Shark Rays

Ohio History

Swimming Shark Ray

The Shark Tunnel houses more than just sharks: two extremely rare Shark Rays named Sweet Pea and Scooter also make their home here. The rays have been raised at Newport Aquarium since they were little. They are stars, according to the signs, of the world’s only Shark Ray breeding program, located at the Aquarium. The rays seemed friendlier than the sharks, but also more delicate and gentle. Though the picture is a little hard to make out, these fish were big - seven or eight feet long with their tails. There were also several other smaller rays in the aquarium, including Southern Stingrays and Honeycomb Whiptail Rays.

Feeding Pole

Ever since they were little, Sweet Pea and Scooter were hand-fed by a diver every day in their tank. But as they grew, the Shark Rays began to push the divers around, even carrying a man six feet across the tank. Even though rays don't bite, I guess the divers didn't like the experience and decided to try a different feeding method. The staff have been trying to get the rays to come to the water surface instead to eat their food over the last few weeks. They use colored signs on poles, like the cross seen above, to associate food with a certain target for each Shark Ray. So far they've had very limited success; as you can see in the picture, the sharks were more interested than the Shark Rays. Hopefully, the rays will get hungry enough to come over and check it out!

Shark Tunnel

Ohio History

Shark Silhouette

Welcome to the Shark Tunnel, the most amazing spot at the Newport Aquarium! Three sections of tunnels, at least 50 feet total length, sent us down into the sharks' aquarium (without getting wet, of course!). It really felt like we were in the ocean! The sharks swam so gracefully, it was a very peaceful tank to watch. I especially enjoyed the last section of tunnel, where blue light danced through the water onto the sand below. You can see it in the photo above, underneath the shark silhouette.

Shooting Shark

This shark looks like he has something on his mind! The signs said there were Sand Tiger, Sandbar, Whitetip Reef, Blacktip Reef, Nurse and Zebra sharks in the shark tanks at the aquarium. Don't ask me which kind this is!

One of the tunnels even had a glass floor section, where you could be surrounded 360 by water (and sharks)! I can see where this exhibit got its name, Surrounded by Sharks!

Red Jellyfish

Ohio History

One More Jellyfish

There were a couple jellyfish all by themselves in a separate little tank. They were not transparent like the others, but naturally an opaque red/orange color I think. These jellyfish also had a bit more body and form. The neat thing was, back behind the tank there was a little viewing area. Sitting behind the aquarium, we could watch the jellyfish swimming and at the same time see the whole jellyfish room beyond it. It was a very unique experience.

Colorful Jellyfish

Ohio History

Floating Jellyfish

The large, round aquarium held jellyfish in literally every shape, size, and color you could imagine. In fact, each creature was constantly changing its shape, size, and color as it propelled itself around the tank. The long tentacles trailed gracefully out of their globe-like translucent bodies. It seems like it would be hard to classify jellyfish with names; maybe that's why the signs were so descriptive: "Colored Jelly" and "Moon Jelly" were the only names assigned to all the tanks of jellyfish.

Pink Jellyfish

See how translucent they are? What fascinating, beautiful creatures!

Jellyfish Tank

Ohio History

Jellyfish Globe

Walking into the Jellyfish Exhibit at the Newport Aquarium, it felt almost like we'd entered another world. This large, floor-to-ceiling tank, at least six feet across, dominated the room. Colored lights projected down into the tank, shifting and changing shades constantly. The color did not show in the water, but only lit up the jellyfish (which are ordinarily clear or white). They reflected every color of the rainbow as they drifted up and down and around the tank like floating balloons. It was mesmerizing to watch, although a bit harder to photograph! Around the outside of the room were other interesting aquariums, including tanks with tiny baby jellyfish. You can sure see the Artist's handiwork on these creatures!

Into the Amazon

Ohio History

Here is a peek into the Amazon tunnel! First you can see the strong current of water rippling overhead, full of swimming fish and rays. The light shining in on the surface looked just like sunlight glinting on the water. To the lefthand side in the tunnel was the fountain where the water came out. It looked like rapids washing down into the tunnel from the river. The Amazon is sure amazing!

Amazon Tunnel

Ohio History

A Peek into the Amazon River

Moving on, we passed through yet another tunnel: the jungle-filled waters of the Amazon River. The water was teeming with all kinds of fish, against a backdrop of coral reef and sand. The most interesting animals were the Rays; they looked like kites dipping and sailing in the wind. A Ray would glide down to the bottom, pick up a handful of sand in its mouth (a slit on the underside of the Ray, the white side visible in the picture), and then sift it slowly as it swam through the water. I don't know whether there was actually any food to be found in this sand or not.

Also in the top picture you can see the long, spotted Eel which seemed to slither through the tank. It was kind of eerie-looking! Below is a Puffer Fish which also lived in the Amazon tunnel. It was really a unique fish. But we couldn't get it scared enough to puff itself up!

Puffer Fish

The Alligator

Ohio History

Smiling Gator

May I introduce you to Mighty Mike, the king of the Aquarium's alligator exhibit! This whopping 14-foot-long, 800-pound reptile has been a highlight of Newport Aquarium for several years. In fact, it will be moving to another museum in a few months, so we were very happy to be able to see it! Although no one is sure, Mighty Mike is likely at least 50 years old. It eats 300 pounds of food each year, namely fish, rabbits, and (to my dismay) chickens!

Mighty Mike and the Boat Dock

According to the posted signs, Mighty Mike was an ordinary wild alligator which began living near a boat dock on Lake Talquin, Florida in 2000. Local authorities ordered it to be destroyed because, well, local residents did not really want an 800-pound alligator in their backyards. But a local trapper knew it was a unique alligator because of its large size. He captured it and turned it over to live a domestic life in aquariums around the country. Mighty Mike actually had a pretty nice aquarium, with an actual boat dock as the backdrop.