National Aquarium Denmark
National Aquarium Denmark | |
---|---|
55°38′17″N 12°39′22″E / 55.638°N 12.656°E | |
Date opened | 1939 (aquarium in Charlottenlund). 2013 (aquarium in Kastrup).[1] |
Location | Kastrup, Copenhagen, Denmark[2] |
Land area | 12,000 m2 (130,000 sq ft)[3] |
No. of animals | 20,000[1] |
No. of species | 450[1] |
Volume of largest tank | 4,000,000 L (880,000 imp gal; 1,100,000 US gal)[1] |
Total volume of tanks | 7,000,000 L (1,500,000 imp gal; 1,800,000 US gal)[1] |
Website | www |
Denmark's Aquarium (Danish: Danmarks Akvarium) is an aquarium in Denmark. The original aquarium was located in Charlottenlund, but this facility closed in 2012.[1] A new aquarium called The Blue Planet (Danish: Den Blå Planet) opened in March 2013 in Kastrup, a suburb of Copenhagen. Much of the stock from the old aquarium was relocated to this new facility.[1]
The main purpose of the aquarium is to disseminate marine information, help science projects, and help improve educational institutions.
Old aquarium
Denmark's Aquarium in Charlottenlund started construction in 1937 and was opened in 1939. In 1974, this aquarium was expanded to feature five large landscape aquaria and a biological museum with theme-based exhibits and aquariums. In 1990, the facility was further expanded by a new front hall, café, improved toilet facilities and a schooler service. In the final years before the closure of the aquarium in Charlottenlund, it had about 1,000,000 litres (220,000 imp gal; 260,000 US gal) of water in about 70 aquarium tanks.[4]
New aquarium
The Blue Planet opened in 2013 in Kastrup, a suburb of Copenhagen.[1] It resembles a whirlpool when seen from above. It often is, being close to the Copenhagen Airport. It was designed by Danish architects 3XN.[2][5] To reduce energy consumption the building is equipped with cooling units using seawater from Øresund and double glazing.[6] It covers a total of 12,000 m2 (130,000 sq ft), including the 10,000 m2 (110,000 sq ft) building and 2,000 m2 (22,000 sq ft) outdoors (excluding parking spaces).[3]
In the first year of existence, the aquarium received approximately 1.3 million visitors – twice as many as expected. As a consequence of this extra wear, as well as a wish of improving public education, 12.5 million DKK (approx. 2.3 million US$; 1.7 million €) will be used for changes and renovations of the aquarium.[7][8]
The Blue Planet contains about 7,000,000 litres (1,500,000 imp gal; 1,800,000 US gal) of water[1] divided into 53 exhibits.[9] There are five main sections:[10]
- The Amazon
- The Amazon section is home to arowanas, pacus, freshwater stingrays, large catfish, anacondas, pale-mandibled aracaris and more.[9][10][11] This section also has an aquarium with a big school–about 3,000–of piranhas.[6] Near the Amazon is the smaller grotto section, with aquaria for cave tetra, various electric fish (electric eel and elephantfish) and other fish found in dark freshwater habitats.[10]
- The African Great Lakes
- Exhibits for Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria. Primarily aimed at cichlids, but also home to other fish such as Nile perch (highly predatory and therefore separated from the Victoria cichlids by acrylic glass), and the section above the aquaria are home to dwarf crocodiles, village weaver birds, and other small animals.[9][10]
- Evolution and adaption
- Aimed at fish evolution and adaption, and contains a mangrove aquarium with four-eyed fish, archerfish, mudskippers and alike, as well as aquaria for Apalachicola snapping turtle and primitive fish such as bichir, gar and lungfish.[10][12] This includes the oldest fish in the aquarium, an Australian lungfish that arrived at Denmark's Aquarium in Charlottenlund in 1967 when already a young adult (its full age is unknown).[13]
- Cold Water
- Primarily home to native Danish species from fresh- and saltwater. Among others, it includes a touch pool, and a large North Atlantic aquarium with a 15 m (49 ft) tall seabird cliff, which is home to cod, wolffish, halibut, puffin and other species.[10][14] Non-native species in or near the Cold Water section are giant spider crab, giant Pacific octopus, sea anemones and more.[15][16] This section also housed California sea lions for a period (their previous home, Bergen Aquarium in Norway was being renovated). In early 2014 they were moved to a permanent home at La Palmyre Zoo, France.[17] Following modifications, three sea otters moved into the former sea lion exhibit in October 2013, making the aquarium one of only two places where this species can be seen Europe (the other is Lisbon Oceanarium in Portugal).[18]
- The Warm Ocean
- This section contains the largest aquarium in Blue Planet, the 4,000,000-litre (880,000 imp gal; 1,100,000 US gal) Ocean tank.[1] It is home to sharks (zebra shark, reef sharks, wobbegongs and young scalloped hammerheads), stingrays, eagle rays, guitarfish, ocean sunfish, moray eels, golden trevallies, groupers and more that can be seen through the 16 by 8 m (52 by 26 ft) main window, which is 45 cm (18 in) thick. There is also a 16 m (52 ft) long shark tunnel.[19][20][21] Opposite the Ocean Tank is the 16 m (52 ft) long Coral Reef with living corals and reef fish.[22] There are also various smaller aquaria with species such as shrimpfish, leafy and weedy seadragons, seahorses, a Mediterranean aquarium,[10] and the highly venomous stonefish, lionfish and olive sea snake.[23][24]
Gallery
-
The tunnel
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j The Copenhagen Post (10 August 2012). Copenhagen’s grand old aquarium to ’sleep with the fishes'. Retrieved 15 November 2012
- ^ a b "Designing The Blue Planet". World Architecture News. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
- ^ a b Template:Da icon Blå Planet: Gå på opdagelse på Den Blå Planet. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ "Denmark's Aquarium". danmarksakvarium.dk. Denmark's Aquarium. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- ^ "Rejsegilde på den Blå Planet". MT Højgaard. Retrieved 2011-12-14.[dead link]
- ^ a b CopenhagenCard: Den Blå Planet - Danmarks Akvarium. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ Template:Da icon Politiken (21 March 2014): Publikumssuccesen Den Blå Planet »skifter det hele ud«. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ Template:Da icon Politiken (25 March 2014): Design-direktør: Den Blå Planet er slidt ned af succes. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ a b c Template:Da icon Bygningsfonden: Fakta-Dyr på Den Blå Planet, Danmarks Akvarium. Retrieved 25 March 2014
- ^ a b c d e f g Template:Da icon Gejrfuglen: Anmeldelse: Den Blå Planet. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ Template:Da icon Blå Planet: Amazonas. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ Template:Da icon Blå Planet: Alligatorskildpadden på Den Blå Planet er en ny art . Retrieved 3 October 2014.
- ^ Template:Da icon Blå Planet: Store danskere – den australske lungefisk. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ Template:Da icon Berlingske (4 November 2013): Anmeldelse: Den Blå Planet. Retrieved 25 March 2014
- ^ Template:Da icon Blå Planet: Kæmpekrabber slår kløerne i Den Blå Planet. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ Template:Da icon Blå Planet: Det kolde vand. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ Template:Da icon Blå Planet: Søløverne flytter til Frankrig. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- ^ Template:Da icon Berlingske (1 October 2014). Her er de nye beboere på Den Blå Planet. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
- ^ Template:Da icon Blå Planet: Oceanet. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ Template:Da icon Videnskab.dk (4 August 2012): Danmarks Akvarium i anderledes flytteforberedelser. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ Template:Da icon Politiken (21 March 2013): Intet gik i fisk, da den blå dronning åbnede Den Blå Planet. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ Template:Da icon Blå Planet: Koralrevet. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ Template:Da icon Blå Planet: Ekstremt giftige havslanger indtager Den Blå Planet. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
- ^ Template:Da icon DR (4 July 2014): Giftige og livsfarlige havslanger indtager Den Blå Planet. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
External links
Media related to Den Blå Planet at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
- Template:Da icon Denmark Zoo Central