Water’s Edge

Sea nettles have long tentacles that can stretch several feet past their bell and deliver a powerful sting to anything they touch. This hunting strategy allows them to capture food with little effort, letting the current do the work.

Known for their raised tails and swaying body movements, Sexy Shrimp are named for the dance-like motions they use to communicate with nearby shrimp. They also form close relationships with sea anemones, living safely among their stinging tentacles in exchange for helping keep them clean.

The Giant Pacific Octopus is a master of camouflage, able to instantly change its color and texture to blend into rocks, sand, and kelp, all while stalking prey or hiding from predators.

Upside-down jellyfish get their name because they live off the byproducts of algae that photosynthesize as they rest upside down, exposing the algae to sunlight. They often live in groups, resting together on the seafloor.

These sea stars act as powerful predators, hunting a variety of small animals by using hundreds of tiny tube feet to pry open shells and capture prey.

In the ocean, collector urchins use items like rocks and seashells on their spines for protection, helping shield themselves from overexposure to sunlight. At Butterfly Pavilion, we provide our sea urchins with 3D-printed hats offering this natural behavior in a more stylish way!

This crab is named for its bright red and orange striped legs. Like all hermit crabs, it has no shell of its own and must seek out an empty one to protect its soft body, moving to a larger home each time it grows.

Unlike most anemones that primarily filter feed, fish-eating anemones use their large tentacles to capture and eat small fish that swim too close.

Moon jellies are adapted for life in the ocean with transparent bodies that help them avoid predators. Their gentle pulsing movement allows them to drift efficiently through changing currents.

Food is scarce in the deep ocean, so deep sea isopods eat whatever sinks down from above. A whale fall, the body of a whale can feed an entire deep-sea community for decades. These isopods can also go years without eating at all.