OdySea Aquarium OdySea: New Developments

The progress in this Phoenix suburb is astounding. OdySea Aquarium is already 200,000 square feet and 2 million gallons, making it one of the largest aquatic facilities in America in terms of sheer size. Butterfly Wonderland is probably the largest butterfly greenhouse in the nation, plus there is Dolphinaris and then many more plans upcoming in the next few years. Wow.
 
Last line of the article: the developer plans to build an attraction where people will spend two to three days. Here's why I don't think it will work. People do not vacation in Arizona to see aquariums and ice caves (another coming attraction) and dolphins in cement tubs in the desert. They vacation in Arizona to see cacti and scenery and to enjoy warm outdoor activities in the winter. I have not been to any of the attractions in the complex, so I can't judge their quality, but I think it's a very hard sell to expect people to stay more than one day.
 
On Saturday, January 18 (2020), the aquarium will hold its third annual conservation expo. Event is held outside in the courtyard and is free. There will be animal ambassadors from the aquarium and tables set up by numerous Phoenix area zoo and conservation groups (including Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix Herpetological Society, Southwest Wildlife, Liberty Wildlife, Heritage Park Zoo, and more).
 
Here is an article about the entire campus (all of which is new) that Odysea Aquarium is located in (there is also a second animal attraction called Butterfly Wonderland as well as an increasing number of non-animal attractions). The campus was called Odysea In The Desert (which was often confused with the actual Odysea Aquarium) so the new name for the campus is Arizona Boardwalk.
OdySea in the Desert changes name to Arizona Boardwalk, announces hotel and more attractions

(Personal opinion: I have never had a desire to visit this aquarium but now seeing the cheezy attractions the campus is adding I definitely will stay as far away as possible. Arizona has until now shied away from cheap tourist traps like Ripleys or mirror mazes and honestly I find this entire development to be an embarrassment to my state. Thankfully at least it's not in Tucson.)
 
Any idea of the shark species? Clearly sandbar, sand tiger, and white tip, but otherwise?
 
Other news from 2021-2022:

On January 4th, 2021, the aquarium announced brand new exhibits for gila monsters and American alligator hatchlings.

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On February 6th, the aquarium announced that their (1.0) green sea turtle Boudreaux has passed away due to severe gastrointestinal disease.

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On March 8th, the aquarium announced that they have received a new executive director, Pal Palermo. She will oversee both the aquarium and butterfly house.

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On April 27th, the aquarium announced that their rotating aquarium ride "Voyager" has a new audio track.

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On May 14th, the aquarium announced and debuted a new exhibit for spotted garden eels near the exit of the Voyager ride.

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On July 15th, the aquarium announced that (0.0.3) sandbar sharks passed away due to unspecified reasons.

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On August 28th, the aquarium announced that a (0.0.1) cownose ray was born.

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On December 3rd, the aquarium announced that they have acquired a (0.0.1) blue-spot ribbontail ray and is now located in the ray touch pool.

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On January 14th, 2022, the aquarium announced the transfer of (2.0) African penguins named Tigger and Curious George to the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck, North Dakota.

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How many sea lions does Odysea have at the moment? They sent 4 females to Toledo, which is most (if not all) of their females, iirc. I’ve also been seeing exclusively bull sea lions on Ocean Voyager, so is Odysea now a sea lion bachelor facility (if that’s even a thing)?
 
The two adult and two juvenile seal lion's are moving to Toledo:
OdySea Aquarium - An exciting adventure began this summer... | By OdySea Aquarium | An exciting adventure began this summer for OdySea Aquarium’s sea lion Moms Skye & Penny, and their now juvenile pups, Storm & Phoenix. The fab four...
An exciting adventure began this summer for OdySea Aquarium’s sea lion Moms Skye & Penny, and their now juvenile pups, Storm & Phoenix. The fab four are currently living the good life in the Buckeye State at The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium. OdySea Aquarium has graciously loaned our animals to the Toledo Zoo to be part of a new exhibit that introduces Midwesterners to the gregarious California sea lion!
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Does anyone know how many animals that leaves OdySea with?
 
According to the aquarium's Facebook, Tako the Giant Pacific Octopus has entered senescence and is nearing the end of her life.
First of all, Tako's a female? I distinctly remember seeing an article calling Tako a "he" when she first joined the aquarium. Second, Tako has laid a bunch of eggs, but they're all unfertilized. I know octopuses don't live long and females dedicate their last moments to tending to their eggs, but the way they address it hurts to read...
"Though Tako’s eggs are not fertile, she is unaware and will use the rest of her energy caring for her offspring."
Instincts, man... there's no benefit for her doing this, but she does it regardless because she doesn't know anything else.
On a less dramatic note, do female GPOs usually lay eggs in captivity (regardless of fertilization)? If the aquarium is making a big deal out of Tako's senescence, then I'm assuming this doesn't happen very often.
 
Corangurilla said:
According to the aquarium's Facebook, Tako the Giant Pacific Octopus has entered senescence and is nearing the end of her life.
First of all, Tako's a female? I distinctly remember seeing an article calling Tako a "he" when she first joined the aquarium. Second, Tako has laid a bunch of eggs, but they're all unfertilized. I know octopuses don't live long and females dedicate their last moments to tending to their eggs, but the way they address it hurts to read...
"Though Tako’s eggs are not fertile, she is unaware and will use the rest of her energy caring for her offspring."
Instincts, man... there's no benefit for her doing this, but she does it regardless because she doesn't know anything else.
On a less dramatic note, do female GPOs usually lay eggs in captivity (regardless of fertilization)? If the aquarium is making a big deal out of Tako's senescence, then I'm assuming this doesn't happen very often.
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It's not unusual to not know the sex of octopus when they first arrive. And yes, females always lay eggs and then die. A lot of aquariums prefer not to publicize it and will move her off exhibit or black out the window. Seeing an animal starving itself to death isn't pleasant :( The general public isn't really going to understand that there's nothing that can be done, currently, to stop the act from occurring. OdySea has chosen to make a lot of posts about the senescence, which is unusual and interesting, as sad as it is.

I spoke with a docent at a small aquarium recently, and she said the facility had decided to stop keeping an octopus because having to deal with the death every year was so upsetting. They're trying to keep seahorses now, instead.
 
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