Aquariums in Zoos

zoogeekmaelstrom

zoogeekmaelstrom

Well-Known Member
What's your opinion on aquariums in zoos? Personally, I think they are a great way to add more diversity to a zoo collection and they usually stray away from the regular land and sky animals. I've only visited one aquarium in a zoo, which is the Schonbrunn Zoo's one. Even though it's also a reptile house, it was still nice to see it.
 
zoogeekmaelstrom said:
What's your opinion on aquariums in zoos? Personally, I think they are a great way to add more diversity to a zoo collection and they usually stray away from the regular land and sky animals. I've only visited one aquarium in a zoo, which is the Schonbrunn Zoo's one. Even though it's also a reptile house, it was still nice to see it.
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For me it depends. If the aquarium is just fish I’m not a huge fan, but if they have sea mammals and reptiles then I’m all for it
 
The Living Coast at Brookfield Zoo has aquarium elements, including sea turtle, leopard sharks and rays, and I think including the fish tanks is an excellent way to emphasize the connections in the coast.

Tropical Discovery at Denver was an excellent building, but I have to admit the excellent saltwater aquariums felt a little tacked on to the overall building, whereas the river-based tanks felt integrated quite well into the exhibit and added to it a lot.

I have not visited the Aquatic and Reptile Center at Milwaukee in a very long time but from what I recall I did not feel a clash between the aquariums and the reptile collection.

I have not visited a full-fledged in-zoo aquarium yet but I found the presence of aquatic animals helped the collection feel more balanced and at Brookfield helped strengthen the exhibit narrative.
 
JVM said:
The Living Coast at Brookfield Zoo has aquarium elements, including sea turtle, leopard sharks and rays, and I think including the fish tanks is an excellent way to emphasize the connections in the coast.

Tropical Discovery at Denver was an excellent building, but I have to admit the excellent saltwater aquariums felt a little tacked on to the overall building, whereas the river-based tanks felt integrated quite well into the exhibit and added to it a lot.

I have not visited the Aquatic and Reptile Center at Milwaukee in a very long time but from what I recall I did not feel a clash between the aquariums and the reptile collection.

I have not visited a full-fledged in-zoo aquarium yet but I found the presence of aquatic animals helped the collection feel more balanced and at Brookfield helped strengthen the exhibit narrative.
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Yeah, Brookfield's aquarium had little species of fish, but it made it up with its enormous penguin/tern dome
 
I'd rather see fish incorporated into other areas of the zoo than stuck in a designated aquarium building, but I'm a big advocate for zoos displaying the biodiversity of animal life- and giving visitors a look at not just mammals, birds, and reptiles, but also giving attention to amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. Furthermore, one type of ecosystem I wish more facilities would feature prominently are freshwater biomes. There are a number of freshwater turtle species and amphibian species that don't get nearly as much attention as they deserve, in my opinion, especially due to the conservation concern that these groups of animals face. I would love to see some zoos invest in some good freshwater exhibits, featuring turtles and amphibians, but also the freshwater fishes, freshwater invertebrates, waterfowl, and semi-aquatic mammals that share their homes. I'd love to see more facilities, zoos or aquariums, build major exhibits dedicated to freshwater biomes.
 
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