The Florida Aquarium

The Florida Aquarium is a 250,000-square-foot aquarium located in Tampa, FL. Rated among the best aquariums in the US, The Florida Aquarium welcomes visitors to experience a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial animals – including sea turtles, sharks, lemurs, otters – with the goal of building awareness and inspiring conservation action.

Bodies illuminated by the blue neon light, these jellyfish gracefully drift and bounce throughout the water in the aquarium's "No Bone Zone".

Resting on a log, this turtle is catching the Florida rays in the Mangrove Tunnel, an area of the aquarium dedicated to Florida-native wildlife.

Birds at the Mangrove Tunnel are, for the most part, free-range. Most animals, though prohibited, are within petting distance in hip-level units with no barrier for ease of viewing.

Two duck friends greeted guests of The Florida Aquarium at the entrance to the first exhibit!

This is a Roseate Spoonbill, often mistaken for being a flamingo due to it's rosy color and anatomy. From The Florida Aquarium website, "This species gets its pink color from its diet, which is rich in carotenoid-rich organisms like shrimp. Juvenile spoonbills are lighter pink in color. As they mature their plumage will develop into darker shades of pink".

A common sight in Florida, but a rare chance to get up-close. The Florida Aquarium has a handful of gators ranging from adults to little babies. They aren't too scary up close, in fact they are pretty cute, but be thankful for the reinforced glass between you and him!

How adorable are these baby gators soaking up the sun? There looks to be only 4 in the image, but they were all sleeping on top of each other, making this pile of prehistoric babies to be about 7 or 8 of them!

Lemurs? At an Aquarium? Why, of course! The Florida Aquarium houses a special exhibit bringing guests on a "Journey to Madagascar," and I can assure you that these little guys liked to "move it, move it"!

Don't tap on the glass! This striped fish had glistening skin under the blue aquarium lights.

The Florida Aquarium offers a rare experience diving into their largest tank filled with over 1,000 fish, including this Sand Tiger Shark!