Leandra Jacobson 4/28 Aquarium

Since this is an ecology class, it is only appropriate to recapture my visit to the Georgia aquarium. This past weekend I went to the largest aquarium in the word in Atlanta, Georgia while visiting my friend David. It was incredible how many fish and exhibits there were, this giant fish and people tank in the middle of a very strange city. What I found fascinating was the walk through, a long tunnel that went under the largest tank. In this were sharks, fish, and coral. I was amazed at how the fish and the sharks were swimming together, not having a slaughter fest going on.
The amazement with the fish was seen on all observers face. The exotic, the large, and the colorful fish attracted the most attention but I loved them all. The piranha was surprisingly beautiful for being such a feared creature, which apparently isn’t the man-eating maniac I thought it to be. What I found interesting in my own experience is the complete dislike I have for zoos but that I enjoyed the aquarium. It may be because I eat fish but do not eat meat, I have very little ethical dilemma with eating a fish and I need to eat some meat of substance to maintain a healthy weight. I do not like the capture of wild creatures, exotic or not. I see an innate difference in the suspended existence of fish though; that their environment is basically the same in a giant tank compared to the ocean since many of the fish were not long distance migrates. There was one type lobster that was incredibly fascinating and sadly in a very small tank. These lobsters would line up and begin marching randomly into nonsensical directions for miles. Scientists have no idea why or have not discovered any explanation for doing so in relation to food or environment. I love the unexplained, and found it extremely humorous.