Wednesday, June 02, 2010 8:44 AM
Rob Kinnon
Papalote Students Visit the Aquarium at Xcaret
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of accompanying Cole's class from El Papalote School on a field trip to the aquarium at Xcaret. Admittedly, we have not spent a great deal of time exploring all that this local cultural park has to offer, but I was surprised to hear that they had an aquarium at all. I'm not sure if it is new or just something we have managed to overlook. As a family, we make a point of visiting zoos and aquariums in every area we travel to. Big or small, we enjoy them all as long as they are well thought out and the animals are carefully attended to. This aquarium, by our standards, was small but just right for these curious youngsters. Each student was charged with identifying ten sea creatures in the display and then recording the names in both English and Spanish. For the most part, our students were the only visitors on this morning so they pretty much had the run of the place. It was great to see them darting from tank to tank, calling out the names of the various fish and taking in all the aquarium had to offer. Here is a collection of pictures from our excursion. Enjoy!
Guacamayas and Flamingos greet us on the way in.
Another friendly face?
Beautiful Jellyfish!
I like their Spanish name better..."Medusas" !!!
A budding oceanographer?
They all took their assignment very seriously!
A tidal pool with underwater magnifying glasses.
Medusas of the manglar!
Feeding time in the big tank!
A captive audience!
Pez Globo!
An Angel Fish comes over to say hello.
Gabriel finds the spiny lobster
A chance to get up close and personal with some Sea Urchins. Love the Spanish name "Cabeza del Viejo"!
Inside the turtles nest!
Tortuga!
Cole and Gabriel, two tortugitas!
"Not now! I have a headache!!"
Quails hatching 24-7. I shudder to think where they end up after this display. Lunch anyone?
The Papalote Pre-1st Crew!
There is and always has been debate about keeping animals in captivity, especially for the purposes of financial gain. Is it cruel to keep these wild creatures in tanks and cages? Is the research of the wildlife in these zoos essential to the preservation of endangered species? I certainly don't have the answer. However, there is no denying that this generation of children will grow up to be the next generation's brilliant scientists, environmentalists and marine biologists. Will they pursue these fields of study without having enjoyed these encounters with wildlife in captivity? Could the same passions be piqued by watching Wild Kingdom and the Animal Channel? I wonder. What are your thoughts?