New gallery at Tampa's Florida Aquarium focuses on weird ways ... - Tampa Bay Times

TAMPA — A new gallery opening Saturday, July 1, at the Florida Aquarium is full of fish and animals that have developed strange adaptations or camouflage. That includes an electric catfish, a walking shark, four-eyed fish, bird poop frogs and an archer fish that literally spits a line of water like an arrow to knock food out of a tree branch above.

Called MORPH'D, it is the first new gallery since the Tampa aquarium opened in 1995. And it is the first of three new galleries coming as part of a three-year, $40-million expansion.

MORPH'D is the smallest of the three planned, featuring 18 unique species from around the world.

Related: What's coming this summer at Tampa Bay's zoos, aquariums and children's museums

Not only are the animals unique to the aquarium, it is the first time the aquarium has employed high-tech touch screens to create a more interactive exhibit. Scrolling through the screens reveals where the animal comes from and what they eat and how they have adapted. There are also ways to trace your finger across the screen to see a video of them in action.

The new 3,700-square-foot exhibit can be found on the second floor of the aquarium in the Mosaic Special Exhibit Hall.

Biologist Eileen Caro places krill on branches above the archerfish tank in the MORPH'D gallery at the Florida Aquarium on Thursday. The fish spit long streams of water like an arrow to know the food out of the branches to get a meal.
Biologist Eileen Caro places krill on branches above the archerfish tank in the MORPH'D gallery at the Florida Aquarium on Thursday. The fish spit long streams of water like an arrow to know the food out of the branches to get a meal. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]

Try not to miss the twice-per-day feeding times for the archerfish. The Southeast Asian hunters show how they can spit a stream of water with extreme accuracy. Aquarium biologists will place krill on branches hanging above their tank, and the fish will shoot at them to knock them down for a meal.

Other interesting creatures include the epaulette, also known as the walking shark. The Australian shark has broad, paddle-shaped paired fins that let it walk across the bottom of the ocean and it can even walk out of the water briefly to catch prey or escape trouble. And the theloderma asperum found in Southern Malaysia and India earned the nickname "bird poop frogs" because when lined up on a log they look like, well, you guessed it.

If you go

Florida Aquarium: Admission is $30.45-$33.70 depending on the date, $27.20 and up ages 3-11, 2 and younger free. 701 Channelside Drive, Tampa. 813-273-4000. flaquarium.org.

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