Bays and Beaches Gallery
 After leaving the fresh waters of Wetlands behind, come explore the nearshore brackish and salty waters in the Bays and Beaches Gallery. From lush sea grass beds to sandy beaches, these waters are home to some unusual creatures. You can watch a video on sea turtle nesting while kids climb on sea turtle replicas and crawl into a sea turtle egg! Don't miss the stingray feedings daily in the beaches exhibit.
Gallery Highlights
Bays
Florida Bays are home to bonnethead sharks, southern stingrays and snook. Watch Frank Sergeant of the Tampa Tribune as he discusses why Florida fisherman love to catch snook!
 Bay Bottoms
Check out the seahorses that live right here in Tampa bay. Peek at the diversity of life in four different bay floor habitats: oyster bars, limestone, sea grass and sand. Discover how different animals camouflage themselves in each habitat.
Layers in the Bay
Why are spiny lobster called the Bright Wanderers? What kind of fish live in a mixture of salt and fresh water? These exhibits focus on the briny habitats of gray angelfish, sergeant major and many more.
 Bridges
Perhaps the Aquarium's largest fish! This Goliath grouper is more than 300-pounds but can still be missed as he often blends in with his environment like a great motionless statue! See black drum fish and tripletail, too.
Sometimes man is responsible for creating new aquatic habitats, like the ?traffic bridge? found in this exhibit. Look for the oyster encrusted pillars supporting the bridge and listen to the traffic echoing overhead.
Beaches
Don't miss this amazing cross section of a typical Florida beach! Ever wonder what was making the water swirl during your last trip to the beach? See permit, cownose rays, southern stingrays, royal tern and more in this beautiful exhibit. This cross section view of a barrier beach shows life above and below the sandy shores.
Related Pages:
|
