OUR ANIMALS – St Andrews Aquarium

ANIMAL EXPERIENCES PENGUIN FEEDING DAILY AT 2PM REPTILE & SPIDER HANDLING DAILY 11:20AM & 2:20PM MEERKAT TALKS & FEEDING DAILY 12:20PM & 3:20PM AT ST ANDREWS AQUARIUM

FISH

Where do we start?! It’s not surprising to learn that at St Andrews Aquarium we have literally hundreds of fish!

From the exotic to the unusual, you will experience the full spectrum of aquatic inhabitants when you visit the Aquarium. There’s too many to go into online, however our favourites are:

Piranhas who group together to attack larger animals.

The Lionfish whose spines contain poisonous venom.

GREAT BRITISH SHARKS AND RAYS

The new tank, produced in partnership with the Shark Trust, features a display with lots of factual information about the Sharks and Rays and information about the future conservation challenges facing these native species as well as a chance to see the impressive Sharks and Rays up close in their new home.

The range of species joining the aquarium include Bull Huss and Smooth-hound Sharks, Thornback, Blonde and Spotted Rays. There are also Cuckoo Wrasse which are brightly coloured fish found in the Mediterranean Sea.

REPTILES

We have a fabulous selection of reptiles on display including Iguanas, Chinese Water Dragons and a selection of snakes. Remember to come along in time for our daily reptile handling sessions and get up close to some of these amazing creatures.

MEERKATS

Meerkats (Suricata suricatta) are one of the most charismatic of the small mammals.

They are around 24 cm long with a 20 cm tail and weigh only a few hundred grams. Active by day, meerkats take shelter in their warm burrows at night.

They are highly sociable animals, and like to take turns to act as “look-out” from a high branch or rock, warning the rest of the group of any approaching danger. Their main enemies are birds of prey. While on guard they often stand up on their hind legs.

Fancy feeding our Meerkats? Check out our animal experiences here

PENGUINS

The Humboldt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti), named after the cold water current it swims in, is a South American (warm climate) species that normally breeds in Peru and Chile.

Humboldts are medium-sized penguins and, unlike their royal cousins the Kings and the Emperors who can grow to almost 1 metre tall, will be fully grown at between 56–70 cm in height and a weight of around 4 or 5 kg.

Their black heads are distinguished by a white border that runs from behind the eye, around the black ear-coverts and chin, and is separated from their white belly by a band of black feathers – this gives rise to the common name for their genus: Banded Penguins.

Our ppppeckish penguins would love you to feed them. Check out our animal experiences here.

ARACHNIDS

Love them or loathe them, when spiders are BIG they are just that little bit more interesting – and we’ve some of the world’s biggest spiders for you to admire.

Come and take a peek …if you’re brave enough!

Then check out our Scorpions – they glow in the dark, you know.

But be careful how you go – these guys bite!

SEAL

The Harbour Seal (Phoca vitulina) or Common Seal is one of 33 species of seals worldwide, and one of two species of seals that live in Britain.

Our seals are always firm favourite with our visitors and our daily seal feeding and talks are a must. You will learn all about how our keepers look after these amazing animals and also a bit about each of our seals and their unique personalities.

Feed our family of seals…find out more here.