The Stephen Birch Aquarium Museum is the interpretive center for the world-renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego. It is one of the oldest, largest and most important centers for global science research and education in the world. Now in its second century of discovery, the scientific scope of the institution has grown to include biological, physical, chemical, geological, geophysical and atmospheric studies of the earth as a system.
The aquarium...
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The Stephen Birch Aquarium Museum is the interpretive center for the world-renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego. It is one of the oldest, largest and most important centers for global science research and education in the world. Now in its second century of discovery, the scientific scope of the institution has grown to include biological, physical, chemical, geological, geophysical and atmospheric studies of the earth as a system.
The aquarium features more than 60 tanks of Pacific fish and invertebrates from the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest to the tropical waters of Mexico and the Caribbean. The largest habitat is a 70,000-gallon kelp forest. A 13,000-gallon tank is devoted to shark species that inhabit tropical reef habitats, including whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, brownbanded bamboo sharks, Port Jackson sharks and wobbegongs. Interpretive panels on shark biology and conservation accompany the reef.
Three living tide pools provide visitors the chance to touch and learn about inhabitants. View starfish, hermit crabs, sea cucumbers, lobsters and other animals indigenous to San Diego's tide pools.
Hours: daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Closed major holidays. Admission.
Location: on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the historic Scripps campus in La Jolla, an area famed for its beaches, dining, and culture.
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