Have you ever wondered why a fish has fins and not feet?
Or, why does an Elephant seal have such a big nose?
A group of Stonegate Elementary School students in Irvine pondered those questions while learning about animal adaptations through an Aquarium on Wheels program.
The mobile program is one of several educational offerings by the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. This was the program’s first visit to Orange County since the pandemic hiatus.
Stonegate Elementary School students touch sea animals in the Aquarium on Wheels in Irvine, CA on Thursday, January 26, 2023. The Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific brought the program to the school for two shows and a visit to the tide pool habitat. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Stonegate Elementary School students touch a baby swell shark in Irvine, CA on Thursday, January 26, 2023. The Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific brought its Aquarium on Wheels program to the school for two shows and a visit to the tide pool habitat. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Stonegate Elementary School students react during an Aquarium on Wheels program in Irvine, CA on Thursday, January 26, 2023. The Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific brought its program to the school for two shows and a visit to the tide pool habitat. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Outreach Coordinator Allison Patton talks about Blue whales to students at Stonegate Elementary School in Irvine, CA on Thursday, January 26, 2023. The Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific brought its Aquarium on Wheels to the school for two shows and a visit to a tide pool habitat. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Students Zayn Jaffer, Misha Proniushkin and Arya Ghahremanlou, from left, check out some of the live animals at Stonegate Elementary School in Irvine, CA on Thursday, January 26, 2023. The Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific brought its Aquarium on Wheels program to the school for two shows and a visit to the tide pool habitat. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Stonegate Elementary School students line up to see and touch sea animals at the Aquarium on Wheels in Irvine, CA on Thursday, January 26, 2023. The Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific brought its program to the school for two shows and a visit to the tide pool habitat. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Outreach Coordinator Allison Patton talks about sea animals during a visit to Stonegate Elementary School in Irvine, CA on Thursday, January 26, 2023. The Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific brought its Aquarium on Wheels to the school for two shows and a visit to a tide pool habitat. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Stonegate Elementary School students touch sea animals at the Aquarium on Wheels in Irvine, CA on Thursday, January 26, 2023. The Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific brought its program to the school for two shows and a visit to the tide pool habitat. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Stonegate students learned about sea animals and how they have adapted to survive in their environments during a special visit of the traveling aquarium exhibit.
“Our goal is to have the students think about adaptations and why certain animals have certain body parts,” said Allison Patton, outreach coordinator for the Aquarium of the Pacific.
But it wasn’t all theoretical or just through a lecture, the students were able to see up close and touch the California marine life they were talking about, including baby swell sharks, sea stars, urchins and anemones that come along for the visits in the 200-gallon Aquarium on Wheels.
The Aquarium on Wheels is out in the community four days a week and has programs for pre-K to 12th grade. More information on Aquarium of the Pacific programs can be found at aquariumofpacific.org.
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