The entry to the Birch Aquarium greets you with two whales leaping out of a
fountain, and another in mid-dive, tail still dripping water.
From here, visit:
| Sharks | Other Fish | Exhibits & Bookstore |
| Tide Pool | Other Sea Life | GoThere/San Diego |
| Nearby Hotels | Tours | Birch Aquarium Home Page |
The new aquarium is designed around a central
lobby with entrances to
the three main interpretive areas: (1) the Hall of Fishes with over
60 tanks, the largest being 70,000 gallons, (2) the Hall of Oceanography,
to our knowledge the largest display on oceanographic sciences in
the country, and (3) an outdoor plaza with a demonstration tide pool
and discovery station. In keeping with the aquarium's historic commitment
to science education, two seawater-equipped classrooms adjoin the
public display areas.
Four times the size of its predecessor, the Birch
Aquarium is a physical
reflection of the aquarium's expanded mission. The hilltop site provides
a spectacular overview of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
museum offer a window on global research projects being conducted in the Scripps
Institution of Oceanography laboratories and at sea with the
Scripps fleet. The aquarium displays, now expanded to include a gallery
on tropical marine habitats, interpret local organisms in the context
of the Pacific at large. The aquarium's 13,000-gallon shark reef exhibit
in the Robert Smargon courtyard is a highlight of the Birch Aquarium.
This tank, accompanied by interpretive panels on shark biology and
conservation, displays shark species that inhabit tropical reef habitats
including white tip and black tip reef sharks and wobbegongs. "Secrets of the
Seahorse" the Birch Aquarium's new 2,000-square foot interactive exhibition
allows visitors an up-close look at these intriguing animals. Guests can explore
the unique adaptations and biology of seahorses and their relatives, while
learning about the current threats to their survival, and what can be done to
conserve this diminishing creature.