Field Trip to Mote Marine

Today, I chaperoned on a Kindergarten field trip to Mote Marine Laboratory, which is an aquarium of sorts in Sarasota. I say "of sorts" because it's a significant research facility and also houses various sea creatures that get into trouble in the real world. They stay at Mote to rehabilitate. Additionally, I learned today that this is the leading shark research lab in the nation, where immunologists study the resistance to tumors and cancer inherent in sharks, skates, and rays.
This is a shot looking down into the big shark pool.

Here is an ancient moray eel who has been at Mote for ages. I felt so bad for accidentally having my flash on when I took this picture!
Isn't she gross, though? Man, I would freak if I ran into her under the sea. I think someone once told me that she's blind.
(She kind of looks like how I felt this morning when the alarm clock went off.)

Ah, there, that's better. Here she is in the dark.

Inside in the cool, dark aquarium, I was fascinated by the jellyfish, particularly the Comb Jellyfish, which have lights running through their somethingsomethings.

Here the Comb Jellyfish almost looks like a space creature!

More jellyfish...


The seahorses really captured my heart. Look at these creatures, they're amazing. They curl their tails around the sea plants and also hook tails with one another.

There is a raised pool full of shells and what I'll call "sea odds & ends" that you can pick up and touch as long as you keep them under the surface of the water. This is a horseshoe crab. It's got 10 eyes, and can fold it's body along a 90-degree flap. The brave volunteer lady flipped it over to show us it's spidery legs, which were thrashing. No way I was touching that.
We get a lot of them behind our house, but this is the first I've heard about the 10 eyes and undercoating.

Here's the big shark pool. This gal is feeding them. You can view the sharks from up top, or from the ground level. There are other interesting fish in the tank, too, like Grouper and Tarpon. The Tarpon is a pretty fish; it's big and looks like it's made of silver.


I can't remember what kind of shark this is, but I thought this was a good action shot of him sweeping by.

Finally, there is a little tiki hut covering a pool full of stingrays (stingers removed) that swim 'round and 'round and you can reach out and touch.

This evening, I asked Griffin, "What was your favorite part of the trip?"
"Snack!"
Nut-job.
Oh well, I'm glad I'm getting to re-live Kindergarten.