California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium / California Academy of Sciences news

The California Academy of Sciences is a 410,000-square-foot aquarium and natural history museum located in San Francisco, California. Species include southern grasshopper mouse, African penguin, Gouldian finch, violaceous euphonia, Yellow-rumped cacique, American alligator, Everglades rat snake, Centralian carpet python, Burmese vine snake, Arrau turtle, spiny turtle, Mexican bearded lizard, Sambava tomato frog, Lake Oku clawed frog, Luristan newt, swell shark, honeycomb stingray, and California sea cucumber, among other species.

On January 14th, the facility announced they have opened a new playspace to the public called Wander Woods.

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On January 18th, it was reported that the facility has announced the Larry E. Serpa Western North America Aquatic Invertebrate Collection, which makes them the largest scientific collection of north American aquatic invertebrates in the world. They are now exhibited in the Academy's Department of Entomology.

California Academy of Sciences receives largest private collection of Western aquatic invertebrates

On January 26th, it was reported that the aquarium's (0.1) Australian lungfish named Methuselah is believed to be ~90 years old, making her the oldest of her kind in care.

90-year-old Australian lungfish in San Francisco believed to be oldest living aquarium fish | KTLA

On February 4th, the facility announced they have acquired a (0.1) orchid mantis which is now on exhibit on the 2nd floor of the rainforest.

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On June 1st, it was reported that the facility opened a new permanent exhibit, called Hidden Wonders. It showcases around 800 items from the collection with everything from a saber-toothed cat named Kitty to rows of beetles.

California Academy of Sciences exhibit showcases rare gems from vast collection

On June 20th, it was reported that a new exhibit opened to the public named Bugs. The theme is exploring bugs through larger-than-life models through the eyes of the Māori indigenous people of New Zealand.

Welcome to the world of 'Bugs,' a fantastical new exhibit at Cal Academy

On June 30th, it was reported that the aquarium received $42,291 from the AZA and the Fish & Wildlife Service for Endangered Species Care.

Also on June 30th, it was reported that the facility will receive $2.1 million from the state to fund its Thriving California Environmental Learning Plan.

More Than $9 Million Awarded for Endangered Species Care During Pandemic | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Senator Wiener Secures $19.8 Million in Funding for New Community Center, Improvements to Produce Market and Street Safety, Upgrades for Local Museums, and More

On July 21st, the facility announced they had done a "coral swap" with the Birch Aquarium in California.

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I visited the California Academy of Sciences on March 25th, 2024, and my only previous visit was back in 2011. I was with my wife and 4 kids and so I didn't make a detailed list of species and instead of a full review I'll simply post a few observations.

Overall, my impression was a largely positive one as this facility is superb. We watched the new Planetarium show, called Spark: The Universe in Us, spent some time looking at penguins in the African Hall, ventured up to the 2.5-acre Living Roof, enjoyed the two gift shops, wandered through Color of Life in the East Hall, and marveled at some of the artifacts in the Collections Gallery.

The true highlight is the Rainforest dome, with its winding pathway that goes up several stories and then visitors take an elevator to the very bottom, aquatic section. One major flaw is that the dome inexplicably opens at 10:00 and a full half an hour after the rest of the building, and since it is by far the most popular attraction, that means a lot of standing around waiting for it to open. It was the same case back in 2011, which seems ridiculous. Why not prepare to have it open at 9:30 with everything else? During my visit, the dome actually opened 20 minutes late, at 10:20, due to an escaped beetle! One would have thought it was a King Cobra the way a couple of employees were running around inside with big nets. (I'm fairly certain it was an Atlas Beetle) Later in the day, it was an hour-long wait just to set foot inside the dome and so it's vital to go there first thing in the morning.

We spent 5 hours at this facility and I would highly recommend a visit for all zoo nerds. There's an Alligator Swamp with a single white gator, along with a trio of Alligator Snapping Turtles, and a ton of tanks in the Steinhart Aquarium. We gazed at 'Methuselah', an 86 year-old Australian Lungfish that is the oldest captive fish on the planet. There's also a number of lizards and snakes, along with a staggering total of fish and jewel-box tanks. The new "Venom: Fangs, Stingers and Spines" gallery has a lot of creatures that can cause harm to humans, the Amazon Tunnel is superb, Twilight Zone is a darkened area, and the 25-foot deep, 212,000-gallon Philippine Coral Reef exhibit is world-class.
 
snowleopard said:
One major flaw is that the dome inexplicably opens at 10:00 and a full half an hour after the rest of the building, and since it is by far the most popular attraction, that means a lot of standing around waiting for it to open. It was the same case back in 2011, which seems ridiculous. Why not prepare to have it open at 9:30 with everything else?
Click to expand...

Obviously each institution is different, but for the National Aquarium, their Rainforest exhibit also opens 30 min after the building. The reasoning? There is so much horticultural maintenance needed to maintain the rainforest that staff need that extra time devoid of visitors to do their work. While keepers can often work in the presence of guests - either on or off exhibit - the horticulturists at the Aquarium at least, don't have that luxury. The inconvenience of the late opening for guests seems worth it to avoid staff having to start even earlier considering there are other exhibits to explore. Perhaps that's the same rationale at Cal Academy? I too had to wait during my visit mid afternoon last summer...

Regardless, the Osher Rainforest I wholeheartedly agree is a true gem! Very few places mix butterflies and passerines over an open flooded forest exhibit and it truly creates a magical experience!
 
snowleopard said:
I visited the California Academy of Sciences on March 25th, 2024, and my only previous visit was back in 2011. I was with my wife and 4 kids and so I didn't make a detailed list of species and instead of a full review I'll simply post a few observations.

Overall, my impression was a largely positive one as this facility is superb. We watched the new Planetarium show, called Spark: The Universe in Us, spent some time looking at penguins in the African Hall, ventured up to the 2.5-acre Living Roof, enjoyed the two gift shops, wandered through Color of Life in the East Hall, and marveled at some of the artifacts in the Collections Gallery.

The true highlight is the Rainforest dome, with its winding pathway that goes up several stories and then visitors take an elevator to the very bottom, aquatic section. One major flaw is that the dome inexplicably opens at 10:00 and a full half an hour after the rest of the building, and since it is by far the most popular attraction, that means a lot of standing around waiting for it to open. It was the same case back in 2011, which seems ridiculous. Why not prepare to have it open at 9:30 with everything else? During my visit, the dome actually opened 20 minutes late, at 10:20, due to an escaped beetle! One would have thought it was a King Cobra the way a couple of employees were running around inside with big nets. (I'm fairly certain it was an Atlas Beetle) Later in the day, it was an hour-long wait just to set foot inside the dome and so it's vital to go there first thing in the morning.

We spent 5 hours at this facility and I would highly recommend a visit for all zoo nerds. There's an Alligator Swamp with a single white gator, along with a trio of Alligator Snapping Turtles, and a ton of tanks in the Steinhart Aquarium. We gazed at 'Methuselah', an 86 year-old Australian Lungfish that is the oldest captive fish on the planet. There's also a number of lizards and snakes, along with a staggering total of fish and jewel-box tanks. The new "Venom: Fangs, Stingers and Spines" gallery has a lot of creatures that can cause harm to humans, the Amazon Tunnel is superb, Twilight Zone is a darkened area, and the 25-foot deep, 212,000-gallon Philippine Coral Reef exhibit is world-class.
Click to expand...
Interesting that there was such a long wait, although I shouldn't be surprised. Back in February last year, it was almost a walk-in, but I was visiting on a weekday during the off-season.

I'm glad you and your family had a nice visit, CAS is truly one of my favorite zoological institutions. So many really cool species, all inhabiting such smartly done enclosures.
 
Lots of updates from a recent visit, here are the highlights for now.
More information will be added later
A - mark means the species is now off display, and a + means it has been put on display
  • A tank has been changed into a tropical Atlantic-themed tank and several new species are now on display, +Ridged slipper lobster Scyllarides nodifer, +Jack-knifefish Eques lanceolatus, +banded butterflyfish Chaetodon striatus, +Glassy sweeper Pempheris schomburgkii, +twospot cardinalfish Apogon pseudomaculatus, as well as corals and invertebrates
  • -Common eastern bumblebees Bombus impatiens are now off-display
  • The -fire urchin in Venom is off-display and replaced by a +hybrid angelfish Centropyge flavissima x c. vroliki specimen along with what look like dartfish.
  • A +tentacled snake Erpeton tentaculatum is now on display in the tank in Venom which held the fishing spider.
  • A +water scorpion Ranatra quadridentata is on display in Venom.
  • The -yellow-rumped caciques Cacicus cela are now off-display in the rainforest.
  • It seems like the -red barbier Baldwinella vivanus are now off-display in the deep reef exhibit
  • A +peacock mantis shrimp Odontodactylus scyllarus has replaced the -flamboyant cuttlefish Metasepia pfefferi
  • A macro algae tank now holds +lettuce sea slugs, Elysia crispata
  • These species have been kept at the Academy for a while but I believe no one has mentioned the caecilians +Typhlonectes natans and +Typhlonectes compressicauda
  • -Red scorpion Rhopalurus junceus is off display while a +emperor scorpion Pandinus imperator is on display
  • A +beautiful fruit dove Ptilinopus pulchellus, is kept with the Gouldian finches
  • A +Spanish flag (bass) Gonioplectrus hispanus, is on display in the Caribbean biotope tank outside of the deep reef exhibit, this species is not exhibited much, especially far out of its native range
  • a single +Congo (potato) puffer Tetraodon miurus has been added to display, this species is not yet represented in zoochat's media
  • A pair of +red-crested turacos Tauraco erythrolophus have been added to the rainforest dome
  • A single +bicolor basslet Lipogramma klayi is on display in the deep reef exhibit, this rare and sought after species only has one photo on zoochat

More information will be posted later, as well as media, especially on the newly opened California State of Nature exhibit.
 
CMP said:
Which enclosure are the T. compressicauda in?
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Apologies, all I remembered was that there was a new aquatic caecilian species on display that replaced T. natans in one tank. I was rushing to finish the list before I went to bed so I wrote T. compressicauda without checking the signage.

The species was actually Kaup's caecilian Potamotyphlus kaupii.
The Kaup's caecilian were kept in the rainforest dome in a mixed paludarium habitat with Allison's anoles.

The T. natans were kept in a mixed species tank with the Surinam toads Pipa pipa in the rainforest section of the rainforest, which held Lake Oku clawed frogs previously.
 
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splendens said:
Apologies, all I remembered was that there was a new aquatic caecilian species on display that replaced T. natans in one tank. I was rushing to finish the list before I went to bed so I wrote T. compressicauda without checking the signage.

The species was actually Kaup's caecilian Potamotyphlus kaupii.
The Kaup's caecilian were kept in the rainforest dome in a mixed paludarium habitat with Allison's anoles.

The T. natans were kept in a mixed species tank with the Surinam toads Pipa pipa in the rainforest section of the rainforest, which held Lake Oku clawed frogs previously.
Click to expand...
That makes sense, I didn't remember 2 caecilian terrariums. Are the Oku clawed frogs offshow now?
 
CMP said:
That makes sense, I didn't remember 2 caecilian terrariums. Are the Oku clawed frogs offshow now?
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Correct, sadly the frogs have been off display since the caecilians and Surinam toads took over last year.

The paludarium which holds the anole and Kaup’s caecilian used to hold the same mix but with Typhlonectes natans, the academy also had this species in the rainforest tank so at the time both tanks were occupied by the same species. It also holds guppies and Endler’s live bearers.

So currently the academy holds two species in two tanks.
 
splendens said:
Lots of updates from a recent visit, here are the highlights for now.
More information will be added later
A - mark means the species is now off display, and a + means it has been put on display
  • A tank has been changed into a tropical Atlantic-themed tank and several new species are now on display, +Ridged slipper lobster Scyllarides nodifer, +Jack-knifefish Eques lanceolatus, +banded butterflyfish Chaetodon striatus, +Glassy sweeper Pempheris schomburgkii, +twospot cardinalfish Apogon pseudomaculatus, as well as corals and invertebrates
  • -Common eastern bumblebees Bombus impatiens are now off-display
  • The -fire urchin in Venom is off-display and replaced by a +hybrid angelfish Centropyge flavissima x c. vroliki specimen along with what look like dartfish.
  • A +tentacled snake Erpeton tentaculatum is now on display in the tank in Venom which held the fishing spider.
  • A +water scorpion Ranatra quadridentata is on display in Venom.
  • The -yellow-rumped caciques Cacicus cela are now off-display in the rainforest.
  • It seems like the -red barbier Baldwinella vivanus are now off-display in the deep reef exhibit
  • A +peacock mantis shrimp Odontodactylus scyllarus has replaced the -flamboyant cuttlefish Metasepia pfefferi
  • A macro algae tank now holds +lettuce sea slugs, Elysia crispata
  • These species have been kept at the Academy for a while but I believe no one has mentioned the caecilians +Typhlonectes natans and +Typhlonectes compressicauda
  • -Red scorpion Rhopalurus junceus is off display while a +emperor scorpion Pandinus imperator is on display
  • A +beautiful fruit dove Ptilinopus pulchellus, is kept with the Gouldian finches
  • A +Spanish flag (bass) Gonioplectrus hispanus, is on display in the Caribbean biotope tank outside of the deep reef exhibit, this species is not exhibited much, especially far out of its native range
  • a single +Congo (potato) puffer Tetraodon miurus has been added to display, this species is not yet represented in zoochat's media
  • A pair of +red-crested turacos Tauraco erythrolophus have been added to the rainforest dome
  • A single +bicolor basslet Lipogramma klayi is on display in the deep reef exhibit, this rare and sought after species only has one photo on zoochat
More information will be posted later, as well as media, especially on the newly opened California State of Nature exhibit.
Click to expand...
On the same topic of the Twighlight Zone exhibit, I talked to Matt Wandell the other day and one species that Steinhart (when he was still there) were working on trying to display was the Genus Grammatonotus which is an insane looking group of Deepwater basslets that live around 400ft + deep. Unfortunately they weren't successful because he calls them "the most delicate fish imaginable", even with the rebreather chamber they use to collect Mesophotic Fish, the individuals wouldn't even make it past 200 ft coming back up before passing away. His main theories are that "they're so skittish, they die of stress / heart attack, or so damn delicate they can't survive from going from 450ft depth to 220ft depth".

Unfortunate it didn't work out because they're so striking, but I thought that was an interesting piece of info that was revealed from 2016ish when the exhibit opened.
 
Northwest_FIsh_Keeping said:
On the same topic of the Twighlight Zone exhibit, I talked to Matt Wandell the other day and one species that Steinhart (when he was still there) were working on trying to display was the Genus Grammatonotus which is an insane looking group of Deepwater basslets that live around 400ft + deep. Unfortunately they weren't successful because he calls them "the most delicate fish imaginable", even with the rebreather chamber they use to collect Mesophotic Fish, the individuals wouldn't even make it past 200 ft coming back up before passing away. His main theories are that "they're so skittish, they die of stress / heart attack, or so damn delicate they can't survive from going from 450ft depth to 220ft depth".

Unfortunate it didn't work out because they're so striking, but I thought that was an interesting piece of info that was revealed from 2016ish when the exhibit opened.
Click to expand...
What a shame that they weren't successful. They probably haven't been brought to the trade yet either? Always cool to hear about species that facilities are still trying to learn how to care for.
 
Recently when I was looking through my photos, I realized that due to some problems with my phone, most if not all of the photos I was hoping to upload of the past exhibits "Bugs" and "The World's Largest Dinosaurs" have been deleted. These did not have any live animals but the educational displays were quite interesting so I will see if any photos remain.
 
Speaking of the Twighlight Zone exhibit, via the Academy's website: The Twighlight Zone exhibit will be closed from August 26th to November 22nd for "an exciting refresh of the exhibit". No further details yet on what they mean by that. That's quite a long time for a space like that, I'm guessing it could be on the more technical side since it's been about 8 years since the exhibit first opened but now I'm interested to see if any new species will debut with the new opening.
 
Twighlight Zone exhibit now open with some insane new species

The Twighlight Zone exhibit just opened back up today, and while I won't have a chance to go while down here, Luiz Rocha from the academy posted a little bit about it and it includes an Abei Angelfish (Centropyge abei), meaning that the Waikiki Aquarium is no longer the only public aquarium to display one! That's crazy! You can now see both the only Peppermint Angelfish in a public Aquarium, and 1 of 2 Abei Angelfish in a public Aquarium in the same room! Plus some other species that have yet to be noted (such as a Lipogramma klayi in the Caribbean Tank) but they'll likely be covered in content from the Academy.
Luiz Rocha on Instagram: "Big news everyone! After a few months undergoing an extensive renovation, the @calacademy Twilight Zone exhibit reopened today! And it looks fantastic! Some amazing new stars were added, and our old friends are doing great. Come check it out if you are in San Francisco!"
 
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