Sea Life Sydney Aquarium facts for kids
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The aquarium in 2017
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| Date opened | 1988 |
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| Location | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Coordinates | 33°52′10″S 151°12′07″E / 33.8694°S 151.2019°E |
| No. of animals | 13,000 |
| No. of species | 700 |
| Volume of largest tank | 2,000,000 litres (440,000 imp gal; 530,000 US gal) |
| Memberships | ZAA, WAZA |
The SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium is an amazing place where you can see lots of Australian sea creatures! It used to be called the Sydney Aquarium. This public aquarium is home to over 13,000 animals from more than 700 different species. You can find all kinds of fish and other water creatures from Australia's many water habitats.
The aquarium first opened in 1988. It's one of Sydney's top places to visit. More than half of its visitors each year come from other countries!
Inside, you'll find 14 cool areas with different themes. These include Jurassic Seas, Discovery Rockpool, and Shark Walk. There's also the world's biggest Great Barrier Reef display! As you explore, you'll meet animals unique to each area. Look out for dugongs (it has one of only four in the world!), sharks, stingrays, penguins, and bright tropical fish.
This public aquarium is located in the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. You can find it on the eastern side of Darling Harbour, just north of the Pyrmont Bridge. It's a member of important groups like the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
Contents
History of the Aquarium
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Australian architects designed the aquarium to look like a giant wave. This design fits perfectly with the underwater theme of an aquarium and the maritime feel of Darling Harbour. It took almost two years to build! The Great Barrier Reef area, which opened in October 1998, also follows this wave-like theme.
In December 1991, the first Seal Sanctuary opened. Over time, the Sydney Aquarium made these areas even better. A new oceanarium for seals opened in September 2003. This Seal Sanctuary was home to Australian sea lions, Australian fur seals, subantarctic fur seals, and New Zealand fur seals. You could see the seals from underwater tunnels or from an open-air deck above the water. This Seal Sanctuary was part of the Southern Oceans exhibit, which also showed little penguins and animals from Sydney Harbour.
In October 1998, the amazing Great Barrier Reef complex opened. This huge area included a tropical touch pool, a cave with live coral, and a massive Great Barrier Reef oceanarium. Over 6,000 animals live in this oceanarium. It holds 2.6 million litres (about 687,000 U.S. gallons) of water! This water is pumped from Darling Harbour, filtered, and heated to a constant temperature of 25 °C (77 °F). The Oceanarium is 33 metres (108 ft) long and 13 metres (43 ft) wide. It has a total area of about 370 square metres (4,000 sq ft) and is 3.5 metres (11 ft) deep. You can also watch the coral reef through a huge window that is 7 by 4 metres (23 by 13 ft) and 26 centimetres (10 in) thick.
In 2006, Wild Life Sydney opened right next to the Sydney Aquarium. Both attractions are owned by Merlin Entertainments.
On December 20, 2007, a special glass-bottomed boat called the Shark Explorer started giving tours of the Great Barrier Reef tank. A crocodile exhibit was also added in 2008.
The seal sanctuary closed in 2008, and the seals moved to Sea World on the Gold Coast. The sanctuary was then changed into Dugong Island, which opened in December 2008. Two dugongs, Wuru and Pig, moved there from the Gold Coast. Sadly, Wuru passed away in 2018. Pig is now the only dugong kept in Australia. Dugong Island has places to view the dugong from above the water and through underwater tunnels.
Other animals you might see in the oceanarium include a shark ray, shovelnose rays, zebra sharks, eagle rays, and many different kinds of fish.
In March 2012, Merlin Entertainments, the owners of SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, announced they would spend $10 million to update the aquarium. As part of this, the aquarium became a Sea Life Centre and reopened on September 24, 2012.
Amazing Exhibits to Explore
The SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium has special Australian themes and exhibits. These areas take visitors on a journey through Australia's waterways and marine ecosystems. You can explore the rivers of Australia, seeing animals from both Southern and Northern River habitats. You'll also discover the oceans of Australia, through the Southern and Northern Ocean habitats. The aquarium shows how special and delicate Australia's unique water environments are.
Some displays are in the main exhibit hall. Others are in huge floating oceanariums. Dugong Island and Shark Valley are two of the biggest oceanariums in the world! They have underwater tunnels that let you get super close to the marine life. In the Shark Valley Oceanarium, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium has a large collection of sharks. These include Lemon Sharks and Grey Nurse Sharks. Some of these sharks can weigh up to 300 kilograms (660 lb) and be over 3 metres (9.8 ft) long!
The SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium is divided into these exciting areas:
- Jurassic Seas
- Shark Walk & Shark Valley
- Dugong Island
- Dugong exhibit
- Southern Ocean
- Little penguins habitat
- Sydney Harbour
- Open Ocean Oceanarium
- Northern Ocean
- Great Barrier Reef Oceanarium
- South Coast Shipwreck
- Day and Night on the Reef
Research and Protecting Animals
The SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium helps with important research. They provide facilities and support to many research groups. These include the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales, and the Australian Museum.
The aquarium and its charity, SEA LIFE Trust, help by providing safe places for animals used in research projects. In recent years, the aquarium has helped with tagging sea turtles and sharks. They also help collect animals for research and hold invertebrates for studies. Other projects look at how heavy metal pollution affects marine environments and how long fish tags stay on rays.
The aquarium also teaches visitors about protecting animals through its program called Breed, Rescue, Protect.
See also
In Spanish: Acuario de Sídney para niños
