Mystic Aquarium

One of the most fascinating places in Connecticut is Mystic Aquarium! This is an aquarium that has a total of 10,000 animals, is a member of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums and is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In this post, I will be discussing its history, its various features, and the many animals they have there in hopes that it will convince all of you reading to want to go there someday. 

Mystic Aquarium first opened on October 6, 1973, as a privately owned corporation. The main shareholder was industrialist and philanthropist Kelvin Smith, who chose Mystic as the site of the aquarium due to the area’s scenic shoreline and rich maritime history. The aquarium has also seen several changes over the years. The first of these changes was in 1999, which was a $52 million expansion that saw the introduction of a 760,000-water gallon display that is home to beluga whales. Many other exhibits opened in the years that followed, including the National Geographic Society’s Crittercam exhibit, the Ocean Exploration Center that featured maps, diagrams, and models from Dr. Robert Ballard’s explorations of the Black Sea and the wreck of the Titanic. 

I will now be discussing the many features that are at the aquarium today, which are the exhibits and the animals.

The first exhibit at the aquarium currently is the Main Gallery. This exhibit is home to thousands of fish, has a central 35,000-gallon that features fish like eels and tangs, habitats that feature pufferfish, sea slugs, sharks, rays, jellies, giant pacific octopus, giant Japanese spider crabs, and a live coral reef ecosystem. 

The next exhibit is called Dino Seas: An Immersive Journey. This exhibit is one of the newest additions to the aquarium and will take you on an adventure to when dinosaurs were on earth. It consists of hands-on interactive experiences, animatronic undersea creatures and dinosaurs, two 4D movies, a two-story indoor playspace that consists of climbing challenges, interactive elements, and engaging activities, and live amphibians and reptiles. 

The next exhibit is called Ocean Solutions. This exhibit engages guests in exciting and innovative ways in which the ocean can help solve the global biodiversity and climate crises through the establishment of marine protected areas and the responsible use of renewable ocean energy.

The next exhibit there is the Marine Theater. This consists of a show that features the aquarium’s California sea lions. This is described as providing guests with educational information about sea lions with their entertainment in mind, while the sea lions will be exhibiting behaviors that are an important part of animal care and enrichment. 

The next exhibit is called Undersea Explorer VR. This is presented in partnership with Immotion and features four pods that include a virtual reality ocean journey that brings together thrilling and educational content with state-of-the-art technology. 

The next exhibits are their Interactive exhibits. The first part of this exhibit is a Discover Long Island Sound experience, which is an interactive exhibit that offers a comprehensive look into Connecticut’s largest and most significant natural resource. It also has a digital display, a 12-foot-long hands-on water table model that explains the functionality of watersheds, and chances to encounter and touch some of the region’s local species. The next part of this exhibit is a touch habitat that features sharks and rays, which is also something that I have seen at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk. The next part of this exhibit is called Covanta Cove, which is a claw game where the prize is a valuable lesson. In this game, you will use a joystick-controlled crane to move marine debris into the trash bin and clean up the habitat for the fish that live there. The last part of this exhibit is called Touch of the Tropics, which is another touch habitat that features cleaner shrimp, sea stars, urchins, and hermit crabs.

The next exhibit is the Marsh Trek. This exhibit allows you to experience local freshwater species up close and personal, walk along a 234-foot boardwalk, and see a variety of plants including scented pond lilies, broad-leaved cattail, floating pondweed, and climbing bittersweet.

The last exhibit is the Seal Pup Playspace. This is an undersea-themed playspace that is targeted towards children from the ages of 2 to 5 years old.

I am now going to discuss all the animals you can see at Mystic Aquarium.

The first animals you can see there are the ones the aquarium is most famous for, the beluga whales. The beluga whales here are the only ones in New England, and their size is between 12 and 15 feet, and they weigh the same as a male American bison.

 The next animals you can see there are African penguins. They are the only penguins to breed in Africa, and they are from islands along the coasts from Namibia to South Africa.

The next animals you can see there are California sea lions. There are a total of five sea lions at the aquarium, and much like the Maritime Aquarium, they all have names, which are Clara, Sakari, Pyp, Cali, and Maia. 

The next animals you can see there are Northern fur seals. As they have been classified vulnerable species, Mystic Aquarium is one of three facilities to care for Northern fur seals in America.

The next animals you can see there are sand tiger sharks. I have also seen the same type of sharks at the Maritime Aquarium.

The next animals you can see there are steller sea lions. These are animals that due to their size and rotating rear flipper, can climb rocks or cliff faces, which is something you can see them do in the Pacific Northwest habitat. 

The next animals you can see there are spotted seals. 

The next animals you can see there are harbor seals. I believe these are the same types of seals that are at the Maritime Aquarium, and you can also go to a 30-minute show where you can learn all about harbor seals.

The next animals that you can see there are nurse sharks.

The next animal you can see there is a giant Pacific octopus.

The next animal you can see there is a zebra shark.  The aquarium is home to a zebra shark that hatched from an egg in September 2022. When she was born, she was 11 inches long, but she is growing quickly, and while she currently lives in the shark touch habitat, she will move to a larger habitat when she gets too big. 

All the other animals at the aquarium that are mentioned on the website are listed under species, and I will be mentioning some of them briefly. 

There are six different types of sea stars at the aquarium. They are a regular sea star, a chocolate-chip sea star, a bat star, a leather star, a bay sea star, and a blunt spined sea star.

There are also seven different types of sea urchins at the aquarium. They are a Caribbean pencil urchin, a red imperial urchin, a black long spine urchin, an Atlantic purple sea urchin, a banded sea urchin, a rock boring urchin, and a purple sea urchin.

There is only one type of arachnid at the aquarium, which is a pink toe tarantula.

There is only one type of insect at the aquarium, which I have also seen at some of the other zoos and aquariums I have been to, a Madagascar hissing cockroach.

There are many types of amphibians at the aquarium. They are something called a caecilian, something called a golden mantella, and a variety of salamanders, newts, toads, and frogs.

There are many types of reptiles at the aquarium. They are a bearded dragon, something called a Saharan uromastyx, a variety of turtles, geckos, lizards, and snakes. 

There are many types of shellfish at the aquarium. They are a variety of shrimps, crabs, and lobsters.

There are eight types of sea jellies at the aquarium. They are a Leidy’s comb jelly, a comb jelly, an Atlantic Bay nettle, a crystal jelly, a Pacific Sea nettle, a moon jelly, and an egg yolk jelly.

As you can probably guess, the aquarium has more fish than any other species I have already mentioned. I will not go too much into detail here, as there are so many fish, but I will say have a variety of fish like sturgeons, eels, koi, catfish, seahorses, groupers, clown fishes, tangs, and stingrays.

There are also a few exciting events happening at the aquarium. The first event is Home for the Holidays – Lights Extravaganza. This will be happening on select evenings until December 31 from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM. The entire aquarium is going to be decorated in holiday lights, and the event will be taking place at the indoor and outdoor habitats. There are also going to be appearances from Santa in the mezzanine and other holiday characters in the courtyard. There is also going to be music in the main gallery on certain days at 6:00, and it’s going to be from the Mystic River Brass Ensemble, the Ledyard Carolers, the Stonington High School Brass Trio, Fitch High School Music, the Bacon Academy Carolers, SHS Chamber Choir, New London High School, Stonington Sax Ensemble, and Mystic Winds. 

The next event is happening in late January and early February and is called Mermaids at Mystic. It will be happening at the Caribbean Reef habitat and will consist of mermaids swimming among the sea life in the reef habitat and chances for you to have a meet-and-greet with them or take pictures with them.

Overall, there are many exciting things for you to see and do here. So, go ahead and go visit one of the best aquariums in Connecticut!