Georgia
Aquarium
The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia is the
world's biggest aquarium with over 8.5 million gallons of marine
and fresh water that contains over 120,000 animals that
represent 500 different species, that include four young whale
sharks, four manta rays and four beluga whales. It occupies 20
acres north of Centennial Park downtown, that had been funded
almost entirely by Home Depot c0-founder, Bernie Marcus, who
credited his 60th birthday dinner at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
in 1990 that would become an inspiration to construct this huge
aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia. The aquarium houses between
100,000 and 120,000 fish and other various sea creatures that
represent over 500 species that the majority of them would be
transported from Taiwan to the aquarium by UPS in 42 tanks that
were loaded aboard an MD-11 airplane, donated by UPS. This
aquarium is the only facility outside Asia that contains whale
sharks, who are kept in a 6.3 million gallon tank, with the
remainder of the park located around this exhibit. It is also
one of only two in the nation that exhibit Great Hammerhead
sharks and home to as many as five beluga whales at one time.
The museum strives to exhibit marine animals that are rarely
shown in the country, and they were able to acquire a manta ray
from an aquarium in Durban, South Africa, Nandi, was caught in
the nets that were placed along the coast to protect them from
sharks. These animals are showcased in five galleries, called
River scout, Georgia explorer, Cold Water Quest, Tropical Diver
and Ocean voyager. In 2009, they opened the Titanic Aquatic
exhibit that featured a walkthrough of what it would have looked
and felt like back on the ill-fated ship, but was there for just
the year. Now, the museum is hosting the world debut of Planet
Shark: Predator or Prey: The Exhibition; that concentrates on
the myths and facts that are associated with these creatures.
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