Seahorses waltz into aquarium in Sandy

SANDY — There's a new symphony in town.

Visual, rather than audio, this orchestrated production of nature focuses around an unusual sea creature — the seahorse — and its colorful, harmonic behavior that can be a sight to behold.

The Living Planet Aquarium, 725 E. 10600 South, unveiled its new "Seahorse Symphony" to the media and aquarium members Thursday.

Seahorses are fish with the head of a horse, the eyes of a chameleon, a pouch like a kangaroo, and a tail like a monkey.

Brent Andersen, CEO/president of the aquarium, said seahorses are also shrouded in mystery. In Greek mythology, a seahorse was known as a hippocampus, which loosely translated is horse sea monster.

He said they can be tricky to care for, but the aquarium staff is up to that challenge.

"This has been a great asset to our community," Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan said of the aquarium. "This is another great exhibit."

He helped cut a ribbon to officially open the new exhibit, which includes four varieties of seahorses in new tanks, as well as their cousins — pipefish.

Although the aquarium staff stresses that the seahorses are still getting used to their new surroundings and may be a little reserved at present, a symphony seemed like an apt description because before long they will be twirling around, almost in a rhythm to the water.

Brian Marquez, aquarium education director, said seahorses are most intriguing when they engage in their courtship dance.

"And it's the males who give birth," he said.

There are 35 varieties of seahorses in the world and the aquarium has four types now: White's seahorse, from the reefs of Australia; lined seahorse, found from Nova Scotia to Uruguay; dwarf seahorse, from the western Atlantic; and giant Pacific seahorse. The latter version can grow to a foot in length while the dwarf version is but an inch long, and the other two reach about 5 inches in length.

The new seahorse exhibit is also just one of new features planned for the aquarium. A "Penguin Encounter" is scheduled to arrive in March 2010.

This upcoming exhibit will offer guests great views of penguins splashing, diving and "flying" underwater. The exhibit will also include a waterfall and cozy (for penguins), 45-degree water.

Dolan also said that preliminary negotiations are under way for Sandy city to help find the aquarium a larger, new facility.

For more information, go to: thelivingplanet.com or call 801-495-4448.

e-mail: lynn@desnews.com