Aquarium News and Notes » Georgia Aquarium

Aquarium News and Notes
05-07-2009

The Georgia Aquarium has reached 10 million visitors since it opened in the fall of 2005.

Georgia Aquarium gets 10 millionth visitor - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

06-07-2009

An absolutely staggering number. Wow, 10 million in less than 4 years for a brand-new aquarium. I wonder if the $110 million dolphinarium opening in 2010 will create record-breaking attendance in the future?

05-08-2009

The latest attraction at the aquarium are a group of the ferocious looking wolf eel in the cold water quest gallery.

Wolf Eels Are Now Howling at Georgia Aquarium Zoo and Aquarium Visitor News

04-09-2009

A second Manta Ray arrives at the aquarium.

04-09-2009

Thanks for the link! This is very exciting! I might have to plan a trip down there just to see the manta rays.

24-09-2009

This is from the LA times, regarding the Tiger Shark Leaving Aquarium of the Pacific.

"We told you last month that a tiger shark -- a particularly finicky tiger shark, in fact -- had taken up residence at Long Beach's Aquarium of the Pacific. The shark, a female, was born in captivity after its pregnant mother was caught accidentally in a fisherman's net in Taiwan. Although the species is rarely kept in aquariums (only two other facilities in the U.S. have tiger sharks in residence), the renowned Aquarium of the Pacific decided to try its hand at caring for one of the still largely mysterious creatures.

The idea of caring for a tiger shark was one thing; as it turned out, actually caring for one in practice was quite another. The shark proved a difficult customer. Though members of its species are sometimes called "wastebaskets of the sea" for their propensity to eat oceangoing garbage like boat cushions and license plates, the juvenile female had a distinctly different appetite, regularly turning down delicacies like restaurant-grade ahi tuna, mahi-mahi, halibut and shrimp. Our colleague Louis Sahagun caught up with Steve Blair, the aquarium's assistant curator, as he went through the daily routine of trying to get the creature to eat. "If she's having a tough day and not eating," Blair told Sahagun, "I'll probably be kind of grumpy when I get home that night."

Perhaps Blair is having more pleasant evenings of late, because the tiger shark recently moved to another facility, our sister blog Outposts reports today. She was moved, according to a statement released by the aquarium, in an effort to give her more space in which to swim. (In an effort to protect her from larger sharks in the Aquarium of the Pacific's Shark Lagoon exhibit, she had been kept in a sequestered area within the larger pool.)

Although it declined to identify the tiger shark's new home by name, the Aquarium of the Pacific noted in its statement that the facility is accredited by the Assn. of Zoos and Aquariums and will be able to provide a larger enclosure for her.

"We are thrilled that we had the rare opportunity to have her at the Aquarium of the Pacific these past six months and on exhibit this past summer," the statement continued. "She has served as an ambassador to those in the wild and created greater awareness for the plight of tiger sharks and their need for protection. We also have learned much about this species in the process of caring for her. We wish her well in her new home."

-- Lindsay Barnett"

I think theres a strong possibility it's heading to the Georgia Aquarium. it'd look amazing in the Ocean Voyager exhibit.

25-09-2009

I think the tiger shark went to Camden to join the other tiger shark there. Someone who visited the aquarium recently said to me that they have 2 tiger sharks, both less than five feet in length. I understood that only 1 tiger shark debuted during Shark Week but if they debuted 2 of them I was not aware.

I would assume that since both Shark Reef and Adventure Aquarium have tigers, Georgia wont be far behind. And I would guess they'll have more than the two other aquariums combined.

I forget who said this to me but I agree that Ocean Voyager is looking a little crowded with all the fish these days. It seems every few months they are adding a new "big" species (sand tigers, sandbars, manta rays recently). When I visited just a few month after they opened it had more of an ocean feeling than it does now. Don't get me wrong, seeing all these amazing species in one exhibit is incredible but I liked it more when it wasn't so crowded.

25-09-2009

Really? I can't find anywhere saying officially they have another tiger shark, and looking from youtube, flickr or google/webshot images recently cant see any of 2..hmn...My only thought would be that they wish to remain annonymous incase the shark doesnt survive transport, or doesnt acclimate well.

I thought it could may well be the Georgia Aquarium since I know they have a large quarantine pool attatched to Ocean Voyager that is used for new animals when they arrive, and usually all new animal arrivals are kept very secret until the animal is healthy and on exhibit. Also, they did make a promise that every couple of months they would introduce a new attraction...and it does seem the time for another attraction? The Ocean Voyager exhibit could effectively house a fully grown Tiger too....

When did your friend last visit Adventure Aquarium?

Also, I think both of these tigers are related...theyre both around the same size, and the Aquarium of the Pacific female was from Taiwan, where a pregnant tiger was caught, and her pups sold to aquariums. Wouldn't suprise me!

Anyways, will be interesting to see where she turns up :P

25-09-2009

The end of last week. They had pictures of both Tigers as well.

25-09-2009

Georgia Aquarium (GeorgiaAquarium) on Twitter

It appears the next animals added will be jellyfish. I copied this from Twitter:

"Update from Oregon: New jellies have been shipped out! Can't wait to have our 70 new residents at the @georgiaaquarium. Amazing creatures!"

"Team is N Oregon 2 collect jellies. Collected 70 yesterday b4 heading 2 port 4 prepping & shipping! Their weather is holding up unlike ours!"

According to their facebook page, they're Pacific sea nettles.

13-02-2010

Next new species for the aquarium are 4 harbour seal pups.

Georgia Aquarium To Add Unique Seals - News Story - WSB Atlanta

25-02-2010

The belugas return to the Georgia Aquarium after a brief stay at SeaWorld San Antonio, while the beluga whale habitat was undergoing improvements.

Beluga Whales Leave Sea World and Return to Georgia Aquarium Zoo and Aquarium Visitor News

05-03-2010

I received an email today from the G.A. that said that the belugas are back and will join the new harbor seals. Does anybody know if this is a mix exhibit or not?

05-03-2010

I wouldn't be surprised. It's a mix that has worked elsewhere. Namely SeaWorld San Diego.

21-03-2010

Any timeline on when the dolphin expansion should open?