Birds & Others
It is one of the largest invertebrates in the world and is said to be one of the most mysterious creatures on Earth. There are many unknowns about it, and its detailed ecology has yet to be elucidated. Individuals have been discovered that are up to 18m in length and weigh over 1 ton. It lives in the deep sea, at depths of over 500m. It was first discovered alive in 2012.
It's impressive to see them peering at you with their big eyes and looming across the big screen!
Freshwater Fish
A large catfish. It has a long, flat body and six baleen. Its name comes from the black tiger pattern that runs from the back to the sides of its body. It preys on fish and crustaceans by sucking them in with its large mouth.
This fish is actually a little thinner in body shape, but the one we have at the museum is very greedy... so it has become a little thicker in body.
This small fish, about 7-8 cm long, lives in ponds and rice paddies. It is also found in the Ryukyu Islands and other areas of Japan. When breeding, the male first makes a foam nest on the surface of the water and welcomes the female. The female then lays eggs in the nest, which the male guards. During this time, there may be fierce fights with other males.
Due to their aggressive temperament, they are also known as "fighting fish." The sight of them spreading their fins and threatening each other is very beautiful, but the fish themselves are desperate.
The world's largest crab, found around Japan. Its leg span can exceed 4m, but it can also move quickly to prey on fish. In the spring, it sometimes comes to shallow waters to spawn.
This giant crab lives in the deep sea and has very long legs, making it very impressive. You can see it in the cold water fish section at our museum.
It has eight sponge-like oral arms under its umbrella, with appendages at the end that resemble the legs of an octopus. It mainly lives in calm bays in warm ocean waters. It lives symbiotically with zooxanthellae inside its body, and obtains energy through photosynthesis. It is not highly toxic, but may be painful to touch.
The white polka dots on the cap contain calcium carbonate (a component of Corals skeletons and chicken eggs). It is thought that this is to increase the strength of the umbrella, but the details have not yet been clarified. Please try observing it and comparing it with other jellyfish!
Saltwater Fish
Juvenile and adult fish have completely different appearances. Juvenile fish have a blue body with white swirls, hence the name "Uzumaki." Adult fish have many yellow vertical stripes. As they grow from juvenile to adult, their body pattern is a mix of these. It takes about two years for them to fully grow.
A fish's stripes are determined as vertical or horizontal by the direction they face when held head up. This species has vertical stripes when you look at its head, so it has vertical stripes!
It lives in water areas with a lot of vegetation. It has a distinctive white and black striped pattern, and is nicknamed "tiger fish" for its appearance. It preys on small fish, crustaceans, and insects.
Many of them are timid and tend to stay in the corners of the tank. However, when it comes time to feed them, they will eat just as much as larger fish.
Corals
This Corals is called a bouquet colony because it gathers together like a bouquet of flowers. It looks semicircular from above. Its body color is often a vibrant green, making it easy to see even in the water.
In nature, Corals reproduce by releasing "bundles" containing both eggs and sperm from their mouths! The mouth is in the center of the circle, so take a look!
This species is called the snakehead because of its snake-like face. It can breathe through gills as well as air, and periodically comes to the surface of the water to breathe air.
This fish is said to be the most beautiful of all snakehead fish! Its face seen from the front is very cute, and I think it is a fish that is both cute and beautiful.
Its name comes from the fact that its face resembles that of a Japanese Chin dog. It turns its head in the direction of the tide and eats the zooplankton that flows by. If it senses danger, it immediately hides its entire body in the sand. Although it usually has nearly half of its body hidden in the sand, it is about 30cm long.
They secrete mucus from their tails to harden the sand and burrow into it!
It has a light blue-gray body color with small scattered spots on its sides. Adult fish are about 50-70cm long, and large individuals can exceed 1m in length. Its name comes from its habit of digging holes in the seabed to create hideouts.
The calm body color and blue spots are very beautiful. They skillfully hide their large bodies behind the rocks while swimming, so be sure to go and look for them.
They are characterized by their tall body height and wide body shape with long dorsal and anal fins. They usually grow to about 40cm in length, but can sometimes grow to nearly 1m. They form small schools in the mid-water area near the coast.
You wouldn't imagine it from their adult appearance, but when they are juveniles they look like dead leaves and use them to protect themselves!
It is about 1.6m long and is classified as a small shark. It is characterized by the black tips of its dorsal, caudal and anal fins. It lives in shallow waters at depths of about 30m and preys on fish, crustaceans and mollusks.
"Tsuma" means "edge." The tip of the fin is black, so it is called "Blacktip reef shark"! By the way, there is also a shark called the "spotted white shark," which has white tips on its fins. This shark is difficult to keep in captivity, so unfortunately we do not have it at our aquarium!
Native to the Amazon River in South America, it was named after its disc-shaped body when viewed from the side. Its disc-shaped body is marked with vivid patterns, earning it the nickname "king of tropical fish."
Speaking of tropical fish, there's discus fish! Among them, I recommend blue ones. They have a beautiful blue color with red patterns, so please take a good look at them.
When fully grown, they reach a body length of about 40 cm, which makes them large among freshwater pufferfish. They have sharp, strong teeth to eat hard shellfish, etc. They prey on small crustaceans, small fish, shellfish, etc.
When the zookeeper comes to the tank, the fish comes over to ask for food. They are a type of pufferfish with beautiful patterns on their bodies and red eyes.
Its body is blue-green, but the color changes depending on how the light hits it. It has a gentle personality, which is rare among the damselfish family. Its name comes from the appearance of its lower teeth sticking out forward, which is called "deba".
You can see flocks of this species in a space on the second floor of the museum that recreates the Okinawan sky and beachfront. Please take a look at the beauty of the school of Blue green chromis!
It is characterized by small scales and tough skin. It does not have horn-like protrusions, but has two spines at the base of its tail, which makes it a member of the longfin Bluespine unicornfish. It lives in large schools on the slopes of coral reefs. It feeds on zooplankton and other creatures.
It looks a bit like a Bluespine unicornfish, but unlike Bluespine unicornfish which like to live around the outer edges of coral reefs, the Sleek unicornfish tends to like deeper water with good tidal flow!
They are relatively tolerant of dryness and low temperatures, and live in a variety of places, including forests and sandy areas. They are nocturnal, resting in dark, narrow holes during the day, and become active at night to prey on insects and small animals. They are a fairly large species among terrestrial caudates, reaching a total length of 20 to 30 cm.
It has a round nose and a charming face when viewed from the front. He thinks anything that moves in front of him is food.
This Corals grows by covering the rocks. When it grows, the center becomes irregularly raised. Its body color is often greenish brown.
Although it is spiky as its name suggests, its dynamic appearance is different from branchy Corals like Acropora! Look at the top of the tank!
This species grows long and branching out like trees. It is characterized by a slightly tubular, angular shape. There are blue and dark green specimens. It lives in areas with depths of 10m or less, such as reef slopes and rocky areas that are less affected by waves, and reef ponds with good tidal flow.
Its body is distinctive, branching out like long branches! Although its name includes "Sugi no Ki" (Japanese cedar), it doesn't look much like a cedar tree.
Although it has the most typical body shape compared to other sharks, it rarely attacks humans. It mainly lives in shallow waters and often stays still on seaweed beds, rocks, or sandy mud bottoms.
The most capricious person in our Touch Pool. I guess it's ok to be touched by humans. Except when I feel like it, I rest in the middle. If you find yourself in the middle, leave you alone!
Juveniles of this species have a tiger-striped body color called "Torafu," from which the fish gets its name, but as they grow, the tiger pattern changes to black spots like a leopard. They can grow to over 2m in length, with their tail fin taking up about half of their body. They are nocturnal and stay still on the seabed during the day.
This is the largest species of shark we keep at our aquarium. Please come and see them swimming gracefully in the large aquarium!
Apart from the head, it has almost no pigment and no scales, so its internal organs and bones can be seen through its glass-like transparent body. It is a member of the catfish family, has two long baleen, and swims in schools near the mid-level rather than the bottom. It feeds on small crustaceans and aquatic insects.
It has no scales and its transparent body allows you to see its internal organs and bones! It's a skeletal fish! Its internal organs are not visible, so its food cannot be seen through!
A type of ancient fish that has barely changed in appearance for about 100 million years. Unlike other gars, it has a short, wide snout. It is carnivorous and feeds on crustaceans and fish.
Unlike the platinum alligator gar, this is a jet black member of the gar family. Although it is small, it eats just as much food as other larger fish.
