Loveland Living Planet Aquarium | |
---|---|
40°31′56″N111°53′38″W / 40.53222°N 111.89389°W | |
Date opened | February 28, 1999 |
Location | Draper, Utah, United States [1] |
Floor space | 136,000 sq ft (12,600 m2) |
No. of animals | 2,484 [2] |
No. of species | 450+ |
Volume of largest tank | 300,000 US gallons (1,100,000 L) |
Total volume of tanks | 600,000 US gallons (2,271,000 L) [3] |
Annual visitors | 1 million + [4] |
Memberships | 30,000 |
Major exhibits | 74 |
Website | www |
The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is a public aquarium located in Draper, Utah, United States. It currently houses 4,500 animals representing 550 species and it consists of five main exhibits.
The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium was founded in 1997 by Brent Andersen, a Utah native and marine biology graduate from the University of California Santa Barbara. [5] It is a regional attraction with over 850,000 annual visitors. The initial plan was to build a 90,000 square feet (8,400 m2) aquarium that showed ecosystems from around the world. Locations for the aquarium were originally considered in Salt Lake County and Utah County. Ultimately, feasibility studies indicated downtown Salt Lake City would be the best location.[ citation needed ] The first education component was launched in February 1999 when its AQUAVAN was outfitted with educational portable marine exhibits and began visiting Utah schools.[ citation needed ]
In 2004, in order to garner support for the full-size aquarium, the new organization opened a 10,000 square feet exhibit at the Gateway Mall in downtown Salt Lake, offering an exclusive experience of marine and freshwater life that was not then available in Utah's arid climate. The Living Planet Aquarium Preview Exhibit featured freshwater fish, sharks, stingrays, eels, a coral reef, a giant octopus, a small theater, and other interactive exhibits.[ citation needed ] Attendance reached over 150,000 visitors per year in the first two years, and the small space was quickly outgrown.[ citation needed ] The Aquarium relocated in June 2006 to a much larger 43,000 square feet (4,000 m2) space in Sandy, Utah. Attendance reached 460,000 visitors per year. The long range plan to eventually construct a campus that would house an Aquarium and a Science Learning Center continued to get support from the community over the next 4 years and in 2010 several prominent members of the business community joined to lead the Board of Trustees including Ken Murdock, Jim Loveland, Tim Cosgrove, Jeff Flam, Rick White, Ron Nielsen, Michele Hilton and Paul Hutchinson.[ citation needed ] . The Loveland Family Foundation had been a long time donor. In 2011 they presented a lead gift that allowed the organization to accelerate fundraising, purchase 17 acres of land and raise $27 million to build the Aquarium's permanent home in Draper, Utah.[ citation needed ] The 136,000 square feet (12,600 m2) Loveland Living Planet Aquarium opened to the public on March 24, 2014 and saw over 1.1 million visitors in the first year of operation.[ citation needed ] The Aquarium is a 501(c)(3)non-profit organization.
This section contains content that is written like an advertisement .(June 2017) |
The Ocean Explorer features saltwater species from all over the world, including jellyfish, eels, seahorses, sea turtles, stingrays, and seven species of shark. Shark species include brown-banded bamboo sharks, nurse sharks, sandbar sharks, blacktip reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, grey reef sharks, and zebra sharks. The shark tunnel weighs 26,000 pounds and was lifted through the roof of the aquarium with a crane. The tunnel is made from 3.5 inch thick acrylic. [6]
The Journey to South America is made to look like a rainforest, and houses animals such as a 14-foot anaconda, Piranhas, caiman, desert insects, tree boas, electric eels, and tree frogs. The exhibit is meant to educate guests about the biodiversity of rainforest ecosystems, the benefits rainforests provide, and how to help protect rainforest habitats.
Discover Utah houses some of Utah's threatened and endangered species such as June suckers and least chub. The largest exhibit in this gallery features three male North American river otters which serve to educate visitors about river otters, otter reintroduction efforts, and release locations in Utah.
Antarctic Adventure immerses guests in a Falkland Islands research station where they meet Gentoo penguins. [7]
Expedition: Asia opened on June 15, 2016. The traveling exhibit features three male Asian small-clawed otters, three Asian arowana, and many different species of Asian birds, fish, and reptiles. The main feature of Expedition: Asia are the aquarium's two roul-rouls, Roulanda and Raoul. [8]
The Rio Tinto Kennecott Plaza was added to the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in 2020. [9]
The aquarium's education department currently operates two outreach programs: the Utah Waters Van and the Rainforest Van. [10] [11] The outreach programs visit over 450 elementary schools statewide each year, reaching nearly 80,000 students. Field trip programs for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade and a teacher professional development program with resources for fourth grade teachers are offered.
The National Aquarium – also known as National Aquarium in Baltimore and formerly known as Baltimore Aquarium – is a non-profit public aquarium located at 501 East Pratt Street on Pier 3 in the Inner Harbor area of downtown Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. Constructed during a period of urban renewal in Baltimore, the aquarium opened on August 8, 1981. The aquarium has an annual attendance of 1.5 million visitors and is the largest tourism attraction in the State of Maryland. The aquarium holds more than 2,200,000 US gallons (8,300,000 L) of water, and has more than 17,000 specimens representing over 750 species. The National Aquarium's mission is to inspire conservation of the world's aquatic treasures. The aquarium's stated vision is to confront pressing issues facing global aquatic habitats through pioneering science, conservation, and educational programming.
Shedd Aquarium is an indoor public aquarium in Chicago. Opened on May 30, 1930, the 5 million US gal aquarium holds about 32,000 animals and is the third largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere, after the Georgia Aquarium and Monterey Bay Aquarium.
The Seattle Aquarium is a public aquarium in Seattle, Washington, United States, located on Pier 59 on the Elliott Bay waterfront. It opened in 1977 and has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is a zoo in Omaha, Nebraska. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In August 2014, TripAdvisor rated it the "world's best zoo", ahead of the San Diego Zoo and Loro Parque, based on an algorithmic assimilation of millions of reviews for 275 major zoos worldwide.
The New England Aquarium is a nonprofit organization located in Boston, Massachusetts. The species exhibited include harbor and northern fur seals, California sea lions, African and southern rockhopper penguins, giant Pacific octopuses, weedy seadragons, and thousands of saltwater and freshwater fishes. In addition to the main aquarium building, attractions at Central Wharf include the Simons Theatre and the New England Aquarium Whale Watch. More than 1.3 million guests visited the aquarium each year prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Aquarium of the Pacific is a public aquarium on a 5-acre (20,000 m2) site on Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, California, United States. It is situated across the water from the Long Beach Convention Center, Shoreline Village, and the Queen Mary Hotel and Attraction.
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.
Discovery Cove is a theme park owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, and located in Orlando, Florida. It is the sister park of SeaWorld Orlando and Aquatica Orlando. Visitors to the park can interact with a range of marine animals including bottlenose dolphins.
Underwater World, also known as Underwater World Singapore Pte Ltd, was an oceanarium located on the offshore Singaporean island of Sentosa. It was opened on 13 May 1991 and closed on 26 June 2016.
The ABQ BioPark Aquarium, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States is a facility of the Albuquerque Biological Park and is located next door to the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden. The ABQ BioPark Aquarium exhibits Gulf of Mexico and South Pacific saltwater species from a variety of habitats, including surf zone, shallow waters, coral reefs, open ocean and deep ocean. The highlight of the aquarium is a 285,000 U.S. gal (1,080,000 L) shark tank with a 38-foot (12 m)-wide, 9-foot (2.7 m)-high, 8-inch (200 mm)-thick acrylic viewing window.
The Texas State Aquarium is a nonprofit aquarium located in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States. It aims to promote environmental conservation and rehabilitation of the wildlife of the Gulf of Mexico. It has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 1995. It is the largest aquarium in Texas and one of the largest aquaria in the United States.
National Aquarium Denmark, Den Blå Planet is a public aquarium in Denmark. The original aquarium was located in Charlottenlund, but this facility closed in 2012 and most of the animal collection was relocated to the new and much larger aquarium Den Blå Planet in Kastrup, a suburb of Copenhagen. The National Aquarium Denmark, Den Blå Planet opened to the public in March 2013 and is the largest aquarium in Northern Europe.
UnderWater World Guam is one of the longest tunnel-aquariums in the world and the only oceanarium in the United States territory of Guam.
North Carolina Aquariums is a system of three public aquariums located in Kure Beach, Roanoke Island and Pine Knoll Shores. All are operated by the Aquariums Division of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources since 1976 and were accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. All three aquariums feature dive shows, live animal encounters, and feeding programs.
Downtown Aquarium is a public aquarium and restaurant located in Houston, Texas, United States that was developed from two Houston landmarks: Fire Station No. 1 and the Central Waterworks Building. The aquarium is located on a 6-acre (2.4 ha) site at 410 Bagby Street in downtown Houston. It houses over 200 species of aquatic animals in 500,000 US gallons (1,900,000 L) of aquariums. The complex includes two restaurants, a bar, and banquet facilities. It offers programs such as Marine Biologist for a Day, Zoologist for a Day, Sea Safari Camp, overnight stays and more. The education department works with school groups and conducts outreach programs.
The Aquarium of Boise is a 501 c(3) non-profit aquarium in Boise, Idaho, United States. It opened to the public in 2011.
Ripley's Aquarium of Canada is a public aquarium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The aquarium is one of three aquariums owned-and-operated by Ripley Entertainment. It is located in downtown Toronto, just southeast of the CN Tower. The aquarium has 5.7 million litres of marine and freshwater habitats from across the world. The exhibits hold more than 20,000 exotic sea and freshwater specimens from more than 450 species.
Tropicarium Kolmården is a public aquarium and terrarium, situated outside Kolmården Wildlife Park, close to Bråviken and 25 km (16 mi) from Norrköping town in Sweden. Kolmården Tropicarium is one of Sweden's largest tropical exhibitions with a covered area in excess of 2,000 m2 (22,000 sq ft).
Eilat's Coral World Underwater Observatory is a public aquarium, park and conservation center located in Eilat, Israel. It is the biggest public aquarium in Israel, and it hosts over 800 species. It was founded in 1974 and was the first of its kind. The park and aquarium is located to the south of Eilat's Coral Beach nature reserve.
The Shreveport Aquarium is an aquarium located in Bossier City, Louisiana, United States.