Georgia Aquarium was the biggest aquarium in the world when it opened in 2005.ĭespite now having to settle for third place behind gargantuan water worlds in Singapore and China, it’s still the largest aquarium in the US, and recognized as one of the best aquariums in the world.Ī trip to Georgia Aquarium will see guests go nose-to-glass with dolphins, tropical fish, octopuses, sea lions, penguins and lots more. □ Atlanta, United States Georgia Aquarium is the only one outside Asia to house whale sharks The aquarium is also involved in conservation work far from its catchment area, helping to reconstruct the coral reef in the Maldives, and working to protect the African penguin in South Africa. And the jellyfish! Is it even possible to watch these gelatinous gems glide around without feeling a little bit awestruck?īoasting the largest tank in Europe, 1,600 different species are on show across two huge exhibits: Journey on the High Seas, and Mankind and Shores. There are rare fish who illuminate the dark with torch-like organs, and majestic rays who move as if flying through the deep. We’ll make a note to ask why so many are named after cats. With a huge diversity of sea life and a core educational mission, Nausicaá is one of the best aquariums in the world, focusing on the relationship between mankind and the sea.Īlmost 60,000 charismatic creatures call Nausicaá home, from lionfish to sea lions, and from leopard sharks to tiger sharks and small-spotted catsharks. Nausicaá isn’t just an architectural wonder, either. How could you not want to visit an aquarium resembling an enormous manta ray? Must see: Nurse sharks & giant manta rays □ Boulogne-sur-Mer, France A majestic giant manta ray at Nausicaá The Oceanogràfic carries out numerous marine conservation projects locally and further afield, including studies on sustainable fishing and the protection of bottlenose dolphins, as well as the work undertaken by its Recovery Centre for Marine Fauna.Ĭan’t make it to Spain? Check out this guided tour of Oceanogràfic which formed part of Tiqets’ Awakening Weeks. It may even have a role to play in the coronavirus vaccine. These blue-blooded, nine-eyed arthropods are actually more akin to spiders and scorpions than crabs, and the hemocyanin in their blood is vital in the field of medicine. Perhaps the most fascinating resident here is the Atlantic horseshoe crab. The Mysteries of the Sea exhibit hides creatures renowned for their beauty, oddness, or unique scientific characteristics. Visitors to L’Oceanogràfic can wander between Bermuda and the Canary Islands along the longest aquarium tunnel in Europe, or peer into the crystal-clear home of an inquisitive family of Belugas – the only blood-related group in Europe. Its habitats, housed in nine underwater towers, represent all the world’s major ecosystems, from the frozen to the temperate and tropical. It confidently bills itself as: “a first-rate scientific, educational, and recreational center”. Valencia’s immense Oceanogràfic is the largest aquarium in Europe, spread across 1,200,000 square feet, just a stone’s skip from the Balearic Sea. Must see: Belugas and Atlantic horseshoe crabs Photo by Willian Justen de Vasconcellos on Unsplash □ Valencia, Spain A ghost-like jelly at Oceanogràfic Valencia It’s part of a globally recognized coral conservation program in the Florida Reef Tract (the world’s third-largest barrier reef) as well as programs aimed to protect wild sea turtles, whales and sharks. Like many of the best aquariums in the world, The Florida Aquarium prides itself on its conservation initiatives. And don’t miss the opportunity to marvel at the delicate inhabitants of Dragons Down Under – seahorses, sea dragons, and more! Visitors get up close to lemurs, chameleons, and, if so inclined, cockroaches, on the Journey to Madagascar. There are the stars of the No Bone Zone, plus pufferfish and lobsters in the Bays & Beaches exhibit. Guests can walk the Wetlands Trail to see river otters, alligators, and pythons. The experience is designed to take visitors on a journey, beginning with a trickle from one of Florida’s freshwater springs, journeying out to the Florida Keys, and way beyond into international waters. The Florida Aquarium is no shallow marine menagerie. Florida Aquarium partners with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute to support coral research and conservation.
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