{"id":30475,"date":"2022-05-27T08:15:39","date_gmt":"2022-05-27T15:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?p=30000026837"},"modified":"2022-05-27T08:38:33","modified_gmt":"2022-05-27T15:38:33","slug":"babies-exhibit-aquarium-of-the-pacific","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/babies-exhibit-aquarium-of-the-pacific","title":{"rendered":"Baby fish, baby otters, baby jellies: The Aquarium of the Pacific just opened an adorable exhibit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Aquarium of the Pacific just got a whole lot cuter thanks to its newest exhibition &#8220;Babies!&#8221; which features over 40 species of the aquarium&#8217;s many baby animals and sea life.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is my first time to see a new exhibit opening and it&#8217;s really exciting,&#8221; said aquarium President Peter Kareiva who took up the position in 2020. &#8220;It&#8217;s what I would call a heart-and-mind exhibit and I think of the aquarium as a heart-and-mind institution.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/CeCXDPiFCeg\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/CeCXDPiFCeg\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Long Beach Post (@longbeachpost)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The new exhibit officially opened May 27,\u00a0 but guests who visited on Thursday were granted a first look at the darling area teeming with tiny fish, young sharks, drifting jellyfish and one juvenile California desert turtle named Sally.<\/p>\n<p>The bulk of the exhibition is on the second floor of the Pacific Visions wing, but the other part of the exhibit you don&#8217;t want to miss is in the Northern Pacific Gallery, which features four new otter pups that were orphaned up north but are now being reared by two of the aquarium&#8217;s female otters. It&#8217;s a mutually beneficial arrangement, said aquarium mammologist Erin Lundy, because the pups can develop with the same nurturing they would receive in the wild while also helping the adult females learn how to be surrogate mothers.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000069935\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000069935\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000069935\" src=\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26150806\/0526-Babies-4-1110x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"680\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000069935\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A juvenile sea otter eats shrimp for lunch as it swims among other otters at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Walking into the main exhibit, guests are greeted by the aquarium&#8217;s new jelly lab, a table that&#8217;s stationed with various transparent tanks trickling with water. It reveals just how aquarium staff grows the baby jellies while showing them in various life cycle stages.<\/p>\n<p>Many of the featured babies were either born at the aquarium, like the jellyfish, or at another zoo or aquarium. Some were also sourced from a sustainable supplier, according to the aquarium.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Babies!&#8221; exhibits are designed to replicate the many ocean environments that act as nurseries for the young sea creatures, such as coral reefs and seagrass beds. An especially important habitat for these young is mangrove trees. Their long, twisted roots grow deep into the water, which provides shelter for young fish, sharks and other wildlife. In the exhibit, the mangrove display is the most prominent attraction, with over 200 fish from six different species.<\/p>\n<p>One of these species is the golden trevally. In youth, the fish shine bright yellow, but their color changes to a silvery hue when they mature. The adults swim in the aquarium&#8217;s largest exhibit, the Tropical Pacific Gallery, on the first floor.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000069937\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000069937\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000069937\" src=\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26150813\/0526-Babies-3-1110x593.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"593\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000069937\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Juvenile golden trevally swims together. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As guests walk through the exhibit, there are several interactive stations that feature puzzle games for kids. One giant wall is touch-activated with floating bubble icons that, when tapped, reveal fun facts about the baby ocean animals. There&#8217;s also a screen that plays mini-documentaries about the aquarium babies, how staff care for them, as well as environmental issues affecting babies in the ocean\u2014such as climate change\u2014and what you can do to make a difference.<\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;tiny treasures&#8221; area features several smaller displays with windows you can peer into. The flamboyant cuttlefish there are about two months old and their color-shifting bodies measure only an inch long. Some of the exhibits feature creatures so tiny you&#8217;ll need to hunt for them, like young striped pajama squid, which looks about the size of a fingernail.<\/p>\n<p>Nearing the end of the exhibit is Sally, the five-year-old California desert tortoise who, by tortoise standards, is quite lively since she&#8217;s still getting used to her new home, said Rob Mortensen who is the aquarium&#8217;s assistant curator for birds and mammals.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000069936\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000069936\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000069936\" src=\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26150809\/0526-Babies-2-1110x707.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"707\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000069936\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A 5-year-old desert tortoise, which can live up to and beyond 80 years, eats its greens for lunch. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;Babies!&#8221; will be at the aquarium until April 2023, but expect the exhibition and its creatures to change as the young grow or new species are brought in. Word is the aquarium is expecting penguin chicks in the near future.<\/p>\n<p><em>Tickets to the Aquarium of the Pacific cost $36.95 for those 12 and older; $26.95 for children 3-11; $33.95 for seniors ages 62 and older. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aquariumofpacific.org\/exhibits\/babies\">Click here<\/a> for more information and to purchase tickets. The Aquarium of the Pacific is at 100 Aquarium Way.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000069941\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000069941\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000069941\" src=\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26150827\/0526-Babies-1-1110x563.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"563\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000069941\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Juvenile pajama cardinalfish swim around it the Aquarium of the Pacific&#8217;s exhibit, &#8220;Babies!&#8221; Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000069934\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000069934\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000069934\" src=\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26150800\/0526-Babies-7-1110x755.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"755\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000069934\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Juvenile jellyfish swim about. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000069932\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000069932\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000069932\" src=\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26150753\/0526-Babies-10-1110x603.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"603\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000069932\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A juvenile brown-banded bamboo shark chills at the bottom of its habitat. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000069939\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000069939\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000069939\" src=\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26150820\/0526-Babies-0-1110x716.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"716\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000069939\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Baby skunk clownfish swim in their habitat. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000069940\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000069940\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000069940\" src=\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26150824\/0526-Babies-5-1110x765.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"765\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000069940\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Janet Monday, of the Aquarium of the Pacific, holds a jar of baby moon jellyfish. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Aquarium of the Pacific&#8217;s latest exhibition features 40 species of newborn or juvenile sea life. 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