The Oceanarium at Bournemouth is just a few steps away from the beach, the main pier and the Wintergardens, so it is a popular place for visitors to go. We decided to go there for a few hours on Sunday. A good variety of marine fish and reptiles are kept and displayed in large aquariums that allow shoals of even the largest fish to swim freely and naturally.
In the Amazon River collection, perfect camouflage.......
A Freshwater Stingray
Eye to eye......
Glittering Red piranhas from the Amazonian Rainforest.
The huge (70cm long) , vegetarian Pacu, who is a distant relative of the piranhas.
An Amazonian Redtail Catfish (134 cm long). These catfish, which naturally eat crab, fish and fruit, have very large mouths and will swallow anything that comes in their way. Because of this, plants have had to be removed from this aquarium and only the huge Pacu fish are safe companions.
Another stingray
One aquarium houses creatures from the River Ganges, which drains the Himalayas and flows for 1,56o miles across Northern India before it meets the Indian Ocean.
The Snake-necked Turtle (30cm) eats frogs, tadpoles, fish and crustaceans.
A mouth made for suction......
....and another.
From Africa, a Soft Shelled Turtle, who is well adapted to finding its prey (fish, snails and worms) in the gaps between underwater rocks.
One of the two great Leatherback turtles who swim together in a huge and interesting aquarium that mimics the environment of a temperate sea. These two beautiful animals were washed up on the beach in Cornwall several years ago. Rescued and nursed back to health in Torquay, they were transferred to Bournemouth when the Torquay Aquarium closed.
Stingray.....
Fast swimming shoal.......
Green coral
Sea urchin
Another turtle....
Fast shark....
Fast shark....
A moray eel peers out from rocks.
A Tang in a hurry......
Catfish......
....and time to go home. Looking out to sea and wondering about the fishes in the deeps of the English Channel. The little blue rubber dolphins in K`s left hand are going home to play in the bath!
Information was taken from Bournemouth Oceanarium`s Guidebook.
More details at www.oceanarium.co.uk
7 comments:
All very interesting and colorful.Have to admit tho' that my interests lie more with furry and feathered creatures. It's a long while since I've been to an aquarium. Thanks for allowing me to tag along.
I particularly liked the star fish, it doesn't look real!
I'll be at the North Carolina coast for a four-day weekend next week and one of my stops will be the NC Aquarium. All the fish and plant life there are native to the area, so there will be plenty of pictures to take.
Aquariums are fun. I like the bright colors of the tropical fish.
Water creatures don't draw me as do furyy ones--maybe because they seem very impersonal.
However watching them can be very hypnotic, peaceful.
It sounds like a good outing.
A nice way to spend a winter afternoon, the range of creatures that live in the world's oceans is just amazing. I can imagine my grandchildren being fascinated by something like this.
This is just the kind of outing I need - a great January pick-me-up!
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