This week a giant Pacific octopus, the world’s largest species of octopus, has made Bristol Aquarium its new permanent home. The female giant Pacific octopus arrived earlier this week and is settling into her new tank extremely well; playing with staff and showing off to visitors.

ENDANGERED DART FROGS BORN AT AQUARIUM Delighted aquarists at Bristol Aquarium are celebrating the arrival of dozens of rare phantasmal poison dart frogs – believed to be one of the most toxic amphibians on the planet. The World Conservation Union considers the phantasmal poison frog to be ‘Near Threatened’, which means it is considered to be … Continued

It’s not just the staff at Bristol Aquarium who are getting ready for Christmas – now it would appear even the fishy residents are entering into the festive spirit. New arrivals at the Harbourside attraction this month include tropical Christmas tree corals and candy cane pipefish. During the day the Christmas tree coral unfolds its … Continued

A sextet of seahorses are undergoing dramatic colour changes as they settle in to their new home at Bristol Aquarium. Despite all six being members of the same species they have distinct colouration and markings as a result of the environment they were brought up in. An adult female which was donated to the Harbourside … Continued

Aquarists at Bristol Aquarium have been hard at work creating some special marine-themed mince pies for their fishy residents. Staff at the Harbourside attraction devised their own version of the Christmas favourites which have been going down a treat with a variety of aquatic inhabitants. Among those enjoying the traditional yuletide treats were an appropriately … Continued

A severed spiny starfish leg is growing itself a new body at Bristol Aquarium. Aquarists discovered the detached leg in one of the Harbourside attraction’s native marine displays. Noticing it had part of its central disc attached, they decided to leave it in the display alongside the remaining four-legged starfish. Displays Supervisor Olivia Orchart said: … Continued

A bizarre species of tropical ‘walking’ shark has arrived at Bristol Aquarium. The epaulette shark gets its name from the dark spots on its fins which resemble the ornamental shoulder patches on a military uniform. It can grow up to a metre in length and can survive in shallow tropical waters of only a few … Continued

A suitably spooky skeletor eel is making its first public appearance at Bristol Aquarium in the run up to Halloween. The tropical moray eel gets its name from its markings which resemble those of a skeleton. Skeletor eel being fed at Bristol Aquarium. Despite its scary name and razor-sharp teeth the eel is actually relatively … Continued

Bristol Aquarium’s newest arrival is perfect for Halloween – it’s a baby batfish that thinks it’s a poisonous flatworm. The captive-bred dusky batfish, which is one of six at the Harbourside attraction, mimics the colour, shape and movements of a toxic species of sea worm to avoid predators. To enhance the quality of their deadly … Continued

Aquarists at Bristol Aquarium have created a purpose-built display filled with holes to accommodate a group of metre-long moray eels. Staff at the Harbourside attraction built a series of interconnecting holes and passages into the rockwork of the display to mimic the tropical morays habitats in the wild. The group of snowflake and zebra eels, … Continued