ANIMALS

From wiggly weird to cute and touchable – these are just some of the amazing new animals recently added to Newport Aquarium!

Meet our four rare Shark Rays in our Surrounded By Sharks Exhibit. Sweet Pea was the first Shark Ray on display in the Western Hemisphere. All four Shark Rays are members of the world's first Shark Ray Breeding Program, which yielded the first known Shark Ray birth in a captive environment in 2014.

Sharks: The ultimate blend of power, efficiency, and predation that have been refined over time. No other group of fish in the oceans is more feared or misunderstood.

Compared to crocodiles, alligators have a rounder and wider U shaped snout. Also, when the alligator's jaw is closed, the fourth bottom tooth cannot be seen.

Many land animals often venture into water, but only one group of land animals must spend part of their lives in the water in order to survive.

Arthropods are invertebrates with an exoskeleton, a hard and protective outer shell made of chitin. They also have appendages that are jointed and their bodies are segmented.

The term "echinoderm" means spiny skinned; and is a very appropriate name for invertebrates in this group. Sand dollars, sea cucumbers, sea stars and sea urchins are all echinoderms.

Eels are elongated fish, ranging in length from 2-inch one-jawed eel to the 13 ft slender giant moray.

There are more than 32,000 species of fish known in the world today. What defines an animal as a fish? Although fish share many general characteristics, some species are exceptions.

Although freshwater only covers three percent of the planet, some scientists believe there are more freshwater fish species than there are saltwater fish species.

Frogs have large legs and webbed back feet. They jump to move across the ground, and swim through the water.

Ninety-seven percent of all animals on our planet lack a backbone and are called invertebrates. They are all considered ectotherms, or cold-blooded because they cannot regulate their body temperature.

Cnidarians are invertebrates with stinging cells called nematocysts. Included in the cnidarian group are anemones, corals, and jellyfish.

There are an estimated 50,000 species that belong to the invertebrate group known as Mollusca. Members of this diverse group have soft bodies which are composed of a head region and a foot region.

Discover King, Gentoo, Macaroni and Chinstrap cold weather penguins in Penguin Palooza or enjoy an optional Penguin Encounter with our warm climate penguins.

Rays, skates, and sting rays are closely related to sharks, but unlike sharks, the bodies of these fish tend to be flat and disc-like.

Covered in scales, reptiles are ectotherms (cold-blooded vertebrates) that are found on every continent except Antarctica and in every ocean except the Arctic and Southern oceans.

Newts and salamanders have four similarly sized legs as well as a distinct tail. They are the only vertebrates that have the ability to regenerate body parts, such as legs and tails.

There is no doubt that the most colorful fishes live in saltwater. Almost every color of the spectrum can be found on various marine fish.

With a head like a horse, snout like an aardvark and belly pouch like a kangaroo, seahorses are anything but ordinary.

Snakes can be found on all continents except Antarctica and do not occur on certain island nations such as New Zealand and Ireland.

Toads have stocky legs and non-webbed feet. They walk to move across the ground and are typically found in drier areas.

Turtles, tortoises and terrapins are all members of the order Testudines. These reptiles all have a protective shell that has developed from their ribs.