Photo courtesy Newport Aquarium
The brainless, boneless, free drifters of the sea have a new exhibit at the Newport Aquarium in Jellies: Go with the Flow. With seven habitats that hold more than 100 jellyfish in total, the new exhibit immerses guests in the beauty and grace of these ancient marine invertebrates.
Half a dozen species now call this exhibit home, from those with bioluminescence to others with beautiful, trailing tentacles. Visitors will learn about the movements of jellyfish and how they shape our ocean ecosystems.
Some types of jellies on display include the South American sea nettle, a species with a flowing tentacle that can grow up to 10 feet long. The upside-down jelly (yes, they actually live upside-down) is featured in a cylindrical habitat with a 160-degree view.
Also on display is the dwarf lion’s mane jellyfish—a species never before seen in the Cincinnati region. These jellies are often called ghost jellyfish because of their translucent appearance.
Jellies: Go with the Flow brings a new, custom-built, 1,700-square-foot permanent expansion to the Newport Aquarium. The 1,500 gallons of saltwater will be perfectly honed to the needs of each jellyfish species thanks to the expert water filtration team.
“All the exhibits that you see the jellyfish in are carefully designed to mimic everything they would get in the ocean,” says Chris Plant, Director of Animal Care at the aquarium. “All these tanks have very precise amounts of water flow, and all the water in these exhibits are very carefully monitored with our water quality monitors.”
In addition to the jellies on display in the tanks, visitors can also see aquarium staff working behind the scenes in the Jelly Lab. Four tanks look into the lab and display moon jellies in different growth stages—from polyp to adult— so you can follow their progress alongside the marine biologists.
“Our staff is propagating and growing jellies so that we can sustain our population of jellyfish right here at the Newport Aquarium,” says Plant. “We are also collaborating with other aquariums in our community to help sustain their populations of jellyfish so collectively we can create a very sustainable collection of jellyfish in North America.”
Jellies: Go with the Flow is included with admission to the aquarium and all membership reservations. The exhibit will open on March 21.
Newport Aquarium, 1 Levee Way, Newport, KY.
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