Find out what we have to discover in the Wet Lab, an interactive learning centre that acts as a classroom for students in the Lower Mainland and beyond. Get a first-hand glimpse of some of the animals that are featured in the programs that take place there, perhaps getting your hands a little bit wet in the process


Many of our school programs take place in the Barker Interactive Learning Lab (also known as the Wet Lab). Students get their hands wet by investigating a diverse array of live marine animals without spines (invertebrates). This unique hands-on experience helps students get a new appreciation for local seashore life by helping them identify local marine animals and the conservation issues affecting them, from a perspective that cannot be matched in the average school classroom. Knowledgeable and friendly educators help students on their journey of learning and discovery. Interested in booking your class, home school, or club in one of our marine education programs? Visit our school programs page.
The animals you’ll get to see and possibly touch in the Wet Lab are invertebrates—animals without backbones. The most familiar marine invertebrates include crabs, sea anemones, jellies, sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and shrimps. Even the octopus, one of the most popular animals at the Aquarium, is an invertebrate. You can find marine invertebrates in almost every marine habitat. Some marine invertebrates, including tube worms, live on the ocean bottom near vents that expel sulphide-rich water heated to 400°C.
Visit our marine invertebrates AquaFacts
