Diablo gets the first peek at Monterey Bay Aquarium's new sexy seahorse exhibit

Hop in the car and head to Monterey Bay Aquarium for an underwater extravaganza: The Secret Lives of Seahorses

A close-up of a potbelly seahorse—one of the species featured in "The Secret Lives of Seahorses."

You could call it seahorse porn, but the video of their mating dance is more like underwater ballet. Two seahorses swirl, link tails, and swim side-by-side and nose-to-nose. They get a little risqué when they rub their bellies together and throw their heads back in unison. But the cute kid holding your hand won’t think any of it. Other than it’s time to move on when the video’s over.

Yes, there is a lot to learn in Monterey Bay Aquarium’s special new exhibit on the secret lives of seahorses. These exotic creatures of the deep are the only member of the animal kingdom in which the male gets pregnant and bears the young.

Some seahorses on display appear to be big beer drinkers—complete with potbellies. (In the seahorse kingdom, bigger is better—the gals go for the guys with the biggest gut. Just like beer commercials.) Other seahorses are actually in the Sea Dragon family and sprout leafy and weedy protrusions. The ribbon pipehorse has parsley growing out of its head that the crowd agreed looked like a character from a Dr. Seuss book. The pipefish is the best at hiding from predators by blending in with the spines in a sea urchin. Baby seahorses are so tiny they fit on the tip of your pinkie and reminded me of the sea monkeys I raised as a kid.

Even your basic run-of-the-mill seahorse is a fascinating fish with its handsome horse head, rotating chameleon eyes, kangaroo pouch and grasping monkey tail. A fluttery and nearly invisible fin propels them forward, prompting one woman to blurt out, “It looks like it’s riding a uno!”

Every tank drew crowds at the press preview on Saturday. A few times we had to wait our turn to get a look. But this is an unforgettable show that is well worth the two-hour drive from the East Bay. As one of the interpretive panels in the new exhibit says: these astonishing animals defy imagination—and that is certainly true.

If you’re looking to make a weekend of it, check out this story about visiting Monterey that we ran in October.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is open 10 a.m.–6 p.m. every day. 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, montereybayaquarium.org/efc/exhibits.aspx.

Posted at 02:12 PM in Diablo Getaways | Permalink