Underwater World

I knew it would be an auspicious day when I heard my first ABBA tune in the new car. "Mama Mia. Here I go again. My. My. How can I resist you?" On my way to check on Link- my first real tick dog. And, he seemed pretty OK. Yep. This was going to be a good, good day.

Our plan was to drive North to Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast. Mooloolaba is home to "Underwater World" and Kevin and I enjoy walking through tunnels of sharks and such...PLUS Underwater World has a Giant Deep Sea Squid on display. (Hurry. Limited time only!) Yeah. Giant Squid. We are so there. Plus, it was a chance to take the new car out for a spin and get out of town.

The Underwater World was fun. We enjoyed the pool of sting rays that greet you just inside the door. They seemed very attracted to Kevin and tried flapping out of the water to reach him. I must admit- inappropriate comments WERE made- but they will not be repeated here. You'll have to make up your own.



We hurried down into the lowest level of the aquarium first for the shark walk. Sixty centimeters of Plexiglas kept hundreds of thousands of liters of salt water above our heads as we walked through the aquarium enjoying the artificial coral (painted in coral appropriate colors, we were told), the moray eel, the reef fish, the green sea turtle, the sharks and rays. We were taught how to sex sharks and rays. (Call me if you're trying to set one up on a blind date. I can help you gender select...but you'll need to verify the sexual preference of your friend before we begin.) Due to the curvature of the Plexiglas, everybody in these tanks look 30% smaller. Wow. Some of those rays looked pretty, pretty, pretty big. And, they were, in actuality, much, much bigger.

From the bottom we worked our way back upstairs. We played find the frog, briefly. We enjoyed colorful collections of real coral and real coral reef fish including the sex changers. (I knew something about these guys. At least, I knew much of what was known about these fish in 1985 when I wrote a literature review on sex changers for my "Social Behavior of Animals" course. It has been over 20 years...wonder what's new?) We studied, in honor of Christine- who recently wrote me about these fish, the lungfish that live in Queensland. (They've been introduced into the Brisbane River. Why? Why would you introduce a species into a new river?? This doesn't seem to me to be significantly different from introducing English Sparrows, or Cane Toad, or red fox (not the actor), or rabbits to a new country. Helloooo.) We waited our turn to play with the "megatooth shark" jaws. We thoroughly enjoyed the seal training show.

But, the best HAD to be the Giant Squid. Kevin was psyched - having recently familiarized himself with giant squid ways via Bond, James Bond. Giant squid. Giant squid eye. Cool. Very cool. Like frozen in a giant ice cube, cool.



It never occurred to me that I wouldn't be seeing a live squid! Why would it? Let alone that it would be folded up inside "the world's largest, man-made block of ice". (I'm not sure you've noticed: the squid's longest tentacle is folded up over its head and extends back to the right side of the ice block.)

Still it was fascinating.

But, coming from Ohio, I think they could do better. Isn't it obvious? I could set them up... Life-sized Butter Giant Squid (Giant Butter Squid?) Every year at the Ohio State Fair the Ohio Dairy Farmer's barn has butter sculpture. There is always a full sized dairy cow- complete with true-to-life milk veins. And, then a bonus. I'm thinking ...giant squid next year.

Anyway, these giant squid can be pretty giantous. (I know that is not a word. Live with it.) Up to 60 feet long! Living deep in ocean crevices. (This particular squid was living off New Zealand). They aren't rare. They aren't endangered. And, yet the first living specimen wasn't seen until 2004! Wow! Just 3 years later and I'm seeing one in ice in Mooloolaba! My life is good.



"My my Just how much I've missed you"

Underwater World was followed by EATING fish and then a walk through the surf.



"Why? Why? Why'd I ever let you go?"