The Swell Shark

At the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Mr. Hunter encountered the notable sight of a soon-to-be swell shark scooting around inside its egg case, waiting to be born.  And according to this fact sheet from the aquarium, it can take between nine and twelve months for a swell shark egg to hatch.

Here's a young swell shark outside of its egg case.  

 

 

Here's a quick movie of what the unhatched swell shark looked like as it moved around in its backlit egg case:

The Aquarium of the Pacific also has a nice fact sheet about the swell shark.

Kelp Forest exhibit

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey, California

December 2012

Travels with Teresa: Sensō-ji Temple

While visiting Sensō-ji Temple in Tokyo, Ghetto Mr. Hunter admired the koi, enjoyed a snack, and posed with another Komainu.

That's the Senso-ji pagoda on the left.

Another Komainu!

Senso-ji Temple

Tokyo, Japan

August 2008

The Ray

At the Monterey Bay Aquarium, you can climb into a section underneath one of the displays and watch the sea creatures swim past.  

In these photos, Mr. Hunter and a blissed-out Kerry smile and say "Hello" to a ray as it glides along above them.

Hello!

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey, California

April 2005