I like the Florida Aquarium, in Tampa. Though it's not to the scale of the much larger Monterey Aquarium, it's quite a bit bigger than most other Aquariums I've been in, it has a lot of exhibits from a variety of habitats, and it has all the aquatic species (most of them native to Florida) that people like to see, from sharks to octopus to stingrays. And there is a tour boat that travels from the Aquarium out onto Tampa Bay, to see dolphins, sea birds, and sometimes sharks.
So here are some photos from a recent day at the Aquarium.
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The Florida Aquarium.
![DSCN1370](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7288/9506851690_3b866da0c0.jpg)
The horseshoe crab touch-tank, where visitors can interact with live horseshoe crabs.
![DSCN1372](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5468/9504052757_dac1e4ab6c.jpg)
Though not really "crabs", these critters are interesting and prehistoric-looking.
![DSCN1373](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3692/9504050679_5a8199878d.jpg)
The Wetlands Trail exhibit. Traces the path of a single raindrop from the time it falls into an upland river until it reaches the sea.
![DSCN1374](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3685/9506845568_fa9656b483.jpg)
A pair of Florida gar.
![DSCN1378](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5343/9506843626_fe0cdc2412.jpg)
An American Crocodile.
![DSCN1380](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7437/9504044731_6af702d609.jpg)
The Aquarium also contains a number of animals other than fish. Here is a Bobwhite.
![DSCN1384](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5520/9506839442_9de3829287.jpg)
A pair of Map Turtles.
![DSCN1387](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2876/9504040763_958f26a711.jpg)
An exhibit of Mangrove trees.
![DSCN1389](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2859/9504038829_08dfcf4331.jpg)
A Red Drum fish. About four feet long.
![DSCN1391](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7340/9504036899_849f9a2634.jpg)
The open-air exhibits inside the dome-screened atrium.
![DSCN1392](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2854/9504034919_676cac5641.jpg)
A couple of sea urchins.
![DSCN1394](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/9506829424_06eb54363c.jpg)
Upside-Down Jellyfish.
![DSCN1395](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7445/9506827330_c16b62eee6.jpg)
Anemones.
![DSCN1397](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9504028481_4bcb847a20.jpg)
A pair of Diamondback Terrapins.
![DSCN1399](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2842/9504026469_9bd76d0288.jpg)
Saltwater angelfish.
![DSCN1532](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3681/9506732914_96b5fafe54.jpg)
Snook.
![DSCN1400](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2857/9506821368_a5af90af90.jpg)
The atrium dome.
![DSCN1402](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5538/9506702558_dc72c314e4.jpg)
A Horned Owl who sleeps the day away on exhibit.
![DSCN1403](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7376/9506819400_778bee80a2.jpg)
An exhibit of antique aquarium hobbyist equipment.
![DSCN1404](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3765/9504020715_2e22d66e51.jpg)
Green Pufferfish. A brackish-water species.
![DSCN1407](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2891/9504018891_972ab766b1.jpg)
Freshwater Angelfish.
![DSCN1410](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5347/9504016905_5a4972c531.jpg)
Clown Loaches.
![DSCN1414](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7432/9506811966_e15e964042.jpg)
Tiger Barbs, my favorite. I have a tank full of Tiger Barbs at home.
![DSCN1415](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3710/9506810058_0c6a6116a0.jpg)
African Clawed Frogs. Introduced to Florida's waterways through the pet trade.
![DSCN1416](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7390/9506808246_53d5be5915.jpg)
Discus fish.
![DSCN1417](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2886/9504009079_da5e6c41e4.jpg)
The atrium contains a number of free-roaming Florida birds. This is a Roseate Spoonbill.
![DSCN1418](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7409/9504006941_4eb2e38934.jpg)
Snowy Egret. Back in the 1910's, its feathers were used for women's hats, and it was hunted almost to extinction.
![DSCN1421](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7449/9506802388_e7cb2eaac7.jpg)
Atrium viewed from the upper floor.
![DSCN1425](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5328/9504002949_2012a5097c.jpg)
The underside of a stingray, as it presses against the glass.
![DSCN1427](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7400/9506798780_a3166b9a37.jpg)
South African penguins. There is a penguin show for the kids every afternoon.
![DSCN1428](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2851/9503999237_af71962a29.jpg)
Double-Crested Cormorant.
![DSCN1530](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3824/9506734728_805de8d2c6.jpg)
River Otter.
![DSCN1435](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2855/9506794778_2fef02dc6a.jpg)
Rock Lobster.
![DSCN1439](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3717/9503995021_da4794b4f9.jpg)
The Goliath Grouper. About six feet long. Our largest native fish.
![DSCN1443](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7418/9506790710_5800acb7c5.jpg)
The Stingray touch-tank.
![DSCN1445](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2871/9503990963_5faffc94a4.jpg)
Cow-Nose Rays in the touch tank.
![DSCN1446](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5497/9506786546_9475841bca.jpg)
Petting the stingrays.
![DSCN1447](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2809/9503986921_031f1eb180.jpg)
![DSCN1522](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7436/9503940279_2412b5dc9f.jpg)
![DSCN1524](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7298/9503938265_5bc22e89e2.jpg)
The outdoors children's play area.
![DSCN1557](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5466/9506720300_2b12986507.jpg)
The "No Bone Zone"--a touch-tank with sea stars, anemones, urchins, and sea cucumbers.
![DSCN1449](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3826/9506782706_bd4e1097bf.jpg)
The Coral Reef exhibit.
![DSCN1559](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5495/9506718306_0a8b85c9d9.jpg)
Stingray swims through one of the large reef tanks.
![DSCN1458](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7321/9506778988_18517a84c0.jpg)
The large shark tank.
![DSCN1568](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3803/9503915791_5d3ca02cff.jpg)
![DSCN1571](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5550/9506712508_dc4fc15095.jpg)
Sand tiger sharks.
![DSCN1464](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2813/9506777130_8398ff765e.jpg)
Crab.
![DSCN1465](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2856/9506775248_8d723dd664.jpg)
Sea Cucumber.
![DSCN1468](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2862/9506769674_d9331299ef.jpg)
Cleaner Shrimp.
![DSCN1476](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7335/9506767868_48461e9b9b.jpg)
Anemone Clown Fish.
![DSCN1478](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2879/9503968015_3416b312f5.jpg)
Octopus hiding in the corner.
![DSCN1483](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5493/9506764372_dcc8d5a2ff.jpg)
Horseshoe crabs.
![DSCN1540](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2841/9503928437_2b81b3d010.jpg)
Batfish.
![DSCN1546](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7298/9503926535_37a4b8deaf.jpg)
Moray Eel.
![DSCN1560](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3772/9503917683_dd005e2e04.jpg)
A school of Grunts.
![DSCN1575](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7381/9503909881_a36ca801c9.jpg)
Sea Horses.
![DSCN1578](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3821/9506706342_96961f7570.jpg)
Sea Dragons.
![DSCN1584](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7409/9506704420_5120005fe3.jpg)
Sea Star.
![DSCN1484](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5494/9506762582_84b021290b.jpg)
The dolphin tour boat.
![DSCN1486](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3740/9503962517_94dc22736b.jpg)
Tampa Harbor.
![DSCN1491](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3687/9503960627_0a39748ac4.jpg)
A brightly-painted oil storage tank.
![DSCN1493](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5459/9506756564_e53d100d56.jpg)
A dry dock for ship repair.
![DSCN1504](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2844/9503950549_56ea04400c.jpg)
Downtown Tampa skyline from Tampa Bay.
![DSCN1499](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7394/9503954463_1f976cc64d.jpg)
Marker buoys. Because Tampa Bay averages only ten feet deep, channels for shipping must be dredged to a depth of 25-30 feet. The buoys mark the edges of the dredged channels.
![DSCN1505](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3740/9506746506_f4ebe8c2fa.jpg)
Several large artificial islands have been built in the Bay from dredge material. These are maintained as bird nesting refuges where humans are forbidden to land.
![DSCN1519](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7285/9503944655_220b329842.jpg)
A Brown pelican cruises low over the water.
![DSCN1503](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7290/9503952625_3a5ec94c60.jpg)
If you look close, you can see the dorsal fin of a dolphin that is riding the bow wave of this tugboat.