Seymour Marine Discovery Center. The Seymour Marine Discovery Center is part of the Joseph M. Long Marine Laboratory, a research and education facility of the University of California-Santa Cruz. Affiliated with the Institute of Marine Sciences, the laboratory is a university research unit which serves as a base for field research in Monterey Bay and beyond.

An on-site aquarium houses sea creatures with eye-catching features-fast movement, bright color, bizarre look-that inspire scientists and non-scientists alike. Visitors will find that the aquarium looks more like a working marine laboratory. Exposed seawater pipes and valves are the rule, not the exception. That’s because scientists like to keep their animals visible so they can focus on a certain characteristic. At the seawater table, you can hold everything from sea stars and sea urchins to hermit crabs and sea anemones.

For more information, visit www2.ucsc.edu/seymourcenter.