Happy Friday, everyone! And with the high temperatures continuing, and still no sign of rain for us here in the Emerald Isle, a cooling dip in the sea might be just what we need… So isn’t it lucky that when we left Explorer Beastie last week, he was just about to venture inside Düsseldorf’s Aquazoo? I caught up with him at the hamster enclosure…
… By which time I was already feeling a little like the guy draped over the rocks in the picture on the right! Adventuring is clearly a lot easier when you have someone to carry you from place to place.
But I soon perked up as we started to explore Aquazoo – part aquarium, part zoo and part natural history museum, there’s loads of cool stuff to see. So, let’s turn left at the penguins, and head for the tropical jungle!
There were plenty of curious reptiles to meet in there…
… But none as curious as the mysterious headless turtle!
The weirdness continued with an opportunity to see both the inside and the outside of a snake…
… So it was quite a relief when we encountered a tank full of complete, entirely normal tortoises.
And next… Explorer Beastie was very keen to get his picture taken with the stick insects. Can you spot them?
Fascinating as this game was, we were excited to get to the “Aqua” part of Aquazoo!
Appropriately enough, one of the first displays we saw was about mythical monsters of the deep. Explorer Beastie decided it was only fair that he add himself to the lineup…
…Although the specimens of real-life deep sea fish almost had him running for cover in my handbag. Check out those teeth!
Further down the hall, we met a much friendlier fish – a giant freshwater puffer fish! We could have watched this guy’s antics for hours.
But why should we have all the fun? Here, say hello yourself!
We also enjoyed the reef tank – it was full of brightly-coloured small fish, rays, a moray eel and even a shark!
And while I saw a similarity between these sand eels and Pepe the Prawn from The Muppets…
… Explorer Beastie felt a certain stripey kinship with these butterfly fish.
Some of the fish were very eager to get to know Explorer Beastie!
But perhaps some of these underwater marvels could have got a little bit too friendly. Um, are you sure this giant clam shell only wants to give you a hug?
Fortunately, he was able to escape the clutches of the scary shell and join me in what I shall affectionately call “The Realm of the Weird Squishy Things” – hello neon sea anemones and glowing jellyfish!
The coral reef display gave a certain little woolly monster an opportunity to pretend he was scuba diving…
… And he enjoyed getting up close and personal with an axolotl too!
But he had to wait until the very end before he finally got a chance to hitch a lift on a fish’s back!
Then there was just time for a quick snap with the whale skeleton at the entrance…
…Before we washed up on dry land once more, blinking in the bright evening sunshine!
Phew! That’s enough fishy goings-on for one week… Or is there anyone else out there who loves a good wander around an aquarium? Let me know in the comments!
We’ll be back with more monster shenanigans on Tuesday… Until then, have a super weekend!
Ah, you know I love a Beastie-Meets-Critters post and this one even included Fabelwesen to satisfy my mythology craving! Looks like EB found a much drier way to experience sea life than Finn. And I LOVE seeing puffer fish when I snorkel. They know they’re packing heat (as we say in American cop flicks) so they don’t rush away. Now I’m feeling the need to hit up our aquarium on the Oregon coast.
Yessssss! A fellow fish fan! I suppose the logical next step is for me to take your lead and go to meet them in their natural habitat… I bet Explorer Beastie would love to go scuba diving like Finn did! So, all puffer fish are generally curious and friendly like that, then? Good to know! (Even if they are armed 😆) And be sure to share your pics with us if you go to your local aquarium! Thanks for dropping in, Tammie… Enjoy your weekend!
Seeing the tropical fish in the wild is highly recommended. Although it is a lot easier to stay dry and sunburn-free when you find them in aquariums. And I’ve yet to encounter any fabelwesen in the wild.
That’s true… The aquarium was so lovely and cool after the unaccustomed heat and sunlight outside! As for those Fabelwesen, if anyone deserves to find one on their underwater adventures, it’s you… And maybe Finn McSpool! 😀
So much fun stuff in this post! Pepe the Prawn! In the video clip you shared it looked like the fish stopped to say hi! Oh the Adventure Beastie takes great photos. Glad he did not have to run for cover in your handbag and was able to continue to brave the terrifying fish!
Thanks Tierney! I think everyone knows by now that I totally love all things Muppet-y! And the puffer fish was one of the most charming creatures I’ve met in a long time. As for Explorer Beastie… Well, I probably would have been more worried about the intentions of the giant clam shell than the toothy deep sea fish! 😂 Thanks for joining us on our tour!
Very cool! That puffer fish is mesmerizing and marvelous (and seems quite friendly, too!). His patterning would make for such an interesting textile print. And I’m a big fan of the weird squishy things. Aquariums are such neat places to get acquainted with all the life forms we land-dwellers miss out on! (like those Fabelwesen, which I’m sure are out there… somewhere) . 🙂 Glad to see EB happen upon some striped kin, too. Stripes are never out of style!
Yes, I’m quite the fan of stripes myself… And pattern inspiration truly abounds in an aquarium, doesn’t it? I really loved the colours and texture of the carpet anemone in the Weird Squishy Things area. Shame they didn’t have a Fabelwesen tank, but like you I’m not giving up hope just yet! 😀 Cheers for joining us on our tour, Shirley!
Oooooohhhhhh ahhhhhhhh! Beautiful pics as always, but some terrifying creatures in there! Good thing EB is so brave and adventurous… and separated by a pane of glass. I love the mythological creatures selection. I’m obviously a firm believer in the existence of mermaids and the hokum aquatic ape theory. Looks like a lot of fun; thank you for sharing!!
Thanks, Weekes! I’m a big fan of underwater critters, both proven-to-exist and mythological… This post is only about a third of the pictures I took in that place! 😄 But you’re right, they could totally use a mermaid in there. I’ll bring along Mermaid Beastie next time to complete their exhibits, and prove that they are in fact real! Cheers for reading!
Oh yeah, Mermaid Beastie definitely needs a turn in there!! Looooove her.
What, an excuse to make another Mermaid Beastie AND visit an aquarium? Yes please! 😁