Monterey Bay Aquarium opened in 1984 with 83 tanks in 12 galleries, which more than doubled by 2014 into 200 live animal exhibits.
In addition to the Kelp Forest and Open Sea exhibits, there are two other prominent aquariums.
The Monterey Bay Habitats tank, as its name suggests, represents various habitats in Monterey Bay, from wharfs to the sandy seafloor to deep rocky reefs.
It is 90 feet (27 m) long and shaped like a figure eight, and holds over 300,000 US gallons (1,100,000 L), a similar volume of seawater as the Kelp Forest exhibit.
Many exhibits contain man-made structures that were left in the bay to accumulate living organisms prior to the aquarium's opening; in Monterey Bay Habitats, real pilings were obtained from the city's harbor department for the exhibit's wharf section.
In others, artificial rocks tricked visitors and fish alike.
With the aquarium's debut, this "nature-faking" via human manipulation did not trick some, but the "'fakeness' did not necessarily detract from the aquarium's intrinsic value."

Rescued sea otters live in a habitat holding 55,000 US gallons (210,000 L), and are the only marine mammals exhibited.
In 2014, the aquarium stated to the Vancouver Courier that it takes no official position on the controversy of captive killer whales or other cetaceans.
The facility was not constructed to house cetaceans, and instead utilizes the 27 species of marine mammals that live in or travel through Monterey Bay as one of its "exhibits", as guests can view the bay and marine mammals from decks along the back of the building.

Monterey Bay Aquarium was the first public aquarium to have its interior mapped on Google Street View, creating a virtual walking tour.
Monterey Bay Aquarium opened in 1984 with 83 tanks in 12 galleries, which more than doubled by 2014 into 200 live animal exhibits. In addition to the Kelp Forest and Open Sea exhibits, there are two other prominent aquariums. The Monterey Bay Habitats tank, as its name suggests, represents various habitats in Monterey Bay, from wharfs to the sandy seafloor to deep rocky reefs. It is 90 feet (27 m) long and shaped like a figure eight, and holds over 300,000 US gallons (1,100,000 L), a similar volume of seawater as the Kelp Forest exhibit. Many exhibits contain man-made structures that were left in the bay to accumulate living organisms prior to the aquarium's opening; in Monterey Bay Habitats, real pilings were obtained from the city's harbor department for the exhibit's wharf section. In others, artificial rocks tricked visitors and fish alike. With the aquarium's debut, this "nature-faking" via human manipulation did not trick some, but the "'fakeness' did not necessarily detract from the aquarium's intrinsic value."
Rescued sea otters live in a habitat holding 55,000 US gallons (210,000 L), and are the only marine mammals exhibited. In 2014, the aquarium stated to the Vancouver Courier that it takes no official position on the controversy of captive killer whales or other cetaceans. The facility was not constructed to house cetaceans, and instead utilizes the 27 species of marine mammals that live in or travel through Monterey Bay as one of its "exhibits", as guests can view the bay and marine mammals from decks along the back of the building.
Monterey Bay Aquarium was the first public aquarium to have its interior mapped on Google Street View, creating a virtual walking tour.
Monterey Bay Aquarium