Sea Life London Aquarium

Last updated

Sea Life London Aquarium
London Aquarium.001 - London.JPG
The London Sea Life Aquarium
Sea Life London Aquarium
51°30′7″N0°7′8″W / 51.50194°N 0.11889°W / 51.50194; -0.11889
Date openedMarch 1997 (22 years and 9 months ago) [1]
Location London, England
No. of species~500 [2]
Total volume of tanksMore than 2,000,000 litres (440,000 imp gal; 530,000 US gal) [2]
Annual visitors1,000,000 [1]
Memberships BIAZA [3]
Public transit access Underground no-text.svg National Rail logo.svg Waterloo
Underground no-text.svg Westminster
Website www.sealife.co.uk/london
Sea Life London Aquarium

The Sea Life London Aquarium is located on the ground floor of County Hall on the South Bank of the River Thames in central London, near the London Eye. It opened in March 1997 as the London Aquarium and hosts about one million visitors each year.

Contents

History

In 2005, the aquarium displayed three robotic Fish created by the computer science department at the University of Essex. The fish were designed to be autonomous, swimming around and avoiding obstacles like real fish. Their creator claimed that he was trying to combine "the speed of tuna, acceleration of a pike, and the navigating skills of an eel." [4] [5]

The underwater tunnel. Underwater Walk of Sea Life London Aquarium.jpg
The underwater tunnel.
The shark walk. London Aquarium (539636520).jpg
The shark walk.

In April 2008, the aquarium was purchased by Merlin Entertainments for an undisclosed sum. [6] The facility was closed for a £5 million refurbishment, which was completed in April 2009. The additions included a new underwater tunnel, Shark Walk, a revamped Pacific Ocean tank, and a complete rerouting of the exhibit, all of which were carried out under the supervision of architect Kay Elliott. [7] The attraction officially became a Sea Life Centre when it reopened in April 2009. [8]

In May 2011, the aquarium opened a new penguin exhibit, with 10 gentoo penguins transferred from the Edinburgh Zoo. In 2015, the aquarium was moved to a different location in County Hall due to the opening of Shrek's Adventure, London.

Conservation and education

The aquarium includes two classrooms themed around the conservation campaigns which the zoo supports, which host up to 40,000 school children each year and are open to the public when not in use by the education program. It is involved in several breeding programs including the Cuban crocodile, seahorses, butterfly goodeids, and jellyfish, and works with many conservation organizations including Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, Save Our Seas, and Shark Trust. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

London Zoo, previously known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens and sometimes called Regent's Park Zoo, is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. In 1831 or 1832, the animals of the Tower of London menagerie were transferred to the zoo's collection. It was opened to the public in 1847. As of December 2022, it houses a collection of 14,926 individuals, making it one of the largest collections in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marwell Zoo</span> Zoo in Hampshire, England

Marwell Zoo is a 140-acre (57 ha) zoo situated in Colden Common near Winchester, in the English county of Hampshire. It is owned and run by the registered charity Marwell Wildlife. The zoo is home to 1,208 animals of 149 species. The charity undertakes a range of educational and conservation activities, with a particular focus on Africa in addition to work from its base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whipsnade Zoo</span> Zoo near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England

Whipsnade Zoo, formerly known as ZSL Whipsnade Zoo and Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, is a zoo and safari park located at Whipsnade, near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England. It is one of two zoos that are owned by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Sea Life Centre, Birmingham</span> Aquarium in Birmingham, United Kingdom

The National Sea Life Centre is an aquarium with over 60 displays of freshwater and marine life in Brindleyplace, Birmingham, England. Its ocean tank has a capacity of 1,000,000 litres (220,000 imp gal) of water and houses giant green sea turtles, blacktip reef sharks and tropical reef fish, with the only fully transparent 360-degree underwater tunnel in the United Kingdom. The building was designed by Sir Norman Foster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Midland Safari Park</span> Safari park in Worcestershire, England

West Midland Safari and Leisure Park is a safari park located in Bewdley in Worcestershire, England. It was opened under the name of West Midland Safari Park in Spring 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Deep (aquarium)</span> Public aquarium in Hull, England

The Deep is a public aquarium situated at Sammy's Point, at the confluence of the River Hull and the Humber Estuary in Hull, England. It opened in March 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth</span> Marine aquarium in the city of Plymouth, England

The National Marine Aquarium, which opened in May 1998, is situated in Plymouth in south-west England. It is the largest aquarium in the UK, home to over 5,000 animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea Life Sunshine Coast</span> Aquarium in Queensland, Australia

Sea Life Sunshine Coast at Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia is a marine mammal park, oceanarium and wildlife sanctuary. Sea Life Sunshine Coast is an institutional member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA). The attraction is a Sea Life Centre owned by Merlin Entertainments, and is globally referred to as Sea Life Sunshine Coast by the firm. It was formerly known as UnderWater World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea Life at Mall of America</span> Aquarium in Minnesota, United States

Sea Life at Mall of America is a public aquarium located in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States. The 1.3 million-US-gallon aquarium contains thousands of aquatic creatures, including sea turtles, sharks, sawfish, stingrays, jellyfish and seahorses. There are eleven exhibits featured at the aquarium. The aquarium is highlighted by a 300-foot (91 m) 360° clear acrylic tunnel, which consists of four different areas housing both freshwater and salt water creatures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium</span> Public aquarium in Auckland, New Zealand

Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium is a public aquarium opened in 1985 in Auckland, New Zealand. Located at 23 Tamaki Drive, it was the brainchild of New Zealand marine archaeologist and diver Kelly Tarlton (1937–1985).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium</span> Zoo in Victoria, Australia

Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is a Southern Ocean and Antarctic aquarium in central Melbourne, Australia. It is located on the banks of the Yarra River beside and under the Flinders Street Viaduct and the King Street Bridge. The attraction is a Sea Life Centre owned by Merlin Entertainments.

SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium is a public aquarium that features a large variety of Australian aquatic life, displaying more than 700 species comprising more than 13,000 individual fish and other sea and water creatures from most of Australia's water habitats. Opened in 1988, it is regarded as one of Sydney's premier tourist attractions with over 55% of its visitors each year coming from overseas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woburn Safari Park</span> Safari park in Bedfordshire, England

Woburn Safari Park is a safari park located in Woburn, Bedfordshire, England. Visitors to the park can drive through exhibits, which contain species such as southern white rhino, elephants, tigers and black bears. It is part of the estates of the Duke of Bedford that also includes Woburn Abbey and its 3,000-acre (1,200 ha) deer park. The Safari Park itself covers 360 acres (150 ha).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exmoor Zoo</span> Zoo in Exmoor, North Devon, England

Exmoor Zoo is a conservation centre in Exmoor, North Devon, England. The zoo developed from Exmoor Bird Gardens, opened on the site of a farm in 1982. The current owners took over in 1993, and have enlarged and developed the zoo, now specialising in the conservation of smaller animals. The zoo has been a member of BIAZA, the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums, since 1995 and recently became a member of EAZA in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums</span> UK and Ireland charitable organisation

The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) is a registered charity and the professional body representing over 100 zoos and aquariums in Britain and Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallas World Aquarium</span> Public aquarium and zoo in Dallas, Texas

The Dallas World Aquarium is a for-profit aquarium and zoo located in the West End Historic District of Dallas, Texas, USA. It aids conservation and education by housing many animals that are threatened or endangered as part of a cooperative breeding program with other zoos around the world. It has been an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 1997 and is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea Life</span> Sea Life is a chain of commercial sea life-themed aquarium attractions

Sea Life is a chain of commercial sea life-themed aquarium attractions. As of April 2017 there are 53 Sea Life attractions around the world. The chain is owned by the British company, Merlin Entertainments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Living Coasts</span> Zoo in Devon, England

Living Coasts was a coastal zoo at the site of Torquay Marine Spa in Devon, England. It was owned by South West Environmental Parks as part of the Wild Planet Trust, formerly known as Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, which also operates Newquay Zoo and Paignton Zoo. It was a registered charity, based around seabirds and other coastal wildlife. The site had a covered giant aviary which included several animal enclosures and habitats including an artificial tidal estuary, a penguin beach, a tropical mangrove swamp, and underwater viewing areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adventure Aquarium</span> Aquarium in New Jersey, U.S.

The Adventure Aquarium, formerly the Thomas H. Kean New Jersey State Aquarium, is a for-profit educational entertainment attraction operated in Camden, New Jersey on the Delaware River Camden Waterfront by Herschend Family Entertainment. Originally opened in 1992, it re-opened in its current form on May 25, 2005 featuring about 8,000 animals living in varied forms of semi-aquatic, freshwater, and marine habitats. The facility has a total tank volume of over 2 million US gallons (7,600,000 L), and public floor space of 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manly Sea Life Sanctuary</span> Aquarium in Sydney, Australia

Manly Sea Life Sanctuary was a public aquarium located in Manly, Sydney, Australia. It featured sharks, giant stingrays, sea turtles, little penguins and other marine life. It also allowed guests to take part in Shark Dive Xtreme, where they could swim with grey nurse sharks over three metres long.

References

  1. 1 2 "London Aquarium". uk-london.info. UK London Travel. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Welcome to SeaLife London Aquarium". visitsealife.com. Merlin Entertainment Ltd. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  3. "BIAZA Zoos and Aquariums". biaza.org.uk. BIAZA . Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  4. "Robotic fish make aquarium debut". cnn.com. CNN. 10 October 2005. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  5. "Robot fish swim their own way". thetimes.co.uk. Times of London. 7 October 2005. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  6. Walsh, Dominic (3 May 2008). "Merlin Entertainments tops up list of London attractions with aquarium buy". thetimes.co.uk. Times of London. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  7. "London Aquarium Refurbishment Complete". kayelliott.co.uk. Kay Elliot. Retrieved 12 June 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. Buchanan, Rhoda (8 April 2009). "A fishy day out at the new London Aquarium". thetimes.co.uk. Times of London. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  9. "Conservation successes". visitseBOBalife.com. Merlin Entertainment Ltd. Retrieved 12 June 2011.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Sea Life London Aquarium at Wikimedia Commons