Aquarium of the Bay San Francisco 

Discover the beauty and diversity of Northern California aquatic life at Aquarium of the Bay. Located on the historic San Francisco waterfront at PIER 39, the Aquarium is home to more than 24,000 marine animals including sleek sharks and rays, secretive octopus, hypnotic jellyfish, sparkling anchovies, frolicking river otters, and many more.

Discover the Bay

This gallery introduces the ecosystem of San Francisco Bay and features seven different animal habitats showing how they form homes for the creatures who live in the Bay.

Exhibit Highlights

• Beauties of the Bay, the most colourful animals in San Francisco Bay, including the bright orange Garibaldi (the California State Marine Fish), green Moray Eels and rockfish of varying colours.
• Swirling school of anchovies. Did you know that lateral lines on the bodies of anchovies serve as sensory organs? This enables the animals to sense where the school is moving, to help stick together and avoid predators.
• Bay babies, from newly hatched Skates to juvenile perch and other fishes, explore underwater newborns.

Go with the flow

Mesmerising jellies await your arrival upon entering Under the Bay. Ambient lighting sets the mood to enjoy these beautifully hypnotic invertebrates. Front and centre is a 725-gallon cylinder tank displaying Moon Jellies, while a wall-mounted, 740-gallon gallon tank showcases the Pacific Sea Nettles.

There are more than 200 species of jellies worldwide. Jellies are made up of 95% water and have no heart, brains, bones, or other organs. Their bodies let off pulsations, but movement is primarily controlled by bay and ocean currents. Jelly species are being directly affected by climate change, their populations and range continue to increase as water temperatures rise. Discover more about this increase in jelly populations in this exhibit.

Under the Bay

This gallery allows visitors to truly explore below the bay with a fully immersive experience as they walk through 300 feet of acrylic tunnels filled surrounded by schooling anchovies, skates, bay rays, and sharks.

Near Shore Tunnel

Did you know that the majority of San Francisco Bay is between 10-15 feet deep? This tunnel unmasks the creatures that live in these shallow depths around the Bay. What it lacks in depth, it makes up for in breadth and diversity of species. Many animals, including various shark species, use the shallow mudflats of San Francisco Bay as a breeding and nursery ground for their pups. Animals that you will encounter in the Near Shore exhibit tunnel range from swirling schools of anchovies to a rainbow of Rockfish, bright-orange Garibaldi, to the Eastern Pacific Red Octopus.

Sharks of Alcatraz Tunnel

Explore the deeper waters of San Francisco Bay in the second crystal-clear tunnel exhibit, where sharks, rays, sturgeons, and more soar above or nestle on the sandy floor. Come face-to-fin with sevengill sharks, the largest predatory animal/shark in San Francisco Bay, and other local shark species including leopard sharks and soupfin sharks.

 

 

Touch the Bay

This gallery allows visitors touch several types of animals including bat rays, skates, leopard sharks, and tidepool animals such as sea stars and sea cucumbers. The touch pools are accompanied by the interactive Bay lab station.

Touchpools

The magic of San Francisco Bay is literally at your fingertips with two touchpools housing sharks, rays, skates, sea stars, and anemones. Get ready to call, text, or tweet home about this once in a lifetime experience.

Bay Lab

Several land dwelling animals including chinchillas, tortoises, and frogs can be found in this exhibit. These animals specially selected to share messages of how their habits and habitats are affected by climate change.

Bay Lab Station

At this science station, naturalists lead an ongoing schedule of interactions with land animals and participatory climate change discussions. The station also features touchables for explorers of all ages, ranging from microscopes to puzzles.

River Otters

Adorable and playful river otters await visitors in this gallery. This gallery houses four river otters: Shasta, who was saved from the Louisiana fur trade; Ryer, Baxter, and the youngest Tahoe. Found throughout the Bay Area and its river systems, river otters are considered a watershed ambassador as they are an indicator of a healthy water system; meaning if you see a river otter in the wild, you know that waterway is healthy.

Conservation Status

Although populations are now stable in California, a century ago, river otter populations were in bad shape due to water pollution, habitat degradation, and fur trade. The hunting and trapping of river otters is no longer allowed in California, and regulations to improve water quality and estuarine habitat have allowed river otter populations to recover. The return of river otters to the San Francisco Bay estuary reminds us of what is possible with ongoing commitments to a healthy watershed.

Suitable for:

• Infants
• Families
• Couples
• Groups
• Teenagers
• Seniors

Great for:

• Explorers