Aquarium of the Americas
The Aquarium of the Americas seen from the Mississippi River
Date opened	1990
Location	New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
# of Animals	10,000
# of Species	530
Accreditations/ Memberships	AZA
Website

The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is a renowned aquarium in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 1. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Nickname: Location in the State of Louisiana and the United States Coordinates: , Country United States State Louisiana Parish Orleans Founded 1718 Government  - Mayor Ray Nagin (D) Area  - City  350. ... Official language(s) de jure: none de facto: English & French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans [1] Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33°N  - Longitude 89°W... The hierarchy of scientific classification. ... The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (formerly the American Zoo and Aquarium Association), or AZA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation. ... “Aquaria” redirects here. ... Nickname: Location in the State of Louisiana and the United States Coordinates: , Country United States State Louisiana Parish Orleans Founded 1718 Government  - Mayor Ray Nagin (D) Area  - City  350. ...

Recognized as one of the leading aquariums in the United States, the Aquarium of the Americas is run by the Audubon Institute, which also supervises the Audubon Zoo and Audubon Park (in a different part of the city). The Aquarium is located along the banks of the Mississippi River by the edge of the historic French Quarter off Canal Street and opened in 1990. The Audubon Nature Institute is family of museums and parks dedicated to nature based in New Orleans, Louisiana. ... The Audubon Zoo is a zoo located in New Orleans and is part of the Audubon Nature Institute. ... Audubon Park entrance gates on the St. ... For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). ... French Quarter: upper Chartres street looking down towards Jackson Square and the spires of St. ... Canal Street is a major thoroughfare in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ...

With 10,000 animals representing 530 species, exhibits include the Mississippi River gallery, featuring catfish, paddlefish, and alligators; a Caribbean reef exhibit featuring a clear, 30-foot-long tunnel surrounded by aquatic creatures; and a Gulf of Mexico exhibit featuring sharks, sea turtles, and stingrays. For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). ... Families Akysidae Amblycipitidae Amphiliidae Anchariidae Andinichthyidae â€  Ariidae Aspredinidae Astroblepidae Auchenipteridae Austroglanididae Bagridae Callichthyidae Cetopsidae Chacidae Clariidae Claroteidae Cranoglanididae Diplomystidae Doradidae Erethistidae Heptapteridae Hypsidoridae â€  Ictaluridae Lacantuniidae Loricariidae Malapteruridae Mochokidae Nematogenyiidae Pangasiidae Pimelodidae Plotosidae Pseudopimelodidae Schilbeidae Scoloplacidae Siluridae Sisoridae Trichomycteridae incertae sedis   Conorhynchos   Horabagrus   Phreatobius Catfish (order Siluriformes) are a very diverse... Species Genus Polyodon   Polyodon spathula Genus Psephurus   Psephurus gladius Paddlefish (family Polyodontidae) are primitive Chondrostian ray-finned fishes. ... Species Alligator mississippiensis Alligator sinensis An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. ... “West Indian” redirects here. ... Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ... Orders Carcharhiniformes Heterodontiformes Hexanchiformes Lamniformes Orectolobiformes Pristiophoriformes Squaliformes Squatiniformes † Symmoriida Sharks (superorder Selachimorpha) are fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton[1] and a streamlined body. ... Genera Family Cheloniidae (Oppel, 1811) Caretta Chelonia Eretmochelys Lepidochelys Natator Family Dermochelyidae Dermochelys Family Protostegidae (extinct) Family Toxochelyidae (extinct) Family Thalassemyidae (extinct) Sea turtles (Chelonioidea) are turtles found in all the worlds oceans except the Arctic Ocean, and some species travel between oceans. ... Genera Dasyatis Himantura Pastinachus Pteroplatytrygon Taeniura Urogymnus See text for species. ...

The Aquarium of the Americas also hosts an IMAX theater. IMAX theatre at the Melbourne Museum complex, Australia BFI London IMAX by night IMAX dome in Guayaquil, Ecuador IMAX Theater in SM Mall of Asia, Philippines IMAX (short for Image Maximum) is a film format created by Canadas IMAX Corporation that has the capacity to display images of far...

Exhibits Tour

The first part of the Aquarium takes you on a journey through the Caribbean. You enter through the 30 foot tunnel surrounded by 17 ft of water which is approximately 132,000 gallons of water.

You then head upstairs to the Amazon Exhibit. This is located in a glass structure that gives the Aquarium an original and noticeable flair. The humidity, mist, and noise all adds the authenticity of this exhibit. Some of the highlights of this area are the Parrots, Anaconda, and Piranhas.

You then enter Living in Water Exhibit. This is a corridor filled with exhibits like the Bonnet Head Sharks, Sea Horses, and the infamous Nemo and Dory from "Finding Nemo." However the main attraction is that of the African black-footed penguins and Rockhopper penguins who always steal the show. In Seahorses, you'll learn interesting facts and encounter all kinds of incredible creatures like the sea dragons whose flowing appendages conjure thoughts of mystical sea monsters. There are only 32 known species of seahorses and they live in some of the world's most threatened habitats--as their habitats decline, so do their populations. The entire penguin colony survived Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and was evacuated to Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. On May 22, 2006 they returned home with the sea otters safe on the wings of FedEx to Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.

Now you enter Doc's Lab a hands on experience where you can touch Sea Stars, Sea Urchins, Horse Shoe Crabs, Snails, and the highly popular rocks (kids love them). As of March 2007 Docs Lab and been removed in order to make room for the "Frogs" Exhibit.

Now on to the Otters section, hosted by Buck and Emma the two Sea Otters. Two lively Southern sea otters. The two sea otters came from Monterey Bay Aquarium in California when they became unable to live on their own in the wild.

The Newest addition to the Aquarium will be Adventure Island, a high-tech informative look into sea life. Featuring a pirate ship, stage, shark touch pool, and the stingray touch pool (all the stingers or "barbs" will be removed.) Many of the other feature are still undisclosed. This exhibit has since open on March 1, 2007

The Mississippi Gallery is next. It is unique in that they have one of just 18 rare white alligators found in a Louisiana swamp in 1987. Affectionately called Spots, he is white but he is not albino. He is LEUCISTIC; a gene mutation gives him his white color and steely blue eyes. Goodwill ambassadors from Louisiana, Spots and his brothers are celebrities the world over! They’ve appeared on many news and entertainment programs including the Tonight Show, CNN, Today Show, Nashville Network, and CBS Morning News.

And last but not least we have the Gulf of Mexico Exhibit which is the largest Exhibit in the Aquarium with 400,000 gallons of water and rising to a height of 17ft. Protecting this exhibit is 11 inches of Acrylic, a glass substitute beneficial for its strength and the fact that it does not distort the image of the animals due to its thickness. It contains 3 species of shark: Sand Tiger Shark, Brown Shark, and Nurse Shark, as well as many smaller fish. It also has several of the largest tarpon in captivity. Binomial name Carcharias taurus Rafinesque, 1810 The Grey Nurse, Spotted Raggle-Tooth or Sand Tiger is a large shark inhabiting coastal waters worldwide, with many different names in different countries in the world. ... Binomial name Ginglymostoma cirratum (Bonnaterre, 1788) The nurse shark Ginglymostoma cirratum is a shark in the nurse sharks family and may reach a length of 4. ...

Katrina damage and aftermath

The view of the Aquarium building from Canal street after Katrina

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.^[1][2] Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 432 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 432 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Katrina or Katrine may refer to: Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 hurricane that destroyed New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast In fiction: Katrina, a character in the Inheritance Trilogy by Christopher Paolini Katrina Finlay, character in Monarch of the Glen Katrina Silber, minor recurring character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lowest pressure 902 mbar (hPa; 26. ... Katrina was catastrophic and long-lasting. ...

The aquarium reopened on May 26, 2006. They are currently running an Adopt-an-Animal program to solicit funds for rebuilding. Since Hurricane Katrina, the Aquarium has improved, adding more species in their Caribbean and jellyfish exhibits, as well as a large revamp to the Gulf of Mexico tank.^[3]

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Aquarium of the Americas

• Aquarium visitors thrown in shark tank, BBC News, 8 August 2002
• Aquarium of the Americas website