Just for you Daniel!

In the deep sea area we found the Japanese Spider Crab. My darling nephew Daniel has been reading up on these animals, so we were all on the lookout for them when we came to the aquarium. I am sure that Daniel already knows quite a bit about them (He is a very good reader and researcher!!!), but here is what we learned. We learned that the Japanese Spider Crab is the world's largest living arthropod. It has a leg span that can reach up to 4 meters in length, that is 13 feet! It also has a long life expectancy, with some specimens living up to 100 years. Wow! This guy was not quite that large or that old, but he was neat. He was just hanging out at the front of the tank. The pictures are not the best, because the crab was part of the Deep Sea exhibit. This exhibit was dark and cold, just like it would be in the depths of the ocean. It was peaceful, but eerie. We got to see some great creatures, including ones that used bioluminescence! In other words, they had special chemicals in their bodies that made certain parts of them glow in the dark. It was a fun experience!