Myrtle Beach Vacation Part 6: The Aquarium

Besides the beach, there was only one other thing on my top priority list to visit while in Myrtle Beach - The Ripley's Aquarium.

I love aquariums. So relaxing and interesting to watch.

Moving through the long winding tunnel with the walls and ceiling completely being the aquarium itself was an amazing experience. I will probably never scuba dive in my life. I have no interest in swimming with the action of the mysterious waters, but the curiosity still remains. So an aquarium like this allows me to indulge that curiosity without it killing the cat.

Sam touching a Horsecrab.

Lethel Weapons is a killer exhibit at the aquarium - Literally. It features some of the most dangerous and deadly creatures of the sea.

For example:

The Fugu (blow fish) contains deadly poison in its organs which is fatal to a human being. Despite the risk, fugu sushi remains a delicacy in some Japanese restaurants. But it takes a specially trained and certified chef to serve it. One wrong cut of the knife can make the sushi deadly for a human to eat. Your life is literally in the hands of the chef if you ever eat fugu sushi.

The Moray Eel is aggressive, dangerous, and above all, real ugly! They like to sit around leaving their mouths wide open. Indeed not a very welcoming sight these creatures are. They have a second set of teeth resting in their throat waiting for prey to swim by. Once the moray eel secures its prey with its first set of jaws, the pharyngeal jaws from within its throat reach out and grab the prey, pulling it down through its esophagus.

This is a slugger shrimp (mantis shrimp). It uses its claws as boxers use their fist. With amazing force and speed, this featherweight champion can deliver a knock-out punch at the force of a bullet in just 2 milliseconds - 50 times faster than the blink of an eye. They use their club-like claws to smash the shells of their prey. It's a bullet-proof tank that houses this creature.

Be careful not to stand too close to this fish, which I think is called a surgeonfish. It has blades on the side of its tail that can extend out to stab its prey while it casually swims by. The prey never suspects a thing.

These are needle-spine sea urchins. I think they contain some kind of deadly poison. Truthfully and honestly, all I can really remember about them is their eye-ball like feature on the top of their body is not an eyeball at all but in actuality is their anus. Weird.

The clown fish made the Lethal Weapon exhibit. It has no dangerous qualities of its own but rather its what it is immune to that makes this fish dangerous for its predators - the anemone. For other fish, the flowering plant is deadly but to the clown fish, they cannot be harmed by its stings. For that reason the clown fish seeks its home and safety within the anemone.

The beautiful, fluid movements of the jellies. They are great to watch but never to touch!