Largest Aquarium
The world’s largest aquarium is the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It contains over 8.5 million US gallons (31,000 m3) of fresh and marine water. They hold more than 120,000 animals from 500 species.
Main Attractions
Among its most popular attractions are the manta rays, beluga whales and whale sharks. The Georgia aquarium is the only facility not in Asia to contain whale sharks. They are kept in a tank with 6.3 million gallon (24,000 m3) of water.
The whale sharks were imported from Taiwan. It is also only one of only two institutions in the US to showcase hammerhead sharks. The beluga whales are 5 ft 11 in long.
The Exhibits
There are five galleries in the world’s largest aquarium: the River Scout, Cold Water Quest, Ocean Voyager, Tropical Diver and Georgia Explorer. The Georgia Explorer is designed mainly for kids. Sharks, sea turtles and rays can be seen there.
The Gray’s Reef wildlife is also showcased. The River Scout exhibit focuses on regional settings. There is an overhead river where fish can be seen bottom up. There are also electric fish, piranha and different types of freshwater life.
Cold Water Quest and Others
The Cold Water Quest showcases the best of polar animals. Majority of the institution’s mammals are displayed here. The beluga whale, African black-footed penguins and Japanese spider crabs can be found here.
The Ocean Voyager features most of the aquarium’s 100,000 strong fish collection. There is also emphasis on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. The whale sharks are here. Also very popular are its large viewing window and the 100 ft underwater tunnel. The Tropical Diver exhibit is more artistic. There one will find unusual aquatic life forms.
One of the highlights is a reef with living coral. Other attractions are “Deepo’s Undersea 3D Wondershow” (a 4D film) and the Journey with Giants. The Open Ocean Touchwall is a projection used for identifying different species. Articulated 3D renderings of the fish can be seen.
Other Information
The “Titanic Aquatic” was first opened in 2008. There, one would have seen a walkthrough of what the Titanic ship would have looked like. The exhibit was at the site until September 2009.
The world’s largest aquarium also has the Planet Shark: Predator or Prey exhibition. Its purpose is to separate shark facts from the myths. There are also displays of shark jaws, fossils and models. Most of them are made from genuine specimens.
