Community
29 April, 2023
Mysteries beneath the ocean
THE mysterious and weird creatures of the midnight and abyss zone 1000m-6000m below the surface of the ocean have been brought to life in a new attraction at the Cairns Aquarium.
The Cairns Aquarium curatorial team has created a series of electronic interactive displays and educational signage of key fish and animal species that live in perpetual darkness at crushing water pressures within the Coral Sea.
'The Abyss: Creature of the Deep’ display features an underwater cave system where visitors can witness the gulper eel, giant oarfish, Indian telescope fish, threadfin dragonfish, two horned anglerfish, fangtooth and Sloan’s viperfish lurking in the shadows.
In the deepest parts of the ocean, where little light penetrates from above, these fish have evolved the capability to generate their own living light in the dark called bioluminescence which is used to attract or hunt for food, attract a mate, or scare off a predator.
Aquarium founder and chief executive officer Daniel Leipnik said it was a world first where visitors would be able to interact with life-size fish replicas and cause their bioluminescent features to illuminate.
He said the attraction was about creating new additional experiences to educate and enthral visitors about underwater environments.
“The ability for visitors to see, interact with and experience little known organisms from the ocean depths, provides an enhanced education and awareness of marine biodiversity,” Mr Leipnik said.
“The new Creatures of the Deep attraction is sure to be a hit, especially with children who love interactive learning exhibits.
