World's Most Adaptable Creatures Highlighted In New Aquarium Exhibit

TAMPA, FL — From the colorful to the camouflaged, from the slightly slimy to the super smooth, each animal in The Florida Aquarium's new exhibit, MORPH’D, tells a unique story of survival.

Visitors will learn the shocking truth about electric eels and paddlefish, see through the eyes of a mudskipper or four-eyed fish, and discover toxic tales of red cherry shrimp and poison dart frogs.

Located in the aquarium’s new Mosaic Exhibit Hall on the second floor, MORPH’D, presented by PAR, is a highly interactive experience featuring engaging and resilient species with unique adaptations.

PAR, the Lutz-based innovative provider of scientifically valid assessments of mental health and human performance, is the presenting sponsor of the aquarium’s latest addition, MORPH’D.

PAR has committed to a multi-year collaboration to support this unique gallery, which made its debut in July as the first phase of the aquarium’s $40 million expansion plan.

PAR shares the gallery’s vision to encourage learning and connection driven by scientific exploration. MORPH’D engages children, families and the local community by showcasing the stories of adaptation found in the various animals.

“At PAR, we live by our motto, 'Creating Connections. Changing Lives,’ which is why we became a presenting sponsor,” said PAR CEO Kristin Greco. “It is vital to our mission that we support resources in the Tampa Bay area that benefit the community, create meaningful impact and uplift the environment as a whole. Spending time connecting to nature provides countless benefits for our overall well-being. I have experienced this firsthand, and I am inspired by the important work The Florida Aquarium does to provide this to our community.”

MORPH’D features 18 unique species from around the world including the axolotls, an adorable paedomorphic salamander that looks like a character out of Yu-Gi-Oh' or an alien that just stepped out of a flying saucer.

Known as the Mexican walking fish, though they're not a fish at all, in their larval form, Axolotls look like large tadpoles and have a funny-looking crown created by their external gills. However, unlike other salamanders, Axolotls never lose their external gills or start walking on land. Instead, they spend their entire lives underwater.

Visitors can also explore the paddlefiish, which has developed an enlarged rostrum (paddle) that extends on the back of its head. Covered with electroreceptors, the rostrum helps it navigate the surrounding environment and locate food. It’s like underwater radar. This species is a filter feeder that swims at its food with its mouth wide open to catch small prey in its gill rakers. The American paddlefish (aka the Mississippi River paddlefish) is one of just two paddlefish species found on Earth.

Other species in the exhibit include epaulette sharks, a small, attractively marked shark that does swim but most of its movement is accomplished by “walking” with the use of several of its fins. Its slender body permits easy navigation in and around the intricacies of coral reefs where it feeds primarily on bottom-dwelling invertebrates.

Visitors will also have a chance to get close to four-eyed fish. The four-eyed fish have eyes raised above the top of the head and divided in two different parts, so that they can see below and above the water surface at the same time.

These fish inhabit fresh and brackish water in southern Mexico, Honduras and northern South America.

Another species on display will be the unusually nicknamed bird poop frog, a small frog, reaching no more than 3 centimeters long. The main color of the frog is red-brown; the sides of the frog are mud-white with red spots and it has dark red eyes. Also known as the pied warty frog and hill garden bug-eyed frog, it's found in India, Burma, Tibet, Thailand, Cambodia and Sumatra.

Its unflattering nickname comes from the fact that, when the frog is prone on a leaf or branch, it looks like bird droppings, a less-than-appetizing meal for a hungry predator.

The archerfish or Toxotidae isn't known for its appearance. Its unusual characteristic is its ability to squirt water through its mouth with precision skill and accuracy, shooting down insects to eat. The archerfish has brought down insects 10 feet above the water's surface.

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All of the creatives in the gallery will give visitors insight into how they adopted over time and reveal the secrets of their survival, said Roger Germann, The Florida Aquarium president and CEO.

“We greatly appreciate PAR’s generous support of the aquarium as the presenting sponsor of our newest experience, MORPH’D,” said German. “PAR’s CEO Kristin Greco and their board have had a longstanding history of supporting Tampa Bay nonprofits and their investment in The Florida Aquarium demonstrates their continued commitment to our community. Thanks to corporate philanthropists like PAR, the aquarium is able to save more wildlife, educate more students, and engage more guests through world-class exhibits and programs.”

The nonprofit aquarium, focused on saving marine wildlife through education, conservation research and rescue efforts that help restore Florida’s sea turtle and coral populations, announced in August 2022 plans for a $40-million expansion that will include a black and white diving puffin environment, the only sea lion habitat on Florida's west coast and an outdoor expansion of the African penguin habitat.