Attacked at the Aquarium
There are many exotic fish I've had the privilege to see up-close and in person -- including a hammerhead shark. When I was 18, my parents took my sisters and I to the Great Barrier Reef.
(Whenever anyone asks about your trip to a reef, they always say, "Did you get a piece of the reef?" as if the first rule you learn on the reef isn't "Never, ever step on the reef." Those things are far more fragile than they might seem on TV.)
There are also some less than-exotic fish I've had the opportunity to see up-close and in person. My father took me to the Bass Fishing Museum in Eufala when I was a child, too.
So, a few weeks ago, when I went to Atlanta, the aquarium was one of my first stops.
The Georgia Aquarium is a great place, and it was fascinating to see the Beluga whales, Tiger sharks, giant Flounder and all of the colorful rest. (Is it wrong that all I could think of when I saw the giant Japanese crabs was "drawn butter"?)
The Georgia aquarium also has some great touch tanks. You could reach in to pet rays, little sharks, horseshoe crabs and the like.
Unfortunately, there was a moment in one of the touch tanks that led to the SO and I being drenched in water. At one of these tanks, the SO became startled by one of the creatures inside, and as he jerked his hand from the tank, he covered himself in water and splashed me pretty good, too.
The animal that took him by such surprise, you might ask? A shark? No. Manta ray? Nope. Even a spindly, tentacle-y plant? No. It was the shrimp and prawn tank that got him. I suppose he's never been around anything but the frozen kind because he wasn't really expecting the shrimp to move when he touched it. He jumped, and his shirt was soaked -- because a shrimp frightened him. (Sorry, I usually try to leave the SO alone when it comes to this blog, but that one still makes me laugh.)
Of course, I had my comeuppance when we went back to the ray/shark tank on our way out and one of the very large rays tried climbing the wall of the tank in front of me. (I could have sworn I heard a very faint "save me," but I was also in a little bit of shock.) Then it was my turn to jump back. I was fine with touching the smooth back of the ray. I did not know what it would do if it found my hand in its mouth.
So, if you find yourself in Atlanta, I'd definitely put the aquarium on your to-do list. And while many people are biased towards the penguins in the "most adorable" category, when it comes to the cute factor, otters take the cake for me every time.