Under the Sea

What do clown fish, green sea turtles and fluorescent jellyfish have in common?  Well, besides being in the animated feature Finding Nemo, they are also long time residents at the Monterey Bay Aquarium where we had our second large group field trip this year! After spending time in class learning about the different underwater habitats and animals that live in the ocean, we had the opportunity to solidify what we learned by going to one of the world’s most well known aquariums. It was an early Saturday morning in October as we boarded a special Google bus that took us down to Monterey.   After eating lunch, we were greeted by a very enthusiastic Monterey Bay Aquarium guide who led us into the aquarium where we caught a glimpse of the mysterious world of the sea. We split up into our teams and explored different parts of the aquarium from the giant kelp forest standing over 30 feet tall to the dark jellyfish exhibit where the only light provided was the light coming from the fluorescing jellyfish.  We saw creatures that ranged from the majestic Great White Shark to one of the ocean’s smallest creatures—the seahorse.  But perhaps one of the most enjoyable exhibits at the aquarium was the touch pool exhibit where we were able to feel the soft sea cucumbers, prickly sea urchins, and the elusively graceful bat rays.  However, the time came when we had to leave the world of the sea and come back to land.  We finally got back on the bus and said farewell to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. <object type="text/html" data="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?group_id=&user_id=72157628847477113@N02&set_id=72157628847477113&text=" width="450" height="400"></object>