Blue Reef Aquarium

Overlooking the busy Solent, Portsmouth's Blue Reef Aquarium takes visitors on the ultimate undersea safari. From the rich variety of British waters to the beauty of a tropical coral reef and more than 40 other displays - including a fantastic otter holt - the aquarium offers a fascinating window into the hidden world beneath the waves. At the aquarium's heart is a giant tropical reef tank with its own underwater, walk-through tunnel and home to a variety of tropical sharks and stingrays as well as hundreds of brightly-coloured reef fish.

Portsmouth’s Blue Reef Aquarium is paying tribute to some of the marine world’s most magnificent mums this weekend (Sunday March 2nd).

The event is part of the Southsea attraction’s Mother's Day celebrations and all human mothers visiting the aquarium on Sunday will enjoy FREE entry when they buy a guidebook and are accompanied by a full paying child.

The award-winning attraction’s star mum will be taking centre stage in the shape of their female short claw Asian otter who has shown exemplary parenting skills with no fewer than 14 cubs!

Blue Reef‘s Jenna Macfarlane said: “Mother’s Day is always a particularly popular time for families to visit the aquarium and we thought it would add to the celebration of motherhood by highlighting some of the aquatic world’s most attentive mothers.

“In reality many animals’ lavish lots of care and attention on their babies ranging from tiny seahorses to giant whales - in some cases they are even prepared to die to protect them.

“Our otters are particularly good parents. The babies are born blind and completely reliant on their mothers. It is only after about 40 days that their eyes open for the first time.

“They start appearing outside the holt at around seven weeks and the mother will then start to teach them how to swim two to five weeks later,” she added.

As well as finding out all about family life with the otters, visitors will also be able to discover more about some of the other aquatic world’s super mums.

The aquarium will also be running a series of special otter talks and feeding demonstrations throughout the weekend.