Touch Pool

About Our Touch Pool

Welcome to the third floor of Aquatic Wonders, designed to represent the surface of the ocean. This is where you'll find our touch pools for a unique hands-on experience.

From crustaceans to rays, horseshoe crabs, and even baby sharks, our touch pool allows guests to have a one-of-a-kind experience through hands-on learning and fun.

Meet Our Animals

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Horseshoe Crab

Horseshoe crabs are a marine arthropod, closely related to spiders and ticks, found along the Atlantic coast.

They have a total of TEN eyes used for finding mates and sensing light.

Females lay 90,000 eggs per year in different egg clusters.

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Atlantic Guitarfish

Atlantic Guitarfish have body characteristics similar to both sharks and skates.

These fish can be found in tropical coastal waters, as well as in estuaries and even freshwater.

They feed mostly on mollusks, crustaceans, and small fishes.

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American Cownose Ray

Cownose rays are a highly migratory schooling species along the Atlantic coast.

These rays have a wingspan of up to three feet and weigh up to 50 pounds.

They use their powerful dental plates to crush the shells of mollusks and invertebrates open.

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Blue-Spotted Maskray

Unlike most rays, the blue-spotted maskray doesn’t like to be covered in sand like other species do.

These foragers dig in the sand, hunting shallow sand-dwelling animals like shrimp and crabs.

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Yellow Stingray

Yellow stingrays are small species of round rays that only grow to 26 inches long and 14 inches in diameter.

They can be found in a variety of colors and patterns of markings to help them camouflage in their environment.

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Atlantic Stingray

Atlantic stingrays can survive in brackish or freshwater and can be found in lakes, rivers, and estuaries.

They can grow to around 12 to 14 inches wide.

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Epaulette Shark

Epaulette sharks are found in shallow, tropical waters off Australia and New Guinea.

Rather than swim, they often "walk" by pushing with their paired fins.

These sharks cope with severe night time oxygen depletion by shutting down non-essential neural functions.

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Coral Catshark

Coral catsharks reach up to 28 inches long and live among coral reefs, feeding on invertebrates and small fish.

They have a protective eyelid that covers their eyes during the day.

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Leucistic White-Spotted Bamboo Shark

White-spotted bamboo sharks are found on coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean.

They get their name because of the nasal barbels near their mouth that look like whiskers.

This species of nocturnal shark are harmless to humans.

Ways to Support Our Touch Pool Animals

Adopt an Animal

Make an impact and participate in the Aquarium's Adopt An Animal Gift Program.

Recipients will receive a gift box that includes:

Adoption certificate
Plush stingray
Animal fact card
Signed Thank You note from the Mississippi Aquarium team

Best of all, 100% of your purchase directly supports the health and well-being of our animals!

Donate to Animal Enrichment

Mississippi Aquarium's animal enrichment program provides physically and mentally stimulating toys, activities, and environments for all of our animals. Enrichment allows our animals to demonstrate species-specific behavior found in their natural environments.

These items allow our animals to exercise control of their surroundings and enhance their well-being. Just like proper nutrition and veterinary care, animal enrichment is essential to animal welfare.