Several years ago I visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California. I was in the area for a conference and added a couple of days to my trip to explore. MBA quickly became my favorite place to be and I spent 2 full days wandering around the former cannery. So I knew I had to include another visit this January when I traveled to northern California for work. The Jellies exhibit was new when I was at MBA last time.

Lots of Jellies

This year brought a new exhibit on the Secret Lives of Seahorses. They’re equally fascinating creatures, but a little harder to photograph.

Leafy Sea Dragon, Monterey Bay Aquarium

According to the MBA website, there are only two (known) species of Sea Dragons which are found off the coast of Australia. The Weedy Sea Dragon and the Leafy Sea Dragon, pictured above. The “leaves” provide the animal with very effective camouflage and, on the Leafy, can grow up to 13″ long.