@birchaquarium.bsky.social
🐟 The o-fish-ial account of Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego
Close-up underwater photograph of a moray eel, illuminated in blue light, showing its textured skin, open mouth, and one large, reflective eye against a dark, speckled ocean background.
how your email finds us on a Friday afternoon ...
14.11.2025 21:52 — 👍 7 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Dozens of baby seahorses swimming among seagrass in an aquarium habitat.
Three baby seahorses are swimming.
Ever seen baby seahorses up close? Curious what it takes to care for these one-of-a-kind creatures? Book a Behind-the-Scenes Seahorse Tour and find out ⬇️
https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/events/behind-scenes-seahorse
A vibrant sea anemone and sea star on the ocean floor, surrounded by sand, smaller anemones and small rocks.
Close-up view of vibrant pink and white Strawberry Anemones.
Close-up view of two sea anemones with flowing white tentacles.
✨ with friends like these, who needs anemones?! ✨
Just beneath the surface lies a vibrant world teeming with life, from sea anemones to sea stars and so much more! Discover the wonder of these incredible creatures and explore the habitats they call home in Living Seas.
hidden gem of the mangroves 💎🦎
Emerald Tree Skinks are dazzling lime-green #lizards that are just as speedy as they are striking! They effortlessly zip through branches and expertly navigate the mangrove roots. Spot these #skinks hiding in the Mangrove Roots in Living Seas
🪼 Happy #WorldJellyfishDay! 🪼 From stunning Sea Nettles to magical Moon Jellies, an entire world of mesmerizing jellies awaits you in #LivingSeas at Birch Aquarium.
03.11.2025 19:25 — 👍 8 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
A Giant Pacific Octopus stretches and explores a rocky seabed surrounded by kelp in an aquarium setting.
A vibrant Giant Pacific Octopus with thousands of suction cups visible on its arms, stretches out in its habitat at an aquarium.
A biiiiig stretch for a big octopus 🐙 Think you’re flexible?! The #GiantPacificOctopus can squeeze through any opening just wide enough for its beak, about the size of a walnut!
01.11.2025 18:46 — 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Two scuba divers interact with a large skeleton suspended underwater in the Giant Kelp Forest habitat at Birch Aquarium.
Happy Halloween! 🎃 Please note that Birch Aquarium will be closing early today at 3 p.m. so our team can enjoy some tricks and treats with family and friends 👻
31.10.2025 15:57 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Guests interacting with a vibrant underwater-themed digital art exhibition.
Two guests engage with an exhibit at Birch Aquarium, examining a wall display filled with colorful algae pressings, detailed scientific illustrations, historical photographs and preserved documents that showcase marine research and ocean history.
A child explores an exhibit named "La Jolla Forest" featuring tall, blue and white striped cyanotype fabric installations, designed to mimic trees, at an aquarium.
📣 Last chance to dive into Embodied Pacific: Ocean Unseen! 🌊 This weekend is your final opportunity to experience this stunning exhibition before it closes to make room for our next adventure — Meditation Ocean: Aquarius Reef Base, opening Nov. 20, 2025.
📷: Long Truong
🪸 what’s a zombie's favorite type of coral? drop your guess below … if you dare! ⬇️
28.10.2025 15:48 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Gourd vibes only this #NationalPumpkinDay! 🎃
26.10.2025 15:24 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0🎃 gourd-geous 🎃
16.10.2025 20:38 — 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0the cutest pumpkin patch we’ve ever seen 🎃🥰
in case you were wondering … #LittleBluePenguins are so little that they do in fact fit inside of a #pumpkin
#penguin
A small, Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker with prominent eyes swims in an aquarium habitat with colorful blurred background.
Close-up photo of a special “sucker” on their underside of a Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker.
Pumpkin spice who? Real fans know PSL = Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker 🐡
These tiny, ping-pong–sized fish are covered in spines and sport a special “sucker” on their underside that helps them cling to rocks and other surfaces. Spot these little cuties in the Pacific Northwest section of Living Seas!
Two people participate in a beach cleanup, holding trash grabbers and buckets, with Scripps Pier in the background.
Two individuals wearing yellow t-shirts participate in a beach cleanup, using trash grabbers. Palm trees and beachfront buildings are visible in the background.
A family of four participates in a beach cleanup, holding trash grabbers and buckets, with Scripps Pier in the background.
Four people are seated under a canopy labeled 'Birch Aquarium Membership' at a beach cleanup event. The table in front of them displays informational pamphlets and cleanup tools.
Our hearts are full and our beaches are cleaner! 💙 Last month, #BirchAquarium members joined our Coastal Cleanup with I Love a Clean San Diego, removing 10 lbs of trash and 1 lb of recyclables. Thank you to our amazing members and team for supporting ocean conservation!
14.10.2025 16:07 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
A child watches a Loggerhead Sea Turtle glide gracefully through its underwater habitat at Birch Aquarium. Two large fish are swimming in the background.
🐠 Kids go FREE at #BirchAquarium this October! 🎉 All month long, enjoy one FREE child ticket (ages 12 & under) with the purchase of one full-price adult ticket!
🎟️ Reserve your Kids Free October ticket in the link below ⬇️ https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/events/kids-free-october
Two tiny red octopuses, only a few days old, showing early development of their red chromatophores.
Just in time for #WorldOctopusDay — baby Red Octopuses! 🐙 These California natives are growing behind the scenes at #BirchAquarium. Discover more about this exciting and historic milestone below ⬇️
https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/newsroom/birch-aquarium-celebrates-world-octopus-day-red-octopus-hatchlings
🧡The Life of a Show-gill 🐟
Guess you could say we’ve got a few fish in their orange era …
🧡 Garibaldi
🧡 Lionfish
🧡 Harlequin Tuskfish
💀 A skele-ton of fun is waiting under the sea 💀
A bone-afide new friend is making waves in our Giant Kelp Forest … come sea for yourself!
A Horn Shark swims in the Giant Kelp Forest at the aquarium.
Close-up photo of a Horn Shark swimming underwater.
When you go to open your phone camera and it's in selfie mode …
#HornSharks use their sharp front teeth to grasp prey and back molar-like teeth to crush the exoskeletons, spines and shells of their meal!
Promotional poster for RoboBattles event, featuring a LEGO® minifigure in warrior attire, with event details stating it occurs every Wednesday and Thursday in October from 2 to 4 PM. Logos of Birch Aquarium and UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography are also displayed.
🤖Get Ready for RoboBattles!💥
Design and build your own LEGO® robot and battle it out in head-to-head challenges at #BirchAquarium. Plus, discover how robots help Scripps scientists explore our oceans! Made possible by the Grant Imahara STEAM Foundation.
https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/events/robobattle
Halloween Aglow tickets are on sale! 🎃 Join us for a family-friendly celebration on Oct. 24 & 25 from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
🍬 Trick-or-treat around the aquarium
👻 Live music & games
🎃 Underwater pumpkin carving
🔮 Weird & wonderful ocean science
🎟️ https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/events/halloween-aglow
🐟 Celebrating a Decade of Leadership at #BirchAquarium! 🎉
This year, Executive Director Harry Helling marks 10 years of inspiring innovation, advancing conservation and transforming the aquarium experience.
🌊 Dive into his journey and discover how his vision continues to make waves ⬇️
Birch Aquarium is #hiring an Education Programs Scheduler!
🐟 Schedule school & public programs
🪸 Share program info & deliver top-notch customer service
🦀 Handle logistics & payments smoothly
🐠 Track attendance & support reporting
Apply Today!
A Little Blue Penguin is standing, flapping its wings slightly, with rocks in the background.
🔱 Hey Tritons! From now through Sept. 30, all @ucsandiego.bsky.social students can:
🎟 Get 1 FREE general admission ticket to #BirchAquarium
OR
🐧 Snag a Coastal Explorer membership for $19 (normally $89)
Grab this special deal below ⬇️
https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/events/triton-weeks-welcome
Do you want the #aquarium tour? 🐟
17.09.2025 17:34 — 👍 5 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Children sitting at tables in a classroom, smiling at the camera, with worksheets scattered around.
Children engage in a marine biology activity, examining sea stars and other animals at the aquarium.
Two children in a classroom examine a shark jaw while educational posters are visible in the background.
Dive into discovery with our NEW Marine Science Club! Led by expert educators, kids ages 8–10 will enjoy hands-on science, get up close with animals and more!
🪸Select Saturdays in Oct. and Nov. | 1 to 2:30 p.m.
🐟 $18 per child, per session
Reserve spot: https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/learn/camps
Two seahorses cling to a mangrove branch underwater with their prehensile tails, floating gracefully in an aquarium habitat.
🔎 eye-spy seahorses! #DidYouKnow seahorses can move their eyes independently, giving them an incredibly wide field of vision?
#TheMoreYouKnow
From their prehensile tails to their one-of-a-kind shapes, seahorses are full of surprises! If you’ve ever wondered what makes these tiny ocean wonders so special, our Behind-the-Scenes Seahorse Tour is the perfect way to find out.
Book Now: https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/events/behind-scenes-seahorse
You were SO close! Here are the final answers ⬇️
⭐ Sea Star
🐙 Giant Pacific Octopus
🌀 Giant Clam
🪼Moon Jelly
We’re leaping for joy over this #conservation milestone! 🐸 Learn more about our recent Mountain Yellow-legged #Frog release in the story below ⬇️
09.09.2025 15:33 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
