4 Loggerhead Sea Turtle hatchlings are now on exhibit in the Sea Turtle Nursery. I also thought that it'd be interesting to note that this aquarium houses at least one Osprey, a species rarely found in captivity.
Two elderly sand tiger sharks have passed away. Two Va. Aquarium sand tiger sharks die this month | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com
The aquarium has imported a pair of tomistoma from a crocodile farm in Malaysia. Rare reptiles glide into their new digs at the Virginia Aquarium
Although Jude passed away, a part of her is living on at the aquarium: Two Komodo Dragons hatch from hidden eggs at Virginia Aquarium | 13NEWSNOW.com
The Virginia Aquarium's South Building is undergoing a major renovation, resulting in its closure and reopening in 2021. Blog ~ Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center I copied and pasted this excerpt from the link below: When the South Building reopens in 2021, here's what you can expect: Explore the Jelly Gallery sponsored by the Dreyfus Family featuring dramatic displays of live jellies from around the world. Investigate the unique adaptations of marine creatures in the Undersea Super Powers Gallery sponsored by the Brock Family, which will feature a giant Pacific octopus aquarium and an Indo-Pacific invertebrate touch pool. Take your toddler to a new Toddler Play Area featuring favorite age-appropriate activities themed around the ocean, science, and nature. Watch the otters frolicking in their pool while enjoying lunch or a snack in a new Café. Go outside to explore the Watershed Exhibit sponsored by Jane Batten, a hands-on area with water experiments, pollution solution activities, and marine scientist role play and to play in the Otter Den, where you can try the otter slide and climb into a den to peek inside the otter habitat. In addition, we are adding a new Vet Center connected to the South Building that will house the staff and facilities needed to care for our animals. You'll get a glimpse into our behind-the-scenes work here in the Windows into Conservation Gallery. In this gallery, observe vet staff examining animals in a treatment room, watch our chemists at work in the water quality lab, and see some of the animals that we raise as part of conservation research projects. For our young guests, there will be a space to role play as a wildlife vet and a field biologist. It's going to be an exciting few years, and we hope you'll continue to join us on this journey!
How timely, just when I'm starting to look at a possible trip to that area to see it for the first time, they close one of their buildings! I hope its a good project.
Here is my review (from 2012) of the South Building and adjacent aviary: MARSH PAVILION: River Otters – A single young otter had a large pool all to itself and there are massive viewing windows and carpeted, tiered seating that comes in handy after the 3-block walk from the Bay & Ocean Pavilion to the Marsh Pavilion. Near to the otter habitat are a series of stuffed mammals in cases, a Native American Exhibits section, and a Bird Exhibits area with taxidermy specimens and a diorama of a Decoy Carving shop. Walk-Through Aviary – This is a half-acre habitat that has a wooden boardwalk that winds through a heavily shaded area. Cattle egrets were out in droves but it was difficult to spot many other birds in what seemed like a large, half-empty aviary. A woodpecker had a cage to itself, as did a great horned owl, but overall this aviary has a lot of unfulfilled potential. Apparently there are over 70 birds of 30 different species (according to the aquarium’s website) but I saw probably 20 egrets so I’m not confident in those quoted numbers. Marsh Exhibits – The rest of this pavilion is filled with exhibits for smaller creatures, and the list of species includes: blue crab, Atlantic silverside, striped killifish, mummichog (those 4 all in one exhibit); skilletfish, feather blenny and striped blenny together; lined seahorse, northern pipefish, oyster toadfish, common snapping turtle, northern water snake, northern diamondback terrapin, red-jointed fiddler crab, sand fiddler crab, mud fiddler crab and horseshoe crab. Many of the Marsh exhibits are typical terrariums that are found in many zoos and aquariums, and additional species that I saw include: green treefrog, barking treefrog, gray treefrog, squirrel treefrog and fowler’s toad all together in a tall exhibit; copperhead snake, eastern cottonmouth, canebrake rattlesnake, broad-headed skink, five-lined skink, hispid cotton rat, eastern garter snake, eastern rat snake and eastern box turtle. There is a Macro-Marsh area that features giant-sized marsh inhabitants that primarily appeal to children, and a desk with all types of skeletons and bones on it for visitors to touch.
Here is an article from January 2020 that discusses the $25 million renovation of the Marsh Pavilion, plus the new veterinary wing and both of those projects are due to open in 2021. There is also mention of future plans for a new entrance, seal/sea lion exhibit and a pedestrian bridge. Virginia Aquarium, in the midst of renovations, has even bigger plans in store
I'm looking forward to the marsh pavilion opening. The seal and sea lion exhibit sounds interesting. Right now you can visit the seals without entering the aquarium, which I love; it's enough to make me wish I lived there, so I could visit them often.
Two years later and none of that has happened I was looking at visiting again this weekend but even more is closed. -The seals are currently BTS while work is done to refurbish their exhibit (sounds like a bigger one for them plus sea lions isn't happening?). The latest update is the acrylic has been buffed and they're starting on the rockwork. -Ray touch pool is closed for refurbishment. They've put in new flooring, upgraded the deck and railing, and put a new gel coat in the pool. -Part of the marsh pond loop is closed while they make the pond deeper and add a better walkway. -Latest update on the South Building is they're adding water into the exhibits, which could take months to treat and prepare for the animals.
Significant news. Two Sunda Gharials/Tomistoma have hatched to the founder pair that were imported from Jong’s Crocodile Farm & Zoo in Malaysia in 2015. The pair were the first of their species to enter the country legally from a home range country since 1973 and have finally contributed to the SSP for the species. They are one of five breeding pairs currently in the regional population and represent the first viable new genetics in almost 50 years. Both hatchlings are believed to be female and are developing well: Woah, Baby!
