Aquatic Life

The Museum's aquarium tanks are home to familiar species like clownfish and yellow tangs, as well as more unusual animals like puffer fish, who can inflate their bodies as a form of self-protection, and the blind cave tetra, which has adapted to survive with no eyes at all. The Museum's live coral reef tank alone contains roughly 25 species of coral, in addition to a variety of other invertebrates and fishes.

Reptiles

Get an up-close view of scaled creatures hailing from a variety of different habitats, from Berkshire ponds to the deserts, grasslands, and rainforests of the Middle East, Australia, and South America. See live turtles swimming, chameleons climbing, and snakes basking.

Amphibians

Toads, frogs, and salamanders can all be found in the Aquarium. Hear the familiar sound of the bull frog's "jug-o-rum" call, and become acquainted with less familiar species of frogs and toads, like the fire-bellied toad (picture on left).

Red-Bellied Cooter Head Start Program

Since the 1980's, when this turtle was identified as endangered, the Berkshire Museum aquarium staff has been giving about a dozen newly-hatched turtles a head start every year, releasing them into the wild when they are large enough to have a decent chance of survival. While this species once inhabited much of coastal New England, including Eastern Massachusetts, it is now exclusively found in the wild in Plymouth County, MA.