Wash, DC
National Marine Sanctuaries Gallery
In 1972, exactly 100 years after America's first national park was created, the nation made a similar commitment to preserving its marine treasures by establishing the National Marine Sanctuary Program. These sanctuaries protect more than 18,000 square miles of ocean waters and habitats, an area nearly the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. The program is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which works cooperatively with the public to balance enjoyment and use with long-term conservation.
Florida Everglades
The cornerstone of this gallery is an American alligator display, with a focus on the Everglades as a whole. The exhibit shares the success story of the American alligator’s return from near extinction, and raises awareness of other issues facing the Everglades, such as habitat destruction and water quality.
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
The Channel Islands are located 25 miles off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. The waters that swirl around the five islands within the sanctuary combine warm and cool currents to create an exceptional breeding ground for many species of plants and animals.
Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Cordell Bank is located approximately 52 miles northwest of the Golden Gate Bridge at the edge of the continental shelf. Upwelling of nutrient-rich ocean waters and the bank’s topography create one of the most biologically productive areas on the West Coast. The site is a lush feeding ground for many marine mammals and seabirds.
Fagatele (Fohng-ah-the-leh) Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Fagatele is located on Tutuila, the largest island of American Samoa, and is the only true tropical coral reef in the National Marine Sanctuary Program. This complex ecosystem, with its exceptionally high level of biological productivity, is the smallest and most remote of all sanctuaries.
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
This sanctuary is a complex marine ecosystem surrounding the Florida Keys archipelago, an island chain known worldwide for its extensive offshore coral reef. The waters surrounding most of the 1,700 islands that make up the Florida Keys have been designated a sanctuary since 1990. The Florida Keys marine environment is the foundation for the commercial fishing and tourism-based economies that are vital to southern Florida.
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
Flower Garden is located about 110 miles off the coast of Texas and Louisiana. It harbors the northernmost coral reefs in the continental United States and serves as a regional reservoir of shallow-water Caribbean reef fishes and invertebrates.
Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary
Gray's Reef is located 17 miles off Sapelo Island, Georgia. It is one of the largest near-shore sandstone reefs in the southeastern United States. The rocky platform, some 60–70 feet below the Atlantic Ocean’s surface, is wreathed in a carpet of attached organisms. This flourishing ecosystem provides not only vertical relief, but also a solid base for the abundant invertebrates to attach to and grow upon.
Animals in This Exhibit
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The American alligator is a large, primarily aquatic crocodilian with a large head and a large, powerful keeled tail.
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Sea anemones are polyps that attach to surfaces with an adhesive foot, called a basal disc, with a column shaped body ending in an oral disc. They can have anywhere from a dozen to a few hundred tentacles.
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Chain catsharks have small, slender bodies, with black mottling on a lighter brown background, and fluorescing eyes.
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The chambered nautilus is a mollusk, related to the octopus, squid, clam and snail.
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These masters of camouflage can quickly change the color and texture of their skin to match the background.
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The guineafowl puffer has a rounded body covered with prickles, and is generally brown or golden in color, depending on life stage. The color can be highly variable.
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The horn shark gets its name because it has a short venomous “horn” in front of each of its dorsal fins for protection. The horn shark is typically a brownish color, covered in black spots, and its underbelly has a yellowish tint.
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The leopard shark is slender and elongated, and gray or brown with black saddles across its back and black blotches along the length of its body.
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Loggerheads are among the largest of the hard-shelled turtles — leatherbacks are bigger but have soft shells.
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The longsnout seahorse has a yellow body, with flecks of brown and black.
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The red lionfish's body is covered with reddish-brown bands separated by white lines. Pectoral fin rays are separated, long, and banner-like, with similar light and dark banding. Their long dorsal spines are venomous to protect them from predators.
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The scarlet king snake has a tri-color pattern of black, red, and yellow bands that mimic the venomous coral snake. Juveniles usually have the same colors as adults, but often have rings that look more off-white than yellow. As they mature, their rings turn more yellow.
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There are nearly 2,000 species of sea stars in the world’s oceans.
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The spotted ratfish has a smooth and scaleless skin that is a silvery-bronze color, often with sparkling shades of gold, blue, and green. A venomous spine is located on the front of its dorsal fin.
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Striped burrfish have large heads and widely spaced bulging eyes.
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