A penguinarium is a

vivarium A vivarium (Latin, literally for "place of life"; plural: ''vivaria'' or ''vivariums'') is an area, usually enclosed, for keeping and raising animals or plants for observation or research. Water-based vivaria may have open tops providing they a ...

for

penguin Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...

s intended to simulate aspects of their natural environment. Penguinariums date back at least to 1968, when the

Detroit Zoo The Detroit Zoo is a zoo located in Royal Oak, Michigan, spanning 125 acres and housing more than 2,000 animals and more than 245 different species. It was the first U.S. zoo to feature bar-less habitats, and is regarded to be an international ...

opened the first in North America and possibly the world. The Detroit penguinarium was expanded in 2015 with a US$21 million overhaul funded in part by a US$10 million donation - the largest in the zoo's history - from a single donor. In April 2016, the Polk Penguin Conservation Center opened at the Detroit Zoo becoming the world's largest penguinarium. However, the exhibit temporarily closed in 2019 for waterproofing repairs as the penguins were moved back into the 1968 exhibit. The conservation center reopened on February 14, 2022. As of 2005, the world's second largest penguinarium was located on the Spanish island of

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

, where twelve tons of artificial snow were generated daily for the penguins at

Loro Parque Loro Parque (Spanish for "parrot park") or 'Loro Park' is a 135,000 m² (13.5 ha) zoo on the outskirts of Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife, Spain where it houses an extensive and diverse reserve of animal and plant species. The park was conceived a ...

aquarium.

References

{{Zoos Bird parks Aquariums Penguins