In the aquarium world, the less brightly decorated animals are often overlooked. The glamorous fish of the tropics and the clever ocean mammals tend to steal the limelight, but now, the creatures of the seashore are getting their own show.

Baltimore’s National Aquarium announced its plans to open a new exhibit in spring next year, and clearnose skates, horseshoe crabs, knobbed whelks and jellyfish will be the stars of the show.

The exhibit, Living Seashore, will reveal the secrets of the coastline. Visitors will be brought face to face with the fascinating saltwater dwellers of the Atlantic and invited to touch different animals as part of the interactive experience. Aquarium experts will be on hand to educate visitors about the creatures and their habitat.


Clearnose skate will feature in the exhibit

"The Mid-Atlantic seashore is a local aquatic treasure, and a seemingly familiar place to many,” National Aquarium CEO John Racanelli said in a statement. "But, as our guests will soon discover, fascinating stories await them; stories of the secret lives of seashore animals and plants, as well as the people who are dedicated to keeping our beaches and coast healthy.”

The 2,700-square-foot (251sqm) exhibit is part of the National Aquarium’s ongoing US$10.5m (€8m, £6.3m) makeover. A budget of US$5.5m (€4.2m, £3.3m) has been set aside for Living Seashore.

It’s a time of change for the US’s oldest aquarium. The 33-year-old building it has called home since moving from Washington D.C. to Baltimore in 1981 is undergoing multiple renovations as well as accommodating new attractions such as a blacktip reef shark exhibit that opened in 2013.

The aquarium is also looking into the possibility of retiring its eight bottlenose dolphins and moving them to a unique oceanside sanctuary.