I recently went to Toronto's Ripley's Aquarium. Within 1.5 million gallons of water, the aquaria is home to over 20,000 kinds of aquatic animals from all over the world. There were kelp forest settings that mimicked the aquatic environments seen along the coast of British Columbia. To provide the right quantity of lighting for the aquatic creatures, the entire aquaria was darkened.
The whale skeleton and a massive globe were located at the aquarium's entrance. A short distance further on was a rotating fish tank, and the entire facility featured niches dedicated to various fish species, including cuttlefish and rougheye rockfish.
I also witnessed the cleaning procedure for the fish tanks, which involved sucking out the dirt with tubes. I saw unusual fish species, like Chinese sturgeon, Black ghost knifefish, and White grunt, in practically every size and with a variety of fin and colour combinations.
Subsequently, I noticed the starfishes idly resting on the objects within the aquarium. My favourite area of the aquarium was the whole tank devoted to sea anemones. I adored observing the movement of those sea anemones in the colours pink, green, red, and orange. I was able to tie my biology classes, where we were taught about the five kingdom classification, to the beauty I was viewing. I also came across some stunning peacock lobsters and sea urchins.
Additionally, I observed a variety of jelly fish species, including pacific sea nettle, moon jellyfish, and inverted jelly fish. In between were a few entertaining tasks like matching the species to its traits and discovering how reefs protect humans from natural disasters and coral farming. Information on each species was provided to visitors via screens and information boards.
There were also towering tanks filled with colourful fish species and aquatic plants that reached the top of the wall. After some time, I noticed that there were several fish that were camouflaged. The aquatic tunnel, another stunning feature of the location, appeared next. As I moved beneath the tube, I was surrounded by enormous sharks, flat fish, sea turtles, and other fish. My desire of seeing a stingray became reality when I saw this happy roughtail stingray (Dasyatis centroura) circling and gliding above me.
Additionally, a marine turtle was dozing off directly above the tunnel's base. A belt was in place that allowed people to stand and move slowly through the tunnel.
When I saw the royal-blue tang fish and the orange-white striped clownfish in the aquarium, it also made me think of the classic kids film "Finding Nemo." As I continued on, I noticed a massive electric eel and sea horses diving into the tank. I also saw the actual mechanism that maintains the water flow and pressure in the tanks are located almost at the end of the aquarium.
Sharks and sea turtles can be seen swimming in the large, open pool at the end of the tour. At the end of the aquarium was a souvenir shop that sold clothing, stuffed toys, and other merchandise related to aquatic organisms. I finished moving around the aquarium in around one and a half hours. I couldn't stop pondering and admiring the ocean's exquisite creatures, each possessing unique colours, patterns, and evolutionary traits. Seeing the many species and feeling like a little mermaid was a fun experience.
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