is a

public aquarium A public aquarium (plural: ''public aquaria'' or ''public Water Zoo'') is the aquatic counterpart of a zoo, which houses living aquatic animal and plant specimens for public viewing. Most public aquariums feature tanks larger than those kept b ...

Higashi-ku, Fukuoka is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka in Japan. As of 1 March 2012, it has a population of 296,576, with 136,133 households and an area of 66.68 km2. Its name literally means "east ward". Kashii is in this ward. It is south of neighbo ...

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...

, Japan.「海の中道海浜公園海洋生態科学館改修・運営事業」に係る事業契約締結について
- 国土交通省九州地方整備局

History

It opened in April 1989 and was renovated and expanded in April 1995. Since 2000, it has been open at night mainly during the summer vacation. A formalin specimen of a megamouth (female) that was washed ashore in Hakata Bay in 1994 is on display. Water park is located on the site of Uminonakamichi Seaside Park located in

Sandbar In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. ...

called "Uminonakamichi". Surrounded by the sea and parks, it is in an environment rich in nature, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, although it is in Fukuoka city. The building with a seashell motif has a semi-circular design, which is a characteristic appearance of a tent-shaped roof fixed with wires. The mascot character is "Mega Tot" with the motif of Megamouth. The character design is "Norio Hikone" designed by Uncle Carl. The entire building was closed from October 3, 2016 and reopened on April 12, 2017 in order to carry out a major renovation to replace 90% of the aquarium.　The new exhibition theme is "Kyushu Sea".九州の海再現、内覧会　福岡
毎日新聞, accessdate=2021-6-4

Exhibits

The aquarium focuses on the aquatic life of Tsushima's warm current and is made up of a total of 70 tanks. The three largest contain , and respectively. The largest is used for

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

and

sea lion Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. ...

shows, the middle contains more than 120

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

s of 20 species, while the last is for dolphins.you can see 20,000 fish of 350 types from tropical to temperate and boreal zones as they are. In addition to fish, dolphins, harbor seals, sea otters, and sea turtles are on display in the museum. The highlights are the

and

show and the large panoramic tanks where giant

sand tiger shark The sand tiger shark (''Carcharias taurus''), gray nurse shark, spotted ragged-tooth shark or blue-nurse sand tiger, is a species of shark that inhabits subtropical and temperate waters worldwide. It inhabits the continental shelf, from sandy sho ...

s swim. The large panoramic water tank "Kyushu pelagic" that runs from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor of the building is a water tank of x , depth of , and water volume of . The acrylic panel that makes up the aquarium is about 30 cm thick. More than 20,000 fish of 80 species migrate in this tank. In the panoramic aquarium, you can watch live images taken by divers with an underwater camera, and listen to conversations and commentary with divers with microphones. Other marine mammals at the aquarium include sea otters and

spotted seal The spotted seal (''Phoca largha''), also known as the larga seal or largha seal, is a member of the family Phocidae, and is considered a "true seal". It inhabits ice floes and waters of the north Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas. It is primaril ...

s. Show pool There are

Bottlenose dolphins Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus ''Tursiops.'' They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus definitively contains two species: the comm ...

Pacific white-sided dolphin The Pacific white-sided dolphin (''Lagenorhynchus obliquidens''), also known as the hookfin porpoise, is an active dolphin found in the cool or temperate waters of the North Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy The Pacific white-sided dolphin was named by Sm ...

s, Risso's dolphins, and

Short-finned pilot whales The short-finned pilot whale (''Globicephala macrorhynchus'') is one of the two species of cetaceans in the genus '' Globicephala'', which it shares with the long-finned pilot whale (''G. melas''). It is part of the oceanic dolphin family (Delp ...

in the pool where the dolphin and sea lion shows are held. Located on the 2nd and 3rd floors, there are bleachers in front of the pool. Three pools on both sides and the back of the show pool are arranged so as to surround the show pool. Marine World has a restaurant in front of the show pool on the 1st floor. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of its opening, it was completed in April 2009 in the area adjacent to the existing dolphin pool, and on the 18th of the same month, which marks the 20th anniversary, "Kaiju Island" was opened. It is a facility for breeding and exhibiting marine mammals, and has two large and small tanks where

California sea lions The California sea lion (''Zalophus californianus'') is a coastal eared seal native to western North America. It is one of six species of sea lions. Its natural habitat ranges from southeast Alaska to central Mexico, including the Gulf of Cali ...

and

Spotted seal The spotted seal (''Phoca largha''), also known as the larga seal or largha seal, is a member of the family Phocidae, and is considered a "true seal". It inhabits ice floes and waters of the north Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas. It is primaril ...

s live. It is a two-story building where you can also observe. A columnar aquarium (1.5m in diameter and 2.8m in height) is also installed, and an action exhibition using the habit of seals that rise vertically to the surface of the water for breathing is held.

Facilities

show is held every day at this all-weather with a seating capacity of 1,465. *Kaiju Island *Marine Science Lab (3F) *Near sea Kyushu(3F) *Aso forest(3F) *Marine Theater (Show Pool)(3F ~ 2F) *Atrium water tank (3F ~ 2F) *Fantasy slope (3F ~ 2F) *Marine Hall (2F) *Tanken Beach (2F) *Sea otter pool (2F) *Panorama large tank　"Kyushu pelagic"(1F ~ 2F) *Finless porpoise pool (1F) *Penguins pool (1F) *Sea turtle aquarium (1F) *Lawn Square (1F) There are various types such as aquariums that change with the seasons.

References

External links

Official Site
Aquaria in Japan Tourist attractions in Fukuoka Buildings and structures in Fukuoka {{Fukuoka-geo-stub

History

Exhibits

Facilities

See also

References

External links