Shedd Aquarium

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 41.867611° N 87.614046° W

Shedd Aquarium
The John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago
Date opened	1930
Location	Chicago, Illinois, USA
# of Animals	25,500
# of Species	2,100
Accreditations/ Memberships	AZA, Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums AMMPA
Website
This box: view • talk • edit

John G. Shedd Aquarium is an indoor aquarium in Chicago, Illinois in the United States. The aquarium opened in 1930, and was for some time the largest indoor aquarium in the world with 5 million gallons (19 million liters) of water and 25,000 fish. (The largest indoor aquarium today is the 8 million gallon (30 million liter) Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.)

The aquarium is surrounded by Museum Campus Chicago, which it shares with Adler Planetarium and the Field Museum of Natural History.

The aquarium gets 2 million annual visits; it was the most visited aquarium in the U.S. in 2005. It contains 2100 species including fish, marine mammals, birds, snakes, amphibians, and insects. [1]

Contents 1 History 2 Recognition 3 See also 4 Gallery 5 External link

[edit] History

Shedd Aquarium was the gift of retail leader John G. Shedd, a protégé of Marshall Field (benefactor of the adjacent Field Museum), to the city of Chicago. Construction was completed on 19 December 1929; the first exhibits were opened in 1930. As one of the first inland aquariums in the world, Shedd had to rely on a custom-made railroad car, the Nautillus, for the transport of fish and seawater. The Nautillus lasted until 1959.

In 1933, Chicago hosted its second world's fair, the Century of Progress. The Aquarium was located immediately north of the fairgrounds, therefore the museum gained exposure to a large international crowd. Among the collections added during the fair, a Queensland Lungfish known as "Granddad" is still alive and considered the oldest fish in a public aquarium.

In 1971, Shedd Aquarium added one of its most popular exhibits, a massive 90,000-gallon exhibit reproducing a Caribbean coral reef. That same year, the aquarium acquired its first research vessel, a 75-foot (23 meter) boat for exploring the Caribbean, manned by a crew to conduct field research collect specimens. In 1985, this boat was replaced with the aquarium's current vessel, the Coral Reef II.

In 1991, Shedd opened its Oceanarium, a large addition to the aquarium that features many marine mammals, including Pacific white-sided dolphins and belugas. In 2006, the Beluga whale Puiji gave birth to a female calf, later named Bella. Since 1999, three beluga whales have been born at Shedd Aquarium. The aquarium also boasts a number of sea otters; the core of this collection was a group rescued from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989.

The Shedd's newest permanent exhibit is Wild Reef, which opened in 2003. The 750-thousand gallon Wild Reef exhibit recreates a Philippine coral reef and is based on the Apo Island Marine Reserve, complete with living coral, multiple species of fish and rays, and a collection of sharks. The main draw of this attraction is a 400,000 gallon (1.5 million liter) shark exhibit with twelve foot (3.6 meter) high curved windows, allowing visitors a "divers-eye view".

[edit] Recognition

The aquarium received awards for best exhibit from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) for Seahorse Symphony in 1999, Amazon Rising in 2001, and Wild Reef in 2004.

Shedd Aquarium is also notable for its architecture. The basic design is taken from classical Greek architecture to match the other structures of the Museum Campus. The central aquarium building is octagonal, fronted by Doric columns and a formal staircase and topped by a dome. Aquatic motifs are worked in at every opportunity; tortoise shells, dolphins, octopuses, waves, and even the Trident of Poseidon can be found all over the aquarium's exterior and interior. The Oceanarium is done in a more modern style representing the Pacific Northwest, but one that blends with the older part of the building. "Whale Harbor", the Oceanarium's 2 million gallon (7.5 million liter) main tank, is backed by a wall of windows that look out onto Lake Michigan.

[edit] See also

• Chicago architecture

[edit] Gallery

"Cleaning the Fish Tank", Oceanarium, 2004.	Nickel, a Green Sea Turtle at the aquarium.	A Pacific white-sided dolphin leaping from the oceanarium during the main dolphin demonstration.	Rockhoppers and Gentoos at the penguin habitat.
Two Belugas swimming in the oceanarium.

[edit] External link

• http://www.sheddaquarium.org

v • d • e City of Chicago
History • Neighborhoods • Places and Landmarks • Parks • Architecture • Culture • Theatre • Sports • Media • Colleges and Universities • Public Schools • Economy • Government • Geography • Climate • Metropolitan Area