Adopt an animal at IMARCS
Name it, follow it, and fund the work that keeps it thriving
Three animals. Pick yours.
Every adoption supports the animals in our tanks in Japan and the research they are part of. Choose a tab to read about each one.
Adopt a giant clam
Giant clams are the center of our research. We keep seven species in our tanks, six Tridacna and Hippopus hippopus, and many of them came to us as juveniles from the hatchery in Kosrae, Micronesia. Each one has its own mantle pattern, its own history, and its own record in our system. Your adoption is tied to one specific clam, and it will be that same clam next year.
These animals are how we test whether giant clams can be made into true carbon sinks. Adopting one funds the water, the light, and the daily care that keeps that work going.
Adopt a clownfish pair
Clownfish live in bonded pairs, so you adopt two. Our pairs are raised and kept at the facility in Japan, and they are the same fish our classroom curriculum is built around. Each pair is named, photographed, and tracked as a unit.
Captive-bred clownfish take pressure off wild reefs, where collection for the aquarium trade still happens. Your adoption supports the pairs themselves and the breeding work that makes captive-bred fish the norm rather than the exception.
Adopt a carpet anemone
The carpet anemone Stichodactyla haddoni is the natural home of many clownfish species, and nearly every one in the aquarium trade is collected from the wild. We are in the early stages of attempting to breed them in captivity. It has rarely been done, and we are honest that it may take time.
Your adoption is tied to one of the anemones in that program. You will get its profile and its photo, and as the work progresses, you will be among the first to hear how it is going.
What every adopter receives
A name
You name your animal at checkout. The name goes on its record and its certificate.
Its profile
A personalized PDF about your animal: its photo, species, where it came from, when it arrived, its size, anything notable in its history, and what it is part of at IMARCS. Your adoption certificate is the last page.
Quarterly updates
Four times a year, news and photos from the tanks. Stewards also get a short video of their own animal in each update.
Adoptions are contributions to the IMARCS Foundation, a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and are tax deductible for US donors to the extent allowed by law. Yearly adoptions renew each year and monthly Steward adoptions renew each month; both can be cancelled at any time.