Octopus Lends A Tentacle

This week, construction gets well underway at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, installing the all-new Jurassic Seas experience, where guests will be transported millions of years back into pre-historic times, when fearsome sea monsters prowled the oceans.

Keen to speed up the installation of Jurassic Seas, resident octopus Rocky supported the construction team at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium by lending an arm (or eight). Eager to welcome his new pre-historic exhibit mates to the Darling Harbour attraction, Rocky got handy and grabbed a hammer and a screwdriver to boost construction eight-fold!

Set to showcase ancient living marine fossils and state-of-the-art digital technology, the interactive Jurassic Seas experience will officially launch on 1 December.

Steve Hinks, General Manager, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium said, "With the help of our octopus' eight arms, the construction of the all-new Jurassic Seas experience is now well underway and will take approximately 11 weeks to complete. Over the coming weeks, we will welcome an abundance of ancient living fossils to the underwater family here at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, to provide our visitors with a rare glimpse into the ocean's pre-historic past."

"SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium will be heralded as the only attraction in NSW where guests can come face-to-face with three of the oldest marine creatures known to man - the chambered nautilus, sponge and jellyfish, which have a combined age of 1.5 billion years."

"Adding to the pre-historic experience, Jurassic Seas will also bring the ocean's most terrifying dinosaurs back to life with the extraordinary use of cutting edge digital technology. Visitors to the attraction will have a once-in-lifetime opportunity to feed the digital Plesiosaurus, marvel at the giant teeth of the Megalodonand test their bravery in the face of an angry Liopleurodon," continued Mr Hinks.

Opening just in time for the summer school holidays, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium's Jurassic Seas exhibit will further educate guests about the evolution of some of the most mysterious sea creatures that ever lived. The all-new exhibit will also highlight important conservation issues surrounding our ancient marine life, with its newest creature arrival, the chambered nautilus, facing loss of numbers and even extinction due to human impact, such as overexploitation and loss of habitat, despite having survived 500 million years already.

"Many living fossils alive today have bizarre, eccentric adaptations that make them seem more like aliens than anything from this world. They have often survived several mass extinctions, and many scientists consider them to be a rare glimpse at how life on Earth was long ago. We are excited to provide this rare opportunity for our guests to get up close and personal with these mysterious creatures, and hope to further educate the public on the importance of preserving our ancient marine life through this unique experience," continued Mr. Hinks.

Currently home to an incredible 13,000 animals, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium has the world's largest variety of sharks and rays. From the freshwater rivers of the south to the tropical waters of the north, a trip to SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium takes you around Australia's coastline, out into its oceans and up into its waterways - all without leaving the city!