Aquarium of the Pacific: Horses and Dragons Exhibit + TicketGiveaway! #LetsPlayOC

Pictured: Weedy Seadragon


This summer Aquarium of the Pacific is showcasing Horses and Dragons, an exhibit featuring a dozen various species of seahorses, seadragons, razorfish, and other animals from this family through March 2017. There are two species being displayed for the first time: the longsnout seahorse and dwarf seahorse. Visitors will be able to learn how they care for and breed these animals.





There are more than 200 species in the Syngnathidae family which include seahorses, seadragons, pipefish and ribbonfish. Syngnathidae comes from the Greek words syn which means fused or together and gnathus means jaws. All of them have fused jaws, rigid bodies, flutter their fins to swim, and live in temperate and tropical waters. Did you know that the males have pouches and they carry the eggs until they hatch? Most unusual! More interesting facts:

• Only three official species of seadragon have been discovered: the ruby, leafy, and weedy seadragon which was only just discovered in 2015. Seadragons are found only in the ocean waters off the southern and western coasts of Australia. They like it where it is rocky with seaweed beds and seagrass meadows. 
• Seahorses, on the other hand, are more widespread and found all over the world in tropical and shallow waters. They beat their fins up to forty times a second (too fast to be visible for the human eye). 
• They do not have teeth or stomachs to store nutrients so they are constantly feeding. They feed on mysid shrimp and other small crustaceans, plankton, and larval fish by using their long tubular snouts to create a strong suction. It takes them six milliseconds for them to suck in their food and is among the fastest known movement of a vertebrate animal. 

At the Aquarium, they are fed both live and frozen food. Of course the live is more nutritious and they have divers to collect live mysid shrimp locally, but the frozen food is to ensure they have a good supply when live food is not available. 

Pictured: Leafy Seadragon

“Syngnathids have existed on the planet for about 50 million years, but face many environmental threats today. It is our hope that people walk away from this exhibition in awe of these beautiful animals and wanting to learn more about what they can do to help,” said Dr. Sandy Trautwein, Aquarium of the Pacific curator of fish and invertebrates.

The seadragons are one of my favorite sea creatures at the Aquarium. Find the Horses and Dragons exhibit in the Tropical Pacific gallery on the second floor. There will also be a show projected in the Great Hall and daily educational puppet shows in the Marine Life Theater. For my blogiversary celebration, Aquarium of the Pacific would like to send one LET'S PLAY OC! reader (2) tickets to the aquarium! Enter below for a chance to win!
Mary

Aquarium of the Pacific 

100 Aquarium Way
Long Beach, CA
562-590-3100 

www.aquariumofpacific.org

ADMISSIONS: $29.95 adult (12+), $26.95 senior (62+), $17.95 child (3-11), and free for children under age three and Aquarium members.

Vanishing Animals Exhibit

Coinciding with this exhibit is the Vanishing Animals exhibit focusing on animal extinctions and how humans can take actions now to prevent the magnitude of extinctions on land from happening in the ocean. This exhibit is also open through March 31, 2017 featuring about one dozen aquatic and terrestrial animal species and multimedia and interactive displays, including a new film in the Ocean Science Center.

One lucky reader will win this prize. Please enter below for a chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


US Residents Only. No purchase necessary to enter. All readers have an equal chance to win, however, you must enter to win. A winner will be randomly selected via RaffleCopter and notified via email. I will attempt to contact the winner for 3 days. If the winner cannot be reached by email, a new winner will be selected the same way. There are several different ways to earn entries. One prize per household. The winner will receive, free of charge, the prize mentioned above. This prize is not available for exchanges. Prizes are not transferable or refundable and must be accepted as awarded. The winner is responsible for any and all other costs and expenses not listed above. Not liable for unclaimed prizes or fulfillment.