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Pic of the underwater life in the Great Barrier Reef display tank

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is essentially one long sloping walkway around the building. Here u can see the underwater life in the Great Barrier Reef display tank as the floor slopes down.....

The Great Barrier Reef display tank...

Next we move to the Great Barrier Reef Exhibit...

Swimming in tandem...

Face to face with a Short-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis)

Short-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis)

Another pic of the Dolphin flashing past....

Another pic of the Dolphin tank in the Tasman Sea area...

Pic of the other side of the coral tank at the Tasman Sea area...

Closer pic...

Finally.....live corals

Pic of the Tasman Sea display area.....

Next we move on to the 7th display area .......the "Tasman Sea" which sits between the 7th to the 4th floor This is the infamous Crown-of- Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci) These echinoderms grow to a diameter of up to 40 cm across and have 12 to 19 arms extending from their center. They are the largest starfish in the world. If accidentally touched or stepped on by humans, the starfish's long spines (which release a neurotoxin) are capable of pricking and stinging, inflicting great pain that can last for hours, as well as nausea and vomiting. Frequently, the area around the puncture turns a dark blue (erythema) and begins to swell (edema). The swelling may persist for a number of days or weeks. If you are pricked by a crown of thorns, it is important to ensure any remnants of the spine are completely removed. The Crown-of- Thorns Starfish is a coral reef predator (a corallivore) and preys on the coral polyps by climbing onto them, extruding its stomach over them, and releasing digestive enzymes to then absorb the liquefied tissue. They feed alone at night, maintaining a constant distance between themselves and other crown-of-thorns starfish. During times of food shortage, these creatures can live on their energy reserves for over six months.

Another closer look at the King Penguins....

Another pic of the Antarctica display....

Must have been a fantastic experience to be in the water with such a magnificent animal....

King Penguins (Aptenodytes patagonica)

Rockhopper Penguin...

Very cold.....

Next we move on to the Antartica display area....

The mata mata is a large sedentary turtle which has a large triangular flattened head charecterized with many tubercles and flaps of skin and a "horn" on its long and tubular snout. There are two barbels on the chin and two additional filamentous barbels at the upper jaw, which is neither hooked nor notched. The mata mata's shell appearance resembles a piece of bark and its head resembles fallen leaves. As it remains motionless in the water, its skin flaps enable it to blend into the surrounding vegetation, until a fish comes close. The mata mata thrusts out its head and opens its large mouth as wide as possible, creating a low-pressure volume that sucks the prey into the turtle's mouth. The Matamata snaps its mouth shut, the water is slowly expelled, and the fish is swallowed whole as the mata mata cannot chew due to the way its mouth is constructed A closer look at the head of the Mata mata Turtle (Chelus fimbriatus)

Mata mata Turtle (Chelus fimbriatus) inhabits slow moving, blackwater streams, stagnant pools, marshes, and swamps ranging into northern Bolivia, eastern Peru, Ecuador, eastern Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, and northern and central Brazil. The mata mata is strictly an aquatic species but it prefers standing in shallow water where it's snout can reach the surface to breathe.

The next tank in the Ecuador Rainforest display area...

Another pic of the tank...