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

The Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) is regarded as the largest known species of Octopus. They have an average arm span of around 4m across and weigh in at roughly 50kg. They can grow even larger, with a deceased GPO being found in the wild weighing a whooping 272kg!

Giant Pacific Octopus habitats

Native throughout the Pacific, they inhabit the intertidal zone to depths of 2,000m. They live mostly in the benthic zone (at the bottom of a body of water). Preferring cold, oxygen-rich water. Areas such as California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Russia, Japan and Korea.

Cephalopods & Molluscs

Giant Pacific Octopuses are Cephalopods, which are active predatory molluscs, such as octopuses, Squid, Cuttlefish, and Nautilus. Molluscs are invertebrates with soft unsegmented bodies, many of which have an external shell. The likes of Snails, Slugs, and Limpets.

The word Cephalopod comes from the Greek language, it literally translates to “head foot” in reference to how its many arms connect directly to its “head” or mantle.

Curiously, Giant Pacific Octopuses actually have a shell, in the form of two small plates within their head.

Octopus Beaks

They also have a beak made of chitin, the same substance as insect exoskeletons and fungi cell walls. They use their beak to kill and eat their prey, as well as self-defence if required. Like all octopuses, the Giant Pacific is venomous, injecting venom into their prey through their beaks. However, it’s worth noting only the Blue-ringed Octopus venom is dangerous to humans.

Defence mechanisms

Giant Pacific Octopuses also have the ability to cloud any threats in ink. The ink is toxic and even deadly to the Octopus itself if it doesn’t have adequate water flow to clear it.

Masters of disguise

Giant Pacific Octopuses and other cephalopods are also fantastic at camouflage. Just below their skin, they have special cells called chromatophores. Chromatophores allow them to quickly change the colour of their skin. Which helps them to seamlessly blend into their environment, mimicking such things as algae-covered rocks and even seaweed!

Giant Pacific Octopuses are nocturnal, reducing the risk posed by predators. They need these varied defence mechanisms to help thwart the attempts of predators to eat them. Animals such as seals, sea otters, sharks, large fish and even human beings all consider the Giant Pacific Octopus food.

The “Hearts & minds” of Giant Pacific Octopus

Octopuses have 3 hearts, two that pump blood across the gills and one that circulates blood around the body. The blood they pump is blue, unlike our red blood. This is because it uses a copper-based protein called hemocyanin to transport oxygen around its body, unlike our iron-based haemoglobin. Octopuses breathe by drawing water in through the gills within their “Mantle” and out through holes behind their eyes.
If you thought 3 hearts was impressive, wait until you hear how many brains they have! Nine! That’s a main central brain within the mantle and a smaller “brain” at the base of each arm that can control each independently.

Life span and reproduction

Giant Pacific Octopus live an average of 4-5 years in the wild, despite this they are considered one of the longest living octopuses. Reproducing tends to be the last thing they do.
After mating, females lay an awful lot of eggs, around 100,000. Usually, this is in a cave or hidden deep at the bottom of the water. The females live there for 7 months watching over the eggs, without leaving them. Not even for food. They even gently move the eggs to ensure enough oxygen reaches them. When they hatch each of them is no bigger than a grain of rice. Growing nearly 1% a day.

Giant Pacific Octopus intelligence

Giant Pacific Octopuses are highly intelligent, being able to solve puzzles and mazes. They display a working memory of space over time, ranging in different directions to hunt for prey each night and remembering their way back home. Displaying emotions and personalities, even playing with toys.

Fortunately, Giant Pacific Octopuses are still rated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The main threats they face tend to be over-fishing as bycatch. They’ll enter fishing pots to take advantage of trapped fish and tend to get stuck. Despite the fact, Giant Pacific Octopuses can squeeze their body down to sizes limited by how big their beak is.

Tags: Blue Planet Aquarium, Giant Pacific Octopus, Octopus

What to expect from birthday parties at Blue Planet

Birthday parties at Blue Planet really make a splash! Have up-close encounters with animals that you wouldn’t regularly meet (unless you’re an annual pass holder!) in a unique setting. We’ll break it down for you step by step!

Arrival at the aquarium

When you arrive a dedicated member of our Guest Experience team will meet you. They will help you get your group together as they arrive. If you haven’t already sent it ahead, they’ll take the kid’s food order and your cake (if you have one) and place it safely in The Nautilus Kitchen.

Birthday Parties on tour!

Once you’re all gathered. Your Guest Experience team member will take you on a guided tour of the aquarium. They’ll provide you with insight and you’ll learn about the animals on your way around. They can answer any questions your party-goers might have!

Your chance to feed the fish!

As part of your Birthday party package, the birthday child will receive food to feed some of the fish in the aquarium, depending on the day either the Cichlids of Lake Malawi or the Mullets in Rock Pools!

Aquatheatre time

Take a seat in front of our huge Aquatheatre window and prepare yourself for the show! One of our Guest Experience team members will teach you all about the ins and outs of our divers, their gear, the Sharks, the Stingrays, and other fish. Then they’ll step back to let you watch as the dive team target feed the huge Stingrays and scatter feed the giant shoal of colourful fish in our Ocean Exhibit.

Explore our 71m Shark Tunnel

Step onto our moving walkway and experience the 71-metre long underwater tunnel through the Ocean Exhibit. You’ll come face to face with giant Sand Tiger Sharks, cheeky Nurse Sharks, massive Stingrays, swift Blacktip Reef Sharks, spotted Zebra Sharks and a huge range of colourful and wonderful fish!

Time to party

After your guided tour, you’ll be led to your area in The Nautilus Kitchen. Take a seat at your table, right in front of the windows into our Reef Exhibit, home of Sharks and Stingrays. There, food will be served, parents can grab a coffee and we can light the candles and bring out your cake! (If you have one). When you’re done, you’re free to explore the aquarium, play on the outdoor playground or as most do, explore the Shark Tunnel again!

An annual pass for the birthday child!

As our gift from Blue Planet for arranging your birthday party with us. We give the birthday child an annual pass! Letting them visit the aquarium for free 364 days of the next year! (We close on Christmas Day).

The details

Birthday parties are £15.50 per child, they come with one free adult. Any other adults that wish to enter the aquarium for the party will be charged £15.50. Seating is provided for parents waiting to pick up their children. Only kids will be provided food as part of the cost. Full terms and conditions are available.

All prices are subject to change and up to date information can be found on our Birthday Parties page.

Tags: Blue Planet Aquarium, Birthdays

Meet Dave. He has a very important job. He is the Curator of Blue Planet Aquarium.

What is a Curator?

Firstly, it might be worth us asking the question, what is a Curator? The dictionary definition is “the custodian of a collection.” That’s exactly what they do in Blue Planet. The Curator oversees the well-being of all the animals at the aquarium and is directly responsible for our team of aquarists and divers.

What does a Curator do?

So, with that answered we can move on to what a Curator does. Day-to-day, it’s ensuring the animals are healthy and well cared for. Their enclosures and tanks are kept in the best possible condition. Provide enrichment and stimulation to ensure the animals are happy. All while coordinating a team of aquarists or animal care professionals to achieve these aims.

Animal Welfare

The animal residents are the number one priority in every decision Blue Planet make. The role encompasses a lot, it certainly keeps Dave busy. One day he may be removing stitches from a Copperhead Viper that has recently had surgery, the next he may be putting on his scuba gear to look after the Sand Tiger Sharks in our Ocean Exhibit. It’s safe to say the role is central to the running of the Aquarium.

Want to be a Curator?

I asked Dave what his advice would be to anyone looking to become the Curator of an aquarium. “It’s important to study animals in further education, as well as useful skills that are important to the role, such as plumbing.”

He goes on to say “Jump at every opportunity to gain experience within the animal industry. I worked with lions for two years and learnt a lot of transferable skills. It’s very important to have a passion and commitment to animal welfare.”

Exciting and challenging

Curators can face pretty unique challenges. Imagine if you had to transport a shark across the country, set up a temporary quarantine home for it and then ensure it is fit and healthy enough to join its friends in the exhibit tank. Where would you even begin? Well, these are the sort of things Curators need to consider. The rewards are pretty great though. Take a look at Dave the Curator, releasing Dave the Sand Tiger Shark into our massive Ocean Exhibit tank.

Tags: Aquarist, Aquarium, Blue Planet Aquarium, Curator, Zoology

Scuba divers of Blue Planet Aquarium

If you’re like me, you may be curious about what Scuba Divers in a place like Blue Planet Aquarium actually get up to. Being in the fortunate position of already working in the aquarium, I asked if I could help the dive team for a day. In this post, I’ll share what I learned throughout the day.

Dive supervisor

I followed Sophie, one of our divers who was “Dive Supervisor” for the day. This means she was the person responsible for that day’s diver activities, records, and diver safety. Being a diver at Blue Planet is quite a varied job and doesn’t always mean being in the water, the Dive Supervisor is responsible for the days out of water tasks.

First things first

Our day started in the Food prep area of the aquarium. Whilst the other divers got into their wet suits, we prepared some tasty treats for the fish! This is where accurate record-keeping starts to become important. Preparing the correct weight of food for each of the fish being fed that day. Then recording it. This ensures the food is kept balanced and interesting. It also makes sure the fish are receiving the correct amount. Then prepare the feed for some of the smaller fish, which are fed all at once in a “scatter feed”.

Feeding the fish

Once the food is prepared we make a note of what each animal is being fed. Sophie relayed this to the SCUBA divers. Which makes them aware of what each fish has to eat that day. So that we can figure out how much each fish has eaten. Entering this into the notes for the day, so we can keep an eye on eating behaviours. We also keep an eye out for animal behaviour that may be out of the ordinary. What quickly became clear to me was the diver’s connections to the different animals within the aquarium. They do get to know their personalities.

SCUBA divers’ gear

In addition to wet suits, the SCUBA divers wear a Buoyancy Control Device (BCD). Which is a harness style vest, that they can inflate with air from their cylinders when they need to ascend. Attached to their BCD is their main cylinder, filled with compressed air and a smaller yellow cylinder called a Pony. The Pony is to be used in emergencies when the diver or one of their dive partners needs air.

Attached to their tanks are the regulators, which control the airflow whilst breathing underwater. These are sometimes part of a full facemask or standalone and paired with a half facemask, depending on the diver’s preference. The dive supervisor will make a log of the gear each diver is using and the air pressure currently in their cylinders. Next, if they’re feeding, come the gloves. First, is a white cotton glove for comfort next is a chainmail one for protection and on top goes an elasticated glove with a coating for grip. This protects the diver’s hands from the Stingrays and Sharks’ mouths, whilst making sure they can keep their grip on the feed.

SCUBA Divers in our shows. They’re more than just cool to watch.

Once in the water, the divers head over to the Aquatheatre. Where they do the first dive show of the day. There are always at least two SCUBA divers. One doing the feeding and one safety diver. They keep an eye out for any drifting Sand Tiger Sharks that are coming close. It’s the shark’s home and the divers need to move out of the way. As visitors take their seats on the dry side of the massive acrylic window, the divers already know which Stingrays to feed and how much they’re supposed to eat that day. Although the show can look hectic, when the divers resurface after it, they’re able to tell us exactly which Rays have eaten by their names.

Time to feed some sharks

Part of the Dive Supervisor role that day was to feed the Blacktip Reef Sharks, which was a highlight of the day for me as I got to do it! First, I attached the feed to a target. I lowered this into the water for the sharks to eat. Watching them swim up and grab the food was fun. As one of our SCUBA divers said, it feels a bit like reverse fishing!

The SCUBA divers daily jobs

As the divers of Blue Planet, the team are responsible for a lot of the upkeep of the aquarium’s exhibits. As well as feeding they also clean. They scrub algae from the inside of the glass and the walls. Even vacuum the floor of the exhibits to remove fish waste. All whilst respecting the animals of the exhibit, it’s important to remember the animals always have right of way! They’ll also maintain their diving equipment, refill air tanks, scrub salt from the fittings around our exhibits and train and escort divers on Blue Planet’s Shark Diving Experiences.

End of the day

At the end of the day the divers, will change, clean off and head home. The Dive supervisor will make any final notes on anything that happened that day, feeding habits, animal behaviours, equipment irregularities, and tasks completed. Lastly, clean up the containers for the animal’s food. When they’re done, it’s time to head home! It was a highly enjoyable day and a privilege to work with the dedicated people of the Blue Planet dive team and to work first-hand with the amazing animals that call the Aquarium home.

Tags: Blue Planet Aquarium, Dive, Scuba Diver, Shark Dive

Arabian Carpet Shark (Chiloscyllium arabicum)

Here at Blue Planet Aquarium, we have a large variety of sharks, from our giant Sand Tiger sharks to our smaller Arabian Carpet sharks. As smaller sharks, they frequently escape attention. Often found hiding in crevices along the reef, but do not be fooled by their elusive habits, they are excellent predators.

Arabian Carpet sharks are identifiable by their light brown appearance. They have around snout with a low jaw ideal for feeding off the reef floor. The dorsal fins are spineless and equal-sized and they have a long tail. These features allow flexibility around the reef and to hide effectively from potential predators. These like many sharks have five pairs of gill slits. However, carpet sharks like many bottom feeders have advanced spiracles located below the silvery eyes. Spiracles are the modified gill slits that allow the shark to breathe while stationary and enable the species to happily lie motionless in the water, avoiding predation and conserving energy. This adaptation has become recessive in many open water sharks. Arabians grow to four feet in length, this can take around three to five years depending on food availability.

Their habitats

Primarily found in tropical lagoons, in and around coral reefs and mangroves of the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. In the Arabian Peninsula habitat loss and commercial fishing have caused a drastic decline in the shark population within the last decade. The Arabian carpet shark is classified as a near-threatened species, meaning that its wild population is in decline. Despite this, there are no current conservation protection policies in place.

The Arabian Carpet Sharks of Blue Planet

At the aquarium we have nine mature adults helping us boost the species numbers, by allowing them to reproduce naturally in a predator-free environment and replicating cracks and crevices similar to a reef to hide in.
Our active adults mate throughout the year. The females are oviparous meaning they produce egg cases. Made of collagen, they’re commonly known as Mermaid’s Purses. Often they have lots of tendrils, these help them to attach to rocks when deposited. The eggs often contain a yolk, which if fertilised will develop into a juvenile shark after 70-80 days. These newly hatched sharks are only 8cm in length and are ready to hunt. Juveniles look very different to adults as they are black and white, with markings unique to the individual. As they continue to grow their markings change, until adult size.

You can see our baby sharks during your visit, they are usually at the end of the tunnel! Once the juveniles reach six months old we target train them ready to enter our larger display named Coral Cave. These captive-reared sharks will eventually re-enter our main tank and continue the circle of life.

Blog by: Abigail Green-Morris, Aquarist at Blue Planet Aquarium and Donovan Lewis, Diver at Blue Planet Aquarium.

Tags: Shark, Blue Planet Aquarium