A Truly Pacific Place

Next time you are in Long Beach, California, pay a visit to the Aquarium of the Pacific, devoted solely to the Pacific Ocean and its diverse sealife. When you enter the lobby, you will find a life-size model of a blue whale. Then, you will find more than 12-thousand fish and mammals representing three regions of the Pacific.

A big draw is the predator tank: it is about thirty feet deep and holds 140-thousand gallons of water. There are 50 species and 150 animals in this tank, including sharks.

Other interesting species at the aquarium include the giant Japanese spider crabs. They grow to 15 feet and are the largest crustaceans. They were caught off the coast of Japan. Some other species were born in captivity, and some were sent over from rehab programs in other aquariums.

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