Virginia Aquarium
Encyclopedia
The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, formerly known as the Virginia Marine Science Museum, is an aquarium
and marine science museum
located in Virginia Beach, Virginia
, just south of Rudee Inlet. The exhibits at the museum are contained in over 800000 gal of fresh and saltwater displays.
s, tomistomas, spotted eagle ray
s, and cuttlefish
.
and Ocean
Pavilion and the Marsh
Pavilion. The two are connected by a one-third mile outdoor nature trail
running alongside Owls Creek Salt Marsh. Together the two buildings are home to more than 12,000 animals representing over 700 species.
Chesapeake Bay Aquarium
The Chesapeake Bay Aquarium starts with a touch pool where visitors can touch horseshoe crabs, Forbes’ sea stars, and whelk. The rest of the exhibit showcases species that live in the shallow waters around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel including hermit crabs, spider crabs, and feather blennies.
Chesapeake Light Tower Aquarium
The 70000 gal Chesapeake Light Tower Aquarium replicates the underwater environment of up to about 15 miles (24.1 km) off the coast of Virginia, and is home to loggerhead, green, and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles along with many fish including Atlantic spadefish, a large Goliath grouper, triple tail,c obia, lookdown fish, and permits.
Restless Planet
Restless planet includes four immersive displays (Malaysian Peat Swamp, Red Sea, Coastal Desert and Mediterranean Sea, and Indonesian Volcanic Island), and new hands-on exhibits intended to show the forces that shaped the Virginia landscape into what it is today. Some of the animals in these exhibits include Komodo dragon
s, tomistomas, spotted eagle ray
s, and cuttlefish
.
s, seahorse
s and snake
s and other marsh creatures. The Research and Conservation branch of the Aquarium is responsible for the Stranding Response Program, which rescues sick or injured seals
, dolphin
s, whale
s, and sea turtle
s from local shores.
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
and marine science museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
located in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...
, just south of Rudee Inlet. The exhibits at the museum are contained in over 800000 gal of fresh and saltwater displays.
History
On November 21st, 2009, the Virginia Aquarium opened a 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²) series of exhibits called "Restless Planet". The $25 million renovation designed by Chermayeff & Poole of Boston includes four habitats: Malaysian Peat Swamp, Coastal Sahara Desert, Red Sea, and Indonesia's Flores Island and doubled the number of species displayed by the aquarium. Some of the new animals include Komodo dragonKomodo dragon
The Komodo dragon , also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Gili Dasami. A member of the monitor lizard family , it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of in rare cases...
s, tomistomas, spotted eagle ray
Spotted eagle ray
The spotted eagle ray is a cartilaginous fish of the eagle ray family, Myliobatidae. It can be found globally in tropical regions, including the Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, off the coast of West Africa, the Indian Ocean, Oceania, and on both coasts of the Americas at depths down to about . The rays...
s, and cuttlefish
Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda . Despite their name, cuttlefish are not fish but molluscs....
.
Exhibits
The two main exhibit buildings of the aquarium are the BayHeadlands and bays
Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment.- Geology and geography :Headlands and bays are often found on the same coastline. A bay is surrounded by land on three sides, whereas a headland is surrounded by water on three sides. Headlands are characterized by high,...
and Ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
Pavilion and the Marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
Pavilion. The two are connected by a one-third mile outdoor nature trail
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
running alongside Owls Creek Salt Marsh. Together the two buildings are home to more than 12,000 animals representing over 700 species.
Bay and Ocean Pavilion
The Bay and Ocean Pavilion houses displays intended to show the journey of water from the rivers of Virginia, through the Chesapeake Bay, and out into the ocean. The Restless Planet part of the displays are intended to show the forces that shaped Virginia.Chesapeake Bay Aquarium
The Chesapeake Bay Aquarium starts with a touch pool where visitors can touch horseshoe crabs, Forbes’ sea stars, and whelk. The rest of the exhibit showcases species that live in the shallow waters around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel including hermit crabs, spider crabs, and feather blennies.
Chesapeake Light Tower Aquarium
The 70000 gal Chesapeake Light Tower Aquarium replicates the underwater environment of up to about 15 miles (24.1 km) off the coast of Virginia, and is home to loggerhead, green, and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles along with many fish including Atlantic spadefish, a large Goliath grouper, triple tail,c obia, lookdown fish, and permits.
Restless Planet
Restless planet includes four immersive displays (Malaysian Peat Swamp, Red Sea, Coastal Desert and Mediterranean Sea, and Indonesian Volcanic Island), and new hands-on exhibits intended to show the forces that shaped the Virginia landscape into what it is today. Some of the animals in these exhibits include Komodo dragon
Komodo dragon
The Komodo dragon , also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Gili Dasami. A member of the monitor lizard family , it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of in rare cases...
s, tomistomas, spotted eagle ray
Spotted eagle ray
The spotted eagle ray is a cartilaginous fish of the eagle ray family, Myliobatidae. It can be found globally in tropical regions, including the Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, off the coast of West Africa, the Indian Ocean, Oceania, and on both coasts of the Americas at depths down to about . The rays...
s, and cuttlefish
Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda . Despite their name, cuttlefish are not fish but molluscs....
.
Marsh Pavilion
The Marsh Pavilion features otterOtter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
s, seahorse
Seahorse
Seahorses compose the fish genus Hippocampus within the family Syngnathidae, in order Syngnathiformes. Syngnathidae also includes the pipefishes. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek hippos meaning "horse" and kampos meaning “sea monster”.There are nearly 50 species of seahorse...
s and snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s and other marsh creatures. The Research and Conservation branch of the Aquarium is responsible for the Stranding Response Program, which rescues sick or injured seals
Pinniped
Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...
, dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
s, whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
s, and sea turtle
Sea turtle
Sea turtles are marine reptiles that inhabit all of the world's oceans except the Arctic.-Distribution:...
s from local shores.