Vying with MBA and Georgia rather I think.
Zoo/Aquarium Hot Takes
- Thread starter pachyderm pro
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Vying with MBA and Georgia rather I think.
This is exactly why I don’t think there is a definitive best. One it’s a matter of opinion but the much larger issue is that none stand out for perfection. All have great parts but still lack in certain areas.
Shedd has a great collection but suffers from a lack of specialty. The things that make MBA and Tennessee pop out Shedd severely lacks. It’s galleries and areas and just average sections with fancy names. Also their marine mammal exhibits are hit or miss.
Tennessee is a great specialist collection with beautiful exhibits but lacks larger anchor species to really solidify the collection. It relies on smaller species leaving exhibits with no major attraction to bring people in.
MBA has a great collection with good exhibits but like Tennessee lacks larger species to tie its exhibits together. It has tried in the past with animals like great whites but on a national scale MBA just doesn’t stand out like Shedd or Georgia.
Georgia has an amazing collection of larger rarities that make it a very popular aquarium. However it’s exhibits leave a lot to be desired. The galleries are the same general; northern, tropical, shark, freshwater, big tank; that you find in other aquariums. It is just a really big basic aquarium. Also it’s marine mammal exhibits are poor (I’ve already gone into detail about this earlier in the thread so please don’t bring it up again).
In the end there is no San Diego/Bronx of aquariums that stands out among the rest for great exhibits and a collection that has both specialist and broader areas. But the aquarium game is relatively young. 3 out of the 4 aquariums I mentioned we’re built in the last 35 years. Everyone can have their own opinion on the best but I truly believe right now there is no aquarium that stands out among the rest, for now we have to wait and see as more aquariums find themselves and start to expand.
Worth noting that despite not having many large species MBA has been a pioneer in many areas, particularly culturing marine life. They paved the way for success with a fair handful of species now commonplace in aquariums such as jellyfish.
There is and it's located in Wisconsin.
Sphenisciologist
Well-Known Member
I mean yeah, that’s kind of what an opinion is
.I personally don’t see this as a negative whatsoever. Why is it a negative thing that Tennessee uses smaller species to bring people in? A lot of these smaller species are lesser known, so if anything it’s a positive reinforcement. Also, I wouldn’t say that not having ‘major’ attractions makes a zoo/aquarium lackluster. The aquarium has enough popular species (otters, lemurs, penguins) but also enough lesser known species to be deemed as one of the best facilities in the US.
This is exactly why I love Shedd - freshwater or saltwater, tropical or temperate, Shedd has everything you could possibly want to see in some of the best exhibitry in the world.
I didn't know Shedd had a live kelp forest and whale sharks! Or orcas, Crested auklets, and Steller's Sea lions either.
Of course it doesn't have literally everything - but while you're there, it certainly feels like it does.I didn't know Shedd had a live kelp forest and whale sharks! Or orcas, Crested auklets, and Steller's Sea lions either.
Do you see what I mean. There is no consensus on a best aquarium because none have enough for most people. All lack in important factors people want. Right now there is no Bronx or San Diego that truly stands out among the rest. It’s not just people having different preferences it’s just that aquariums aren’t mainstreamed enough yet to really have a best in North America.
But it is exactly just that! Let's just consider the 'Big 3' of Monterey, Georgia, and Shedd, in this post, since those are the main three that people consider when thinking of the "best" aquarium in the United States. Each of these three have all the factors that people would want, when it comes to visiting an aquarium. To consider this as so, let me give a little breakdown of what 'factors' I'm putting into consideration here:
- Collection
- Quality
- Publicity
- Grandeur
When it comes to quality, all three boast spectacular exhibitry and husbandry. I'm not sure if there's much discussion to be held on any pitfalls in the Big 3's quality, except for criticisms on the state of the marine mammal exhibits at the Georgia Aquarium. All three have exhibits that stand out and are renowned as a part of their respective facilities. Guest experience is also well-considered and pleasant in all these institutions.
Publicity is a big factor that sets the Big 3 apart from other aquariums that aren't as popular, or in the eyes of some on this thread, "as good as the Big 3 but without recognition". Using the example of social media, Monterey Bay's 439K Instagram followers and 227.8K Twitter followers doubles the buzz surrounding the Georgia Aquarium's 232K Instagram followers and 103.5K Twitter followers. Shedd trails in between the two with 314K Instagram followers and 153.8K Twitter followers. To prove that the Big 3 stand out (as a general rule) in terms of media attention from other aquariums, the Tennessee Aquarium (that has been mentioned here) only boasts 65.1K followers on Instagram and a mere 35.5K on Twitter. This is even with the aquarium's viral TikTok account, with 275.6K followers. Even an aquarium TikTok giant like the Aquarium of the Pacific with 2.7M followers comes short of reaching the counts of the Big 3's Instagram and Twitter figures, with 141K and 33.7K, respectively. Monterey further hones in it's media success with even a Discord server to interact with its fans. Publicity can be a deciding factor when it comes down to finding out what the "big names" of an industry can be, regardless of what other qualities they possess.
Grandeur and opulence are widely present in each of the 'Big 3' aquariums. Shedd's historical architecture from its roots in 1930 have remained largely intact, and the extravagance of the stone materials (such as limestone and marlle) and stylish details take inspiration from the Classical era (Shedd Aquarium). The museum-esque atmosphere of the aquarium also ties into other grand historical institutions on Chicago's Museum Campus (e.g. the Field Museum). Georgia's splendor can largely be in thanks to the multi-million gallon Ocean Voyager, which decorated the facility with the title of the world's largest aquarium for a number of years. The modern style in combination with the aquarium's seemingly 'go big or go home attitude' can be seen reflected in their recent "Sharks! Predators of the Deep" complex, which boasts a volume of 1.2 million gallons. Monterey Bay's location on Cannery Row has provided it with a unique opportunity of building the aquarium within an old canning factory. The contemporary architecture style is impressive to many, and works well with stunning exhibits such as their live kelp forest and the Open Ocean. And whilst they might not have the regal front of the Shedd Aquarium or the gargantuan aquariums of Georgia, the natural setting of the beautiful Monterey Bay surely brings a sense of nature's beauty into the establishment.
So looking at all these factors, there's not really any way that a statement of "not having enough for most people" or "lack of important factors" can be accurate. All three cover all bases of a good aquarium and exceed those standards, to a point where yes, they stand out in front of other aquariums in the way that the Bronx or San Diego Zoo may do when speaking of zoos. But because they have all of these factors, it boils down only to subjectivity and personal preference. Do you enjoy the sheer size and splendor that can be seen at Georgia? Or the focus and setting of Monterey? Maybe the species hunter's dream of the Shedd Aquarium would be more for you? It all comes down to personal preference, and on account of subjectivity, not because of any lack from each of these institutions.
And to address this claim. Aquariums are a mainstream attraction in North America- and the figures of attendance speak for that itself. Monterey, Shedd, and Georgia have all boasted annual figures around and over two million, similar to that of Bronx's annual two million visitors (while still less than San Diego's record four million). These figures would be fair to compare if considering these attractions as the forefront of their industries, and jumping to the conclusion that because the main runners of these institutions report similar attendances, than the presence of these industries are both similar. Even a lesser known aquarium such as the Newport Aquarium could report figures of around 1 million at the turn of the century, which is comparable to the region's other major zoological institution, the Cincinnati Zoo with it's attendance of around 1 million, also around the turn of the century. If we can consider zoos as mainstream, than aquariums must be also be considered mainstream. And now isn't the time to double down and say that zoos aren't mainstream, either, as over 183 million (55%) people in the United States visit zoos and aquariums every year.
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Sphenisciologist
Well-Known Member
Moving away from the topic of aquariums, one of my hot takes is that zoos should have more vegan/vegetarian food options for guests.
I’m a vegetarian myself and a majority of zoos I’ve been to have very little vegetarian-friendly cuisine. A lot of zoo food, at least in America, is fast food options like chicken, burgers and hot dogs, but considering that zoos are focused on animal conservation and preservation, the menus should have a balanced option of vegan, vegetarian and meat-eating choices.
This is not me saying you can’t eat meat, I just think zoo diets should be more vegetarian friendly.
I’m a vegetarian myself and a majority of zoos I’ve been to have very little vegetarian-friendly cuisine. A lot of zoo food, at least in America, is fast food options like chicken, burgers and hot dogs, but considering that zoos are focused on animal conservation and preservation, the menus should have a balanced option of vegan, vegetarian and meat-eating choices.
This is not me saying you can’t eat meat, I just think zoo diets should be more vegetarian friendly.
Indeed some of largest mammals displayed are vegetarian. The question also to ask why is man considered sole meat eater?
Humans are neither considered "sole meat eaters" nor "the sole meat eater".
It's meat if it is the sole of a foot.Also, sole is fish rather than meat
I 100% agree
Even the salads here in Dutch zoos often contain meat, cheese or eggs... so far goes the veggetarian./vegan option!
One zoo that I applaud in their restaurants bussiness is ARTIS in Amsterdam.
They got at mulitple of their restaurant vegetarian/vegan-only food and drink items with bio products and ecology friendly packaging etc.
Isn’t a sole the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal? Making it definitely not a meat.
If you think your soul is a fish then you should seek some sort of exorcism.
May I bless your soul and hope that one day you find the answers to your questions.
That word is spelled "soul". Homophones, am I right?