Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

It's World Wetlands Day! Wetlands are areas of land that are frequently flooded with water...fresh, salt, or brackish (both). Types of wetlands include bogs, swamps, and marshes, such as this tidal marsh located next to the Aquarium called Salinas de San Pedro (San Pedro Salt Marsh)... These coastal salt marsh protect the coast by preventing erosion, protect the ocean by providing filtration of water runoff, and protect wildlife by providing shelter and nourishment. Wetlands are critical pieces of our environment! Protect your nearby wetlands by keeping storm drains clean, discarding of oil properly, and picking up debris - even if it's not yours!! * * * * * #cabrillomarineaquarium #salinasdesanpedro #worldwetlandsday #worldwetlandsday2021 #saltmarsh #tidalmarsh #tidalmarshbirds #littleblueheron #protectthecoast #protecttheocean See more

Join Cabrillo Whalewatch Naturalist, Bernardo Alps, on this photo journey to view the best whale watching in the world!

Who am I? And how can you tell?? Post your answers below...and tune in tomorrow to see how right you are, and learn more about me! * *... * * #cabrillomarineaquarium #cabrillobeach #marinelife #marinescience #marinefunfact #dyk See more

Enjoy a relaxing moment with our West Coast Sea Nettles... * * * *... * #cabrillomarineaquarium #portoflosangeles #portofla #parkproudla #seajelly #jellyfish #westcoastseanettle #Chrysaorafuscescens #momentofzen See more

It's Sand Dollar Sunday! Did you know that sand dollars are very closely related to sea urchins?!?! Don't they look like a flattened urchin? Take a look - here you can see they are also covered with spines - although they are very short on sand dollars, as compared to urchins! (Both in the Phylum Echinoderm, latin for spiny-skinned!) The star or flower pattern you can see on the top of the sand dollar are called petaloids, which are tiny holes (pores) used for gas exchan...ge. If you find a sand dollar "test" (like a shell, but actually the animals exoskeleton), take a look, and a bunch of , then toss it back in the water. Other animals will use its nutrients as it breaks down! Take only pictures and trash; leave only footprints! * * * * * #dyk #sanddollarsunday #funfacts #closeup #echinoderms #cabrillobeach #leaveonlyfootprints #lawaterfront #parkproudla Port of Los Angeles LA Waterfront City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks

Did you know #DYK that copepods are the most abundant animal in the ocean, making up 55%95% of plankton samples? They are a type of zooplankton and are an important link in ocean food webs. This is a Calanoid copepod. Most species of Calanoids are only .5mm to 2mm long, although the largest specimens can reach 18mm - a whopping .7 inches! ... Many large whale species rely substantially on calanoid copepods as a food source, including bowhead whales, sei whales, right whales and fin whales! Indeed!! Some of the largest animals in the world are dependent on some the small creatures to survive!