Aquarium of the Americas facts for kids
The Aquarium of the Americas seen from the Mississippi River
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| Date opened | September 1, 1990 |
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| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America |
| Coordinates | 29°57′1″N 90°3′47″W / 29.95028°N 90.06306°W |
| No. of animals | 10,000 |
| No. of species | 530 |
| Memberships | AZA |
The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is an aquarium in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
It is run by the Audubon Nature Institute, which also supervises the Audubon Zoo, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center, Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species (ACRES), Coastal Wildlife Network, Audubon Wilderness Park, and Audubon Park. It is located along the banks of the Mississippi River by the edge of the historic French Quarter off Canal Street, at the upper end of Woldenberg Park. It opened on September 1, 1990.
Exhibits
As its name implies, the aquarium specializes in aquatic life of the Americas. The exhibits feature regions throughout North and South America. With 10,000 animals representing 530 species, noteworthy exhibits include:
- Caribbean reef exhibit featuring a clear, 30-foot (9 m) long tunnel surrounded by a 132,000 US gallons (500 m3) tank of exemplary sea life such as the tarpon and angelfish;
- Amazon exhibit, encased in a glass cylinder, effectively a humid, climate-controlled greenhouse that is a prominent feature of the riverfront and includes macaws, piranhas, an anaconda, freshwater stingrays, and other specimens from the area basin;
- Mississippi River gallery, featuring catfish, paddlefish, owls and a leucistic white alligator.
- Gulf of Mexico exhibit, featuring a 400,000 US gallons (1,500 m3), 17-foot (5 m) tall tank of sharks, sea turtles, and stingrays from there.
Katrina damage and aftermath
In 2005, the facilities were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Though the structure survived the initial hurricane and was on high ground above the subsequent flooding of most of the city, electricity outages continued and the backup power generators were unable to fully operate the sophisticated life support systems needed to keep the animals alive. Aquarium staffers were forced to evacuate the facility only to return four days later to discover that most of the 10,000 fish did not survive.
The aquarium reopened on May 26, 2006. Since Hurricane Katrina, more species have been in the Caribbean and jellyfish exhibits, and there has been a large revamp to the Gulf of Mexico tank simulating ocean life below an oil rig platform.
Gallery
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Pufferfish (Tetraodontidae) at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
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Moray Eel (Muraenidae) at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
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Barred Owl (Strix varia) at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. This bird is injured and would not survive in the wild.
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Fish tank at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
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