A touch pool or touch tank is a type of aquarium attraction in public aquariums where members of the public, especially young people, are allowed to touch the wildlife within the tanks. Tanks will be stocked with species which are not dangerous to touch to provide an opportunity for individuals to learn more about those species. These can include species like blue crabs, hermit crabs, stone crabs, snails and even anemones. Tanks are good for discussion and learning opportunities for children and family, helping with ecological education and understanding of ecosystems. Typical species in installations include

Ray (fish) Batomorphi is a division of cartilaginous fishes, commonly known as rays, this taxon is also known as the superorder Batoidea, but the 5th edition of ''Fishes of the World'' classifies it as the division Batomorphi. They and their close relat ...

, catsharks,

flatfish A flatfish is a member of the Ray-finned fish, ray-finned demersal fish Order (biology), suborder Pleuronectoidei, also called the Heterosomata. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through or around ...

starfish Starfish or sea stars are Star polygon, star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class (biology), class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to brittle star, ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to ...

sea urchins Sea urchins or urchins () are echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depth zones from the intertidal zone to deep seas of . They typically have a globular body covered by a spiny p ...

crabs Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura (meaning "short tailed" in Greek), which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the thorax. Their exoskeleton is often thickened and ha ...

mollusks Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The num ...

and other

shellfish Shellfish, in colloquial and fisheries usage, are exoskeleton-bearing Aquatic animal, aquatic invertebrates used as Human food, food, including various species of Mollusca, molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish ...

. Touch pools have been critiqued for how sanitary they are: humans are often touching the protective mucus of the fish and other wildlife in the tank, leading to potential health complications. Other critiques include the quality of life for the organisms in the tank, and the lack of mimicry of real aquatic environments... Other researchers have evaluated the elevated risk of health impacts for humans who interact with the animals, through potential health concerns.

References

{{reflist Human–animal interaction Aquariums

See also

References