After seeing loads of dead fish laid out in the Jeddah Fish Market, it was nice to see fish swimming again.
Fakieh Aquarium is the FIRST in Saudi Arabia along the coast of the Red Sea.
The first area we encountered was the shallow area. This shows some of the critters that can live in the shallow areas such as black tip reef shark, guitar shark, blue spotted stingray [pictured above], and the parrotfish [above the stingray].
Upside down jelly fish
Pictured above are SEA HORSES!
- They grow up to 25cm max.
- The females lay eggs and babies form inside the male pouch.
- When the babies hatch, then they are released from the male pouch.
Green Sea Turtle are all considered endangered due to limited breeding grounds available. Something that is endangered does not only mean its little in numbers. It also takes into consideration on whether or not it can breed. These turtles can live up to 100 years old.
In Fakieh, they take in hurt animals (like this turtle) and take care of them until in their in good enough condition to be sent back into the ocean.
Horseshoe crabs are one of the few species that has not changed since prehistoric times.
Big guy at the bottom of the tank is a guitar shark.
Striped Eel Catfish moving rocks with its mouth.
Sea Lions:
- have no paws
- has nails to scratch itself
- has over 1in of fat all over its body to keep itself warm
- in the summer, females reduce their diet (around may-sept)
Dolphins fun fact:
- They have whiskers during first 7 days of life for feeding.
- They have to consciously go up to the surface to breathe (unlike humans who don’t have to think about it)
Not so fun fact: It has been said that a dolphin can purposely hold its breathe underwater to commit suicide when in captivity.
The aquarium was very nice to visit to learn about the fish while staying dry. Our tour guide was amazing and she was very informative and kind. If you are ever in Saudi Arabia and you want to learn about different marine animals, I would highly suggest going to Fakieh Aquarium. (:
Link if you are interested! http://fakiehaquarium.com/index.php
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