Lakes Aquarium facts for kids
Fish at the aquarium
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| Date opened | 1997 (as The Aquarium of the Lakes) |
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| Location | Lakeside, Cumbria, England |
| Coordinates | 54°16′41″N 2°57′21″W / 54.2781178°N 2.9558744°W |
The Lakes Aquarium is a fun aquarium located in the village of Lakeside. This village is on the southern shore of Windermere, a famous lake in Cumbria, England. It's a super easy place to visit because it's a stop for Windermere Lake Cruises and also at one end of the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway. It's one of the most popular places to visit in Cumbria!
Contents
History of the Aquarium
The aquarium first opened its doors in 1997. Back then, it was known as The Aquarium of the Lakes. Its displays were all about the journey of water. They showed how streams from the Lake District flow into the lake and then out to Morecambe Bay.
In 2008, the aquarium changed its name to the Lakes Aquarium. It also got a new theme, focusing on lakes from all over the world. Today, the aquarium is owned by a company from Spain called Parques Reunidos. This company owns and runs many parks and attractions around the globe.
Amazing Exhibits
The Lakes Aquarium is home to many different kinds of aquatic animals. You can see both freshwater creatures and saltwater creatures here.
Lake District Zone
This part of the aquarium tells the story of animals that live in and around the Lake District National Park. You'll learn about both native animals and those that have been introduced.
One important project here is helping the endangered White Clawed Crayfish. The aquarium works to breed and study these special crayfish. This zone also teaches visitors why it's important not to release pet animals, like terrapins, into the wild. All the terrapins you see at the aquarium were given a new home after being pets.
Some animals you might see in this zone include:
- Bream
- Perch
- Golden orfe
- Koi carp
- White clawed crayfish
- Eurasian harvest mouse
- Common toad
- Red-eared terrapins
Asian Animals
In this section, you can discover animals from Asia.
African Creatures
Explore the fascinating aquatic life from Africa.
- African lungfish
- African rainbow crab
- Atlantic mudskipper
- freshwater butterflyfish
- Knifefish
- Lake Malawi cichlids
- Leopard tortoise
- Rainbow krib
- Killifish
- Elephantnose
- Tilapia
- Upside-down catfish
- Reedfish
- Tortoise
Animals from the Americas
This area showcases a variety of animals from North and South America.
- Angelfish
- Black widow tetra
- Bleeding heart tetra
- Blind cave fish
- Bristlenose catfish
- Channel catfish
- Common plec
- Convict cichlids
- Cory catfish
- Gar
- Jaguar cichlid
- Ocellate river stingray
- Piranha
- Red-bellied pacu
- Red-bellied piranha
- Redtail catfish
- Silver dollar
- South American lungfish
World Lakes Zone
This section features animals found in lakes and coastal waters around the world.
- Arctic char
- Ballan wrasse
- Barbel
- Beadlet anemone
- Bib
- Bloody Henry
- Brill
- Brook trout
- Butterfish or gunnel
- Chub
- Cod
- Coley
- Common bream
- Common carp
- Common hermit crab
- Common pochard
- Common seahorse
- Common starfish
- Common sunstar
- Connemara clingfish
- Crucian carp
- Cuckoo wrasse
- Dahlia anemone
- Diving ducks
- Edible crab
- Flatfish
- Flounder
- European lobster
- European sea sturgeon
- European plaice
- Giant wels catfish
- Perch
- Roach
- Rudd
- Sea anemones
- Sea bream
- Seahorse
- Starfish
- Tench
- Tufted duck
Virtual Diving Bell Experience
The aquarium also has a cool Virtual Diving bell experience. It uses special screens that are two meters wide. These screens show amazing computer-generated images of underwater scenes, making you feel like you're really diving deep!
Images for kids
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The Lakes Aquarium building at Lakeside, Cumbria
