Oregon Coast Aquarium

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Oregon Coast Aquarium


Location	Newport, Oregon
Accreditations/ Memberships	AZA
Website
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The Oregon Coast Aquarium is an aquarium in Newport, Oregon. It is perhaps best known for having housed Keiko, the orca from the movie Free Willy, from January 1996 until 9 September 1998, when he was shipped to Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland. Even without its former star attraction, USA Today and Coastal Living Online have ranked the Oregon Coast Aquarium among the top ten aquariums in the United States. ^[1]

[edit] Exhibits

The Oregon Coast Aquarium's collection focuses on the flora and fauna native to the Oregon Coast. The largest exhibit is called "Passages of the Deep". Housed in Keiko's former tank, Passages of the Deep allows visitors to walk through acrylic tunnels, surrounded by deep water marine animals such as sharks, rays, and rockfish.^[2] The aquarium also boasts marine mammals, specifically sea lions, seals, and sea otters, in addition to a sea bird aviary. There are also several exhibits focusing on the smaller marine life in the area, including jellyfish and a tidepool exhibit designed to allow visitors to touch starfish and sea anemones. ^[3]