National Aquarium in Baltimore

▪ aquarium, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

      one of the largest public aquariums in the United States. The aquarium, which opened in 1981 in the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, Md., was financed largely by the city but was designated a “national” aquarium by the U.S. Congress. Of the more than 10,000 marine and freshwater animals maintained by the aquarium, many are marine mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The decor and effect of the aquarium are impressive. The exhibits are notable for re-creating natural habitats from throughout the world. At the entrance of the five-story Main Aquarium Building on Pier 3 is the outdoor Seal Pool. The South American Rain Forest habitat is enclosed within a 66-foot- (20-metre-) high glass pyramid located at the top level of the building. Other galleries include the 335,000-gallon (1,270,000-litre) Atlantic Coral Reef tank, which provides a diver's eye view of tropical fish, and the 225,000-gallon (850,000-litre) Open Ocean exhibit of large sharks. The Marine Mammal Pavilion on adjacent Pier 4 houses a 1,200,000-gallon (4,540,000-litre) Atlantic bottlenose dolphin habitat; oceanarium-style shows are scheduled daily.

      The underlying theme of the exhibits is the concept that all life is dependent on water, whether in the atmosphere, in the soil, or in lakes, rivers, and oceans.

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