Adventure Aquarium in NJ

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This winter has been interminable, but there is plenty to do indoors.  Just a short drive from NY, NJ, or PA, is the Adventure Aquarium- formerly the Camden Aquarium.  There are many things to see and do inside, from new exhibits, to interactive touch pools, and educational experiences.  You can get a hot lunch there, bring your own and grab a table, and spend the whole day inside.  (There are also outdoor penguin enclosures, but bring your coats! Baby, it’s cold outside.)

The latest exhibit, running through March, is all about our favorite amphibian- frogs.  Everything and anything frog related can be found here- and your children can even see (and touch, if they are brave!) a tiny poison froggie.  Don’t worry- it’s harmless to people.  Unless you eat it.  So, don’t.   🙂

Featuring more than 8,500 aquatic species throughout two million gallons of water, Adventure Aquarium is the only aquarium in the world to exhibit hippos and also home to the largest collection of sharks on the east coast – including a Great Hammerhead Shark. Located just minutes from downtown Philadelphia on the Delaware waterfront, visitors can get up close and personal with sharks and stingrays they can touch. They can also explore one-of-a-kind exhibits, including hippos, penguins and a shark tunnel.

The NJ of Adventure Aquarium on the Delaware Waterfront’s newest exhibit, Frogs: Natures Messenger hops on to the scene and opens to the public, bringing the opportunity to come face-to-face with frogs of all types, sizes and vivid colors. More than 20 species of frogs and amphibians will invade the Aquarium through April — from the red-eyed tree frog, the poison dart frog, the tiger-legged monkey frog and the enormous African bullfrog, there will be something for everyone to croak about.

What should you check out while you and your family are there?  Here are some ideas-

• Meet our “colorful characters”: They’re small, but they have a big story to tell, opening up a world of intricate patterns, colors, sounds and personalities. Our biologists can introduce you to the more than 20 species of frogs, salamanders, toads and sirens that will be highlighted in this limited-time exhibit.

• Learn about the significance of frogs to the environment, and how they really are “messengers” of environmental change.  More than 6,000 species live on every continent except Antarctica, and at least 30 percent of frog species are currently threatened with extinction. As humans change natural ecosystems, frogs around the world are disappearing. Learn why frogs matter, why they deserve our respect, and how they are considered bio-indicators. Since they eat and breathe through it, a frog’s skin is critical to its survival. Their skin is super-sensitive to pollution and other environmental hazards. As frogs grow, deformities tell us when a habitat is unhealthy. Guests can learn what they can do to help, what is involved in owning a frog, and what they can to do help this vulnerable species.

• Each frog has its own “quirk” — for example, the hourglass tree frog, who can change color, depending on the time of day and its level of stress. Or the weird and awesome polka dot tree frog (the cinnamon tree frog) – one glimpse of this spotted tree frog’s belly and you can see its heart, liver and other internal organs! Learn how certain frog species use their anatomy to protect themselves from predators, including the beautiful oriental fire belly toad, whose skin secretes a mild toxin that can sting, and who uses its belly to warn predators to stay away. Or the iconic red-eyed tree frog, a rainforest tree dweller that’s not poisonous, but who flashes its bulging red eyes, huge orange feet and blue-and-yellow flanks when disturbed, tricking predators into thinking it’s toxic.

The potent power of poison: Get up close and personal with a variety of the colorful, but powerful poison dart frogs. Poison frogs may look beautiful but they secrete toxins through their skin that can paralyze or even kill. Those bright colors warn predators “Don’t eat me or you’ll be sorry”! Although contact with most frog species won’t kill you, touching or ingesting one of these poison dart frogs in the wild can make you very sick, and cause serious swelling, nausea and even possible paralysis. Visitors to Frogs: Nature’s Messenger will even get up close with the golden poison dart frog – a golden beauty that also happens to be one of the most poisonous animals on the planet.