Monterey Bay Habitats
Explore the Monterey Bay Habitats exhibit, where sharks glide through the deep reef, giant sea bass lumber among the reef pilings, and flatfish nestle in the sandy seafloor.
This hourglass-shaped exhibit is over 90 feet long, and highlights five different habitats beneath the bay and the amazing creatures that live there.
- Location
- First floor
- Ecosystem
- Reefs & pilings
- Live cam
- Shark Cam
Featured animals in this exhibit
Broadnose sevengill shark
Broadnose sevengill shark
A sevengill shark isn’t a fussy eater—this predator preys on octopuses, rays, other sharks and bony fishes.
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Giant sea bass
Giant sea bass
This top predator snatches up stingrays, squid, and even small sharks with a sudden gape of an immense mouth.
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Bat ray
Bat ray
A bat ray flaps its batlike wings to swim through the water to help it uncover prey hiding in the sand.
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Pacific spiny dogfish
Pacific spiny dogfish
As their name suggests, spiny dogfish sharks sport sharp, venomous (poisonous) spines in front of each dorsal fin.
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Exhibit highlights
Cool facts
Water
This exhibit holds 350,000 gallons of water and the acrylic windows are three to four inches thick.
Sharks
This exhibit was designed with sharks in mind—the hourglass shape gives our large sharks plenty of room to glide and turn. Gliding helps sharks get rid of metabolic wastes in muscle tissue.
Sea bass
Giant sea bass can reach 500 pounds but are so gentle they like to have their chins scratched by divers during feedings.
Live cam
Shark Cam
Watch live as sevengill sharks, leopard sharks, bat rays, sturgeon, and others glide through the rocky reef.
Keep exploring
Animals & the ocean
Deep sea animals A to Z
From football-sized giant isopods to transparent jellies that glow, the deep sea is brimming with life.