Things are not done on a small scale in Shanghai so I should not have been surprised at the immense size and scale of the Shanghai aquarium but I was! This aquarium is definitely impressive and is on the list of things I would recommend checking out if you come to town.
There is a large assortment of under the sea creepy crawlies on display many of which I have seen in books or on television but never in real life and I have to say that it is much more impressive to see these creatures live. In addition to fish they have two large tanks with an above ground observation area for seals and penguins so you can see both land and see animals swim and play. I could spend several minutes watching the seals swim upside down as they playfully catch your eye and interact with you. I tried to take photos of both the penguins and seals but they swam so fast that they were just blurs on my screen.
Other unusual creatures included electric eels in special tank with an electricity meter attached so that when they are giving off electricity; you see the gage on the meter go up. It was both fascinating and creepy at the same time. Another strange and scary-looking creature on display was the knife shark, has a long knife-like protrusion from its nose. I saw a variety of beautiful and dangerous jellyfish, which looked so deceptively peaceful floating in their contained tanks.
There is a large assortment of under the sea creepy crawlies on display many of which I have seen in books or on television but never in real life and I have to say that it is much more impressive to see these creatures live. In addition to fish they have two large tanks with an above ground observation area for seals and penguins so you can see both land and see animals swim and play. I could spend several minutes watching the seals swim upside down as they playfully catch your eye and interact with you. I tried to take photos of both the penguins and seals but they swam so fast that they were just blurs on my screen.
Other unusual creatures included electric eels in special tank with an electricity meter attached so that when they are giving off electricity; you see the gage on the meter go up. It was both fascinating and creepy at the same time. Another strange and scary-looking creature on display was the knife shark, has a long knife-like protrusion from its nose. I saw a variety of beautiful and dangerous jellyfish, which looked so deceptively peaceful floating in their contained tanks.
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A multitude of exotic bottom of the sea dwellers could also be seen such as the diaphanous or spiny scorpion fish. In another tank I had to look closely to find the fish because I thought there were only rocks and plants in it until I realized one of the rocks was a stonefish. I also loved the seahorses and leafy sea dragons that flit about and are beautiful in a sort of alien way.
The aquarium also boasts the longest indoor shark tank in the world and it was impressive. The attendees travel through the middle of the tank on a moving walkway and it is the last impression you have of the exhibit before you are transported to the immense gift shop. Unfortunately for me, my camera battery died just before we entered the shark tank so I can’t post any of those photos. Pooh! Oh well I’ll just have to go back which is fine with me.