Chimaera (2026)
Great Lakes AquariumI have seen so much footage of these guys in ROV videos from Schmidt Ocean or Nautilus. I love them. I did not look up any of the animals before going to this aquarium, so seeing this guy right off the bat did some things to me. I really did not think that I'd ever see one in person. They're one of those animals that you know you'll only ever see in videos, and that's okay because they are in the wild. Huge surprise.
Gar (2026)
Great Lakes AquariumThis aquarium did not have very many gar. I was hunting them down as much as I could. I think there's only four of them there. This one was in the distance, and there wasn't a good spot to see him up close.
Brook Trouts (2026)
Great Lakes AquariumThere were both fully grown brookies and fingerlings. They were very cute. I was in love with them.
Pacific Lookdowns (2026)
Great Lakes AquariumThey swam around and around in the tank in one big group. I vaguely knew about these fish before seeing them at the aquarium. I just knew them as weird ugly fish.
I appreciate their vibes.
Gars (2025)
Minnesota ZooGars are important obviously.
The Minnesota Zoo has an albino gar. I think it's still the only one I have ever seen. It's very precious. They are on the Minnesota trail in a dimly lit area, so viewing them feels ethereal.
Milk Fish (2025)
Minnesota ZooA tropical reef fish that we found funny. It's HUGE and such a plain fish. The eye is giant. "Milkfish" is such a boring name too. He's plain, and we loved him for it.
Milkfish forever.