#
Sea Life Sunshine Coast at
Mooloolaba
Mooloolaba is a coastal suburb of Maroochydore in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It is located north of the state capital, Brisbane, and is part of the Maroochydore urban centre. In the , Mooloolaba had a population of 7,730 ...
,
Sunshine Coast,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
is a
marine mammal park
A marine mammal park (also known as marine animal park and sometimes oceanarium) is a commercial theme park or aquarium where marine mammals such as dolphins, beluga whales and sea lions are kept within water tanks and displayed to the public in ...
,
oceanarium
An oceanarium can be either a marine mammal park, such as Marineland of Canada, or a large-scale aquarium, such as the Lisbon Oceanarium, presenting an ocean habitat with marine animals, especially large ocean dwellers such as sharks.
First ma ...
and
wildlife
Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animal species (biology), species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous ...
sanctuary
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...
. Sea Life Sunshine Coast is an institutional member of the
Zoo and Aquarium Association
The Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia (ZAA), based in Sydney, Australia and Wellington, New Zealand, is an association of zoos, aquariums, sanctuaries and wildlife parks across Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the South Pacifi ...
(ZAA). The attraction is a
Sea Life Centre
Sea Life is a chain of commercial marine life, sea life-themed aquarium tourism, attractions. there are 53 Sea Life attractions (including standalone Sea Life centres, mini Sea Life features within resort theme parks, and Legoland submarine ri ...
owned by
Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments Limited is a British entertainment company based at Poole in Dorset, England. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until November 2019, when it was acquired by a consortium that includes Kirkbi A/S (the investment a ...
, and is globally referred to as Sea Life Sunshine Coast by the firm. It was formerly known as UnderWater World.
History
UnderWater World officially opened in 1989.
Several scenes in the
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
1996 film ''
Police Story 4: First Strike'' were shot in the park,
including a scene in the main aquarium. In one of the scenes a tourist family is visible in the reflection on one of the tanks.
During the period of Christmas on 2006 UnderWater World had a
giant squid
The giant squid (''Architeuthis dux'') is a species of deep-ocean dwelling squid in the family Architeuthidae. It can grow to a tremendous size, offering an example of abyssal gigantism: recent estimates put the maximum size at around Trace ...
preserved in a block of ice on display.
In July 2013, UnderWater World's owners,
Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments Limited is a British entertainment company based at Poole in Dorset, England. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until November 2019, when it was acquired by a consortium that includes Kirkbi A/S (the investment a ...
, announced that they would be spending $6.5 million on the refurbishment of the facilities. As part of the process, the aquarium was rebranded as a
Sea Life Centre
Sea Life is a chain of commercial marine life, sea life-themed aquarium tourism, attractions. there are 53 Sea Life attractions (including standalone Sea Life centres, mini Sea Life features within resort theme parks, and Legoland submarine ri ...
and relaunched in December 2013.
Exhibits
Some examples of the largest exhibits at the aquarium include:
;Ocean Tunnel
A moving walkway in a
shark tunnel
A shark tunnel (or aquarium tunnel, acrylic tunnel and exhibit tunnel) is an underwater tunnel that passes through an aquarium, typically with sharks and related aquatic life.
They are usually made of thick acrylic glass.
Most aquarium tunnels ar ...
under the
oceanarium
An oceanarium can be either a marine mammal park, such as Marineland of Canada, or a large-scale aquarium, such as the Lisbon Oceanarium, presenting an ocean habitat with marine animals, especially large ocean dwellers such as sharks.
First ma ...
takes visitors past several viewing windows, with fish swimming all around the walkway. The exhibit includes three separate habitats: coral reef, cave and open ocean. Its residents include
grey nurse 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,
tawny nurse shark
The tawny nurse shark (''Nebrius ferrugineus'') is a species of carpet shark in the family Ginglymostomatidae, and the only extant member of the genus ''Nebrius''.
It is found widely along coastlines in the Indo-Pacific, preferring reefs, sand ...
s,
grey reef shark
The grey reef shark (''Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos'', sometimes misspelled ''amblyrhynchus'' or ''amblyrhinchos'') is a species of requiem shark, in the family (biology), family Requiem shark, Carcharhinidae. One of the most common reef sharks in t ...
s,
whitetip reef shark
The whitetip reef shark (''Triaenodon obesus'') is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, and the only member of its genus. A small shark that does not usually exceed in length, this species is easily recognizable by its slen ...
s,
blacktip reef shark
The blacktip reef shark (''Carcharhinus melanopterus'') is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, which can be easily identified by the prominent black tips on its fins (especially on the first dorsal fin and its caudal fin). ...
s,
leopard shark
The leopard shark (''Triakis semifasciata'') is a species of houndshark, in the family Triakidae. It is found along the Pacific coast of North America, from the U.S. state of Oregon to Mazatlán in Mexico. Typically measuring 1.2–1.5 m (3.9 ...
s,
ornate wobbegong
The ornate wobbegong (''Orectolobus ornatus'') is a species of carpet shark that lives in Australia and possibly other countries in the Western Pacific Ocean. It is coloured golden brown, yellow-green and blueish-grey, and it grows to maximum . ...
s,
rays
Ray may refer to:
Fish
* Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea
* Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin
Science and mathematics
* Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point
* Ray (gra ...
,
giant grouper
The giant grouper (''Epinephelus lanceolatus''), also known as the Queensland grouper, brindle grouper or mottled-brown sea bass, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serr ...
s,
potato cod
The potato grouper (''Epinephelus tukula''), also called the potato cod or potato bass, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and ...
s,
snappers and
trevallies. One resident a
brown whipray
The brown whipray (''Maculabatis toshi'') is a species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae, common in inshore, muddy habitats along the northern coast of Australia. It has often been confused in literature for the honeycomb stingray (''H. uar ...
has lived at the aquarium since 1989.
In November 2011, the shark tank and moving walkway were closed for an upgrade.
;Seal Island
There are about seven seals at Sea Life Sunshine Coast, one
New Zealand fur seal
''Arctocephalus forsteri'' (common names include the Australasian fur seal, South Australian fur seal, New Zealand fur seal, Antipodean fur seal, or long-nosed fur seal) is a species of fur seal found mainly around southern Australia and New Z ...
, two
Australian fur seal
The brown fur seal (''Arctocephalus pusillus''), also known as the Cape fur seal, South African fur seal and Australian fur seal, is a species of fur seal.
Description
The brown fur seal is the largest and most robust member of the fur seals. ...
s and four
Australian sea lion
The Australian sea lion (''Neophoca cinerea''), also known as the Australian sea-lion or Australian sealion, is a species of sea lion that is the only endemic pinniped in Australia. It is currently monotypic in the genus ''Neophoca'', with the e ...
s which make up part of the ''Seal Island'' exhibit.
Little penguin
The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is a species of penguin from New Zealand. They are commonly known as little blue penguins or blue penguins owing to their slate-blue plumage and are also known by their Māori name .
The Australian lit ...
s are a recent addition to the aquarium, with a specially built exhibit constructed for a family of them.
Other exhibits include: ''Bay of Rays'', ''Billabong'', ''Coastal Wrecks'', ''Coral Kingdom'', ''Freshwater Streams'', ''Frogs'', ''Jellyfish Kingdom'', ''Seahorse Sanctuary'' and ''Tidal Touchpools''.
Shows and talks
Sea Life Sunshine Coast presents
seal
Seal may refer to any of the following:
Common uses
* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly:
** Earless seal, or "true seal"
** Fur seal
* Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...
shows and wildlife information talks, and has hands-on marine displays. Shows at the park include:
*Seal Shows in the Seal Stadium
*Stingray Reef talks
*Ocean Tunnel Tours
*Touch Pool
*Jellyfish Tours
*Behind the Scenes Tours
Conservation
Sea Life Sunshine Coast is a rehabilitation centre for
turtle
Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...
s,
seals
Seals may refer to:
* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly:
** Earless seal, or "true seal"
** Fur seal
* Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...
, and other marine animals.
References
External links
*
{{Merlin Entertainments
Aquaria in Australia
Oceanaria
Maroochydore
Tourist attractions on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Sea Life Centres
Merlin Entertainments Group
Buildings and structures on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Zoos in Queensland
1989 establishments in Australia