Immerse Yourself in the Rich Marine Habitats
of South Texas at The Russell Aquatic Ecology Center
The Russell Aquatic Ecology Center specializes in showcasing the marine habitats of South Texas along with its flora and fauna. Visitors can experience a wide range of exhibits featuring diverse habitats, including natural ones like resacas, seagrass beds, open ocean, and mangrove groves, as well as man-made ones like piers and jetties. The star exhibit of the center is the 30,000-gallon Deep Water Exhibit, which boasts an impressive collection of marine species such as red snapper, black drum, sand trout, sheepshead, spadefish, snook, lookdowns, jacks, and the crowd-favorite, sharks! The Keppel AmFELS Ghostly Jellyfish exhibit is home to moon jellies. In addition, there are several smaller exhibits scattered around the Aquatic Center, featuring animals like seahorses, octopuses, sea robins, stargazers, live shrimp, crabs, and live snails, which might get lost in larger exhibits. Finally, the Stingray Touch Tank is the standout exhibit of the Aquatic Center, where visitors can get up close and personal with several varieties of local stingrays, cow nose rays, southern rays, and Atlantic rays.
The Center is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. There is no additional fee to enter.