Santa Monica Pier Aquarium is an aquarium

Aquarium

An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...

 in Santa Monica

Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 located beneath the Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica Pier

The Santa Monica Pier is a large double-jointed pier located at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California and is a prominent, 100-year-old landmark.-Pacific Park:...

, adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. Since 2003, it is operated by Heal the Bay

Heal the Bay

Heal the Bay is a U.S. environmental advocacy non-profit organization based in Santa Monica, California.Heal the Bay is dedicated to protecting California's Santa Monica Bay, a region of the Pacific coast encompassed by Malibu's Point Dume on the north and the Palos Verdes Peninsula on the south...

, a nonprofit organization

Nonprofit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

. It was formerly known as the Ocean Discovery Center and was operated by UCLA.

As Heal the Bay’s marine education facility, it is open to the general public and attracts more than 65,000 visitors from around the world per year (approximately 15,000 are students). This facility offers educational programs, activities and special events dedicated to marine conservation, pollution prevention, and environmental education.

The SMPA has numerous exhibits featuring marine life native to the Santa Monica Bay, including:

• Shark / Ray Tank
• Octopus Tank
• 3 Touch Tanks
• Crustacean Tank
• Phylum Discovery Tank
• Rocky Reef Tank
• Pier Tank (Under the pier environment)
• Kelp Forest Tank
• Sandy Bottom Tank

Species on display include:

Chordata Sarcastic Fringehead Sarcastic fringehead The sarcastic fringehead is a ferocious fish which has a large mouth and aggressive territorial behaviour. When two fringeheads have a territorial battle, they wrestle by pressing their distended mouths against each other, as if they were kissing. This allows them to determine which is the... Swell Shark Horn Shark Horn shark The horn shark is a species of bullhead shark, family Heterodontidae. It is endemic to the coastal waters off the western coast of North America, from California to the Gulf of California. Young sharks are segregated spatially from the adults, with the former preferring deeper sandy flats and the... Leopard Shark Leopard shark The leopard shark is a species of houndshark, family Triakidae, found along the Pacific coast of North America from the U.S. state of Oregon to Mazatlán in Mexico... Round Stingray Thornback Ray Black Sea Bass Giant sea bass The giant sea bass is a fish native to the northern Pacific Ocean. Despite its conspicuous size and curious nature, relatively little is known about its biology or behavior.... Garibaldi Garibaldi (fish) The Garibaldi or Garibaldi damselfish is a brightly colored orange fish of the damselfish family that is native to the North-Eastern subtropical parts of the Pacific Ocean, ranging from Monterey Bay, California, to Guadalupe Island, Baja California... California Moray Eel California moray The California Moray, Gymnothorax mordax, is a Moray eel of the family Muraenidae, found in the eastern Pacific at depths down to 40 m. Its length is up to 152 cm.They live up to 30 years old and have no pelvic, pectoral fins, or gill covers.... Giant Kelp Fish California Halibut Shiner Surfperch Blacksmith Cabezon Cabezone The Cabezon or also commonly referred to as the mother-in-law fish to Floridians, Scorpaenichthys marmoratus, is a sculpin native to the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America... Sargo California Scorpionfish Scorpionfish Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfish, are a family of mostly marine fish that includes many of the world's most venomous species. As the name suggests, scorpionfish have a type of "sting" in the form of sharp spines coated with venomous mucus. The family is a large one, with hundreds of members. They are... C-O Turbot Turbot The turbot is a species of flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae. It is native to marine or brackish waters of the North Atlantic, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.-Etymology:... Treefish

Arthropods Sheep Crab Kelp Crab Hermit Crab California Spiny Lobster California spiny lobster The California spiny lobster, Panulirus interruptus, is a species of spiny lobster found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Monterey Bay, California to the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexico. It typically grows to a length of and is a reddish-brown color with stripes along the legs, and has a pair of... Molluscs Mollusca The Mollusca , common name molluscs or mollusksSpelled mollusks in the USA, see reasons given in Rosenberg's ; for the spelling mollusc see the reasons given by , is a large phylum of invertebrate animals. There are around 85,000 recognized extant species of molluscs. Mollusca is the largest... California Two-Spot Octopus California Two-spot Octopus The California Two-spot Octopus , also known as the "Bimac Octopus", is an octopus species that lives off the coast of California. One can identify the species by the circular blue eyespots on each side of its head. Due to their friendly temperament and relative hardiness, they are considered by... Red Abalone Chestnut Cowrie Kellet's Whelk Giant Keyhole Limpet California Mussel Norris Top Snail

Echinoderm Echinoderm Echinoderms are a phylum of marine animals. Echinoderms are found at every ocean depth, from the intertidal zone to the abyssal zone.... s Bat Star Ochre Sea Star Brittle Star Purple Sea Urchin Sand Dollar California Sea Cucumber Cnidaria Cnidaria Cnidaria is a phylum containing over 9,000 species of animals found exclusively in aquatic and mostly marine environments. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that they use mainly for capturing prey. Their bodies consist of mesoglea, a non-living jelly-like substance,... Club-Tipped Anemone Tube Dwelling Anemone

Incident

In February 2009 the two-spotted octopus managed to manipulate the pipe connection that takes care of draining the water tank. Consequently a few hundred gallons of water flooded the visitor space.

External links

• Santa Monica Pier Aquarium website
• Heal the Bay website
• Meet the Locals, an advertising campaign for the reopening after renovations
• Aquarium of the Pacific
  Aquarium of the Pacific
  -External links:*...
  
  , another Los Angeles Area aquarium