News archives

A Little Blue Penguin is in the beginning stage of its annual catastrophic molt.

Penguin Molting Makeover

Annual Catastrophic Molt Underway for Birch Aquarium’s Little Blue Penguins

guests stand at a shark exploration station, with a large inflatable shark mouth in the background

Shark Summer Returns to Birch Aquarium!

This summer, sharks take the spotlight with fun activities for all ages!

Kelp Cutting ceremony.

Kelp Cutting Marks New Chapter: Birch Aquarium Unveils Adam R. Scripps Living Seas Gallery

New exhibition brings guests into the world of the Pacific Ocean through immersive displays.

Entrance to an exhibit featuring the Oarfish, Regalecus russellii, with blue curtains framing a dark room where the preserved deep-sea fish is displayed in a lit case.

Birch Aquarium Unveils Oarfish Exhibition

A preserved Short-crested Oarfish found locally last year is on display at Birch Aquarium

A detailed rendering of a vibrant new coral habitat that will be featured in Living Seas

The Countdown is on for Birch Aquarium’s Living Seas

New exhibition opens May 22 with new habitats and immersive experiences

The Penguin Care Team gently holds the three Little Blue Penguin chicks of the 2025 hatch season.

Caring for Penguin Chicks

Birch Aquarium celebrates another successful hatch season, welcoming three Little Blue Penguin chicks.

Two mountain yellow-legged frogs rest on lush green vegetation in their habitat, their golden-hued legs contrasting against the foliage.

Birch Aquarium Leaps Into Frog Conservation

The aquarium joins collaborative effort to save the endangered Mountain Yellow-legged Frog.

a large brown and white bird sits on a tree branch; its wings are darker brown with blue speckles

Birch Aquarium Welcomes Animal Ambassadors

These animals play a key role in conservation outreach and education.

A little blue penguin swims underwater beneath a floating basketball in its habitat.

March of the Meatloaf

Help Birch Aquarium win Penguins International’s 2025 March of the Penguin Madness Tournament

Three campers wearing Birch Aquarium green and blue rash guards and snorkel gear stand in front of the ocean

Make a splash with Birch Aquarium’s Summer Camps!

The popular summer camps promote ocean exploration, science and adventure.

Entrance to Embodied Pacific: Ocean Unseen with the credit wall on the left and the title on the right

PST ART Climate Impact Report: Embodied Pacific: Ocean Unseen at Birch Aquarium

Embodied Pacific is a distributed, multi-sited exhibition with seven locations on and around the University of California San Diego campus, one site of which is Birch Aquarium at Scripps.

an aquarist feeds Tongue Corals at Birch Aquarium

Caring for Animals During Construction

A newly hatched Dwarf Seahorse is carefully collected and transferred into a specialized grow-out tank for its growth and development.

Tiny Tails: Raising Seahorses at Birch Aquarium

Rendering of a vibrant mangrove habitat featured in the Living Seas exhibition.

Birch Aquarium Makes Moves from Hall of Fishes to Living Seas

New exhibition Living Seas is set to open next year with expanded habitats and upgraded life-support systems

Close-up of a Seahorse Hotel, an underwater structure designed to restore seahorse habitats. Four seahorses can be found holding onto the hotel with their prehensile tails.

The Best Exotic Seahorse Hotel

Birch Aquarium unveils underwater "Seahorse Hotel” to highlight ongoing seahorse conservation efforts.

Participants in Birch Aquarium's Tidepooling Adventures learn to respectfully navigate the intertidal zone

Adventure Outdoors During King Tides With Birch Aquarium

King Tides offer opportunities to learn about sea levels and intertidal habitats

Guests get up close view to a variety of corals, anemones and even tropical fish!

Coral is Cool! Five fun finds to discover in Coral Classroom.

a dancer in the Embodied Pacific: Ocean Unseen installation Superradiance. EmbodyingEarth. moves with the projected imagery on the wall behind

Birch Aquarium at Scripps and Oceanside Museum of Art Announce Membership Trade to Support PST ART Exhibitions in November

From November 1 - 30, OMA and Birch Aquarium Members will receive reciprocal membership access to PST ART: Art & Science Collide Exhibitions ‘Transformative Currents’ and ‘Embodied Pacific: Ocean Unseen’

Embodied Pacific: Ocean Unseen logo overlaid on dark blue water

Embodied Pacific: Ocean Unseen at Birch Aquarium Merges Science and Art

Exhibition opening in October as part of Getty’s PST ART: Art and Science Collide initiative

guests interact with a Riveropolis installation, building small model boats that float down a winding model river

Birch Aquarium Announces New Guest Experiences for Fall

Riveropolis, the Coral Classroom and a Laughing Kookaburra to wow guests while Living Seas is being built.

A team of scientists during the oarfish necropsy. Photo: Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego

Fish Experts Study Rare Deep-Sea Oarfish in the Lab

Following necropsy, scientists learn more about biology of 12-foot oarfish that washed up in La Jolla Cove

rendering of two young guests looking up into an Octopus habitat

Birch Aquarium Announces Living Seas Transformation

Iconic Hall of Fishes to be reimagined into immersive Pacific Ocean experience

Loggerhead Turtle is facing the viewer with head slightly turned to show side of face

Birch Aquarium Contributes to Global Knowledge of Species

a ray swims through a sunbeam

Birch Aquarium’s Collaboration with SAFE Sharks and Rays

a pale blue Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker rests on coral

Fascinating Fish: Pacific Spiny Lumpsuckers