montereybayaquarium

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Happy Earth Day from the Aquarium! 💙

There are people around the globe doing important work to achieve the goal of protecting our planet. This Earth Week, check out the work that the Aquarium’s Conservation and Science team is doing to tackle large issues like plastic pollution on both the national and global scale.  Check out our earth week page to learn more. Remember, we’re all in this together. 💙

#monterey bay aquarium #just keep swimming #earth day every day #we get by with a little kelp from our fronds

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Little red octopus 🐙❤️

These little red octopus are sea-ternly the masters of disguise, thanks to their ability to change color and texture to blend seamlessly with their surroundings. Check out those inkredible hiding skills!

#monterey bay aquarium #caught ink handed #well armed with camouflage abilities #cute and clever charismatic cephalopod

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Bat stars — the ultimate arm wrestling champions of the sea! 🌊💪

When these stars bump into each other, it's not just a friendly handshake, it's a 'gently intense' arm wrestling match! They become engaged in a slow-motion skirmish, striving to get the upper hand,  er, arm. Who knew stars could be so competitive? 🌟

#monterey bay aquarium #shoot for the moon jelly and land among the sea stars #who wins the ultimate arm wrestling championship #whos competitive not us 😉

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Holdfast, fronds — it’s the beginning of the week, and we hope this adds a little sway to your day. Did you know that our Kelp Forest exhibit is the very first of its kind to successfully maintain live kelp?

Join our director of dive programs, George Peterson, to learn all the intricate details that keep our kelp healthy and our kelp community so magically mesmerizing.

#monterey bay aquarium #keep calm and kelp on #the three things kelp needs to grow is low key very relatable #cant kelp this feeling of photosynthebliss

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A majestic mega raft of mustelids mesmerizingly maneuvering through the meandering kelp maze of murky waters, melding into a magnificent mosaic of motion and merriment.  

#monterey bay aquarium #all for the fantastic furry friday vibes #otterly excited for the weekend #mustelids making mahem

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Happy Earth Month! What better way to sea-lebrate than diving into ocean conservation news and taking action?

Join forces with us and other aquariums to urge U.S. leaders to take bold action on plastic. https://mbayaq.co/sign    And don’t forget to sign up for our quarterly Ocean Action Newsletter for the latest updates and ways that you can help protect the ocean 💙🌎 https://mbayaq.co/oceanaction

#monterey bay aquarium #say no to plastic #and ride the wave of ocean action #tackling the problem at its source

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The beauty of the monastery kelp forest

We get by with the help of our fronds! Sea-riously! A new study by Monterey Bay Aquarium scientists found that denser kelp forests can better handle serious stressors like sweltering seawaters!

The study looked at kelp forests before, during, and after an extreme marine heatwave that hit west coast waters from 2014-2016. It found that denser and more sheltered forests, and the animals living in these forests, fared better against the extreme heat. These persistent forests were also able to keep hungry sea urchins from roaming around the reef and gobbling up the remaining kelp.

Another Aquarium study showed a certain species supports strong kelp forests by snacking on  sea urchins — you guessed it — sea otters!

You can dive deeper into this research here!

Healthy kelp forests not only provide homes for a wide range of marine life — they also absorb carbon dioxide — naturally pushing back against climate change (hurray photosynthesis!). 

Globally, kelp has been declining for a half-century and warming ocean temperatures present a serious threat to cold-water species like kelp. 

Studies like these help us understand what makes kelp forests strong, and how we can implement restoration efforts in areas with less kelp coverage.

#monterey bay aquarium #from sea to shining sea kelp is the key #seaweeding is believing #get by with a little kelp from our fronds

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There's no time to waste! 

Are you ready for world leaders to finally get sea-rious about stopping plastic pollution?  On Earth Day world leaders convene to negotiate the first-ever Global Plastics Treaty. Join forces with us and other aquariums to urge U.S. leaders to take bold action on plastic. 

Sign the petition!

#monterey bay aquarium #no time to waste #lets get searious searious

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Day in the life of a plumber at the Aquarium

Water is the lifeblood of the Aquarium. For 30 years, Ralph has kept our Aquarium afloat, ensuring smooth sailing for our fishy friends and human visitors alike. From the seawater flowing through our exhibits to the freshwater that flushes our toilets—meet the man who holds the keys to the pipes.

#monterey bay aquarium #whats behind the locks ralph #plumbing profishional #the ultimate aquanaut of pipelines #more like h2whoa

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From the people who brought you chill Krill Waves Radio comes our new KrillER Waves Radio: one hour of skeleton shrimp and metal music to headbang to! 🤘🎵

Skip the relaxing lofi music and unleash your inner metal enthusiast — it’s all about screaming out and banging our heads with skeleton shrimps as we hold tight to the unpredictable currents that we call life.

You’d be a fool to skip this one!

#monterey bay aquarium #rave rock repeat #happy april first #a krilltastic start to the month #skeleton shrimp is a pretty metal name actually #what can we say except youre welcome #Youtube

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Who’s ready to fly off into the weekend? 

#monterey bay aquarium #flapping my wings untilI reach the weekend #soaring into saturday #feathered friends flying formation

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We get pretty excited about the common siphonophore. What’s not to love?

We’re thrilled to be the first public aquarium in the world to culture and raise these delightful drifters. While these animals are incredibly fragile and difficult to see, they’re abundant and can be found throughout the ocean!

Siphonophores are colonies of tiny animals called “zooids”, and they play an important role in the oceanic food webs.

Thank you to our colleagues at @mbari-blog for the common siphonophore footage! Check out their website to learn more about these magnificent mysteries!

#monterey bay aquarium #collaboration at its finest #how is it possible to be so cool? #we kindly ask the common siphonophores #they drift away in response #sigh…so cool

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GLUMP!!

What sound would a predatory tunicate make? Resembling a piranha plant from Super Mario Bros., these transparent invertebrates live anchored along the deep sea canyon walls and seafloor, patiently waiting for unsuspecting prey to wander by or swim into their cavernous hoods.

#monterey bay aquarium #love for the deep #sit and wait for a snack to swim by #some tunicates are also called seasquirts and we love that

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Happy International Seal Day!

No better way to seal-ebrate than this wave of cuteness galumphing into your feed 🦭😍 Pupping season can begin as early as February and go until June or July. Remember to share the shore and give these babies space —moms sometimes stash their pup while they go off to forage or hunt and can get scared away if disturbed.

#Monterey Bay Aquarium #The Most Pupperful Time Of The Year #We Could Watch A Seal Flop All Day #Gleeful Galumphing Galore

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🚨WARNING!🚨 AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums across the U.S. are being targeted with scams advertising fake tickets at discounted prices.

Scammers are targeting Monterey Bay Aquarium visitors with these fake ticket offers online. 

The only place to purchase official Aquarium tickets is through our website. As a nonprofit organization, proceeds from legitimate ticket sales allow us to continue our mission of inspiring conservation of the ocean. Find out more here: https://mbayaq.co/3vlcRpi

#monterey bay aquarium #fraud tickets

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Meet Chica the giant Pacific octopus and dive behind the scenes with senior aquarist René! 🐙

#monterey bay aquarium #we are suckers for cephalopods #our aquarists are pretty inkredible #we love this with all three of our hearts #Youtube

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Shrimp Week’s over and we’re tired, so we’re bringing big weaner energy into the week.

#monterey bay aquarium #weaners are what you call seal pups that have recently weaned #yes we are sealious #all shrimped out and ready for a nap