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Sharks, Penguins, and More

Formerly named the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, our city’s aquatic menagerie has been a local attraction since it opened in 1998. The aquarium features beautiful tanks filled with unusual species, a cool walk-through Lorikeet Forest, sharks, penguins, marine mammals and more.

Edie, fiberglass blue whale, at the Aquarium of the Pacific

Edie the blue whale

Meet Edie the Blue Whale

Enter the aquarium through a two-story entry hall dominated by Edie, a life-size, 88 ft. long anatomically correct fiberglass model of a blue whale, the world’s largest mammal. Right outside the aquarium you can catch a whale-watching cruise, with a good chance of spotting wild whales practically any time of the year.

Blue Cavern tank

Blue Cavern Tank

Past the whale’s tail, you’ll encounter the 142,000 gallon three-story Blue Cavern tank, which houses animals native to the waters surrounding nearby Catalina Island. This is the tank where Brennan and Booth found a skeleton in the Bones episode, “The Predator in the Pool”.

Then wander through two floors of fascinating tanks and exhibits. Don’t miss the sea otter, the leafy sea dragons (like sea horses but way cooler) and Peter’s personal favorite, the Sarcastic Fringehead. He’s not much to looks at, but what a ‘tude!

And don’t forget to pet a shark!

More Aquarium Creatures

Aquarium tank with yellow fish — Beautiful reef

Yellow fish at the Aquarium of the Pacific — Yellow fish

White sea dragon at the Aquarium of the Pacific — White Sea Dragon

White Jellly Fish, Aquarium of the Pacific — White jellyfish

Tide Pool, Aquarium of the Pacific — Tide pool

Visitors get a close look, Aquarium of the Pacific — Aquarium visitors

Star fish, sea anemone, Aquarium of the Pacific — Star fish and sea anemones

Star Fish, Aquarium of the Pacific — Star fish

Shark tank, Aquarium of the Pacific — Shark at the aquarium

Sharks at the Aquarium of the Pacific — Shark tank

Shark close up, Aquarium of the Pacific — Shark close-up

Sea otter, Aquarium of the Pacific — Sea otter

Sea lions, Aquarium of the Pacific — Sea lions

Sea Horse, Aquarium of the Pacific — Leafy sea dragons

Sea Dragon, Aquarium of the Pacific — Sea dragon

Pretty fish at the Aquarium of the Pacific — Purple fish

People and penquins, Aquarium of the Pacific — People and penguins

Orange Jelly Fish, Aquarium of the Pacific — Orange jelly fish

Moray eel, Aquarium of the Pacific — Moray eel

Jelly fish, Aquarium of the Pacific — White jelly fish

Great Blue Heron at the Aquarium of the Pacific — Great blue heron

Harbor seal, Aquarium of the Pacific — Harbor seal

Floating sea horse, Aquarium of the Pacific — Sea horse

Shark egg, Aquarium of the Pacific — Shark egg

Coral reef, Aquarium of the Pacific — Coral reef

Sea Anemone, Aquarium of the Pacific — Sea anemone

El Dorado Nature Center

On the east side of Long Beach, along the San Gabriel River, is the 800-acre El Dorado East Regional Park, first established in 1955. The park has picnic areas, three fishing ponds, a golf course and other attractions. My favorite is the 105-acre El Dorado Nature Center.

A Great Place To Wander

With more than two miles of trails, lakes, varied vegetation, a cool interpretive center and turtles!

Turle at the El Dorado Nature Center — Turtle basking *at El Dorado Nature Center*

This is a great place to wander in a semi-wild but friendly natural environment. Enjoy the sites and smells, the wildflowers, and assorted small animals.

Nature Center lake with palms — The pond is a beautiful feature of the reserve.

Read the Nature Center Web Site in Khmer

Check out the El Dorado Nature Center web site. You can read it in English, Spanish, Tagalog or Khmer!

The interactive interpretive center is filled with tactile displays. Don’t miss the display about the most dangerous animal in the reserve. Can you guess what it is?

What’s the Most Dangerous Animal in the Reserve?

Answer:

Humans

There are approximately 1.5 billion animals, for every one human on the planet. Even though we are greatly outnumbered we are still the most dangerous.