Touch Tank Exploration

Due to Damages Caused by Hurricane Ian, the Touch Tanks will be Unavailable until 2024

Explore what lives beneath the waters of Tarpon Bay by coming to our aquarium and Touch Tanks. Learn all about the benthic ecology of the bay by getting a hands-on experience with live shells, sea stars, oysters and much more. Plus, our aquarium displays will introduce you to some of the less seen fish in Tarpon Bay. This is an awesome program whether you get your hands wet or just stand back, learn and enjoy. The Touch Tank is always included in the Breakfast, Nature & Sealife & Evening Cruises, but is also great for a rainy day. The Touch Tank is a guided program that begins at 3:00 everyday or runs in conjunction with our cruise programs pending availability. For any questions, please call 239-472-8900.

Did You Know?

With the head of a horse, the tail of a monkey, and the pouch of a kangaroo, the sea horse is one of the most unusual fish in Tarpon Bay.  Its body has prickly, spiny plates instead of scales and is well-camouflaged to blend in with its surroundings.  Sea horses spend most of their time clinging to seagrasses and feeding on tiny crustaceans like shrimp and isopods.  Perhaps even more unusual is the fact that male sea horses give birth, not females.  The female injects her eggs into the male in a slotted pouch below his stomach.  He fertilizes the eggs, and more than 200 baby sea horses hatch two to four weeks later.