Oceans
Look below the ocean’s surface: You’ll find as much variety and opportunity — maybe more — as on land.
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SEARCH
The octopus often likes to hide during the day, with help from a flexible body and color-changing camouflage.
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RELAX
Our immersive Kelp Forest is a soothing scene, with swaying fronds and hiding places for horn sharks and rockfish.
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LISTEN
Hear how octopuses pump blue blood and seahorses suck in their prey with Shedd’s special audio guides.
A niche in every nook and cranny
From the shallow-water sharks of coastal kelp forests to the solitary octopus in a seafloor cave, ocean animals display astounding adaptability in making homes in the world’s temperate and cold oceans. Ghostly giant deep-sea isopods scuttle over rugged seafloor terrain. Lanky moray eels slide in and out of hiding places in rocky reefs. And spotted ratfish, ancient kin of sharks, withstand the depths’ low light and high pressure. Look below the ocean’s surface: You’ll find as much variety and opportunity—maybe more—as on land.
A giant Pacific octopus uses all eight arms to explore some special enrichment—and even tries to grab an extra snack!
Seahorse Valentine, B Mine 4-Ever
During the daily greeting ritual, the female seahorse swims toward the male and when they meet, they change color.
Eight Strange and Wonderful Facts About Octopuses
Octopuses can rival the creatures of science fiction: big-eyed, multi-armed, soft-bodied, shape-shifting and venomous, with incredible inte...
Meet the Animals in Shedd‘s Kelp Forest Exhibit
Kelp forests are diverse habitats, home to everything from sharks to flounders to anemones. Get to know the animals in Shedd’s Kelp Forest exhib...