The epic tale of a group of animals driving across the US on one big adventure. Not the plot of a new movie hitting theaters but some sharks, crabs, an octopus and a fish did make the journey from Newport Aquarium, Adventure Aquarium’s sister facility in Kentucky. Also, they can’t actually drive…so a group of biologists took care of that detail and they all traveled to AAQ together – with lots of highways and byways in between.
So, who made the trip? (Besides this lovely group of biologists, obviously!)
Group shot before hitting the road! #NewportOrBust
- 3 white tip reef sharks (2 males, 1 female), which will be swimming in Ocean Realm very soon (after hanging out in quarantine for a bit)
#AAQInsiderTip: The white tip reef sharks will be on exhibit later this month – you’ll be able to see them laying at the bottom of Ocean Realm similar to what our nurse sharks do in Shark Realm!
- 1 queensland grouper, which will also make Ocean Realm its new home
- 1 giant pacific octopus – Have you ever seen an octopus travel? Packing eight legs can be tricky! Check it out here (Shout out to Liz for rocking a Phils’ Howard t-shirt!).
- 2 giant spider crabs – They are just too cool
(FYI – The octopus and spider crabs will stay behind the scenes for now but they’re happy to be new residents of Adventure Aquarium too!)
Some highlights from the trip…
The crew drove through a snowstorm to get to Newport, hence this fancy Winter Weather Alert!
Erik found the ride very soothing…
Rachel and Kevin made sure the animals were safe and secure in our cozy trailer before heading to their new home!
AND…this also happened.
Oh, and we didn’t come empty handed. It’s always nice to bring a gift for the host at a party but instead of a nice bottle of wine and flowers, we brought Newport two redeye tree frogs and a hourglass frog as well as ten 30lb boxes of tilapia for guest-fave Mighty Mike, their White American alligators and their Arapiama. We also supplied a 50lb box of silversides for their Asian small clawed otters. The gifts that keep on giving, really.
So be sure to check out the newest Ocean Realm residents on your next trip to Adventure Aquarium and welcome them to the family!
Special thanks to Liz, Kevin, Rachel and Erik for taking great photos and video from their road trip! You guys rock! #TeamWorkMakesTheDreamWork
