Florida Aquarium List Of Species On Exhibit 7/31/19

This is an attempt to list every species on exhibit at Florida Aquarium in Tampa, Florida during my visit on 7-31-19. I am including species for which there is a sign on each exhibit, and using the named zones on the map as they are encountered along the suggested route on the map. This list may be of more interest to those already familiar with the aquarium since I am not arranging the species by animal type. I will post each zone separately for clarity.

Exterior by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 12:56 PM

GRAND LOBBY: (4 Exhibits)
Visitors enter a large 2-story modern lobby on the ground floor; the first 3 exhibits are on the ground floor, while the last is on the second floor.

2 small-sized open-topped touchtanks and 1 small-sized globe aquarium, titled 'Moon Bay':
Moon Jelly

Medium-sized open-topped touchtank, titled 'No Bone Zone':
Anemone (unsigned, unidentified)
Sea Star (unsigned, unidentified)

Grand Lobby by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 12:56 PM

 

WETLANDS TRAIL: (15 Exhibits)
This zone of the aquarium is housed in a large room covered with an immense curved skylit roof, which provides ample light for the extensive plantings of live flora, especially mangroves. The multiple aquatic exhibits are all open-topped and many have small areas of dry land adjoining them that provide space for various bird species. The birds are signed in a variety of exhibits, so it is unclear which bird species may be confined to one area and which are free-flighted throughout the zone's expanse. Therefore, I will list the bird species as occupying the exhibits where they are signed with the probability that many of them may be found in any of the exhibits. The titles of some of the exhibits are signed differently than on a posted map within the zone, I will include both names where applicable.

Large-sized wall aquarium set in a rocky cave with a small overhead viewing panel, titled 'Underground Spring' and 'Florida Water':
Alligator Gar
Alligator Snapping Turtle
Bluegill
Florida Softshell Turtle
Golden Shiner
Largemouth Bass
Longnose Gar
Redbreast Sunfish
Redear Sunfish
Striped Seabass

Wetlands Trail - Underground Spring Exhibit by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 12:56 PM

Medium-sized curved open-topped aquarium with adjoining planted land area, titled 'Spring-fed Stream':
Bluegill
Florida Gar
Green Heron
Hooded Merganser
Redbreast Sunfish
Redear Sunfish
Ruddy Duck
Spotted Sunfish

Wetlands Trail - Sping-fed Stream Exhibit by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 12:56 PM

Second medium-sized curved open-topped aquarium with adjoining planted land area, titled 'Spring-fed Stream':
American Flagfish
Bluefin Killifish
Blue-winged Teal
Least Killifish
Sailfin Mollies

Medium-sized open-topped aquarium and small-sized dry fenced yard, titled 'Florida River' and 'Suwannee River':
Alligator Snapping Turtle
American Alligator

Large-sized open-topped aquarium with adjoining rocky-walled dry land area and small den viewing window in simulated mudbank, titled 'Otter Den':
North American River Otter

Medium-sized shallow aquarium with tall mudbank backdrop in small room-sized enclosure behind glass, titled 'Invasive Python':
Burmese Python

Small-sized open-topped yard enclosed with low glass panels, titled 'Hardwood Hammock':
Florida Box Turtle
Gulf Coast Box Turtle
Three-toed Box Turtle

Medium-sized yard with an open-topped aquarium pond, simulated bald cypress trees, and live trees, titled 'Cypress Swamp':
Alligator Gar
Barbour's Map Turtle
Bowfin
Common Moorhen
Florida Gar
Fulvous Whistling Duck
North American Wood Duck
Northern Pintail
Roseate Spoonbill
Snowy Egret
Suwannee River Cooter
Tricolored Heron
White Ibis
Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Wetlands Trail - Cypress Swamp Exhibit by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 12:56 PM

Large-sized yard filled with mangroves, dominated by large-sized open-topped shallow pond, titled 'Mangrove Tunnel' and 'Mangrove Forest':
American Oystercatcher
Atlantic Stingray
Hardhead Sea Catfish
Pinfish
Red Drum
Redhead
Sheepshead
Snook

Wetlands Trail - Skylit Roof Above Mangrove Tunnel Exhibit by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 12:56 PM

Wetlands Trail - Mangrove Tunnel Exhibit by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 12:56 PM

Medium-sized yard filled with mangroves, dominated by medium-sized open-topped shallow pond, titled 'Mangrove Forest':
Fulvous Whistling Duck
Glossy Ibis
Green Heron
Gulf Killifish
Mojarra
North American Wood Duck
Northern Mockingbird
White Ibis

Wetlands Trail - Mangrove Forest Exhibit by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 12:56 PM

Large-sized open-topped aquarium, titled 'Bay Shore':
Gulf Flounder
Princess Parrotfish
Queen Parrotfish
Rainbow Parrotfish
Redband Parrotfish
Redtail Parrotfish
Stoplight Parrotfish
White Mullet

Wetlands Trail - Bay Shore Exhibit by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 12:56 PM

Medium-sized open-topped aquarium with adjoining small simulated rocky dry yard, titled 'Bay Shore':
Brown Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Longnose Gar

Medium-sized long open-topped aquarium, titled 'Terrapins, Turtles, and Tortoises':
Diamondback Terrapin
Turtles (it appears I did not note a few other species on the sign)

Medium-sized terrarium, titled 'Ratsnakes':
Eastern Ratsnake
Gray Rat Snake
Red Rat Snake

Small-sized low-fenced yard:
Burrowing Owl
Gopher Tortoise

 

JOURNEY TO MADAGASCAR: (8 Exhibits)
This exhibit zone is located on an upper level reached by two stairways from the Wetlands Trail zone described previously. It occupies several small themed rooms in a structure that faces the large expanse of the previous zone, with the final exhibit open to the large space created by the immense curved skylit roof.

Medium-sized long wall aquarium:
Black Pyramid Butterflyfish
Bluegreen Chromis
Caramel Sea Cucumber
Cauliflower Coral
Clown Surgeonfish
Convict Surgeonfish
Coral Banded Shrimp
Coral Beauty
Double Band Surgeonfish
Elegant Unicornfish
Featherduster Worm
Grapeshot Carpet Anemone
Ivory Coral
Klein's Butterflyfish
Lemon Goby
Long Tentacle Anemone
Orange Fairy Basslet
Pacific Blue Tang
Pink Flasher Wrasse
Powder Blue Surgeonfish
Powder Brown Surgeonfish
Purple Firefish
Raccoon Butterflyfish
Royal Empress Angelfish
Sailfin Tang
Sixline Wrasse
Slipper Coral
Table Staghorn Coral (unidentified species)
Threadfin Seabass
Twotone Tang
Vagabond Butterflyfish
Yellow Prawn Goby

Journey To Madagascar - Reef Exhibit by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 1:22 PM

Medium-sized wall terrarium:
Malgasy Giant Chameleon
Panther Chameleon
Tortoise (unsigned, unidentified)

Small-sized wall terrarium:
Malagasy Day Gecko

Small-sized wall terrarium:
Tomato Frog

Small-sized terrarium set in simulated tree trunk with visitor crawl-in pop-up bubble viewing:
Hissing Cockroach

Small-sized terrarium set in simulated tree trunk:
Malagasy Cat-eyed Snake

Small-sized wall terrarium:
Leaf-tailed Gecko
Standing's Day Gecko

Small-sized netted yard overlooking Wetlands Trail zone, with two viewing panel areas:
Radiated Tortoise
Ring-tailed Lemur

Journey To Madagascar - Land of Lemurs Exhibit by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 1:22 PM

Journey To Madagascar - Land of Lemurs Exhibit by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 1:22 PM

 

The big question remains...where would you place the Florida Aquarium in your rankings of top aquariums?

 

Did this aquarium abandon its plans to build a penguin exhibit? In the gallery there are some pictures of a flock of African penguins in a small exhibit that looks like behind the scenes holding.

 

I still have the aquarium in my #10 spot...but now that time is passing, I have trouble reconsidering in comparison to those I have seen in the relatively distant past!

 

I am not familiar with any penguin proposal, the recent article about future improvements does not list it.

 

BAYS & BEACHES: (13 Exhibits)
Visitors that do not climb the stairways from the Wetlands Trail to Journey to Madagascar can continue their native Florida tour route in this zone which is located in a plain modern twisting hallway with a variety of tanks.

Medium-sized wall aquarium with plain backdrop and simulated mangrove roots, titled 'Safe Harbors':
Green Moray Eel
Lookdown
Mangrove Red Snapper
Palometa Fish
Snook
Southern Stingray

Small-sized round column aquarium, titled 'Creatures of the Bay':
Barred Hamlet
Blue Hamlet
Butter Hamlet
Curly Cue Anemone
Emerald Crab
Florida Sea Cucumber
Giant Anemone
Hermit Crab
Red Reef Hermit
Serpent Star
Slate-pencil Urchin

Medium-sized wall aquarium, titled 'Seagrasses In The Bay':
Atlantic Needlefish
Blue Crab
Giant Hermit Crab
Red Fin Needlefish
Smooth Trunkfish
Trumpetfish

Small-sized shelf aquarium, titled 'Life At The Bottom':
Batfish
Copperband Butterflyfish
Florida Sea Cucumber
Orange-ridged Sea Star
Peppermint Shrimp
Slate-pencil Urchin
Stocky Cerith
Stripe-legged Slipper Lobster
Toadfish
West Indian Starsnail

Bays & Beaches - Life At The Bottom Exhibit by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 1:22 PM

Small-sized quarter-globe shaped aquarium, titled 'A Garden Of Eels':
Garden Eel (unspecified species)
Tube-dwelling Anemone

Medium-sized wall aquarium, titled 'Lobsters In The Bay':
Brown Chromis
Caribbean Spiny Lobster
Cubbyu
Long-spine Porcupinefish
Reef Butterflyfish
Spotfin Hogfish
Spotted Drum

Small-sized wall aquarium, titled 'Oyster Beds':
Bicolor Damselfish
Brown Chromis
Coral Crab
Florida Stone Crab
West Indian Starsnail

Small-sized wall aquarium, titled 'Extraordinary Octopus':
Octopus (unidentified, sign listed Caribbean Reef Octopus and Common Octopus but did not state which one in exhibit)

Small-sized wall aquarium, titled 'Bottom Dwellers':
Blennies (unidentified species)
Gobies (unidentifed species)

Small-sized wall aquarium, titled 'Seahorses':
Lined Seahorse
Spiny Sea Star

Bays & Beaches - Wall Exhibits by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 1:22 PM

Large-sized wall aquarium, titled 'Bridge Pilings':
Atlantic Spadefish
Beaugregory
Bicolor Damselfish
Blue Chromis
Blue Crab
Brown Chromis
Cocoa Damselfish
Dusky Damselfish
Florida Horse Conch
Goliath Grouper
Harlequin Seabass
Hermit Crab
Purple Reef Fish
Yellowtail Damselfish

Medium-sized round column aquarium:
Channel Clinging Crab
Giant Hermit Crab
Horse Conch
Orange-ridged Sea Star
Pencil Urchin
Spiny Sea Star

Large-sized open-topped shallow touchtank with several underwater viewing panels and visitor access on three sides, titled 'Stingray Beach':
Bamboo Shark (unspecified species)
Cownose Ray
Doctorfish
Southern Stingray

Bays & Beaches - Stingray Bay Touchtank by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 1:22 PM

 

They still are off exhibit and you have to pay extra to see them. I have not done so, but I feel they should either invest in a real habitat or move them elsewhere. They really don't fit with the mission of the Florida Aquarium.

 

The upcoming renovations will help bring it to a higher level, some of the exhibits are getting tired looking. The "Heart of the Sea" area that replaced the original Offshore tank is still a disappointing area that they don't seem to know what to do with.

 

CORAL REEFS: (7 Exhibits)
This zone is housed in a twisting modern dark hallway that has a section of simulated coral caves for the smaller exhibits.

Very-large sized feature aquarium of 500,000 gallons with multiple viewing windows including a tunnel, impressive floor-to-ceiling deep view, and small glimpses into coral caves:
Atlantic Spadefish
Atlantic Tarpon
Bar Jack
Bermuda Chub
Black Grouper
Black Margate
Blue Angelfish
Blue Chromis
Blue Striped Grunt
Blue Tang
Crevalle Jacks
Doctorfish
Dog Snapper
Foureye Butterflyfish
French Angelfish
Goliath Grouper
Gray Angelfish
Gray Snapper
Great Barracuda
Green Moray Eel
Green Sea Turtle
Harlequin Seabass
Hogfish
Horse-eye Jacks
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle
Lookdown
Nurse Shark
Ocean Surgeonfish
Permit
Pinfish
Porcupinefish
Porkfish
Queen Angelfish
Red Grouper
Sand Tiger Shark
Scrawled Filefish
Smallmouth Grunt
Southern Stingray
Spadefish
Spanish Hogfish
Spotfin Butterflyfish
Squirrelfish
Yellow Goatfish
Yellowtail Snapper

Coral Reefs - 500,000 Gallon Main Exhibit by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 1:22 PM

Coral Reefs - 500,000 Gallon Main Exhibit by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 1:22 PM

Coral Reefs - 500,000 Gallon Main Exhibit by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 1:22 PM

Medium-sized wall aquarium in simulated coral cave:
Blackbar Soldierfish
Squirrelfish

Small-sized shelf aquarium in simulated coral cave:
Yellowhead Jawfish

Small-sized wall aquarium in simulated coral cave:
Two-spot Basslet

Medium-sized wall aquarium in simulated coral cave:
Lionfish

Medium-sized wall aquarium in simulated coral cave:
Bluehead Wrasse
Clown Wrasse
Spanish Hogfish
Yellowhead Wrasse

Coral Reefs - Coral Caves Exhibits by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 1:22 PM

Medium-sized curved wall aquarium:
Corals (unidenitifed species)

 

DRAGONS DOWN UNDER: (9 Exhibits)
These small exhibits are housed in a small room adjacent to the Coral Reefs zone.

9 small-sized wall aquariums, containing one species each except where noted:
Alligator Pipefish and Spiny Seahorse
Banded Pipefish
Coral Shrimpfish
Dwarf Seahorse
Leafy Seadragon
Pacific Seahorse
Potbellied Seahorse
Ribboned Pipefish
White's Seahorse

Dragons Down Under - Exhibits by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 1:22 PM

 

WAVES OF WONDER: (14 Exhibits)
These exhibits are located in another dark modern twisting hallway.

Medium-sized wall aquarium, titled 'Moon Jellies':
Moon Jelly

Medium-sized round wall aquarium, titled 'Sea Nettles':
Sea Nettle

Small-sized wall aquarium, titled 'Upside-down Jellies':
Upside-down Jellies

Medium-sized wall aquarium with dark lighting, titled 'Hidden Pacific':
Anemone (unsigned, unidentified)
Shrimp (unsigned, unidentified)

Small-sized half-round wall aquarium:
Australian Spotted Lagoon Jellies

Small-sized half-round wall aquarium:
Flower Hat Jellies

Medium-sized floor-to-ceiling round column aquarium:
Banner Butterflyfish
Bird Wrasse
Clown Triggerfish
Ocellaris Clownfish
Yellow Tang

Waves Of Wonder - Round Column Exhibit by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 1:22 PM

Small-sized half-round wall aquarium, titled 'Cool Tide Pools':
Grunt Sculpin
Painted Greenling
Penpoint Gunnel
Sailfin Sculpin
Threaded Abalone

Waves Of Wonder - Cool Tide Pools Exhibit by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 1:22 PM

Very large-sized wall aquarium with large viewing panel and round viewing panel, containing 2 coral-growing trees and simulated rocky reef, titled 'Heart of The Sea':
Atlantic Tarpon
Bonnethead Shark
Goliath Grouper
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle
Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Longspine Squirrelfish
Nurse Shark
Rooster Hogfish
Smallmouth Grunt
Southern Stingray
Spanish Hogfish
Spotted Eagle Ray
Yellowtail Snapper

Waves Of Wonder - Heart Of The Sea Exhibit by geomorph posted 3 Feb 2020 at 1:22 PM

Small-sized wall aquarium, titled 'Soft Corals':
Soft Corals (unidentified species)

Small-sized wall aquarium, titled 'Clownfish':
Clownfish (unidentified species)

Small-sized wall aquarium, titled 'Mantis Shrimp':
Mantis Shrimp

Small-sized wall aquarium, titled 'Extreme Reef':
Coral Beauty
Lemonpeel Angel Tang
Orange Fairy Basslet
Peach Fairy Basslet
Purple Cap Firefish
Springer's Damselfish

Medium-sized wall aquarium with dark lighting, titled 'Giant Pacific Octopus':
Anemone (unsigned, unidentified)
Giant Pacific Octopus

 

SUMMARY:

By my count, the total number of exhibits currently at Florida Aquarium is: 72

By my count, the total number of species in permanent exhibits with identification signs is: 260
The number of species I counted can be broken down into the following categories:
Mammals: 2
Birds: 19
Reptiles: 26
Amphibians: 1
Fish: 164
Invertebrates: 48

 

What's next?

 

That’s all I have for this aquarium! I’m all caught up with posting species lists from the places I visited in the past year. I’m not sure where my travels will take me next.

 

the next species list i meant.

 

I know this is 3 months later, but thank you for your efforts on this list! It'll be useful for my fish lifelist, as I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find a Florida Aquarium species list!

 

But what species of Mantis Shrimp?
Theres around 460 species to my knowlage.
I'm assuming rainbow?