Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Public exploration center for Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

2300 Expedition Way, La Jollaaquarium.ucsd.eduJoined August 2008

2,549 Following

19.3K Followers

Birch Aquarium’s Tweets

Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

🪸 #BubbleCoral — This coral is made up of small round polyps that almost look like bubbles! These “bubbles” inflate during the day and deflate at night when the #coral extends its tentacles to capture drifting plankton for a midnight snack.

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Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

🐟 CA Moray Eel — Unlike most fish, #MorayEels have an extra set of jaws known as “pharyngeal” jaw. This jaw-some fish uses its front jaw to bite into prey, while its back jaw springs forward and drags the prey down the moray’s throat!

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Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

⭐ #SunflowerStar — The LARGEST of all #seastars, Sunflower Stars can have upwards of 24 arms when fully grown! These incredible invertebrates can get upwards of almost 40 inches wide — that’s about the length of a guitar 🎸

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Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

The celebration continues 🎉 Did you know a few animals are also celebrating their 30th anniversary at #BirchAquarium?! Dive in and learn about three amazing animals that have been with the aquarium since we moved up the hill!

🐢 Putting the finishing touches on Magdalena Bay habitat in Hall of Fishes ➡️ Present day featuring our rescued Loggerhead Sea Turtle

🐋 Did you know “The Legacy” was unveiled in 1996 and each whale is made of bronze? ➡️ The adult breaching Gray Whale is life-size and stands at almost 40 feet tall!

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Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Sep 12

🌿 So much work went into creating our two-story, 70,000-gallon Giant Kelp Forest. Check out a few snapshots of the construction ➡️ present day

🐟 What habitat is Associate Curator Fernando standing by back in 1992? ➡️ Sardines! Associate Curator Fernando stands in front of our sardines present day

🌊 Birch Aquarium at Scripps in final stages of construction in 1992 ➡️ Birch Aquarium at Scripps present day

Did you know this Friday, Sept. 16, Birch Aquarium at Scripps celebrates 30 years “on the hill”?! As we look toward this exciting milestone, we want to share a few throwback moments and memories with you all. Follow along the thread below👇

Congratulations! 🎉💙🔱

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UC San Diego

@UCSanDiego

· Sep 9

BIG NEWS! UC San Diego ranked third among the nation’s top public colleges, according to @Forbes 2022 America’s Top Colleges list. Overall, #UCSanDiego ranked No. 17 out of 500 four-year private and public colleges in the country. bit.ly/3RB8lc4 #AmericasTopColleges

Aerial view of Geisel Library at UC San Diego with text that says #3 public college, Forbes: America's Top Colleges 2022

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Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Sep 9

At first glance, you may think that this brilliant blue spot is an eye. But don’t be fooled! This little CA Two-Spot #Octopus tricks predators and prey alike into thinking the glowing blue #eyespot on each side of its head are its actual eyes 👀

Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Sep 6

Enjoy this moment of sea-renity 🌊 What’s your favorite view at #BirchAquarium?

Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Sep 4

Staring contest in 3 … 2 … 1 👀 #ShovelnoseGuitarfish are known to lie low in the sand, sometimes with only their eyes sticking out — their flat features and sandy coloration makes for the perfect disguise! #fishfacts

Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Sep 2

Need a way to cool off this weekend? Harness your inner Ornate Boxfish (pictured above) and swim on by #BirchAquarium 🐟 Reminder, this is the LAST weekend of summer extended hours! We’re open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through September 5. Reserve tickets: aquarium.ucsd.edu/visit/buy-tick

Birch Aquarium Retweeted

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

@Scripps_Ocean

Aug 30

The DIVERsity Fellowship Program at Scripps aims to make the diving community a more inclusive space.

spoke to

about the program, which supports a cohort of diverse students w/ #SciDive training. 🤿

spectrumnews1.com

New program promotes diversity in diving

Goal is to make scientific diving community more inclusive

Birch Aquarium Retweeted

AZA

@zoos_aquariums

Aug 29

Packed house for the First-Time Attendee Meeting! Top networking tip from Charles Hopper, COO

@Birch_Aquarium

, is to approach your conversations in an authentic way and get to know your peers for who they are. #AZA2022

Exciting News 🐙 #BirchAquarium was named one of the top #aquariums in the U.S. via

@USNewsTravel

We hope to sea you at the aquarium soon! Reserve tickets here: aquarium.ucsd.edu

travel.usnews.com

13 Top Aquariums in the U.S.

Witness sea creatures in their underwater environments at these amazing aquariums.

Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Aug 26

Crawling into the weekend like this #SunflowerStar ⭐Sea stars move and groove all along the ocean floor thanks to their many tube feet! #Seastars use hundreds of tiny #tubefeet — located under their arms — to feel, feed, move and stick to almost any surface!

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Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Aug 24

See that snout? Pipefish use their elongated snouts to suck in small crustaceans, shrimp and other plankton swimming nearby. This unique feature may look familiar, as #pipefish are closely related to #seahorses and #seadragons!

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Scripps Institution of Oceanography

@Scripps_Ocean

Aug 20

Vote for "Looking to Our Ocean for Climate Solutions" to present at

@sxsw

. Scripps Director

@Leinen4ocean

joins a panel to highlight the ocean's role as a climate change mitigator and to discuss the potential for ocean-based carbon dioxide removal ➡️ panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/127336

An aerial view of the Scripps campus and La Jolla shores

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Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Aug 19

Little penguin … BIG impact! Learn how we’re working with

@Scripps_Ocean

to better understand the challenges penguins face in the wild via

@SpecNews1SoCal

🐧

spectrumnews1.com

Little Blue Penguins helping scientists research pollution

The world’s smallest penguins are officially in San Diego

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Scripps Institution of Oceanography

@Scripps_Ocean

Aug 10

Vote for panels featuring Scripps experts to present at the

@sxsw

conference! Support our leading scientists by selecting their panels in the links below ⬇️

What has 8 arms, 9 brains and about 2,240 suction cups? Our #GiantPacificOctopus 🐙 Get a glimpse of our #GPO the next time you visit #BirchAquarium! You can find this #octopus in the Northwest Coast habitat in the Hall of Fishes. Reserve tickets today: aquarium.ucsd.edu

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Scripps Institution of Oceanography

@Scripps_Ocean

Aug 14

The Little Blue Penguins at

@Birch_Aquarium

are making a splash! 💦🐧

@WhoisQuade

stopped by the exhibit to learn more about the aquarium's newest residents for

@Scholastic

@KidsPress

. His key finding? "They’re living their best life swimming." Read more: bit.ly/3PeN1XW

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Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Aug 12

Here’s a fish fact for your Friday 🐟 See those spines? Tiger Rockfish have a series of defensive dorsal spines that run all along the top of their body. Be sure to find this fish on your next visit to #BirchAquarium ... hint it's in the beginning of Hall of Fishes!

Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Aug 9

Wonder how these baby seahorses get a grip? It’s thanks to their prehensile tails! #Seahorses use this unique tail to grasp and anchor themselves to surrounding sea grass, mangroves and sponges. Seahorses (and #pipefish) are the only marine animals that have a #prehensiletail!

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Scripps Institution of Oceanography

@Scripps_Ocean

Aug 5

Hope in a changing climate—a new coral study by Scripps scientists Jennifer Smith (

@SmithCoralReef

) and Adi Khen (

@adlysia_

) reveal their ability to recover from the threat of bleaching. 🪸 Learn more in this story from

@SpecNews1SoCal

spectrumnews1.com

New study gives hope that coral can recover

When water is too warm, corals will expel algae

Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Aug 4

Wonder what it takes to care for #LeopardSharks? Learn from members of our Husbandry Team about a recent routine check-up on our #sharks via

@lajollalight

Dive into the details below 🦈

lajollalight.com

Looking out for leopard sharks, Birch Aquarium completes their annual check-up

Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Aug 4

We’re launching a new Behind-the-Scenes Penguin Tour 🎉 Venture behind the scenes in our #Penguin Care and Conservation Center, meet #LittleBluePenguins, chat with a member of our animal care team and more! Registration is open and tours begin on Aug. 9: aquarium.ucsd.edu/experiences/pr

Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Aug 3

Want to stay up to date on the latest research over at

@Scripps_Ocean

? Be sure to subscribe to #Scripps very own digital science magazine

@Explorations

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Scripps Institution of Oceanography

@Scripps_Ocean

· Aug 3

Come for the science, stay for the sunsets.

Check out our digital science magazine @Explorations to keep up on the latest research at Scripps, see profiles of our scientists and students, and much more. Subscribe here: scripps.ucsd.edu/explorations

: @erikjep

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Scripps Institution of Oceanography

@Scripps_Ocean

Aug 2

A ship with zero-emission capabilities will soon join the Scripps fleet! 🛳️ Naval architecture & marine engineering co Glosten has been selected as the architect for

@UCSanDiego

's new California coastal research vessel. Read about the hydrogen-hybrid ship: scripps.ucsd.edu/news/naval-arc

Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Aug 1

Have you met our newest (and cutest) residents yet? Stop by Birch Aquarium and meet the world's smallest penguins the next time you visit San Diego!

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@UofCalifornia

· Aug 1

.@Scripps_Ocean is now home to penguins that weigh 2-3 pounds and are less than a foot tall. ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/feature/worlds

Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Aug 1

Mondays are for Mandarinfish While their bright coloration certainly stands out, #Mandarinfish prefer to lie low in coral reefs and lagoons while feeding on small invertebrates. #fishfacts

Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Aug 1

#SharkWeek is every week here at Birch Aquarium! Freshen up your fish facts with Dovi Kacev, a marine biologist and assistant teaching professor at

@Scripps_Ocean

🦈

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Scripps Institution of Oceanography

@Scripps_Ocean

· Jul 29

Say hello

to Dovi Kacev (@findingdovi), a marine biologist and assistant teaching professor at Scripps who is sharing his shark knowledge with us this #SharkWeek!

Follow along for answers to some frequently asked questions about these important top predators of the ocean.

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A man in a bright floral-print shirt stands on a research pier near the La Jolla coast.

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Five researchers on a small boat observe a Great Hammerhead shark in the Bahamas.

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Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Jul 29

Large numbers of #LeopardSharks congregate off #LaJolla nearly every summer. These local #sharks stand out thanks to their iconic saddle-shaped splotches. Recently, our Surfing into Science campers got the opportunity to observe these sharks while on a snorkel 🤿🦈 #sharkweek

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Scripps Institution of Oceanography

@Scripps_Ocean

Jul 28

Thanks to a schoolteacher's discovery, a rare ruby seadragon specimen is the Western Australian Museum's newest addition. The species was first seen alive by Scripps scientists just a few years ago. 🔍 Read more about the recent finding via

@ABCaustralia

abc.net.au

'It's really sparked wonder': Rare ruby seadragon specimen finds new home at museum

WA schoolteacher Annika Engstrom regularly combs her local beaches for rubbish, so she was shocked when she found the rare deep-sea creature instead.

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Scripps Institution of Oceanography

@Scripps_Ocean

Jul 26

As top predators of the ocean, sharks eat everything from sardines to seals...and more. Scripps marine biologist & shark expert Dovi Kacev (

@findingdovi

) discussed the diets of sharks & shark biology in "Sharks That Eat Everything" on

@disneyplus

. Tune in: disneyplus.com/movies/sharks-

A man in a shark t-shirt is interviewed about sharks.

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Dovi Kacev (He/El/Him)

Birch Aquarium

@Birch_Aquarium

Jul 27

This incredible team effort was a major success and each one of our sharks got a clean bill of health and were safely placed back into Shark Shores. Dive into the details of our leopard shark care in our most recent story: aquarium.ucsd.edu/blog/leopardsh

Scripps Institution of Oceanography and 2 others

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