Monterey Bay Aquarium

In the larger aquaria experts in diving gear provide on the spot commentaries broadcast over loudspeakers from amongst the flora and fauna.

The complex comprises 200 pools (some are three storeys deep) and galleries both under cover and in the open. They contain about 300,000 specimens representing nearly 570 species (sharks and other large fish, sea otters, giant octopuses, crustaceans, starfish, etc.).

A "Habitat Path" guides visitors around the various sections on the main floor, the most impressive of which are the so-called "Monterey Bay Habitats" (a stretch of coast 30yd/27.5m long), the "Kelp Forest" (a giant tank, 28ft/8.5m high, holding 335,000 gal/1.26 million liters of seawater), and the "Great Tide Pool".

The large "Marine Mammals Gallery" contains lifelike models of mammals which inhabit the bay, including whales, dolphins, sea-lions and seals. Rescued sea otters, a threatened species, are nurtured in the aquarium and can be seen romping about in a special two-story pool.

The million-gallon Outer Bay exhibit (viewed through the largest aquarium window in the world - 15 by 54 feet, 13 inches thick) shows giant ocean sunfish, sea turtles, schools of tuna (the only such collection in the United States), barracuda and other open ocean fishes. The Outer Bay galleries also include the largest jellyfish displays in the world.

The aquarium mounts rotating special exhibitions and has an extensive child's hands-on educational area.