{"id":89904,"date":"2025-12-19T23:10:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T23:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/89904\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T23:10:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T23:10:21","slug":"shell-museum-opens-new-exhibits-welcomes-octopus-sanibel-captiva","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/89904\/","title":{"rendered":"Shell museum opens new exhibits, welcomes octopus – SANIBEL-CAPTIVA"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n
\n
\n \/News
\n
\n <\/a>
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\n

1 \/ 3<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

BAILEY-MATTHEWS NATIONAL SHELL MUSEUM & AQUARIUM
\nThe exhibit \u201cA Wondrous Phenomenon: Truth and Legend of the Giant Squid\u201d is on display at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium on Sanibel.<\/p>\n

2 \/ 3<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

BAILEY-MATTHEWS NATIONAL SHELL MUSEUM & AQUARIUM
\nThe Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium on Sanibel features a new giant Pacific octopus.<\/p>\n

3 \/ 3<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

BAILEY-MATTHEWS NATIONAL SHELL MUSEUM & AQUARIUM
\nThe exhibit \u201cParadise Found: Seashells of the Caribbean\u201d is on display at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium on Sanibel.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

[expand]<\/p>\n

close
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\n

The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium on Sanibel reported that it has opened two new exhibitions for the 2026 season, as well as recently welcomed a new giant Pacific octopus.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith these two new temporary exhibitions, a charming new giant Pacific octopus resident, and new permanent exhibitions, the museum offers a fresh, engaging and educational experience for visitors,\u201d Executive Director Sam Ankerson said. \u201cWe hope residents and visitors to the area alike will discover, or rediscover, the museum this season.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA Wondrous Phenomenon: Truth and Legend of the Giant Squid\u201d spotlights the biology and behavior of the giant squid. It is the largest of the 85,000 known species of mollusks and largest invertebrate animal on Earth, reaching a maximum length of over 40 feet. The exhibit also explores how the giant squid has inspired and influenced popular conceptions of the sea monster, from \u201cMoby Dick\u201d and \u201cTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas,\u201d to the Kraken and battles with sperm whales. They are one of the most elusive and mysterious of all marine animals, occupying deep waters and seldom rising to the surface.<\/p>\n

\u201cParadise Found: Seashells of the Caribbean\u201d is curated by museum curator and Science Director Dr. Jos\u00e9 H. Leal. It is a selection of some of the finest Caribbean shells from the permanent collection, displayed together now for the first time. From the iconic to the rare, the exhibit presents exceptional specimens that are emblematic of the rich marine biodiversity of the Caribbean Sea.<\/p>\n

Both exhibitions will be on view through the summer.<\/p>\n

They are made possible by a grant from the Glenn W. Bailey Foundation.<\/p>\n

In the Living Gallery of Aquariums, the new giant Pacific octopus has settled into his new home and is on view now for visitors. Museum aquarists worked during the first few weeks of its arrival to establish a relationship, and the octopus\u2019s transition to the museum has been seamless.<\/p>\n

Giant Pacific octopuses are the largest species of octopus. They have eight arms, three hearts and blue blood. They are extremely intelligent and receive daily enrichment to encourage the species\u2019 appropriate behavior.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new giant Pacific octopus will enhance our visitors\u2019 experience as they learn more about the diverse mollusks, shells and marine life at the museum,\u201d senior aquarist Jacob Chase said. \u201cJoin us for Keeper Chats daily at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to learn exciting facts about our octopuses and other marine life.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information, visit ShellMuseum.org<\/a> or call 239-395-2233.<\/p>\n

The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium is at 3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road, Sanibel.<\/p>\n


\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \/News 1 \/ 3 BAILEY-MATTHEWS NATIONAL SHELL MUSEUM &…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":89905,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":{"0":"post-89904","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cape-coral","8":"tag-cape-coral","9":"tag-cape-coral-headlines","10":"tag-cape-coral-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89904"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89904\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}