Lisbon Oceanarium
Lisbon Ocean Pavilion - Oceanarium
The Lisbon Oceanarium is an aquarium dedicated to the ocean. It is located in the Parque das Nações, which was the exhibition grounds for the Expo 98 and is the second largest in the world and the largest in Europe.
The building is the work of the North-American architect Peter Chermayeff, resembling an Aircraft carrier, and is built in the pier of an internal sea. It is one of the largest aquariums in the world, and has a large collection of marine species - birds, mammals, fishes, cnidarians and other marine organisms.
The exhibition is arranged around four smaller aquariums, displaying the fauna and flora of the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and of the Antarctic and a large central tank to exhibit species of the open ocean, from sharks and large groupers to Tuna fish and small wrasses.
In the centre of the building lays the key element of the exhibit: an impressive 1.000 m2 and 5.000 m3 tank with four massive 49 m2 (each!) acrylic windows on its sides. Smaller focus windows are strategically located around this tank, ensuring that the view to the Global Ocean is a constant component of the tour throughout the exhibit space. Its depth of 7 meters also creates a perfect opportunity for pelagic swimmers to swim far above the bottom dwellers, unfolding the illusion of the open ocean.
The central tank houses sharks, rays and chimaeras. the bony fish housed in the main tank include various tuna, baracuda, groupers, moray and one of the main attraction- a large Sunfish. Lisbon oceanarium is one of the few aquariums in the world to house a sunfish due to their due to the unique and demanding requirements of their care. Despite its intention of representing the open ocean, it has been criticised by several scientists for grouping together species that would never meet in nature. Though it may not show the ecosystems as they are in nature it is home to over 16 000 animals and plants from over 450 distinct species. around the contral tanks- in the 4 towers of the building are '4 oceans'- the Antarctic, North atlantic, pacific and indian oceans with all their flora and fauna
The oceanarium also houses a Large Sunfish, one of the few aquariums in the world to do so. Other interesting species include 2 large spider crabs, 2 sea otters 'Eusebio and Amalia' who are well known in portugal.
The exhibition aquaria can be viewed from several levels to see underwater and coastal habitats. The tanks all have many different places to view them from giving many different angles of the five exhibits.
ADDRESS: Esplanada D. Carlos I - Doca dos Olivais - Lisboa (Driving Directions)
ADMISSION:
- 0 to 3 year olds - Free
- 4 to 12 year olds - 5,25 €
- 13 to 65 year olds - 10,50 €
- 66+ year olds - 5,75 €
- Families - 25,00 €
TELEPHONE NUMBER: +351 218 917 002
FAX NUMBER: +351 218 955 762
WEB PAGE: http://www.oceanario.pt
