Oh! Chicago! Part 1: The Shedd Aquarium
The Shedd Aquarium was the last stop on my trip to Chicago, but really, the rest of the trip wasn't all that interesting. Or even pleasant, for reasons which may or may not be revealed in the future. Now, I wasn't expecting much of the Shedd Aquarium. After all, it's right in the middle of the continent, with no easy access to any oceans. Surely New York City, with its millions upon millions of tax-paying resident idiots, surely this ginormous megalopolis would have the best aquarium anywhere on the planet! Well, no. Not really. As it turns out, the New York Aquarium is practically a Wal-Mart next to the Neiman-Marcus that is the Shedd Aquarium.
Read on, for many pictures and amusing anecdotes.
Bestiality is officially endorsed by the Shedd Aquarium
First of all is the better-than-average representation of the subphylum Crustacea. While the NY Aquarium had a few little shrimp - shrimpy shrimp, really - the Shedd Aquarium had a chilled deep-sea tank containing these:
Tasmanian King Crab Pseudocarcinus fuckin' gigas (official taxonomical designation)
It's huge. It's surly (I think), and while the picture does not accurately convey a sense of scale, that there right claw was about the length and breadth of my calf. Not at all surprisingly, everyone who passed by this tank mentioned butter. But few mentioned butter when moving on to the next tank which contained this:
Japanese Spider Crab Macrocheira kaempferi
I mean, yeah. They're supposed to be edible, but BLAARARARARGH. Here's a less gory view of the beastie:
Of course, it wasn't all "OMG!!! SO AWESOME!!!!"
...but generally I was very impressed by the breadth of the exhibited fauna. Some of the tanks really illustrated how varied organisms from such far-flung taxonomical branches could co-exist in completely blissful, stoned, complacency. For example, we have this lovely setting, where a sea cucumber lounges catatonically next to a somnolent crab, which itself is sitting next to some kind of comatose pipefish. It is truly awe inspiring to see that in nature, racial divisions do not stand in the way of being stoned and lazy. If not tolerant, we should at least strive to be as indifferent and indolent as these creatures.
Chillin'.
The Phylum Mollusca was represented very well at Shedd, with many colorful bumpy tubes of flesh decorating the tropical-sea tanks.
I apologize for the lack of details and classification on these later images. Somewhere between being drunk and being jostled by large-handed German tourists, I lost the ability to read the placards next to the tanks. Fortunately, some of the photos I took really need no specification in order to be enjoyed. For instance, the Kirk Douglas fish:
Anyway, the fun don't end there, but I'm gettin' tired, so git lost!