Virginia Aquarium
Virginia Aquarium | |
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36°49′16″N 75°59′02″W / 36.82105°N 75.98377°W | |
Location | Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA |
No. of animals | 12,000[2] |
No. of species | 700[2] |
Total volume of tanks | 800,000 US gallons (3,028,000 L)[1] |
Memberships | AZA,[3] AMMPA[4] |
Website | www |
The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, formerly known as the Virginia Marine Science Museum, is an
History
The aquarium opened on June 14, 1986, as the Virginia Marine Science Museum. The focus of exhibits was on life in the rivers of Virginia, Chesapeake Bay, and the marine waters just off of Virginia. In 1995, the aquarium expanded, tripling its size. On November 21, 2009, the Virginia Aquarium opened a 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) series of exhibits called Restless Planet. The $25 million renovation designed by Chermayeff & Poole of Boston includes for habitats: Malaysian Peat Swamp, Coastal Sahara Desert, Red Sea, and Indonesia's Flores Island and doubled the number of species displayed by the aquarium. Some of the new animals include Komodo dragons, tomistomas, spotted eagle rays, and cuttlefish.[2]
Exhibits
The two main exhibit buildings of the aquarium are the Bay and Main Building and South Building. The two are connected by a one-third mile outdoor nature trail running alongside Owls Creek Salt Marsh. Together the two buildings are home to more than 12,000 animals representing over 700 species.
Main Building
The Main Building houses displays intended to show the journey of water from the rivers of Virginia, through the Chesapeake Bay, and out into the ocean. The Restless Planet part of the displays are intended to show the forces that shaped Virginia.
- Chesapeake Bay Aquarium
The Chesapeake Bay Aquarium starts with a touch pool where visitors can touch
- Norfolk Canyon Aquarium
The Norfolk Canyon aquarium replicates the underwater environment of the Norfolk Canyon, a canyon roughly 70 miles off the coast of Virginia. This exhibit is home to sandbar shark, nurse shark and sand tiger shark as well as fish such as crevalle jack, grey triggerfish and southern stingray.
- Chesapeake Light Tower Aquarium
The 70,000-US-gallon (265,000 L) Chesapeake Light Tower Aquarium replicates the underwater environment of up to about 15 miles (24 km) off the coast of Virginia, and is home to loggerhead, green sea turtle, and Kemp's ridley sea turtle along with many fish including Atlantic spadefish, a large Atlantic goliath grouper, Atlantic tripletail, cobia, lookdown, and permits.[6]
- Restless Planet
The new Restless Planet expansion includes five immersive displays (a Malaysian peat swamp, the coastal desert, a replica of the Mediterranean Sea, the 100,000-US-gallon (379,000 L) Red Sea exhibit and a recreation of an Indonesian volcanic island), and new hands-on exhibits intended to show the forces that shaped the Virginia landscape into what it is today. Some of the animals in these exhibits include Komodo dragons, tomistomas, spotted eagle rays, zebra shark, Egyptian cobra, hedgehog and cuttlefish.[2]
South Building
The South Building features North American river otters, a red octopus, moon jellies, and other animals. This new building gives guests behind-the-scenes access to the Vet Center, Stranding Response Program, and Water Quality Lab. The new building also includes a large outdoor play area for kids, with water tables, climbing nets, bubbles, and more. The Research and Conservation branch of the aquarium is responsible for the Stranding Response Program, which responds to sick or injured seals, dolphins, whales, and sea turtles from local shores. The Marsh Pavilion closed to the public for renovations on January 2, 2019.
Aviary
The Virginia Aquarium Aviary was a half-acre habitat located behind the March Pavilion, and was home to 70 birds of about 30 species including a
Notes
- ^ "About the Virginia Aquarium". virginiaaquarium.com. Virginia Aquarium. Archived from the original on 26 July 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Featuring 6,000 New Animals, Virginia Aquarium Opens New Restless Planet". prlog.org. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ "Currently Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". aza.org. AZA. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ "Our Members". ammpa.org. AMMPA. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ "Chesapeake Bay Touch Pool". virginiaaquarium.com. Virginia Aquarium. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ "Chesapeake Light Tower Aquarium". virginiaaquarium.com. Virginia Aquarium. Retrieved 24 September 2010.