Shedd Aquarium Opens “Jellies” Exhibit (Or, “Jellies Are Our Friends”)

For the past month or so, I’ve been seeing gorgeous (yes, gorgeous) and mesmerizing commercials for the newest exhibit at the Shedd Aquarium, “Jellies”. Check it out for yourself. I dare you to not be fascinated.

When my family was personally invited to check out the exhibit, I was thrilled!

Disclosure #1: I was not asked to write about this exhibit: I chose to. Also, all words and opinions are mine, as usual. My family was given a free pass to check out the exhibit and the rest of the aquarium, along with coffee and JELLY doughnuts, a detail which was not lost on my sixteen-year-old son. If your marketing department can impress a teenager, then your marketing department impresses me.

Disclosure #2: I was indeed thrilled about the invitation, but I did get a little case of the heebie-jeebies. If you read Suburban Scrawl, you know that jelly fish terrified me in the past, during one gorgeous, Bahamian afternoon in 2007. Logic (and real facts) tell me that jellies are not out to get us, truly. Mostly they just hang out in the water. It’s when they are defending themselves that they sting. But trust me, get into open water with them and all the logic in the world just might leave you, as it did me.

What better way to “make up” with jellies than to go check out their exhibit, right?

It did not disappoint. The bright colors of the exhibit components were fun and exciting, and the tanks containing the jellies (most of them were pretty transparent and stood out nicely against the colorful backgrounds) were beautiful. I really could have stood there, watching their gentle, flowing movements, for hours. Pretty awesome, for creatures who have no blood, bones, or brains, and are 95% water!

All photos in this post are courtesy of the John G. Shedd Aquarium!
As with any great exhibit, there were interactive elements, and it was definitely educational. Here are some “Fun Facts”, provided by the Shedd:

• Jellies’ mouths are not only used for eating, but also to eliminate waste and reproduce.
• Jellies are known to lay thousands of eggs per day.
• One jelly can eat enough to double its weight each day.

I can’t guarantee I’d be at ease the next time I find myself swimming in open water with jelly fish, but I can tell you that I will definitely visit the exhibit at the Shedd Aquarium again. (And you should go, too.)

“Jellies” is open at the Shedd Aquarium through May 28, 2012. Check the website for more information!