garibaldi - definition of garibaldi in English | Oxford Dictionaries Definition of garibaldi in English: garibaldi 1British A biscuit containing a layer of compressed currants. Example sentences ‘I have a friend, a sensible, rational creature, not outwardly generous, but happy to share a garibaldi if pressed.’ ‘I drank it and ate a garibaldi biscuit.’ ‘He made tea and I could hear him rustling through the cupboard under the sink for garibaldi biscuits.’ 2A small bright orange marine fish found off California. Example sentences ‘This bill designated the Garibaldi as the state marine fish.’ ‘The vivid coloration of the garibaldi may be an adaptation that serves as a warning to intruders or would-be predators that these territorial fish vigorously defend their property.’ 3historical A woman's or child's loose blouse, originally bright red in imitation of the shirts worn by Garibaldi and his followers. Example sentences ‘This garment consisted of a skirt, a bolero type of jacket with large, bell sleeves, and a Garibaldi blouse.’ Origin Mid 19th century: named after G. Garibaldi(see Garibaldi, Giuseppe).

Pronunciation Which of these words can be a verb? live Which of these words is a verb? clothe Which of these words is a verb? deify Which of these words can be a verb? attire Which of these words is a verb? intuitive Which of these words is a verb? retrieval Which of these words can be a verb? beat Which of these words is a verb? sheath Which of these words is a verb? grief Which of these words is a verb? diffuse You scored /10 practise again? Retry Most popular in the world Australia Form and Function: Sea Creature Shapes Examined | Dive Training Magazine Celebrating 25 Years My camera was set up with a relatively wide-angle lens but the sea lion was moving so fast and so unpredictably that I was not able to compose an interesting photograph. Every single time I was ready to trip the shutter, the sea lion moved out of my frame. The perfect moment was there to be captured, but it only lasted an instant before the sea lion darted away. Although I was a beginning underwater photographer, I had been teaching diving for several years by that time.

However, my credentials did not impress the sea lion enough to gain its cooperation, and 15 minutes later when it swam away I knew I had not shot a single frame that I would want to keep. Not one who is easily discouraged, I swam off in pursuit of another subject. It didn’t take long before I encountered a squadron of bat rays swimming through the kelp. As I tried to approach the rays I became frustrated by their ability to keep their distance from me without having to beat their mighty pectoral fins. Swimming as fast as I could, I could not close the gap to get the photograph I had in mind. Some 25 years later I face the same types of challenges every time I enter the water with my camera. A lot of wonderful marine subjects ranging from sharks and manta rays to garibaldi, groupers, angelfishes, squids and cuttlefishes have outmaneuvered me time and time again with apparent ease. Have you ever had a similar experience? Perhaps you were trying to take a photograph or maybe you were just trying to get a good look at a fish or other marine creature. But all you got was foiled.

You were outmaneuvered, outswam, out-thought and out of luck. In the end you were left to wonder how it is possible for so many creatures to be so much more efficient than divers when moving through water. My experiences caused me to consider the importance of body design in an animal’s ability to maneuver and swim fast. Why can some fishes and other animals easily outswim us, while others are relatively easy to keep up with? And how does their speed and maneuverability, or the lack of, relate to the general shape of their bodies and their lifestyles? Answering this question provides valuable insight into the lifestyles of various marine animals, and, in turn, this knowledge will help you better understand where to find different types of creatures during your dives. Functional Design The ability of a fish or any marine animal to get from place to place is a function of the successful combination of the creature’s shape, locomotive movements and adaptations. Two factors work against attaining speed in water. They are “drag” and “pressure resistance.” Superb swimmers have bodies that keep drag and pressure resistance from the water to a minimum.

Drag is the result of a combination of factors including shape, speed, the surface design of the animal or object, and the nature of the way water flows over that surface. Studies show that as an animal or object moves through the water, the faster the speed, the greater the drag. Pressure resistance is a consequence of a shape having to part and push water in front of a moving body while forcing the water to flow around the body. In general, the longer the body and smoother the flow of water along the body, the less resistance and the faster an animal can swim. Given this knowledge, it probably does not come as a big surprise to learn that torpedo-shaped fishes such as barracudas, tunas and wahoo are among the fastest swimming fishes. However, there is a fly in the ointment here. A slightly disrupted flow is better than a perfectly smooth, or laminar, flow if speed is the objective. Amazingly, dolphins, which are mammals — not types of fish — can alter the shape of their skin almost instantaneously at microscopic levels to optimize water flow characteristics and gain speed and efficiency. Common Shapes Clearly, there is a wide variety in the body “designs” of fishes.

However, similarities in the general shapes of many species allow specialists to recognize five categories of common shapes. These shapes are: Fusiform: More or less torpedo-shaped with a slightly rounded head and a long, thin tapering body. Examples include wahoo, barracudas, tunas and many open-ocean sharks such as blues, makos and oceanic whitetips. Generally speaking, fusiform-shaped fishes are the fastest swimmers. Laterally Compressed: Flattened from side to side, as is the case with angelfishes, filefishes, butterflyfishes and damselfishes such as garibaldi and sergeant majors. Dorsoventrally Compressed: Flattened from top to bottom, thus creating a wide, flat profile. Examples include stingrays, angel sharks, crocodile fish, and flatfishes such as halibuts, turbots and flounders. Attenuated: Long and thin, having a body diameter that is very small compared with the length. Eels provide classic examples. Eels grip the water with one side of their bodies and push with the other as they “ess” their way along. Just in case you are wondering, eels are fishes.

Sea snakes, which are reptiles — not fish — swim in a similar manner. Unusual: Each with comparatively few representatives such as sea horses, cowfishes, trunkfishes and boxfishes. People often have a desire to categorize wildlife by being able to place every body design, adaptation, and habitat, etc., into neat, distinctly defined piles because doing so makes our interpretation of the natural world much simpler. However, Mother Nature doesn’t always cooperate. In the case of fishes, most species demonstrate a combination of characteristics from the just-described basic body designs. Each combination provides the possessor with a different set of abilities that suits and helps define its particular lifestyle. Take many of the fastest swimming fishes as examples. Tunas, jacks, open-ocean sharks, barracudas and wahoo are generally fusiform, but their fusiform shape has been altered with a slight flattening from side to side. This design, combined with strong muscles and big, powerful tails, yields a variety of excellent shapes for the speed needed by top-end open-water predators.

Many large, predatory reef fishes such as groupers and sea basses are not necessarily fast, long-term swimmers, but they can go from a dead stop to full speed in about one-fortieth of a second. On the whole, groupers and sea basses are somewhat fusiform, but less so than the previously mentioned species. The generally fusiform shape of groupers and sea basses helps them attain speed, but their shape requires a broad, powerful tail to propel them through the water quickly. Fast-swimming sharks such as mako sharks, salmon sharks and great whites are also equipped with tails that are larger and stronger than the tails of many other sharks. Fishes with laterally compressed bodies tend to demonstrate high maneuverability. These fishes are designed to get into and out of the tight confines of a reef community to capture prey and seek cover in reefs that are filled with a latticework of crevices. Garibaldi, a damselfish that holds the distinction of being California’s state fish, blacksmith fish and butterflyfishes provide classic examples of species that are well-adapted for slipping into thin crevices to seek prey and to hide from predators.

Add an elongated snout onto the end of a laterally compressed body, as is the case with many butterflyfishes such as the longnose butterflyfish, and you have fishes that are superbly designed to hunt in the tight confines of a reef. The trade-off for being able to operate efficiently in tight quarters is that laterally compressed fishes cannot attain the faster swimming speeds experienced by fishes that display more fusiform shapes. Fishes with dorsoventrally compressed bodies such as the flatfishes commonly called halibuts, turbots, flounders and soles are well-equipped to maintain a low profile, and they can move almost unnoticed along the sea floor where they typically blend in well. The same is true of southern stingrays, bat rays, marbled stingrays, angel sharks and wobbegongs (also known as carpet sharks) and other bottom-dwelling rays and sharks. The greatly enlarged pectoral fins possessed by these animals help them “grip” the bottom and remain in place even in areas bathed by strong currents and heavy surge.

Many bottom-dwelling rays are able to propel themselves forward by beating, or undulating, their enlarged, powerful pectoral fins that divers often call “wings.” Fishes that have bodies that are rather long compared with their diameter are said to have an attenuated shape. This design helps minimize water resistance when these fishes swim. Eels and other attenuated species that have flexible bodies are also able to enter crevices that are inaccessible to animals that have a more “wide-bodied” design. Their shape helps give attenuated fishes a large selection of hiding places as well as increased ability to seek out prey in areas where hiding places are plentiful. Certainly there are lots of other unusual body shapes found in fishes that work well enough for species to flourish. Many of these species are comically slow swimmers, but a variety of adaptations allow them to be successful. Armor-plated bodies help cowfishes, trunkfishes, boxfishes and other relatively slow swimmers survive. Balloonfishes and pufferfishes, other oddly shaped species, are able to inflate their bodies by swallowing, thus erecting sharp spines to ward off threats. Camouflage and a relatively sedentary lifestyle help comparatively poor swimmers such as sea horses flourish.

With a little practice, you’ll be able to make surprisingly accurate “educated guesses” regarding where and how fishes and other marine animals live just by considering animals’ shapes, how they move and what you know about the art of locomotion through the ocean. More Ways of Getting Around While the general descriptions of the body designs of fishes provide an overview of the topic of locomotion in the ocean, it probably isn’t much of a surprise to learn that there are many other adaptations that help animals get around underwater. Obviously, animals like lobsters, crabs and shrimps walk on articulated legs, and they can propel themselves backward by rapidly tucking their long tails underneath their abdomen. Sea stars, brittle stars, basket stars, crinoids, sea urchins and sea cucumbers use a water vascular system and their tube feet to grip and walk across the substrate. Squid and octopods use natural “jet engines” to forcefully expel water from their mantle through highly directable organs known as siphons, thus pushing themselves through the water in the opposite direction. Octopods also can make their body into a wing shape and glide through the water. Of course, they can also use their eight arms to walk across the bottom.

Many bony fishes of all kinds of shapes possess an internal organ known as a swim bladder that they can fill with gas from their bloodstream to add buoyancy and make them more efficient swimmers, and they can absorb the gas almost instantaneously to subtract buoyancy. Snails, nudibranchs and many other mollusks secrete a trail of lime to reduce their workload as they pull themselves across the sea floor with their muscular foot. Strong flippers help propel turtles, sea lions and seals. Jellyfishes, the Portuguese man-of-war and salps are rather poor swimmers, and they tend to go wherever winds and currents dictate. The upper lobe of the tail of most sharks is larger than the lower lobe and this design tends to push sharks downward as they swim. The hammerlike shape of the head of hammerhead sharks has helped overcome this problem by providing lift like that provided by a wing. Of course, even this list is just beginning to describe many of the amazingly clever adaptations used by marine animals on the move.

Story and photos by Marty Snyderman Related Articles Ocean Conservancy: 10 Species You Might Spot in California's Underwater Parks 10 Species You Might Spot in California's Underwater Parks California’s new marine protected areas are creating an underwater menagerie. Tweet Leopard Shark - A harmless, and elusive fish, the Leopard shark can be found in the warm, shallow waters of California’s La Jolla Cove. Photo: Brian Gratwicke, Flickr stream, creative commons Garibaldi - The Garibaldi is the California state marine fish and is so bright that on clear days they can be seen from Laguna bluffs flashing through the water. Photo: Joseph Dovala Giant Sea Bass - Black sea bass are believed to live over 100 years, and reach lengths of 7 1/2 feet and can be spotted throughout the Italian Gardens on Catalina Island. Photo: King Damus, Flickr stream, creative commons California Sheephead - California sheephead favor rocky reef habitat and kelp forests, and Palos Verdes’ coastline has great quantities of this habitat.

Photo: Ed Bierman, Flickr stream Rays - Anacapa Island provides great habitat for bat rays, kelp and burying themselves in sand in order to surprise prey. Photo: Katie Strait Elephant Seal - Elephant seals are long distance travelers that migrate over 10,000 miles twice a year, returning to California beaches twice a year. Photo: Pat Ulrich Gray Whale - Each year more than 20,000 gray whales migrate to calving areas in the lagoons of Baja, Mexico. Big Sur and the Point Reyes Lighthouse are favorite viewing spots. Photo: James Dorsey Puffin - Tufted Puffins spend most of their lives far offshore diving to feed on fish, but may be seen with some regularity at the Farallon Islands. Photo: Ram Papish Sea Otter - Sea Otters are often visible from the shore of Monterey Peninsula, sleeping wrapped in fronds of kelp or foraging for food. Photo: Steve Zalan Blue Whale - Blue whales are the largest animals ever known to have lived on Earth and can be seen from Monterey Bay.

Photo: Ken Bondy California is creating a network of underwater parks, called marine protected areas , that are designed to help the state’s unique coastal species and ecosystems thrive, while at the same time providing access to people who want to enjoy the natural wonders of the coast. If you dive, snorkel, paddle or boat in one of California’s new underwater parks, here are 10 species you might find: La Jolla Cove: Leopard shark La Jolla is one of California’s best places to see leopard sharks, and in the summer, hundreds of these harmless fish may be present. Leopard sharks have the same shape and profile as other sharks but have distinctive dark spots on a grey or brown body. They range from 2 to 6 feet in size and frequent warm, shallow areas in rocky or sandy bottom. At La Jolla, you may find them in as little as knee-deep water. Laguna Beach: Garibaldi California’s marine state fish, the Garibaldi, looks like a giant goldfish. They are so bright that on a clear-water day you can see them in the kelp forest as you stand on the Laguna bluffs and look down on the water. You don’t even have to get wet!

These social fish freely interact with snorkelers and divers and will comically attempt to chase away much larger animals—including people—from the intricate breeding nests they build for breeding season. Italian Gardens, Catalina Island: Black giant sea bass Black sea bass are believed to live over 100 years and reach lengths of 7 1/2 feet. In 1910, conservationist Charles F. Holder said 800-pound individuals were being taken off Catalina, and he pressed for their protection. Historically, the giant sea bass was a popular commercial and recreationally fished species, but with commercial fishing of the species banned in 1982 and sportfishing banned in 1983, they appear to be making a slow comeback. Point Vicente/Palos Verdes: California sheephead California sheephead favor rocky reef habitat and kelp forests, and Palos Verdes’ coastline has great quantities of this habitat. The male is black with a white jaw and a broad red band that sometimes spans the body. The female is pink with a distinctive white chin. All sheepheads are born as females and eventually change to males at 18 inches.

Anacapa Island: Bat ray Bat rays are diamond-shaped members of the eagle ray family with long tails. They are graceful swimmers that frequent sandy areas near kelp and bury themselves in sand in order to surprise prey. Bat rays may reach almost 6 feet in length and weigh 200 pounds or more. Piedras Blancas/ Ano Nuevo: Elephant seals The northern elephant seal is the world’s largest seal, growing over 20 feet long and up to 8,800 pounds. But it’s their inflatable, trunk-like snout that gives them their name. Southern elephant seals can dive over 4,921 feet deep and remain submerged for up to two hours. These long-distance travelers migrate over 10,000 miles at a time, returning to California beaches twice a year. Big Sur and Point Reyes: Gray whales Each year, more than 20,000 gray whales migrate south from feeding grounds in Alaska to calving areas in the lagoons of Baja, Mexico. Frequently visible along the California coast, these giant marine mammals are best seen from highway turnouts in Big Sur and the Point Reyes Lighthouse.

Farallons: Tufted puffins These strange and vibrant birds are black, pigeon-sized marine birds with massive heads; heavy, bright orange or red beaks and feet; and yellow plumes, called tufts, behind the eyes. They spend most of their lives far offshore diving to feed on fish, but may be seen with some regularity at the Farallon Islands off San Francisco from April to September. Monterey Peninsula: Sea otters Sea otters are ocean-going members of the weasel family and the smallest marine mammals. Rather than insulating blubber, these creatures have extremely dense hair and consume great quantities of shellfish to maintain body warmth. Sea otters nearly went extinct due to harvest for their fur, and the current population numbers about 2,800. They are often visible from shore, sleeping wrapped in fronds of kelp or foraging for food. Monterey Bay: Blue whales Blue whales are the largest animals ever known to have lived on Earth. These magnificent marine mammals rule the oceans at up to 100 feet long and upwards of 200 tons. Their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant; their hearts, as much as an automobile.

Protect Our Vital Coasts With your help we can protect coastal habitats and wildlife, and the people and communities that depend on them. Garibaldi, Kelp Forest, Fishes, Hypsypops rubicundus at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Monterey Bay to southern Baja California At the Aquarium Behind-the-scenes with a fiesty fish "Garibaldis are a great fish—really cool, very personable, but very aggressive," says aquarist Scott Reid, who has managed the Aquarium's Kelp Forest exhibit since 2001. The same five fish have shared the exhibit since 2008, finding just enough room to live amicably. "If you hit a certain point where you have more garibaldis than territory," Scott says, "they'll start to fight it out." As long as they're not fighting, garibaldis are easy to care for. "They're really tough and hardy—not a fragile fish by any means," Scott says. They get much of their food by grazing on algae or sponges growing in the exhibit, occasionally joining the feeding frenzy when a diver offers krill during an afternoon feeding show.

Fiercely territorial, our garibaldis have been known to take offense when an aquarist gets too close. "They charge you and they make a grunting noise, kind of like someone making a burp," Scott says. "At first you don't know what it is, and then you put two and two together and you realize you're being charged by a garibaldi." Because garibaldis are uncommon around Monterey, the Aquarium staff heads down to Santa Catalina Island ("garibaldi central," according to Scott) once a year to look for new additions. "We go down in September when the water's warm," he says. "They're so numerous and so bright that you can see them from shore." Natural History A fish with attitude Garibaldis are round, plump fish with flowing pectoral and tail fins, and staring yellow eyes. Swimming through dark reefs and brown kelp, they're a jolt of glowing orange, a reminder that garibaldis are relatives of coral-reef damselfish. Juvenile garibaldis are deeper orange, with sparkling spots of blue and blue-trimmed fins. These vividly colored fish are extremely territorial, and have even been known to charge our aquarists.

They occur as far north as Monterey Bay but are especially common in the warmer waters of Southern California and the Channel Islands. Up to 40 garibaldis, and their territories, can exist within an area the size of a basketball court. The fish eat sponges and algae that grow around their rocky homes as well as small animals such as tubeworms, nudibranchs and bryozoans. Their diet of sponges may contribute to their bright colors. A tidy patch of algae Much of the work of raising babies is handled by the male. Upon becoming an adult, a male garibaldi picks out a promising stretch of reef—a sheltering nook plus a smooth expanse of rock wall—where he will live for the rest of his life. Each March, males work feverishly to tidy their nest areas, by removing debris, carrying away sea stars or urchins that wander along, and biting away all the plant growth except for a few species of red algae. These he trims so they're about an inch long—perfect places for thousands of eggs to rest. Loops and throat-thumping Once a male's nest is perfectly trimmed, the next challenge is attracting the attention of female garibaldis.

Beginning in April and lasting until fall, females ready to lay eggs make outings to look for good nests. They signal their interest by swimming with their fins sticking straight up. Males try to entice these females over by swimming loops with their bright orange bodies. At the same time, they thwack together the teeth in their throat to make a thumping sound that (they hope) the female can't ignore. If she takes notice, he swims straight over to his nest, hoping she will follow. Females are very choosy, often visiting 15 nests or more before making up their minds. Popularity contest In the end, it seems to make little difference how well tended a male's nest is or how well he swims loops. Females are reluctant to lay their eggs in an empty nest—they look for a nest with eggs from at least one other female (and up to 20 females). This means male garibaldis have to work hard to attract their first females; after that, many others come—sometimes lining up to lay eggs at a popular nest. Females are also picky about the age of the eggs in a male's nest. They prefer to deposit theirs alongside other freshly laid, bright-yellow eggs.

Garibaldi eggs hatch in two to three weeks, so eggs with just a few days' head start would hatch earlier and have an advantage over younger hatchlings. In a bizarre turn of events, males sometimes eat the older eggs in their nests (gulping down 200 at a time), gambling that they'll attract even more females in the next day or so. Trespassers will be bitten Male garibaldis are fiercely protective of their territories and they don't get sentimental after attracting a mate. As soon as a female has laid her eggs, the male chases her away before she has the chance to munch on any other eggs in his nest, then fertilizes the eggs by scattering his sperm over them. He also chases off any other creatures that venture too close, including divers. Garibaldis have a clear idea of exactly where their territories end, and two males may be seen peacefully grazing less than two feet apart—as long as each remains on his own turf. Female garibaldis tend to be less protective of their territories, perhaps because they contain no eggs. Territoriality seems to be tied to the rocky reef—periodically, garibaldis gather without drama in the waters above the reef.

These "kelp socials" seem to be a way for garibaldis to investigate each other and may help females choose their mates. What's in a name? In the 1840s, an Italian named Giuseppe Garibaldi decided to start wearing bright-red shirts as part of his personal style. He went on to fight for the reunification of Italy, became a general and died a national hero. So when biologists discovered a brilliant red-orange fish cruising the rocky reefs of California—one that sallied out to bare its teeth at any intruder—they knew exactly what to name it. Conservation Garibaldis have a restricted range—they're found from Baja California to Monterey Bay and nowhere else in the world. Within that range their populations are stable. They are especially numerous in Southern California's warm waters and much less common around Monterey. Because of their appealing looks and bright colors, garibaldis are popular aquarium fish, but it's illegal in California to collect them or keep them without a permit. The garibaldi is the state marine fish of California. Related Live Cam PPT - The Life of a Garibaldi!!

PowerPoint Presentation - ID:206045 They don’t eat meat What do they use to get their food? There teeth are not sharp They don’t use anything from their body to catch their food, but their teeth. What is their favorite thing to do? Be beside their food They like to relax themselves What type of relationship do they have? They have a good relationship with groups of garibaldi. When the father brings the food to their little fish they have a good relationship. What other places are they found? No other place because they are used to cold water They are found in the Pacific Ocean (Catalina) they are found in salty water they are also found near rocky shores Can they eat bigger food than algae and barnacles? No, because their teeth are not hard enough They are not used to opening their mouths that wide It could be hard to chew It might not want to eat it Is it related to a human? Yes, it is related to a human because it has a heart, blood, eyes, mouth, etc. Is it illegal to Kill the Garibaldi? Yes its illegal to kill garibaldi They are the only bright orange fish in California. They are the California state fish.

Georgia Aquarium Georgia Aquarium Introduction Georgia Aquarium Home Depot magnate Bernie Marcus wanted to give a gift to his adopted home town of Atlanta and the world in 2001 by conceiving the Georgia Aquarium and funding $250 million dollars of the project. Additional funding for each of the six original exhibits came from SunTrust (Georgia Explorer), Southern Company (River Scout), Georgia Pacific (Coldwater Quest), The Home Depot (Ocean Voyager), AirTran(Tropical Diver), and AT&T (Deepo's Undersea 3D Wondershow). Coca-Cola donated the land for the aquarium, part of Pemberton Place, and UPS donated animal-related shipping charges. The physical creation of aquarium was handled by Jeff Swanagan, former CEO of the Florida Aquarium . The aquarium opened in 2005 with more than 100,000 aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates and some mammals (otters, for example). Additions have raised the number of creatures to 120,000 today. The aquarium's innovative 4R program (Rehabilitation, Responsibility, Rescue, Research )is designed to give back to the community that created it.

By becoming a positive force in the health and well-being of the aquatic community world-wide, Georgia Aquarium experts are already playing important roles in medical treatment, conservation, saving animals in wild and captive areas, and making contributions to the areas of ecology, marine studies and scientific knowledge of aquatic life. History At a news conference on November 19, 2001, Bernie Marcus announced his plans to "thank the people of Georgia" for 20 years of support for Home Depot. Through his philanthropic arm, The Marcus Foundation, he would give $200 million to build the Georgia Aquarium. The amount was later raised to $250 million to offset funding shortfalls. When originally planned in 2002 the facility was to be 430,000 square feet with some 50,000 species. By the time the aquarium opened in 2005 it was nearly 500,000 square feet with 100,000 species. Since then 50,000 square feet have been added and the number of species has increased to 120,000.

Deepo, a garibaldi damselfish (sometimes simply called garibaldi fish), hosts the Undersea 3D Wondershow has been the mascot for the aquarium since August 8, 2005. Living examples of the damselfish are easily spotted in Coldwater Quest. World's Largest Aquarium When the Georgia Aquarium opened on November 21, 2005 to annual pass patrons it immediately claimed the title "The World's Largest Aquarium." Inside the facility were nearly 8 million gallons of water in over 100 tanks. The largest by far is the 6.3 million gallon salt water tank in the Ocean Voyager exhibit. To originally create the habitat, Aquarium experts mixed 1.8 million pounds of " Instant Ocean " On October 3, 2009 Planet Shark opened. A $100 million dolphin exhibit is scheduled to open in Fall, 2010. Notable deaths Norton In June, 2005, Marcos and Swanagan "shocked" the aquatic community with the announcement that they had purchased a whale shark, the largest known fish, to swim in the Ocean Voyager tank.

Eventually, four whale sharks (Ralph, Alice, Norton, and Trixie) would inhabit the tank. However, whale sharks do not fare well in captivity and both Ralph (January 12, 2007) and Norton (June 13, 2008) died. Taroko and Yushan were flown in from Taiwan and arrived on June 1, 2007. Two beluga whales (Nico and Gasper) arrived at the Georgia Aquarium on October 17, 2005. Gasper was euthanized following a long illness, predating his arrival in Atlanta on January 2, 2007. Nico died unexpectedly on October 31, 2009. Some marine biologists and the ASPCA point to these deaths and consider the aquarium's whale shark and beluga whale programs ill-advised. Exhibits A central hall joins the five distinct exhibition areas within the aquarium. Each of the five exhibitions, (beginning from your left as you enter the Aquarium) Georgia Explorer, River Scout, Coldwater Quest, Ocean Voyager and Topical Diver features the aquatic life of a specific aquatic region of the world.

The central hall also has a "food court" and two gift shops. The Beyond the Reef Gift Shop, next to Tropical Diver and Deepo's Undersea 3D Wondershow also serves as the building exit. Discover Our Coast Georgia Explorer The entrance to Georgia Explorer is at the stylized lighthouse, a hard left when entering the aquarium. Probably the most interesting creature in Georgia Explorer is a small hammerhead shark known as a bonnethead. Found from North Carolina to Brazil, the bonnethead, relatively harmless to humans. The bonnethead is in a touch pool (sometimes called a "petting tank") with cownose rays under the lighthouse. Another interesting display in the Georgia Explorer covers the invasive red lionfish, a native to the coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. While it is right at home in the Tropical Reef, the lionfish has begun to replace native fish and changing the makeup of our coastal waters. Past the touch pool a coastal trawler occupies much of the floor, with exhibits to the sides of the boat. Georgia Explorer is also home to Loggerhead sea turtle exhibit, one of the animals the aquarium is actively involved in helping in its 4R program.

Another exhibit focuses on Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, a near shore live-bottom reef 17 miles off Sapelo Island. The Aquarium works with Sanctuary supervisor NOAA to provide educational programs about research and exploration of the Sanctuary. A short film about Northern right whale is shown in the Georgia Explorer Theater. Exit the theater to the rear for a second touch pool (also accessible from the main exhibit) and stairs to the whale slide. Unlike the other aquarium exhibits, the Georgia Explorer is a free-form exhibit without a defined path. Other fish in Georgia Explorer Brown shrimp | Flathead mullet | Florida pompano | Forbesâ sea star | Goliath grouper | Hermit and Horseshoe crabs | Lookdown | Robust redhorse sucker | Vermilion snapper | Yellowmouth grouper River Scout Freshwater Mysteries After the Georgia Explorer, a large "rock" formation attracts visitors to River Scout. Here a series of tanks, some of which are connected by an overhead river, explore exotic species of animals from around the world.

Most visitors to the Georgia Aquarium will be familiar with steely-eyed stare of the American alligator, in one of the tanks kept separate from the Overhead River, but how many are familiar with the red piranha and electric eel from the Amazon River in Brazil or the nocturnal electric catfish from the Nile River in Egypt? While rivers can have dangerous species throughout the world, they also house some of the most beautiful, like the colorful cichlids, Altum angelfish and splash tetra from South America and Africa. Watch for yellowbelly sliders (common Georgia turtles), brim (bluegill) and crappie known by every Georgia fisherman. At the end of River Scout is an exhibit of Asian small-clawed otters, one of the few mammals in the Georgia Aquarium. Leaving the River Scout, Coldwater Quest is to the left (clockwise) after the planned entrance to the Dolphin exhibit coming in Fall, 2010.

Other fish in River Scout Amazon milk frog | Arapaima | Arawana | Bigmouth buffalo | Black | Bowfin | Channel catfish | Discus | Elephantnose fish | Emerald tree boa | Longnose gar | Pacu (or Tambaqui) | Poison dart frogs | Red-eared slider | Shovelnose sturgeon | Smallmouth buffalo Coldwater Quest The Chilly Unknown Ice-covered rocks and a "stone arch" mark the entrance to Coldwater Quest, where an 800,000 gallon tank, the aquarium's second largest held Beluga whales named Gaspar and Nico. This loop is also home to the Garabaldi damselfish, which became the stylized mascot of the aquarium, Deepo. Coldwater Quest opens to a large room with one large viewing portal for the lower portion of the beluga whale tank and four smaller tanks. Watch for sea otters, sea stars (commonly called starfish), spider crabs, the Pacific octopus and a photographer's favorite, the Leafy sea dragon. Follow around to the back of the tank (on the ramp to the upper view of the Beluga whale tank) for a second view of this tank.

As the ramp makes its first 180 degree turn there is an outside viewing area with sea lions which the aquarium rescued and penguins (recently returned to exhibition in the "Penguin Plunge"). Continue on to the upper viewing area for the aquarium's 800,000 gallon tank. The exit for Coldwater Quest is on the second floor. Use the ramp, stairs or elevator to return to the first floor. Other fish in The Chilly Unknown Bat star | Copper rockfish | Fish-eating anemone | Giant | | Longspine snipefish | Painted greenling | Purple sea urchin | Strawberry anemone | Sunflower | Swellshark | Weedy sea dragon | Wolf-eel Journey with Giants Hammerhead in Ocean Voyager Ocean Voyager has the largest tank within the Georgia Aquarium, a 6.3 million gallon behemoth that's 30 feet deep in places. The tank houses the whale sharks (Alice, Trixie, Yushan and Taroko), the largest species of fish in the aquarium.

There is a small viewing portal as you enter Coldwater Quest, but the highlight of the aquarium has got to be the 100-foot tunnel through the whale shark tank reminiscent of the 60-foot Shark Encounter at Sea World in Orlando. Among the other sharks visible from the tunnel are reef sharks, Great hammerhead sharks, Sand Tiger Sharks, Sandbar sharks, and Zebra sharks. Of course, there are many species besides sharks in this tank. Watch for the familiar trapezoid form of the Manta Ray. Nandi and Tallulah are the only manta rays to be housed in the United States and are predominately black on top with gray markings. Underneath they are mostly white to gray. When Nandi and Tallulah feed they execute backward somersaults to catch and eat their food in their wide mouth on the bottom of their body. From the tunnel, the path follows around to a theater-style portal where aquarium personnel can instruct groups of school children who are normally seated to one side so that others can still enjoy the view.

The Ocean Voyager portal is the second largest in the world, 23 feet tall, 61 feet wide and 2 feet thick, with limited seating in the rear of the viewing room. Friends Other fish in Ocean Voyager Black blotched fantail ray | Blue tang surgeonfish | Bluestriped grunt | Bowmouth guitarfish | Crevalle jack | Crimson snapper | Giant grouper | Giant guitarfish | Golden trevally| Green sawfish | Grey snapper | Humphead wrasse | Largetooth sawfish | Leopard whipray | Longfin batfish | Porkfish | Potato grouper | Spotted Wobbegong | Tasseled wobbegong The Coral Kingdom Pacific Sea Nettle The Pacific Reef exhibit is the centerpiece of this gallery and contains both live (nearly 70 types and more than 750 specimens) and artificial coral, while smaller tanks allow the aquarium staff to manage and display the diverse aquatic population of tropicall waters. The Pacific Reef, the largest living reef in the United States, is housed vertically in a tank with a unique curved viewing portal, allowing more room for the fish living in the tank.

The most important part of this display cannot be seen - it is the micro-flora and fauna that are the foundation of healthy coral. Communities of more than a hundred garden eels mark the bottom of the Pacific Reef tank, waving in the water as if they were grass to capture small animals and eggs in the current. Watch for the green and orange mandarinfish and the Longsnout seahorse as it propels itself through the tank. The oldest living animal in the aquarium, a sea whip, can be found here. In 2009 the sea whip was at least 21 years old. A separate 3-tank exhibit holds the jellies (jellyfish) where the translucent moon jelly rises and falls as does both the Atlantic and Pacific sea nettle.

Other fish in Tropical Diver Bartlettâs anthias | Bird wrasse | Common cuttlefish | Forceps butterflyfish | Giant clam | Longnose butterflyfish | Neon goby | Palette surgeonfish | Pharaoh Cuttlefish | Radial firefish | Scalefin anthias | Squarespot anthias Deepo Georgia Aquarium mascot Deepo is the Georgia Aquarium's garabaldi damselfish mascot, and in this 3D show aimed at teaching kids about the impact man has on the ocean as Deepo explains the problem of pollution to a corporate spokesperson transformed into a fish. A rousing rendition of Aretha Franklin's "Think" sums up one singing sea turtle's (named "Searetha") belief on how to solve the problem. The film is 12 minutes long, and is worth seeing at least once. The theater holds 250 people and when the show lets out the Beyond the Reef Gift Shop tends to become crowded. Impact The impact of the Georgia Aquarium's 4R has been felt worldwide from releasing sea turtles on the Florida coast the captive rescue of Nico, a beluga whale.

According to the Atlanta CVB during its first 3 years the Georgia Aquarium attracted 11 million people to downtown and allowed more than $4 billion in new construction spending. The aquarium parking deck 5-story parking deck adjacent to the aquarium with an entrance from northbound Luckie St. The top deck of this garage is in full sun. Georgia Aquarium

Question: What type of creature is a Garibaldi?
Answer: Fish