Newport Aquarium

Coordinates: 39°05′40″N 84°29′51″W / 39.0943725°N 84.4975877°W / 39.0943725; -84.4975877
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Newport Aquarium
Map
39°05′40″N 84°29′51″W / 39.0943725°N 84.4975877°W / 39.0943725; -84.4975877
Date openedMay 1, 1999[1]
LocationNewport, Kentucky, U.S.
No. of animals20,000
No. of species90+
Total volume of tanks1,000,000 US gal (3,800,000 L)
MembershipsAZA[2]
Major exhibits12
OwnerHerschend Family Entertainment
Public transit accessBus interchange TANK
Websitewww.newportaquarium.com
Map Map

The Newport Aquarium is a public aquarium located in Newport, Kentucky, United States at Newport on the Levee. It has 70 exhibits and 14 galleries, 1,000,000 US gal (3,800,000 L) of water, including five acrylic tunnels totaling over 200 ft (61 metres) in length. It is the first aquarium to have had success in breeding shark rays.[3] It also has a collection of alligators, including albino alligators.

Newport Aquarium is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.[4] The Newport Aquarium is part of Herschend Family Entertainment, a for-profit company.[5]

Shark Ray breeding program

The shark ray breeding program is one of the first of its kind, with two sharks having produced offspring.[3] However, the process is difficult due to the tendency of shark rays to engage in rough copulation, which previously resulted in the death of one of the females.[6] Currently, the aquarium has four adult shark rays on exhibit.

Outreach programs

Mobile Shark Cart is a mobile cart that is taken offsite to bring awareness to shark conservation.[7]

WAVE program is a program that promotes the importance of ocean conservation, leadership, and

STEM to youth. Individuals can go behind the scenes with a staff member and see how the aquarium works and learn about the conservation programs and species at the aquarium.[8]

Seasonal events

Mermaid's Cove is an interactive event in which guests see and talk to mermaids about ocean conservation in the Shark Ray Bay Theater and Coral Reef tank. This event is normally scheduled during September.[9]

Scuba Santa appears between the end of November through January 1 each year, excluding Christmas Day. He can be seen in the shark tank with his elves.[10]

Albino alligators

Albino alligators, Snowflake and Snowball, returned to Newport in 2014. They are about six feet long and weigh between 65 and 85 pounds. There are fewer than 100 albino alligators known in the world today.[11]

Gallery

  • Shark tank
    Shark tank
  • Petting station
    Petting station
  • Penguins
    Penguins
  • Honeycomb whiptail ray
    Honeycomb whiptail ray
  • Underwater tunnel
    Underwater tunnel

References

  1. ^ "The making of an aquarium". enquirer.com. The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved December 26, 2006.
  2. ^ "Currently Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". aza.org. AZA. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Aww: Newport Aquarium has shark ray pups". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  4. ^ "Newport Aquarium". Retrieved December 26, 2006.
  5. ^ "Our Businesses". www.hfecorp.com. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  6. ^ "Mating injury kills Kentucky aquarium's shark ray". USA Today. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  7. ^ Charlson, Christine (2016-09-17). "Can't get to Newport? The aquarium will now bring its sharks to you". WCPO. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
  8. ^ "About Us". Aquarium Works. 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  9. ^ Staff, WLWT Digital (2018-09-19). "Mermaids swim their way back to Newport Aquarium". WLWT. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
  10. ^ "Scuba Santa back at Newport Aquarium". WLWT. 2012-11-17. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
  11. ^ "Albino alligators return to Newport Aquarium". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 2018-11-02.

External links