Explore Coral Reefs this Summer

May 21, 2021

The Aquarium’s newest exhibition and program focusing on coral reefs is re-debuting this summer after only being on view for three weeks last year. Coral Reefs: Nature’s Underwater Cities showcases the beauty and diversity of coral reefs and their animal residents in the Aquarium’s newly reimagined Tropical Pacific Gallery. Visitors are able to learn more about coral reefs, the threats they face, and what you can do to help save them.

The Aquarium is also featuring a new show in its Honda Pacific Visions Theater, giving visitors the opportunity to experience a virtual dive and see coral reefs up close. This new original show is playing daily in Pacific Visions. Guests can also enjoy the new Paint a Fish interactive that allows you to digitally paint a fish and then send it to swim in a virtual exhibit on the wall of the art gallery.

The Coral Reef exhibits also feature new animals, like a green sea turtle, flashlight fish, and many species of tropical fish. Visitors also have the chance to meet a red-footed booby, one of only two of these seabirds at a zoo or aquarium.

Coral reefs are some of the most biodiverse areas on Earth. They are home to a dense network of ocean animals, just like our cities. Each species plays an important role in the health of the reef, and climate change threatens this intricate system of life.

At the Aquarium this summer, explore coral lagoons and learn how they function as animal nurseries. Find out how corals rely on algae living in their tissues for food. Meet the powerful parrotfish, which eats coral and algae by scraping and chomping with their teeth. Find out how humans benefit from coral reefs as economic drivers, important sources of food and medicines, and coastal protectors. See corals and other reef residents that possess the fascinating qualities of bioluminescence and fluorescence. And finally, learn how scientists, environmental stewards, and Aquarium staff members around the world are working to restore coral reefs.