Continuing our tour of the Georgia Aquarium, we go from the
frigid polar waters to the warmer climes in the Tropical Diver gallery. This
is probably the most conventional of the main galleries, a series of
modestly-sized tanks housing fish and invertebrates from the warmer seas. Garden eels, moon jellies, red lionfish, and
big-bellied sea horses can be seen here, as well as an artificial coral reef.
Freshwater wildlife can be viewed in River Scout, a gallery devoted to rivers and lakes of the
world. In most aquariums, there is a
heavy emphasis on the Amazon River, and sure enough, that region is featured
here (although not as prominently as at many other facilities). Absent here are many of the freshwater giants
that I’ve seen in many other public aquariums, almost incongruous with the
giant marine species which this aquarium has built its name on. However, they do a better job than most
aquariums of highlighting freshwater fish from around the world. Besides the obligatory piranhas, visitors can
see local fish from the southern United States – from every angle. At one point, visitors who glance up will be
rewarded with a view of gar and other river fish swimming directly above their
heads. Most of the tanks in this
gallery are small, focusing on small but interesting species, such as fire
eels, reticulated loaches, and Boeseman’s rainbowfish, among other colorful
species. An exhibit of special interest
to me featured endangered cichlids from the lakes of East Africa’s Great Rift
Valley, a conservation crisis that few zoos or aquariums address as well as
they should. Also present here are a
few exhibits of turtles – including some juvenile alligator snapping turtles,
as well as a playful exhibit of Asian small-clawed otters.
As I mentioned yesterday, signage and interpretive graphics
are a little lacking in the aquarium.
Visitors interested in learning more about the animals and their care,
as well as perhaps getting a sneak-peek behind the scenes, can climb to the
second floor of the building for the Aquanaut
Adventure, an interactive educational gallery that lets visitors learn more
about the workings of the aquarium and the biology of the animals. Adventurous kids (and adults) can climb a
monkey bridge, touch starfish, try out hands-on learning devices (my personal
favorite was an stimulated ice wall that lets visitors experience how blubber
helps keep marine mammals warm), and meet a few animals that they might not
otherwise see, such as a tank of baby alligators. This trek also provides views of the tank
tops of some of the habitats, including the belugas in Cold Water Quest (where you might also spy a harbor seal hauling
out to take a nap) and the Ocean Voyager tank. A 4D theater (admission included with your
ticket) is also located on this floor).
There are two additional marine mammal habitats which can be
experienced either as exhibits or as shows, one for Atlantic bottle-nosed
dolphins and one for California sea lions.
I have to admit, if there was one part of the Aquarium that I didn’t
particularly enjoy, it was the dolphin show… and I did say “show,” not
“demonstration.” It was too hooky for
me, too much music and lights and special effects, and I feel that the
presentation didn’t do a great job of emphasizing the need for training
dolphins and other marine mammals for husbandry and welfare purposes – instead,
it felt like a circus, especially with keepers dancing with and riding dolphins
at some points. I could appreciate the
tremendous amount of training and skill that went into shaping these behaviors,
but if someone were to come into this show convinced that aquariums just keep
dolphins for amusement and entertainment, this probably wouldn’t have done much
to change their minds. For an example
of what I would consider an ideal marine mammal demonstration, I would refer to
the beluga/dolphin demos at the Shedd Aquarium.
The sea lion show, while also a bit cartoony, didn’t bother me in the same way, and I did find that one to be a fair bit more educational, while still being enjoyable.
The sea lion show, while also a bit cartoony, didn’t bother me in the same way, and I did find that one to be a fair bit more educational, while still being enjoyable.
Besides visiting the exhibit calls, visitors have other
options to get close up encounters with the animals. You can sign up for a program to assist with
a training program, or book an encounter with a harbor seal, beluga, sea otter,
or other aquarium resident. Guided
behind-the-scenes tours are scheduled throughout the day, giving visitors a
better understanding of what goes into taking care of the animals. You can even sign up for the chance to go
diving with the whale sharks, manta rays, and other occupants of Ocean Voyager. All of these programs do cost extra, but for
someone who is really into aquariums, I can’t imagine a better treat.
Not content with being the biggest aquarium in western
hemisphere, Georgia Aquarium is determined to grow, with a major new annex
under construction at the time of my visit.
This huge new addition will feature sharks, including sand tiger sharks,
tiger sharks (which I have never seen), and hammerheads (which I have only seen
once). If it is anything on the scale of
Ocean Voyager, it will be an
incredible experience, I’m sure.
Apart from the dolphin show (and some nagging about signage,
which Georgia Aquarium is hardly alone on), I have no real complaints about my
experience, and I lot of praise.
Exhibits were great, I did see a lot of messaging about pollution and
carbon footprints, and there was a lot of focus on in situ conservation. There were parts that struck me as a little
carnivalish, but (again, apart from my feelings about some of the shows),
nothing that I felt compromised the dignity of the animals. That’s a fine line that zoos and aquariums
are always having to walk – striking a balance between educating visitors and
getting them to appreciate the precarious state of populations in the wild and
being fun, enjoyable places so visitors will come and give us money that we
need to care for the animals and contribute to conservation in the field. Right now, the Georgia Aquarium is bringing
in about 2.5 million visitors a year, and most of them seem to be having a good
time. If some of those people can be
mobilized to go out and be better global citizens, caring more about our
planet’s oceans, that will definitely be a win.
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