BRICKLIVE Ocean is an immersive exhibition showcasing a fish-inating collection of hand-built brick statues, made from 1,328,371 plastic bricks that give a fin-sight into the mesmerising world of marine life and life under the ocean wave.

The 25 brick models combine family friendly entertainment with education, with the model collection including octopuses, whales, turtles, crabs, dolphins and sharks (real ones can also be visited at the Aquarium, which is home to one of Europe’s largest shark collections.) You can even learn how to dive in among them, for face-to-face interaction.

As well as the stunning brick models, the exhibition will also feature a range of hands-on activities and challenges for visitors to enjoy. Children and adults alike can get involved at building stations, creating their own ocean-inspired masterpieces.

There’s also a Brick Trail where visitors can explore the aquarium, fact finding while enjoying all the brick creations.

Phil Verbinnen, General Manager of Blue Planet Aquarium, said: “We are incredibly excited to host the BRICKLIVE Ocean Exhibition at Blue Planet Aquarium. This event combines the beauty of marine life with the creativity of learning through play with bricks and offers a unique and educational experience for our visitors.

“We can’t wait to see the joy and wonder on the faces of children and adults alike as they explore this incredible exhibition.”

With plenty more activities and events to do and see this summer, make a splash at Blue Planet Aquarium!

From supporting roles to the main characters, we’re convinced there’s no role that can’t be filled by a cute dog.

And over the years, there’s been many that have made a lasting impression. So how well do we all know the most famous furry friends? Let’s find out…

Our methods

We created a fun quiz where users were shown an image* of a famous pet from a cartoon, film, or TV show given multiple-choice answers to choose from. Whether they gave a ruff guess or were paws-itive of their answers, we found out just how good each quiz taker was at identifying some of the most famous on-screen dogs.

What did we find?

Over half of our quiz takers (51%) managed to get top marks, that’s 11/11 of the famous pooches! We reckon that deserves a round of ap-paws.

The rest of our users didn’t do too shabby either, since nearly three-quarters (74%) scored above 9, and 21% scored between 6 and 8 marks.

Something else that caught our attention was that 5 films and tv programmes from this quiz were Disney or Disney Pixar-owned, and 9/10 people answered these ones correctly. As the giants of the film and TV industry, we’d be pretty surprised if these weren’t the easiest to get right!

Want to see how well you know these famous pooches? Put your knowledge to the test by taking our quiz!

Warning: Don’t read any further if you don’t want to spoil the answers!

Still reading? Now that you’ve been properly warned, we’ll look at each question individually to see which was easiest, which most people got wrong, and which had the most variation in answer…

1. Let’s start with an easy one…which TV show or film is this cheeky chap part of?

Starting off strong, almost all of our quiz takers had no trouble recognising this famous pooch as being from the long-running cartoon series, The Simpsons. Less than 1 in 10 actually got it wrong!

First shown in 1990, this show has been going for over a quarter of a decade, so it’s no wonder that people know exactly who ‘Santa’s Helper’ is.

• Which film or TV show is this puppy from?

Since this is another one that’s been around for a while, it’ll come as no surprise that nearly everyone – 98% to be exact – got it spot on. Of course, it’s none other than ‘Slinky’ from Pixar’s Toy Story.

This loveable character was only mistaken by 2.5% of quiz takers, with 1.5% choosing Paw Patrol as their answer and less than 1% guessing Wall-E or Inside Out.

• Let’s try another cartoon…which film or TV show does this pooch belong to?

Keeping the cartoons going, our next question asked which film or TV show the comedy character ‘Brian’ is in, with the choices being Family Guy, American Dad, The Simpsons or Futurama.

Nearly 92% of people correctly identified him as a famous Family Guy cartoon character. And since he features in countless episodes of the series that’s been on our screens since 1999, alongside the Griffin family, it would be a really ruff deal if people didn’t know who he was!

• Now let’s try a real life puppy! What film or TV show is this dog from?

83% recognised this adorable real-life puppy from Frasier!

However, 7% thought this dog was from Everybody Loves Raymond and another 7% thought this dog was from the TV show Seinfeld. 3% also thought they recognised this dog from Friends. As one of the older shows featured in the quiz, it might be one that the younger generation is less familiar with.

• Where have you seen this cartoon pooch before?

Moving on to a much more recent cartoon, 88% successfully answered this question with Bluey. Although 8% might’ve gotten it mixed up with Paw Patrol, we’d say this is still pretty good going for the newest program in our quiz. Of course, it might help that it’s owned by Disney…

• This might be a tricky one…which film or TV show is this pooch part of?

Well, colour us impressed!

85% got this trickier question right, correctly answering that this pooch was part of Courage the Cowardly Dog. This cartoon pup is obviously much more popular than we realised, our bad!

• Where is this robotic dog from?

We see all of you Sci-Fi fans!

85% recognised the robotic dog as being ‘K-9’ from Doctor Who. Making his first on-screen appearance more than 10 years after the program started in 1963, he’s had several decades to make an impression on us. And it’s clear from this quiz that he’s done just that!

• Do you remember which throwback TV or film this pet is from?

This question received the highest number of correct answers, with an exact total of 98% of quiz takers recognising Clifford the Big Red Dog!

Only 2% got this wrong, with 1% saying the red dog starred in Garfield, 0.5% guessing he was in The Secret Life of Pets and just 0.2% choosing 101 Dalmatians as their answer.

Could this officially crown ‘Clifford’ as the most famous of our pooches? We think it might!

• Which film or TV show is this fluffy boy part of? 

89% recognised this loveable retriever as Dug from the film Up, which is definitely a respectable score.

But, if like the 7% of quizzers who got this wrong, you also missed out on watching this film, be sure to get the tissues out before pressing play. It’s a real emotional rollercoaster, but it’s a must-see!

• Which TV show or film is this funny-looking fellow from?

As the only Nickelodeon show to feature in our quiz, we were curious to see how well people knew this on-screen dog compared to the Disney and Pixar ones.

Although not the worst score, only 81% guessed Catdog correctly. Just under 1 in 5 got this wrong, with 10% thinking the dog was from Adventure Time and 7% guessed it was a character from the comedy series South Park.

• Finally, which film or TV show is this cutie from?

Brooklyn 99 fans, prepare to be disappointed.

While Cheddar is mentioned all the way through the show, only 65% managed to answer this one correctly. In fact, this was the lowest correct-scoring question of them all!

We guess we can let this one slide though, since he only made his first appearance in 2016 and isn’t really a main character.

To find out more about us at Blue Planet Aquarium or to book tickets for your next visit, visit head to our homepage.

*Quiz Images Source: Fandom

Because the life cycle of frogs is such an intriguing topic, we thought it would be fun to talk through the entire process from start to finish. By the end, you should be a certified frog life cycle expert!

The Four Stages of the Frog Life Cycle

Ready to take the leap into the four stages of the life cycle? Check out the image below for a quick look at the life cycle stages and what happens during each one.

Now that you have a good idea about what goes on in each stage, we thought we’d dive deeper into each one. From the physical changes they go through down to the food they eat, we’ll guide you through all the ins and outs of how frogspawn grow into adult frogs below. 

Stage 1: The adult frog lays its eggs

The adult frog will lay all its eggs together in the water to start off the cycle. These eggs float around in the ponds, lakes and rivers they were laid in, and often just look like a large mass of jelly from far away.

When the eggs are clumped together, they’re collectively known as frogspawn.

Did you know? Some species of female frogs can lay up to 4,000 eggs at a time! 

The frogspawn starts out as tiny black dots in a jelly-like substance. The jelly itself serves many purposes for the eggs. Not only does it keep the egg moist to help it survive, but it also offers a decent amount of protection from predators. 

The jelly also serves as a good source of nutrition for the first few weeks and helps them grow. 

Before hatching, their tails will begin to form within the eggs. Because of this, the tiny dot will become comma-shaped toward the end of the first stage of the frog life cycle. 

If you come across a patch of frogspawn in some water, try looking closely to see how old you think they are!

Stage 2: Eggs hatch into tadpoles

When the eggs hatch, they enter the second stage of the life cycle. By this point, they’re known as tadpoles.

When they first hatch and for the first 1-3 weeks afterwards, tadpoles will stay close to the water plants and grass. Tadpoles still can’t survive on land, so they’ll usually feed on nearby plants filtered by the water, as well as graze on small bites of nearby vegetation. Luckily, tadpoles develop gills very early on, allowing them to breathe underwater and swim around in their fish-like stage. 

Throughout this stage, the physical changes are much more obvious than they have been previously. Hind legs and a long tail will appear on the outside, while the lungs start developing on the inside. Frogs need lungs to be able to breathe out of the water, which they’ll be doing by the third stage. A layer of skin grows over the gills once their lungs begin working properly.

Over the next 14 weeks, the tadpole will do a whole heap of growing until it eventually becomes a froglet. Incredibly, tadpoles can control the rate of their transformation. In situations where they could be in danger from predators and/or environmental pressures, they can speed up the process to escape and move to safety. It also works the other way around – if the temperature is too cold, for example, they could delay their transformation for up to a year.

The final part of this stage is very quick, taking just 24 hours to transform completely from a tadpole into a froglet. Very impressive!

Stage 3: The young frog begins forming

At this stage, the froglet begins to resemble an adult frog much more closely. The front and back legs will have fully formed, and the tail will begin to shorten. The longer tail the frog had as a tadpole meant it could store nutrients to feed from at this critical stage.

The most exciting change at this stage of the life cycle is that the frog can now survive on land, thanks to its fully developed lungs. So, young frogs can dip in and out of the water as and when they please!

Now that they’re out on land, they start looking for food elsewhere. Their long tongues and sticky saliva are incredible for hunting bugs and insects, which now become their main source of nutrition.

Stage 4: The adult frog

It can then take another four years for froglets to mature into an adult frog. By this point, they’re much less reliant on water to survive, only needing to make sure they don’t dry out. They still like to dip in and out of ponds and rivers, though!

Of course, female adult frogs will eventually lay their own eggs and repeat the cycle. We think that’s toad-ally amazing!

Fun facts about the frog life cycle

• Unlike other frog species, poison dart frogs develop brightly coloured bodies to deter other animals from eating them.
• It’s thought that frogs have been around for over 200 million years. That would mean they were leaping around at the same time as the dinosaurs!
• Frogs don’t need to drink water because they absorb it through their skin.
• The lifespan of frogs can vary massively from just 2 years up to 10 years. However, some frogs have been known to live for longer than 20 years!
• The frog life cycle is a great example of metamorphosis, which just means that they change shape as they grow from frogspawn into adult frogs. This process is most often seen in amphibians and insects, such as butterflies.

Jumping for joy at the thought of visiting our wonderful Frog Zone? To learn more about our animals at Blue Planet Aquarium or to book tickets, visit our homepage. 

Thousands of marine animals worldwide have been affected by plastic pollution, including sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals. Therefore, Beach clean-ups are vital to mitigate the problem caused by ocean debris and the danger that plastic pollution poses to marine life.

Yesterday afternoon we teamed up with the lovely Caroline from Sharks Trust on a windy New Brighton beach on the hunt for shark and ray eggcases!

We found 118 Thornback Ray and 17 Small Spotted Catshark eggs!

FIVE reasons you should care about our ocean

1. The ocean regulates our climate and provides the air we breathe

The ocean produces over half of the world’s oxygen and absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere!

2. The ocean feeds us

The ocean and its biodiversity provide our global community with 15 per cent of the animal protein we eat. In least developed countries, seafood is the primary source of protein to over 50 per cent of the population.

3. It provides jobs and livelihoods

More than three billion people rely on the ocean for their livelihoods, the vast majority in developing countries. In many of those, ocean-based industries such as tourism and fisheries are key sources of income and jobs.

4. The ocean is a tool for economic development

The maritime economy is vast. Marine shipping accounts for trillions of dollars in trade. Ocean tourism is also valued in the trillions. Offshore energy, such as oil, gas, and wind, also make up the maritime economy.

5. We need a healthy ocean to survive

The Ocean is the heart of the planet. Water covers more than two-thirds of the Earth’s surface. The deep waters are home to some amazing wildlife and some of the biggest creatures on earth! It provides us with food, jobs, life, entertainment, and sailing!

Find out more about conservation here

What a Jaw-some first few days we’ve had!

There’s been lots of fin-tastic games and dancing from everyone! The team and Shakey the Shark are so excited to continue throughout the Easter Holiday’s

‘It is a great opportunity for children of all ages to get involved in important topics like habitats and conservation as well as dancing, winning prizes and having so much fun!’ Steff Cook, Guest Experience Manager

What’s in store?

 Bubble pop your way to cleaner oceans and safer habitats for sea creatures like our Sharks. Save the seas in the new Plastic Plastic Everywhere interactive game!

 There’s Some-Fin Missing! Can you pin our sharks missing fin? This game is played and loved by all ages and guaranteed to provide plenty of chuckles.

 Up for a game of Hide and Seek? we have a range of different habitat guessing games where you can win prizes if you guess them correctly! 

Each session will run for approximately 30-minutes, 4 times a day 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm.

What to find out how you can attend?

Oceans of Fun 3rd April – 14th April 2023

Say Hello to Steff Cook, who has recently been promoted from Visitor Services team leader to Guest Experience, Conservation and Education Manager.

Steff is responsible for ensuring the highest levels of guest satisfaction, daily operation of the front desk and liaising with any area impacting the guest’s experience.

Steff is one of our most busiest members of staff, planning, directing, and coordinating activities to ensure exceptional service is achieved.

In her new role Steff has already revamped the educational classes we provide and has introduced colour and camouflage classes to all key stages to include our venomous habitants. Steff has big plans for conservation this year including, sponsorship’s and working closely with our charity partnerships.

Steff says ‘I have always been passionate about conservation for as long as I can remember, education is incredibly vital in the fight against species decline. I am very keen to provide all of this in one for a brilliant day out for our guests’. Steff is our longest standing visitor service member and her team continue to follow her lead.

Steff’s education skills provides our school guests authentic opportunities for learning and gives early childhood centres, home educations and schools an opportunity to connect with the animals in a meaningful way. Steff provides operational support, training, motivating, and recognizing team members, encouraging them to thrive in their roles.

Exercising independent judgement and initiative, Steff carries out overall responsibilities such as respond to all guest concerns and guest satisfaction either in person, electronically or by phone.

After working in the Aquarium for four years and providing a professional upscale guest service experience in her previous role, we believe Steff will look after you more than anyone else could.

As it draws to an end, let’s dive in and take a look at what we have accomplished!

The room catered to nearly 1,000 visitors a day where they enjoyed many different Sharky crafts!

Visitors to Blue Planet Aquarium were ecstatic to see a whole room dedicated to crafts! look at our Tissue Paper art wall below:

“It is an creative and exciting experience for the children, they are so entertained with the all the fun sharky activities. Our guests are able to show off their artistic skills and were made up they could take their own extra special shark fossil home which they dug for themselves in our sand pits”. – Guest Experience Manager, Steff Cook.

Visitors are currently entering the colouring competition daily, all of the winners are receiving their prices and are happy to be returning back to Blue Planet Aquarium with their winning tickets. There are a few more days left to enjoy some craft activites!

Meet the Creepy Creatures…

Huntsman (Heteropoda venatoria)

Huntsman spiders are large, fast spiders which live in warm climates throughout the world. Huntsman spiders are venomous, and their bites can be painful to humans, causing localised swelling and pain. Some people may also experience headaches and nausea.

Chilean Rose Tarantula (Grammostola Rosea)

Chilean rose hair tarantulas are venomous. Their venom primarily helps them eat and is not known to be fatal in humans, but reactions can vary widely from person to person. These tarantulas are known for their docile and relatively slow-moving nature. They are located in desert and scrub habitats.

Social Spider(stegodyphus sarasinorum)

A social spider is a species whose individuals form relatively long-lasting aggregations. Whereas most spiders are solitary and even aggressive toward other members of their own species, some hundreds of species in several families show a tendency to live in groups, often referred to as colonies. 

Goliath Birdeater(Theraphosa blondi)

Although venomous with inch-long fangs, the Goliath Birdeater’s bite will not kill a person. It will, however hurt quite a bit, and has been described as somewhere between the pain of a wasp sting and hammering a nail into your hand. They are located The Goliath bird-eating tarantula lives in the rainforest regions of northern South America

Golden Poison Dart Frog (Phyllobates terribilis)

Meet the Golden Poison Dart Frog Phyllobates terribilis, suitably named because of the terrible consequences should you ingest any of their toxins!
Slightly over 5cm in size, these small amphibians are the most poisonous frog in the world!
The Golden Dart frog gets their toxins from their diet, such as ants and centipedes.
This species is endemic to Colombia and can be found in the leaf litter of rainforests. They are listed as endangered on the IUCN red list with populations decreasing due to extent and quality of habitat.

Did you know?
It is believed the Golden Poison Dart Frog can have enough poison to kill 10 grown men!

Giant Spiny Assassin Bug(Psyttala horrida)

It is the largest species of assassin bug in the world, These sturdy built insects are characterized by an elongated head, a large Rostrum and Antennae are long and thin. Although assassin bugs are generally not aggressive towards humans, they may bite if they feel threatened. Their venomous bites are intensely painful with some pain and swelling persisting for a day or two. In rare cases they can even cause anaphylactic reactions.

The process continues…

What’s coming next… can you guess?

Are you ready to face your fears in our Venom display? Plan your visit today!

Immerse yourself in the sounds of the rainforest, our tropical flooded river exhibit mimics the environment found in the Amazon. You’ll come face to fin with Giant Pacu, the often misunderstood Piranha and a new arrival… Discus fish also known as the King of The Aquarium!

Wild discus live in the margins of floodplains, flooded forests and lakes in the Amazon basin. For the most part these areas are away from the fast flowing river tributaries and are called ‘Lentic’ meaning slower moving. They are tall and thin (or ‘laterally compressed’) to help them navigate through tangled undergrowth and sunken branches. Angel fish have evolved into a similar shape for the same reason. Discus can grow to the size of small dinner plates, reaching a diameter of 25cm or more. It’s not known exactly why Discus got the royal title of ‘King’ but it is thought possibly due to their majestic deportment and colours.

It could also have something to do with the fact that they are considered by fishkeeping hobbyists to be one of the most difficult fish to keep. Here at the Blue Planet Aquarium we have found that our discus love clean water so we exchange 20% of their water every day for fresh, clean dechlorinated water. When old enough to breed, discus ‘pair off’, laying and then sharing the guarding of their eggs until they hatch. Once hatched, for the first couple of weeks of their lives, the young fry feed off the slime coat on their parents’ sides until large enough to eat other food. Unlike most other species of the Cichlid family, Discus enjoy the feeling of being in a large group.

At the Blue Planet aquarium, whilst their display may look crowded, this has been done purposely to make them feel safe. Underneath the display, out of sight, is a second large tank (called a sump) which contains another large volume of water and a large filtration system. The purpose of this is to ensure that they enjoy a clean, well oxygenated environment, much like their natural habitat. It is for the same reason that the display is kept at a constant 30oC (86oF); a few degrees warmer than many species of tropical fish. In the wild, with their small mouths and large bodies, discus feed frequently rather than all at once.

It is for this reason that our discus are fed three times a day with a meat based diet which also contains some vegetable matter. Discus’ natural diet is small Crustacea and vegetation and many years of research and experience has resulted in specialised commercially available equivalents.

Come visit these beautiful fresh water Discus Fish and see their amazing patterns for yourself!

Whether you’re a creative mastermind or a parent looking for some fun, crafts to keep the kids entertained this half term look no further! Enjoy a Tur-tely JAW-some day out at Blue Planet Aquarium, being mesmerised and amazed learning about our underwater world, the creatures that live there and enjoy an ar-RAY of sharky crafts!

Dive deep into our craft activities as you find out what is in store for you:

Shark & Crafts daily 13th – 17th & 20th – 24th February 2023, included in all entry tickets