Virginia Aquarium facts for kids
Virginia Aquarium Main Entrance
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| Location | Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA |
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| Coordinates | 36°49′16″N 75°59′02″W / 36.82105°N 75.98377°W |
| No. of animals | 12,000 |
| No. of species | 700 |
| Total volume of tanks | 800,000 US gallons (3,028,000 L) |
| Memberships | AZA, AMMPA |
The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center is a super cool place in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It used to be called the Virginia Marine Science Museum. This amazing aquarium and marine science museum is located right near Rudee Inlet. It has huge tanks with over 800,000 US gallons (3,028,000 L) of fresh and saltwater. You can see lots of different animals and learn about the ocean!
Discover the Virginia Aquarium's History
The Virginia Aquarium first opened its doors on June 14, 1986. Back then, it was known as the Virginia Marine Science Museum. Its main goal was to show off the amazing animals living in Virginia's rivers, the Chesapeake Bay, and the nearby ocean.
In 1995, the aquarium got much bigger. It actually tripled in size! Then, on November 21, 2009, a huge new area called "Restless Planet" opened. This $25 million project added many new habitats. These included a Malaysian Peat Swamp, a Coastal Sahara Desert, the Red Sea, and Indonesia's Flores Island. The number of animal species at the aquarium doubled! Some of the exciting new animals included Komodo dragons, tomistomas, spotted eagle rays, and cuttlefish.
Explore the Aquarium's Amazing Exhibits
The Virginia Aquarium has two main buildings full of exhibits: the Bay and Main Building and the South Building. These two buildings are connected by a nature trail. This trail is about one-third of a mile long and runs along the Owls Creek Salt Marsh. Together, the buildings are home to more than 12,000 animals! These animals represent over 700 different species.
Journey Through the Main Building
The Main Building shows you how water travels from Virginia's rivers, through the Chesapeake Bay, and out into the big ocean. The "Restless Planet" exhibits in this building also show how powerful natural forces shaped Virginia's landscape.
Chesapeake Bay Aquarium: Touch and Learn
The Chesapeake Bay Aquarium starts with a fun touch pool. Here, you can gently touch cool creatures like horseshoe crabs, Forbes' sea stars, and whelks. The rest of this exhibit shows animals that live in the shallow waters around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel. You might spot hermit crabs, spider crabs, and different types of blennies.
Norfolk Canyon Aquarium: Deep Sea Wonders
The Norfolk Canyon aquarium lets you explore an underwater canyon. This canyon is about 70 miles off the coast of Virginia. In this exhibit, you can see amazing sharks like sandbar sharks, nurse sharks, and sand tiger sharks. There are also many other fish, such as crevalle jacks, grey triggerfish, and southern stingrays.
Chesapeake Light Tower Aquarium: Ocean Life Up Close
The 70,000-US-gallon (265,000 L) Chesapeake Light Tower Aquarium shows you what life is like up to about 15 miles (24 km) off the Virginia coast. This huge tank is home to several types of sea turtles, including loggerheads, green sea turtles, and Kemp's ridley sea turtles. You'll also see many fish, like Atlantic spadefish, a giant Atlantic goliath grouper, Atlantic tripletail, cobia, lookdown, and permits.
Restless Planet: Global Adventures
The "Restless Planet" area is a big expansion with five amazing displays. You can explore a Malaysian peat swamp, a coastal desert, a replica of the Mediterranean Sea, the 100,000-US-gallon (379,000 L) Red Sea exhibit, and even an Indonesian volcanic island! These exhibits also have new hands-on activities. They help you understand the powerful forces that shaped Virginia's landscape. Some of the cool animals here include Komodo dragons, tomistomas, spotted eagle rays, zebra sharks, Egyptian cobras, hedgehogs, and cuttlefish.
Discover the South Building's Secrets
The South Building is home to North American river otters, a red octopus, moon jellies, and many other fascinating animals. This building also lets you see behind the scenes! You can peek into the Vet Center, the Stranding Response Program, and the Water Quality Lab. There's even a large outdoor play area for kids with water tables, climbing nets, and more.
The aquarium's Research and Conservation team runs the Stranding Response Program. This team helps sick or injured animals like seals, dolphins, whales, and sea turtles found on local beaches.
The Aviary: A Home for Rescued Birds
The Virginia Aquarium used to have a large Aviary. It was a half-acre habitat located behind the Marsh Pavilion. This aviary was home to about 70 birds from 30 different species. These included a great horned owl, turkey vultures, great blue herons, brown pelicans, fulvous whistling ducks, great egrets, and ruddy ducks. Many of these birds had been injured and rescued. They couldn't go back into the wild on their own.
Sadly, a storm in the winter of 2015 badly damaged the aviary. No birds were killed, but most had to be moved to other wildlife centers. Right now, there is one crow on exhibit. Other birds are off exhibit but help with educational programs. There are no plans to rebuild the aviary at this time.
