The Grand Aquarium of Touraine

Its official name is the Grand Aquarium of Touraine but as it’s only ten minutes’ drive from Amboise it’s a wonder it doesn't lay claim to it.

What a relief to escape the heat and wander in the oh-so-cool tunnels of the largest freshwater aquarium in Europe. Oh to be a fish in this weather!

There are many, many, weird and wonderful things to see; tiny deadly iridescent frogs of every colour, blue, yellow, you name it; big deadly piranhas, crocodiles and sharks swimming above you but for this blogger the best bit was the Coral. Awesome. Full fathom five thy father lies. Of his bones are coral made*

Thank goodness for information labels.

Apparently, for hundreds of years it was thought corals were plants. Not so, they are animals. They do not so much compete with the tropical fish in the beauty department, they complement each other.

The aptly named Clown Fish lives hand in glove with sea anemones. Like all other fish it gets stung by anemones but unlike all other fish it secretes a mucus so does not feel the sting. The beautiful Clown Fish is said to be notoriously bad tempered.

One would need to be an oceanographer to identify all the corals. The fish are easier.

There were: brilliantly coloured forked tailed demoiselle (damsel) fish (the connection with young women is anybody’s guess). Like yours truly, it spends the majority of its time foraging for food; Surgeon Fish scrape algae from rocks with retractable scalpel-like spines sharp as razor blades; Trigger Fish lock its first anterior spine into place by erecting a second one. It unlocks by depressing the second spine in a trigger like movement. How cool is that?

And what about jelly fish! One, composed of 97% water, has no brain but can boast four reproductive gonads (also easily recognisable in human species). Another is the Upside Down Jelly Fish which has the unusual habit of resting upside-down, flattened bell on the sea floor with its eight arms extending upwards. The bell continuously pulses to push water over it providing oxygen and food.

The Sea Horse has got it right. The female, like yours truly, can’t swim so doesn’t. She idly views the pantomime around her by wrapping her tail around plants catching passing plankton. She can’t even be bothered to bring forth her young. She deposits her eggs in the belly of her male partner so when you see a pregnant sea horse it’s a chap. If you are lucky, you can see him going into labour.

The list of Nature’s miracles goes on and on, too long for this blog but it must mention the Balloon/Blow/Puffer Fish. When in danger it inflates itself so large few predators can eat it. It can double its size by swallowing water or air. Sharp spines radiate outwards when the fish is inflated. Its teeth are welded into a beak for breaking the shells of molluscs, crustaceans and sea urchins. Charles Darwin wrote about it in Voyage of the Beagle. He said it can swim well when fully inflated, though buoyancy means it has to swim upside down. That must have been some sight.

Followers in Australia need no introduction to last but certainly not least on the list, the Stone Fish, the most deadly fish in the world, so called because they look exactly like stones. Hidden in the sand with only its eyes and mouth protruding, the stonefish is an expert in camouflage. It blends in with its surroundings. Its venomous stings cause at best excruciating agony, at worst death, although death might be preferable. Most stonefish stings occur as a result of stepping on one. Easily done. They lurk not just in the sea, but on the beach. They can survive out of the water for twenty-four hours.

What a privilege to see these creatures up close and personal instead of having to travel to the other side of the world only to end up being eaten or stung to death.

* The Tempest. Shakespeare.

Post by Pamela, photography by Mark.