Kuroshio Sea is the main tank at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, on the Japanese island of Okinawa. When this video, shot by Jon Rawlinson and scored to Please Don’t Go by Barcelona, first went viral three years ago, the kid and I were both mesmerized while watching it.
The gigantic tank, which has a volume capacity of 7,500 cubic meters, affords views from multiple directions, for example, from the Aqua Room and through the large acrylic window. Only here can you enjoy the sight of never-before-seen groups of whale sharks and manta rays swimming in the ocean…
There are three whale sharks at the aquarium, the largest of which is named Jinta. Jinta which were transported into our Aquarium in March 1995, holds the world record for longest time kept in captivity now.
If you haven’t seen this yet, be sure to go full screen.
These Glaucilla marginata are blue sea slugs or nudibranches — soft-bodied, marine gastropod mollusks, according to wikipedia — from the east coast of Australia, but they can also be found along the east and south coast of South Africa, European waters, and Mozambique. The narrator also mentions that they eat “blue bottle” jellyfish, as they are immune to the venom.
A photo of their cousins, the Glaucus Atlanticus, has become popular online recently, with little surprise: they are phenomenal-looking, tiny, dragon-like sea creatures! The kid should see this!
The Robust Ghost Pipefish’s capacity for camouflage never ceases to amaze me!
We came upon this adult pair, the smaller is the male, first, out in the open, and then swimming near some vegetation in the predominantly mucky area that characterizes Secret Bay. Isn’t the likeness to the sea vegetation remarkable?
If you look closely at the larger one, you can see its mouth and eyes moving as it adopts its typical vertical, head downward orientation.
There’s a great collection of Ghost Pipefish photos here. Plus, another video of them from our archives.
via La Boite Verte.
