibit and Birch Aquarium at Scripps, visit aquarium.ucsd.edu.
About Birch Aquarium at Scripps:
Birch Aquarium at Scripps is the public exploration center for the world-renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Perched on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the aquarium features more than 60 habitats of fish and invertebrates from the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest to the tropical waters of Mexico and the Caribbean. An interactive museum showcases research discoveries by Scripps scientists on climate, Earth and ocean science. Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Birch Aquarium welcomes an annual attendance of more than 400,000 visitors, including 45,000 school children.
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