Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
 
 
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Open Ocean
 

Open Ocean

 
 
The vast open ocean and deep sea are home to delicate jellyfish, light-producing animals, and other organisms ranging from the beautiful to the bizarre.
  • Be sure to stop by the Sea Jelly Lab and see what's growing in this open husbandry lab. Students, volunteers and staff are often seen working on a variety of projects here. You might even be shown baby jellies on the microscope monitor.

  • Shapes, colors, and behavior of the fish in the Fish Diversity Tank reflect where and how these fish live.  See how sharks come in an amazing variety of sizes, shapes, and habitats and how some of the biggest sharks are gentle filter-feeders instead of ferocious predators.

  • The Channel Islands are major breeding grounds for many thousands of seabirds, seals and sea lions.  Feeding and nesting habitats are displayed.

  • Whales and dolphins, descended from land mammals, are the largest and most intelligent animals of the ocean.  The lives of these big mammals are examined in special exhibits on feeding, a video of various cetaceans, displays of whale and dolphin skeletons, and recordings of whale sounds.

Southern California Species


Blue Whale   Blue Whale   Arrow
Balaenoptera musculus

The blue whale is the largest living animal.

Brown Pelican   Brown Pelican   Arrow
Pelecanus occidentalis

The brown pelican is the smallest of all pelicans and is the only one that plunges from the air into the water to catch its food.

California Sea Lion   California Sea Lion    Arrow
Zalophus californianus

Sea lions use their long front flippers to steer and propel themselves through the water.

Cooper of the Sea   Cooper of the Sea   Arrow
Phronima sedentaria

The eyes of this amphipod are so large that they make up nearly a quarter of the entire body.

Crystal Jelly   Crystal Jelly   Arrow
Aequorea victoria

Crystal jellies can expand their mouth to eat prey half their size!

Killer Whale   Killer Whale   Arrow
Orcinus orca

The killer whale, as known as the orca, is the largest dolphin.

Laysan Albatross   Laysan Albatross   Arrow
Phoebastria immutabilis

The wings of a laysan albatross are adapted to lock open into a wingspan of nearly seven feet.

Western Gull   Western Gull   Arrow
Larus occidentalis

The Western gull typically lives about 15 years, but can live to at least 25 years.

 
   
 
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