Monterey, CA: Aquarium bids jellyfish adieu

Get ready to say goodbye to the gelatinous jellies, departing the Monterey Bay Aquarium this fall. Sept. 1, 2008, is the last day of “Jellies: Living Art,” which has now run over 6½ years, during which time it has become the aquarium’s most popular exhibit.

The exhibition has showcased 25 jellyfish species over the years, including box jellies, moon jellies and flower hat jellies. These creatures are displayed alongside ocean-inspired modern and classical artworks, which include works from artists such as David Hockney and Roger Brown.

As awe-inspiring as the jiggling, pulsing, looming, glowing, completely bizarre-looking jellies might be, you might need other lures to get you up to Monterey Bay (need I mention the price of gas? I didn’t think so). Well, this aquarium is spectacular, in my opinion, with its large variety of creatures: sea otters, giant octopus, sharks, sea turtles and fish from all kinds of schools. It’ll cost you $24.95 per adult, $15.95 per child (3-12 years old).

Tip: If you can’t make it up to Monterey before the exhibition goes jelly up, check out the aquarium’s “Jellies: Living Art” Web pages, brimful with cool photos and some interesting factoids. Did you know that jellyfish (specifically, the upside-down jelly and the box jelly) live among underwater roots of mangrove trees in coastal mangrove forests? These forests, I learned, are among our planet’s most threatened habitats.

Contact: Monterey Bay Aquarium, (831) 648-4800

— Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Photo: Flower hat jellies; Randy Wilder / Monterey Bay Aquarium]

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This entry was posted on Monday, July 14, 2008 at 12:06 pm by Susan Derby and is filed under California, California's Central Coast, Eco-Travel, Family & Kids, Monterey Peninsula. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.