Aquariums in North America
- Thread starter Zebraduiker
- Start date
I have visited a number of aquariums in North America and feel that there are 3 that stand out from the rest. Shedd Aquarium with its massive Oceanarium, Amazon Rising, Reef exhibit and general excellence is in my opinion #1 on the continent. Monterey Bay and Georgia Aquarium are both outstanding as well, and the fact that Monterey Bay refuses to have any dolphins or whales in their collection (those animals can be seen right off the coast) allows them to be even more admired within the industry. The whale sharks in Georgia are something that everyone should go out of their way to see, and with the upcoming $110 million dolphin pool addition that aquarium will easily remain the largest on the planet. Vancouver Aquarium is also excellent, and it is currently embarking on an $80 million expansion that will significantly expand the outdoor areas and will be completed by late 2009...just in time for the February 2010 Winter Olympics!
tigertiger
Well-Known Member
Really? I didn't know that at all! I would love to take a trip up there someday as I love watching that beluga web cam. Daily, at the least.
There is a new thread on the Vancouver Aquarium expansion, which has now risen to $120 million and hopefully will still proceed. The entire establishment right now is about 2.1 acres and with the additional outdoor pools that are going to be added it will expand to just under 4 acres in total. The proposed expansion won't really affect the main building, as it will just significantly increase the number and size of the outdoor pools.
Zebraduiker
Well-Known Member
So I guess, they want to increase the numbers of the orcas after the expansion is completed ? Or are any new marine mammal species are planned ?
http://www.vanaqua.org/consultation/display.pdf
Here is a 19-page document with everything that you'd ever want to know about Vancouver Aquarium's expansion plans. They haven't kept orcas for probably a decade now, but there are about 4-5 beluga whales at the aquarium. Dolphins, belugas, sea otters, seals and sea lions are all in the outdoor pools.
Here is a 19-page document with everything that you'd ever want to know about Vancouver Aquarium's expansion plans. They haven't kept orcas for probably a decade now, but there are about 4-5 beluga whales at the aquarium. Dolphins, belugas, sea otters, seals and sea lions are all in the outdoor pools.
Birdman7487
Well-Known Member
there's plenty of wild orcas that can be seen off the BC coast tho
Zebraduiker
Well-Known Member
Yesterday i've seen a great BBC Documentation on video, the title is/Olympiade der Gifmischer", translated to english it menas so much like"Olympics of poison mixers", this tv docu shows the most poisonous animals in australia and after I've seen it, I will never visit australia, to much poisonous animals ! My favourite in the movie is the tiny blue ringed octopous, very fascinating animal, because it has two diffrent kinds of poisons, one for defense, one for hunting and killing prey ! I've seen that species in 2002 at the Dallas Aquarium in the Fairpark, and know I want to know, if any other aquariums in the states is keeping them, because I want to see them again.
I've found them in the guidebook 2006 of the Aquarium of the pacific, they had an exhibiton of poisonous animals in that year, so I belive, they aren't still there.
Does any aquarium in the world has bred this species, and how long it can live in captivity ?
I've found them in the guidebook 2006 of the Aquarium of the pacific, they had an exhibiton of poisonous animals in that year, so I belive, they aren't still there.
Does any aquarium in the world has bred this species, and how long it can live in captivity ?
Zebraduiker
Well-Known Member
Yesterday i've seen a great BBC Documentation on video, the title is/Olympiade der Gifmischer", translated to english it means so much like"Olympics of poison mixers", this tv docu shows the most poisonous animals in australia and after I've seen it, I will never visit australia, to much poisonous animals ! My favourite in the movie is the tiny blue ringed octopous, very fascinating animal, because it has two diffrent kinds of poisons, one for defense, one for hunting and killing prey ! I've seen that species in 2002 at the Dallas Aquarium in the Fairpark, and now I want to know, if any other aquariums in the states is keeping them, because I want to see them again.
I've found them in the guidebook 2006 of the Aquarium of the pacific, they had an exhibiton of poisonous animals in that year, so I belive, they aren't still there.
Does any aquarium in the world has bred this species, and how long it can live in captivity ?
I've found them in the guidebook 2006 of the Aquarium of the pacific, they had an exhibiton of poisonous animals in that year, so I belive, they aren't still there.
Does any aquarium in the world has bred this species, and how long it can live in captivity ?
octopuses have very short life-spans, usually one to five years depending on species (the smaller the species the shorter the life). They grow extremely fast, then breed and die. As blue-ringed octopus are very small I'd say probably about one or two years would be a normal lifespan.
EDIT:I just googled it and they live 1.5 to 2 years for males, females less
mstickmanp
Well-Known Member
I was at the Aquarium of the Pacific this August and I didn't see any blue-ringed octopus.
Zebraduiker
Well-Known Member
@chlidonias. Yeah, I thought me that.But I hope to see them sometime again. Maybe in an australian aquarium ?
@mstickmanp. So I think, they died in the meantime, but I don't know, how many of them they have kept.
@mstickmanp. So I think, they died in the meantime, but I don't know, how many of them they have kept.
I dare say most Australian aquariums would display them. They had several at Melbourne Aquarium when I was there last yearZebraduiker said:
Could anyone recommand any aquariums in Florida? I am planning to visit Florida next year and planning to fit one or two aquariums into the trip. The Florida Aquarium would definitely be on the list. Can some one give me a brief review on other aquariums there. Thanks.
Zebraduiker
Well-Known Member
@yangz. I've heard, Mote Aquarium in Florida should be a very good aquarium with a good collection. I've never been there, but I will visit it maybe next year.So they have manatees and a dolphin and whale hospital. So have a look on their webside for more information: Mote Marine Laboratory - Mote Marine Laboratory.
For such a large coastal state, there really arent many aquariums. You have the Florida Aquarium and Mote Marine Aquarium on the West Coast. There is Sea World in Orlando. And various, small marine center/rehabilitation clinics along the East Coast. There is the Miami Seaquarium, however, unless you are doing a history project on aquariums, it may not be your cup of tea. And depending on the time of year...during the winter all of the manatees migrate towards the springs in colder weather. Blue Springs State Park, Northeast of Orlando, is an excellent place to dozens of manatees in the winter.
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
The National Marine Aquaruim Plymouth in the U.K has at least 2 Blue-ringed Octopi on show when i visited at the end of October this year.
aikogx
New Member
Sea Cliffs opens in 1994. The seal exhibits prior to that are just the regular ones you can see in present days at the Bronx Zoo, Prospect Park and Queens Zoos, which they do not feature underwater viewing.
The belugas are not likely coming back and their exhibits have been upgraded to hold sea lions and fur seals.
My favorite aquarium is Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration.
They have a very nice beluga enclosure there.
ANyhuis
Well-Known Member
I just completed a 2,100-mile, 5-day, multi-state trip to the South to tour 3 zoos and 6 aquariums. It's been requested of me to post a review of the aquariums I toured, so here it is.
The best aquarium I saw was the world's largest (and perhaps its best), the massive Georgia Aquarium in downtown Atlanta. The place is VERY expensive ($27/adult), but that didn't stop people from coming, as it was packed! As I've already said, those who want their zoological facilities to be ultra-serious, devoid of any childish "fun", will not like this place. When you first enter its main area, it's like a giant mall, with all of its major exhibit trails all lit up by bright (neon?) lights. Upstairs there's a very entertaining Disney-quality 3D movie introducing the aquatic world. Kids love it! By far the best thing here is the 6-million-gallon Ocean Voyager tank. From many, many different views, you can see thousands of very large fish, including many large sharks, lots of sawfish, rays, and of course 4 huge whale sharks! These largest-of-all-fish look like small airplanes as they float above you, while you glide through an acrylic tunnel. Perhaps the best view of these creatures is from sitting in a large gallery in front of a 60-foot wide window. In addition to the whale sharks, the tank also gave me my first-ever view of a huge manta ray and my second-ever look at a real hammerhead shark.
How good is an aquarium when its second-feature is beluga whales? These adorable white whales are in Georgia's Coldwater Quest area, along with sea otters, an octopus, sea dragons, and more. River Scout is a path with a fun overhead river full of fish right over you. The area also has piranhas, alligators, and cute Asian small-clawed otters. Georgia Explorer has a sea turtle, a large children's playground, and two touch pools. One gave me the opportunity to touch shrimp, while the other had rays and even bonnethead sharks to touch. The Tropical Diver path has sea horses and lots more tropical fish, most in a huge colorful reef, behind another very wide window. All in all, I'm a believer that this is America's best (by far) aquarium, if not the world's.
The second-best aquarium I saw was probably the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. This facility is inside two tall glass pyramid-topped buildings. When it was only the older River Journey building, this was known as the world's best freshwater aquarium. The multilevel building is still excellent, as you start your tour by riding a giant escalator up to the top and then work your way down. At the top, the Cove Forest, one of the better forest exhibits which is not tropical, has many birds, river otters, and different trout swimming against the current of a refreshing waterfall. Further down, the Delta is a terrific re-creation of a Louisiana swamp, with birds, fish, turtles, and alligators. Rivers of the World is an interesting look at over a dozen famous rivers from around the planet, including huge beluga sturgeons from Russia. They also have a sturgeon touch pool, an experience I really enjoyed. Most interesting is probably the Tennessee River Gallery, another deep pool loaded with large catfish, lots of interesting paddlefish, and more. The building also has extensive gallery exhibits of turtles and seahorses.
The much newer Ocean Journey building is topped by a tropical rain forest exhibit, which is mostly filled with a beautiful touch pool filled with mostly rays. This was my first chance to touch an interesting guitarfish, so I enjoyed that. Next door was the Butterfly Garden, a typical walk-through butterfly exhibit -- but the first time I'd seen butterflies in the dead of the winter! Further down is "No Bones About It", an invertebrate gallery that features different jellyfish and Japanese giant spider crabs. Finally, the Secret Reef is a large and colorful reef exhibit with some large crabs and many tropical fish. Most interesting is the final cave-like exhibit with views into the reef all around, including many views above you.
< More Aquarium reviews later >
The best aquarium I saw was the world's largest (and perhaps its best), the massive Georgia Aquarium in downtown Atlanta. The place is VERY expensive ($27/adult), but that didn't stop people from coming, as it was packed! As I've already said, those who want their zoological facilities to be ultra-serious, devoid of any childish "fun", will not like this place. When you first enter its main area, it's like a giant mall, with all of its major exhibit trails all lit up by bright (neon?) lights. Upstairs there's a very entertaining Disney-quality 3D movie introducing the aquatic world. Kids love it! By far the best thing here is the 6-million-gallon Ocean Voyager tank. From many, many different views, you can see thousands of very large fish, including many large sharks, lots of sawfish, rays, and of course 4 huge whale sharks! These largest-of-all-fish look like small airplanes as they float above you, while you glide through an acrylic tunnel. Perhaps the best view of these creatures is from sitting in a large gallery in front of a 60-foot wide window. In addition to the whale sharks, the tank also gave me my first-ever view of a huge manta ray and my second-ever look at a real hammerhead shark.
How good is an aquarium when its second-feature is beluga whales? These adorable white whales are in Georgia's Coldwater Quest area, along with sea otters, an octopus, sea dragons, and more. River Scout is a path with a fun overhead river full of fish right over you. The area also has piranhas, alligators, and cute Asian small-clawed otters. Georgia Explorer has a sea turtle, a large children's playground, and two touch pools. One gave me the opportunity to touch shrimp, while the other had rays and even bonnethead sharks to touch. The Tropical Diver path has sea horses and lots more tropical fish, most in a huge colorful reef, behind another very wide window. All in all, I'm a believer that this is America's best (by far) aquarium, if not the world's.
The second-best aquarium I saw was probably the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. This facility is inside two tall glass pyramid-topped buildings. When it was only the older River Journey building, this was known as the world's best freshwater aquarium. The multilevel building is still excellent, as you start your tour by riding a giant escalator up to the top and then work your way down. At the top, the Cove Forest, one of the better forest exhibits which is not tropical, has many birds, river otters, and different trout swimming against the current of a refreshing waterfall. Further down, the Delta is a terrific re-creation of a Louisiana swamp, with birds, fish, turtles, and alligators. Rivers of the World is an interesting look at over a dozen famous rivers from around the planet, including huge beluga sturgeons from Russia. They also have a sturgeon touch pool, an experience I really enjoyed. Most interesting is probably the Tennessee River Gallery, another deep pool loaded with large catfish, lots of interesting paddlefish, and more. The building also has extensive gallery exhibits of turtles and seahorses.
The much newer Ocean Journey building is topped by a tropical rain forest exhibit, which is mostly filled with a beautiful touch pool filled with mostly rays. This was my first chance to touch an interesting guitarfish, so I enjoyed that. Next door was the Butterfly Garden, a typical walk-through butterfly exhibit -- but the first time I'd seen butterflies in the dead of the winter! Further down is "No Bones About It", an invertebrate gallery that features different jellyfish and Japanese giant spider crabs. Finally, the Secret Reef is a large and colorful reef exhibit with some large crabs and many tropical fish. Most interesting is the final cave-like exhibit with views into the reef all around, including many views above you.
< More Aquarium reviews later >