Monterey Bay Aquarium Monterey Bay Aquarium Species List - Apr 2022

[Coelacanth18]

This is a list of species I noted at the Monterey Bay Aquarium a couple weeks ago. It is not a comprehensive list; I tried to photograph all the signage I saw, but I may have missed some. Additionally, I'm sure there were many unsigned species that I am not in a position to get identifications on at the moment (and most I didn't photograph anyway). All of the major species should be on here, though.

Open Seas

Big Tank: Green Sea Turtle, Dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus), Pelagic Stingray (Pteroplatytrygon violacea), Pacific Sardine (Sardinops sagax), Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini), Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares)

Upstairs Tanks
Pelagic Red Crab (Pleuroncodes planipes)
Seabird Exhibit: Tufted Puffin, Common Murre, Black Oystercatcher
Northern Anchovy (Engraulis mordax)

Downstairs Tanks
Pacific Sardine
Pacific Mackerel (Scomber japonicus)

Jellies

Purple-striped Jelly (Chrysaora colorata)
Moon Jelly (Aurelia labiata)
Sea Gooseberry (Hormiphora californensis)
Spotted Comb Jelly (Leucothea pulchra)
Sea Nettle (Chrysaora fuscecens)
Crystal Jelly (Aequorea spp)

Into the Deep

Mauve Stinger (Pelagia flaveola)
Common Siphonophore (Nanomia bijuga)
Abyssal Comb Jelly (Beroe abyssicola)
Snow Globe Jelly (Modeeria rotunda)
Lobed Comb Jelly (Bolinopsis spp)
Sea Angel (Clione spp)
Bloodybelly Comb Jelly (Lampocteis cruentiventer)
Unnamed jelly spp
Mixed Tank: Predatory Tunicate (Megalodicopia hians), Droopy Sea Pen (Umbellula spp), Deep Sea Carnation Coral (Gersemia juliepackardae), Glowing Sea Cucumber (Pannychia moseleyi), Armored Sea Cucumber (Psolus squamatus), Mushroom Soft Coral (Heteropolypus ritteri)
Fire Star (Hymenodiscus spp)
Pompom Anemone (Liponema brevicorne)
Salmon Snailfish (Careproctus rastrinus)
Pacific Hagfish (Eptatretus stoutii)
Japanese Porcupine Crab (Paralomis histrix)
Basket Star (Gorgonocephalus eucnemis)

Mixed Tank: Feather Star (Florometra serratissima), Branched Tree Coral (Parastenella ramosa), Bubblegum Coral (Paragorgia arborea), Deep Sea Cauliflower Coral (Sibogagorgia cauliflora), Red Sea Fan (Swiftia kofoidi), Mushroom Soft Coral

Lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus)

Mixed Tank: Elephant Fish (Callorhinchus milli), Japanese Spider Crab (Macrocheira kaempferi), Japanese Armorhead (Pantaceros japonicus), Spiny Red Star (Hippasteria spp), Fragile Pink Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus fragilis), Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria)

Giant Deep Sea Isopod (Bathynomus giganteus)
Bone-eating Worm (Osedax spp) (unseen)

Tentacles

Bigfin Reef Squid (Sepioteuthis lessoniana)
Common Octopus (Octopus vulgaris)
Caribbean Reef Octopus (Octopus briareus)
Twospot Octopus (Octopus bimaculoides)
Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini)
Striped Pyjama Squid (Sepioloidea lineolata)
Stumpy Cuttlefish (Sepia bandensis)
Flamboyant Cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi)

Sea Otter Tank

Sea Otter, Black Rockfish (Sebastes melanops), Black-and-yellow Rockfish (Sebastes chrysomelas), Garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus), Kelp Bass (Paralabrax clathratus), Black Perch (Embiotoca jacksoni)

Splash Zone

many unsigned species or common names only; the only ones I specifically noted were:
Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni)
Pineconefish (unsigned in tank with several moray eel species)
California Moray (Gymnothorax mordax)

Penguins

African Penguin

Kelp Forest

Big Tank: Gopher Rockfish (Sebastes carnatus), Rainbow Seaperch (Hypsurus caryi), Halfmoon (Medialuna californiensis), Senorita (Oxyjulis californica), Leopard Shark (Triakis semifasciata), Kelp Perch, Giant Sea Bass (Stereolepis gigas), Blacksmith (Chromis punctipinnis), Opaleye (Girella nigricans), Treefish (Sebastes serriceps), California Sheephead (Semicossyphus pulcher), Kelp Bass, Garibaldi

Various smaller tanks (not sorted by enclosure, all/most lacked Latin names, might have missed some in this area): Giant Kelpfish (Heterostichtus rostratus), Opaleye, Kelp Crab, Senorita, Lion’s Mane Sea Slug, Northern Anchovy, Swell Shark (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum)

Monterey Bay Exhibits

Big Tank: Giant Sea Bass, Bocaccio (Sebates paucispinis), Broadnose Sevengill Shark (Notorhynchus cepedianus), Bat Ray (Myliobatus californica), Pacific Spiny Dogfish (Squalus suckleyi), Yelloweye Rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus), White Seabass (Atractoscion nobilis), California Halibut (Paralichthys californicus), Vermilion Rockfish, White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus), Flag Rockfish (Sebastes rubrivinctus), Tube Anemone (Pachycerianthus fimbriatus), Fish-eating Anemone (Urticina piscivora), Jack Mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus), Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis), Pacific Angel Shark (Squatina californica), Orange Cup Coral (Balanophyllia elegans), Copper Rockfish (Sebastes caurinus), Sand Rose Anemone (Urticina columbiana), Yellowtail Rockfish (Sebastes flavidus), Leopard Shark, Tiger Rockfish (Sebastes nigrocinctus), White-plumed Anemone (Metridium farcimen)

Various Other Tanks (indicated by bullets):

• Halfbanded Rockfish (Sebastes semicinctus)
• Giant Pacific Octopus

• Wolf-eel (Anarrichthys ocellatus), Lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus)
• Vermilion Rockfish (Sebastes miniatus), Rock Scallop (Crassadoma gigantea), Strawberry Anemone, White-spotted Sea Anemone

• Pacific Pompano, Sand Sole, Curlfin Talbot, White Croaker (Genyonemus lineatus), Lewis’s Moon Snail (Euspira lewisii), Fantail Flounder (Xystreurys liolepis)

• Flatfishes (Citharichthys spp)
• Sand Dollar (Dendraster excentricus)
• Spiny Brittle Star (Ophiothrix spiculata)
• Spotted Cusk-eel (Chilara taylori)

• Longfin Sculpin (Jordania zonope), Sailfin Sculpin (Nautichthys oculofasciatus), Blackeye Goby (Rhinogobiops nicholsii), Painted Greenling (Oxylebius pictus)

• Vermilion Rockfish, Rosy Rockfish (Sebastes rosaceus), China Rockfish (Sebastes nebulosus), Tiger Rockfish, Starry Rockfish (Sebastes constellatus), Flag Rockfish, Canary Rockfish (Sebastes pinniger), Yelloweye Rockfish, Greenspotted Rockfish (Sebastes chlorostictus), White-plumed Anemone

• California Skate (Raja inornata)
• Fringehead (Neoclinus spp)

Shores

Mixed Tank: Hermit Crab (Pagurus spp), Moonglow Anemone (Anthopleura artemisia), Bay Pipefish (Syngnathus leptorhyncus), Threespined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), Dwarf Perch, Tubesnout

Shorebird Aviary (Tank): Bat Ray, Leopard Shark, Round Stingray (Urobatus halleri), Thornback (Platyrhinoidis triseriata), Shovelnose Guitarfish (Pseudobatos productus), Jacksmelt (Atherinopsis californiensis)

Shorebird Aviary (Birds): Black Oystercatcher, Red Phalarope, Red-necked Phalarope, Black-bellied Plover, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Ruddy Turnstone, Marbled Godwit, Least Sandpiper

Ray Touch Tank: Starry Flounder (Platichthys stellatus), other spp previously noted

Black Turban Snail (Chlorostoma funebralis), Hermit Crab (Pagurus spp)
Rainbow Trout (Steelhead) (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
California Red-legged Frog (Rana draytonii), California Toad (Anaxyrus boreas halophilus)

Confirmed BTS Animals

Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis)

 

[troutaddict]

Some additional species I saw from my visit a few weeks back

Shores: Sand Crab
(shorebirds) Killdeer

Splash zone: Hippo/Blue Tang, Yellow tang, some damsels that I need to ID, lyretail anthias
weird kid tunnel area: Peacock (iirc) mantis shrimp, ocellaris clownfish
like you said, many were unmarked and i didn't take a lot of pics so I don't remember many others

Monterey Bay Habitats: Spot Prawn

Kelp Forest:
touch tank: bat star, decorator crab, purple urchin

i may edit to add more bc i need to see if i can find a recent pic of the reef tanks in splash zone, i dont have many

 

[splendens]

Pretty sure there are also spiny lobster in the moray tank ( Panulirus interruptus i believe)

 

[Coelacanth18]

Pretty sure there are also spiny lobster in the moray tank ( Panulirus interruptus i believe)

There is; it just said "Spiny Lobster" with no Latin name so I left it off, as I did many other things in the Splash Zone.

 

[Great Argus]

Shorebird Aviary (Birds): Black Oystercatcher, Red Phalarope, Red-necked Phalarope, Black-bellied Plover, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Ruddy Turnstone, Marbled Godwit, Least Sandpiper

Should (or at least used) to be more than that, maybe I'll have to watch the shorebirds cam and see.

 

[Coelacanth18]

Should (or at least used) to be more than that, maybe I'll have to watch the shorebirds cam and see.

There was certainly more signage present than I saw birds. Additionally I only saw one individual from each of those species, except I think two of the Red-necked Phalarope (although there are also Black Oystercatcher in with the puffins and murres).

 

[Great Argus]

There was certainly more signage present than I saw birds. Additionally I only saw one individual from each of those species, except I think two of the Red-necked Phalarope (although there are also Black Oystercatcher in with the puffins and murres).

Oh wow, wonder if the collection has actually gotten smaller or if birds were hiding.

From my photos in March 2019:
3 Red-necked Phalarope
2 Red Phalarope
Black Oystercatcher
Ruddy Turnstone
2 Red Knot
2 Dunlin
Marbled Godwit
Willet
Least Sandpiper
2 Western Sandpiper
Sanderling
Black-bellied Plover
Snowy Plover
Semipalmated Plover
2 American Avocet

 

[Coelacanth18]

@Great Argus I figured they might just cycle through rehab birds and be standing at a low number currently? There was signage for most if not all of those species, but I definitely didn't see the ones I didn't list - I took photos of every individual bird I saw.

 

[Great Argus]

@Great Argus I figured they might just cycle through rehab birds and be standing at a low number currently? There was signage for most if not all of those species, but I definitely didn't see the ones I didn't list - I took photos of every individual bird I saw.

A correct assumption, though that still seems a bit low. I know the Willet passed away (at the age of 33 iirc) and that particular Oystercatcher is somewhere in her 30s. The phalaropes have been around a long time too, assuming they're the same birds. A lot of the smaller species do cycle but that seems like pretty high turnover. Quite possible though.