World's Largest Aquarium Opens In Atlanta Georgia
The new Georgia Aquarium opened today and claimed its title as the World’s Largest Aquarium. With over 8 million gallons of fresh and marine water, and 100,000 animals representing 500 species from around the globe, you’re sure to see things you’ve never seen before!
Opening Day
History of The Georgia Aquarium
In November
2001, Bernie Marcus announced plans to donate funds to build an
aquarium in downtown Atlanta. The Georgia Aquarium is a half-million
square foot facility housing over 100,000 animals in 8 million gallons
of fresh and salt water. From the groundbreaking to the opening, the
construction process took only 27 months. The Georgia Aquarium sits on
9½ acres of land adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park in downtown
Atlanta.
The exterior of the building was designed to look like a giant ship breaking through a wave. As guests enter the huge atrium inside the building, they will be led into the facility by “a wall of fish” guiding them inside. They then have the choice of entering five galleries. Each gallery is easily identified by an icon and signage at the entrance: Georgia Explorer has a light house; River Scout displays a cascading waterfall; Cold Water Quest has an ice covered cliff; Ocean Voyager offers a peek window into the huge habitat; and Tropical Diver has two video screens displaying the perspective of a fish on a reef. Guests will enter each gallery and then return to the main atrium before entering the next gallery.
There
are 60 habitats at the Georgia Aquarium with 12,000 square feet of
viewing windows. The acrylic used in the windows weighs a total of 328
tons. The largest habitat holds 6.2 million gallons of water and
measures 263’ long x 126’ wide x 33’ deep, at its largest points. It
was specially designed to house whale sharks along side ten of
thousands of other animals that typically live along a coral reef and
out to the open ocean. The Georgia Aquarium boasts a 100 foot long
tunnel and one of the largest aquarium windows in the world with views
into whale shark habitat. The second largest habitat, 800,000 gallons,
was specially designed to simulate the natural habitat of beluga whales.
Inside of the general admission area, guests will find Beyond the Reef and Sand Dollars gift shops. Café Aquaria will provide our guests with a variety of food choices. The 4-D theater is located in the bow of the ship on the second floor of the building.
One of the
unique features of the Georgia Aquarium is the Learning Loop. Research
and education make up 25% of the facility. The Learning Loop is located
entirely separate from the general public area with its own entrance,
lunchroom and five wet labs, giving school groups the opportunity to
focus on the lessons at hand. A world-class Veterinary Services and
Conservation Medicine facility makes up 5,800 square feet and holds 26
treatment tanks.
MEET THE FISH
GOLIATH GROUPER: Formerly known as the Jewfish, this gamefish ranges in the Atlantic Ocean from New Jersey to Brazil and in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. it feeds primarily on crustaceans, as well as turtles and fishes, including stingrays.
LOGGERHEAD TURTLE: The majority of
loggerheads in the United States are found in Florida. Loggerheads are
a threatened species, primarily because of shrimp trawling, coastal
development, increased human use of nesting beaches and pollution.
Adults weigh 200 to 350 pounds and measure about 3 feet in length,
while hatchlings are only about 2 inches long. Loggerheads' powerful
jaws crush mollusks, crabs and encrusting animals attached to reefs and
rocks.
GIANT PACIFIC OCTOPUS:
Ranging along the Pacific coast from southern California to Alaska,
this octopod grows to about 16 feet from the tip of one arm to the tip
of another. Record-setters reach as much as 600 pounds, but the average
is below 100 pounds. According to the National Parks Conservation
Association, it is highly intelligent, and has demonstrated skill at
navigating mazes and can unscrew jar lids to reach food inside.
WHALE SHARK: The largest shark, and also the largest fish in the ocean is the whale shark (Rhincodon typus). This massive plankton-feeder reaches lengths of over 20m (60 feet).
BRAIN CORAL: These reef-building animals of the genus Meandrina form rounded colonies that resemble the convolutions of the human brain. Slow-growing, they are strong enough to withstand the storms that pound more delicate corals to rubble.
SOUTHERN STINGRAY: Up to 5 feet wide, this creature ranges in the Atlantic Ocean from New Jersey to Brazil and in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Lying partially buried in the sand, the ray uses its fins to dislodge mussels, worms and crustaceans. Its spiny tail can be dangerous to unsuspecting humans swimming in the stingray's habitat.
VIPER MORAY: Reef-associated eel has arched jaws that touch only at their tips when mouth is closed. The moray, generally harmless to humans, lives in the Western Atlantic from Florida to South America.
FRENCH ANGELFISH: Commonly found in shallow reefs, these fish feed on sponges and algae. They typically travel in pairs, and grow to about 16 inches long. Found in the Atlantic, from Florida to Brazil, as well as the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.
BLUE TANG: This surgeonfish has nothing to do with a certain powdered drink. It does have a distinctive blue color with a conspicuous yellow caudal spine. The fish goes about in small groups and inhabits coral reefs and inshore grassy areas, feeding entirely on algae. Found from New York to Brazil.
GREAT HAMMERHEAD SHARK: You don't want to mess with these monsters, the biggest of which have reached 20 feet long and nearly 1,000 pounds. They're found all over the world, in warm and tropical waters, both inshore and well offshore. They prefer to feed on stingrays, groupers and sea catfishes, but also prey on other small bony fishes, crabs, squid, other sharks, rays, and lobsters. Potentially dangerous to people.
WHITE SHRIMP: Georgia harvests Atlantic white and brown shrimp. They grow very rapidly, doubling or tripling their weight every month and assuming the adult form. As the water turns colder in October and November, they move to deeper waters offshore.
LANE SNAPPER: A popular fish to eat, lane snapper can reach up to about 7 pounds. They're found mainly around coral reefs and on vegetated sandy areas and typically feed at night, on small fish, bottom-living crabs, shrimps, worms, gastropods and cephalopods. They are most abundant around the Antilles, on the Campeche Bank, off Panama and the northern coast of South America.
MULLET: Striped mullet, which travel in schools, are known to go several hundred miles up rivers, but spawning always takes place in the sea. They are found in the Atlantic Ocean from Cape Cod to Brazil, including Gulf of Mexico.
FISH WISH LIST:
The Georgia Aquarium has sought permits from state and federal
agencies to capture or raise hundreds of species of aquatic life, from
the exotic to the common.
EXOTIC SPECIES
• Sharks, including a great hammerhead shark, bonnethead shark, hornshark and blacktip reef shark
• Rays, including a manta ray, southern stingray and a cownose ray
• Giant guitarfish
• Largemouth sawfish
• Giant Pacific octopus
• Giant cuttlefish
• Foureye butterflyfish
• Orangespine unicornfish
• Redlip blenny
• Harlequin tuskfish
• French angelfish
• Leafy sea dragon
• Viper moray
COMMON SPECIES
• 1,000 ocean sturgeonfish
• 1,600 blue tang
• 1,100 doctorfish
• 4,000 Atlantic bumper
• 5,000 bigeye scad
• 5,000 French grunt
• 5,000 tomtate
• 4,000 pigfish / yellowtail
• 2,000 lane snapper
• 3,000 mullets
• 2,000 neon tetra
• 3,000 glassy sweeper
• 2,000 bluebanded goby
NOW, THAT'S ALOT OF FISH !
