Oklahoma Aquarium

So, what exactly is there to do in Oklahoma? That's what I asked myself on a recent business trip. Turns out that there's a lot, actually, so when I got an opportunity to travel to Tulsa for work, I made sure to do my research. I did not have a lot of free time, but when I had a few extra hours one afternoon, I took a little trip to the Oklahoma Aquarium, home of the world's largest bull shark exhibit:

So, yes. The sharks. I know that colon before the photos was misleading. I bet you thought you were going to see pictures of them. Sorry, folks. They steal my breath right out of my chest. I was too mesmerized with their elegance to fiddle with my camera. Not ideal photography situation, you know, so there you have it. I got to watch the aquarium workers feed the electric eel, piranhas, and archer fish. Sa-weet! There were a bunch of touch tanks, too, with horseshoe crabs, shrimp, urchins, starfish, and stingrays. Oh. My. Word. Heaven, I tell you!

Nevermind that I was wading through curious children the entire time to get my own turn at all the touch tanks and front row seat for the poison dart frogs. I learned so much, and I love nature and animals, as I'm sure you already know, so I was in heaven. Combine bright colors with living creatures and a learning environment, and I'm a happy camper. So, here's my favorite tidbit of previously unknown information: ribbon eels are all born male. As adolescents, they are black, then as mature males, they are a shocking blue, then right before their time is up, they turn bright yellow, and into females, mate, then die. Nature is amazing!

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