by Sara Mcgrath

Created on: April 30, 2009

When Dangerous Encounters, the National Geographic show, used the "secret" underwater research station at the Seattle Aquarium to film an episode on sixgill sharks, my six-year-old daughter declared her ambition to become a marine biologist. With that goal in mind, we have made several recent visits to the aquarium.

One of the best things about the Seattle Aquarium is its location at the edge of Elliott Bay in the Puget Sound. Sixgill Sharks, the third largest predatory sharks in the world, swim directly under the aquarium. When the aquarium is not engaged in active sixgill shark research, the topside video and communication control station doubles as an exhibit.

Exhibits

The aquarium hosts marine mammals including sea otters, harbor seals, and fur seals, with surface and underwater viewing areas. Lootas, one of the aquarium's sea otters, is featured in the children's book, Lootas: Little Wave Eater, by Clare Meeker. The book tells the story of how Lootas came to live at the Seattle Aquarium after being orphaned as a pup in Alaska.

The Seattle Aquarium carries the distinction of being the first aquarium in the world to host a successful live birth of a sea otter.

The Northwest Shores exhibit displays coastal area habitats and shore and sea birds including Alcids, Tufted Puffins, and Common Murres. The aquarium displays the first videotaped hatching of a Rhinoceros Auklet.

The Underwater Dome is a spheric undersea room giving a 360-degree view of a 400,000 gallon fish tank, including salmon, cod, rockfish, sturgeon, skates, and sharks. At 1:30 every day, scuba divers arrive to feed the fish.

Classes and Summer Camps

Beyond the wide variety of exhibits for visitors, the aquarium also provides classes and summer camps for marine life enthusiasts and future biologists. Children can tour behind the scenes at the aquarium, meet the biologists, and investigate local marine life and habitats. The ten-and-older participants can become Biologists in Training and really dig in to the marine biologist experience. A variety of camps and classes are available for children of all ages, including parent-child classes for very young children.

Volunteer Beach Naturalists

All Summer, beachgoers can meet up with volunteer beach naturalists at local Seattle area beaches to learn about fragile shorelife and marine habitats. Beach naturalists show visitors and their pets how to enjoy the beach without harming it. Interested citizens can train to become beach naturalists.

The Seattle Aquarium has a lot to offer, from exhibits and research to classes, camps, and beach naturalists. For more information about upcoming events, classes and camps, sixgill shark research, or general information, visit SeattleAquarium.org.

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