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More than 14,000 specimens of mollusks, sea mammals, sharks and other fish dwell in one of the world’s largest aquariums, and the oldest in the US. Some 200 displays feature the diversity of aquatic life, from the oddest fish in the world, such as the turkey fish, to the most threatening, such as piranhas.

Spiraling upward, this is a circular viewing area populated with varieties of saltwater species, including California barracuda, Pacific bonito and mackerel, yellowtail jack, and ocean whitefish.

Shake hands with a starfish, get cozy with hermit crabs, or pick up a sea slug in this hands-on, hands-wet attraction. The pool is staffed by volunteers who will tell you what you’re handling and keep the animals safe, too. Hours vary, since the creatures get a much deserved time-out from time to time.

These Black-footed penguins are fed twice daily, at 11:30am and 4pm, and it’s always a spectacle that the whole family enjoys. Penguins may waddle on land, but their grace is evident when you see them dive and glide effortlessly through the water to catch their meal.

The academy features multimedia exhibits, excellent dioramas of animals in their natural habitats, human artifacts from various world cultures, the Hall of Fossils, the Gem and Mineral Hall, an insect room, and hilarious Far Side of Science cartoons by Gary Larson.

This is a 3.5 billion-year journey through the development of life on Earth. Discover, partly through the use of interactive computers, how evolutionary trends arose over time and how certain species evolved. There are also exhibits such as life-size dinosaur models, a huge T-Rex tooth, giant flightless birds, and other mind-boggling scenes from Earth’s remote past.

This exhibit sheds light on one of Earth’s most fascinating and terrifying natural phenomena – and one that San Franciscans know all too well. The main attraction is a multimedia theater that allows you to experience a tremor first-hand. It also features survivor accounts and actual video footage of past earthquakes – plus pointers on how to prepare for the real thing (see Security and Health).

The huge diversity of California’s ecosystems is beautifully explored in this section of the museum. By means of superb dioramas all the landscapes and wildlife of the state are portrayed. Everything is investigated in captivating ways, from rocky cliffs populated by giant elephant seals, to magnified insect life, to the microscopic goings-on in a typical pocket of the Pacific Ocean waters.

Magnificent dioramas show African fauna, such as cheetahs, rhinos, lions, giraffes, and the straight-horned oryx in their natural surroundings. The exhibit ends with the African Waterhole, which features on-location recordings of bird and animal sounds and a 17-minute simulation of a 24-hour cycle in Africa.

Take a guided tour of the universe. The night skies never looked more real, and you can travel to the very limits of the known universe. Shows are presented Monday to Friday at 2pm, and weekends on the hour from noon to 4pm.