Toronto Ripley's Aquarium
One of the top Toronto family attractions has become Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada. It is conveniently located in the heart of downtown, right at the base of the CN Tower. Amazingly the Aquarium holds 5.7 million litres ( 1.25 million gallons) of water with a mix of fresh and seawater habitats. In 2011 construction started, and the Aquarium opened in 2013 with a final cost of close to one-hundred and thirty million dollars. Interestingly, the building’s design has special shielding so the electrical systems will not disturb the sharks.
Ripleys houses over 20,000 animals with over 40 different species from around Canada and the world. The massive water-filled museum is divided into ten impressive main galleries: Canadian Waters, Rainbow Reef, Dangerous Lagoon, Discovery Centre, TheGallery, Ray Bay, Swarm: Nature by Numbers, Planet Jellie, Life Support Systems, and Shoreline Gallery. Each Gallery is full of bright, colourful, exotic, and sometimes dangerous sea life. Guests are immersed in an adventurous underwater tour filled with interactive displays.
The Canadain Waters gallery journeys guests through Canadian waters, stretching from the East to the West coast. Home to three oceans, Canada has a massive and diverse variety of marine life habitats. The Great Lakes make up 20% of the world’s fresh water and are home to unique animals. Learn what it is life is like for these underwater creatures living in the Great Lakes. Some of the animals displayed include the giant Pacific Octopus, Cod, the American lobster, Largemouth Bass, the wolf eel, sturgeon, paddlefish, and Pacific kelp.
Get ready for an exhilarating experience in the Dangerous Lagoon gallery that visitors won’t soon forget. Guests step on a moving sidewalk and are transported through the longest underwater viewing tunnel in North America. Home to Ripleys most dangerous animals, including Sand Tiger Sharks, Sandbar sharks, Roughtail Stingray, Green Moray Eels, Green Sea Turtles, and Green Sawfish. Guests are in for a heart-pounding journey as these majestic, fearsome creatures swim just a few mere feet above your head.
The Rainbow Reef Comes Alive with a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors that must be seen to be believed, making it the most colourful of the galleries. It is one of the most bio-diverse exhibits at the Aquarium, with over 100 species of fish and coral. Learn what Riply’s staff are doing to help conserve and protect coral reefs. It beautifully exhibits the Indo-Pacific coral seas and the creatures that live there. A thrilling interactive dive show is featured in this exhibit. Some species displayed include Pajama cardinalfish, Batfish, Harlequin Tuskfish, Emporer Angelfish, Unicorn Surgeonfish, Humbug Dacyllus, and the Picasso Triggerfish.
A tour of the Planet Jellies gallery feels as if you have traveled to another planet or dimension with hundreds of jellies swimming all around with colour-changing displays. Four species of jellies are beautifully featured in back-lit Kreisel tanks (special tanks made for jellyfish) with colour- changing exhibitions. Jellies’ appearance and behavior strike some as almost alien, with an umbrella shape; some are larger than humans while others are smaller than a tack. Don’t forget to look overhead; there is a fantastic exhibit of Moon Jellies on the ceiling. There is a fascinating exhibit that shows the complete life cycle of Moon jellies from polyp to medusa.
The Ray Bay Gallery provides an awe-inspiring look at the lives of stingrays. The Bay is home to four species of rays and one shark. See the rays gliding throughout the Aquarium, almost as if effortlessly flying underwater. Featured animals include Spotted Eagle Rays, Cownose Rays, Ocellate River Stingrays, Southern Stingrays, and they share a tank with the Bonnethead Shark (the smallest hammerhead shark). Ray Bay is one of Ripley’s most extensive exhibits.
The Shoreline Gallery is situated at the top of Ray Bay, where guests
are thrilled at the chance to connect with and pet a stingray! For an extraordinary adventure, visitors can purchase a Stingray Experience which allows them a behind-the-scenes tour and tan in-water experience in Ray Bay. Guests also have the opportunity t view baby sharks swimming around the Gallery.
The newest Gallery Shipwrecks is engulfed in mystery and intrigue as visitors learn first-hand what lies beneath the surface of many famous historical wreckages. Through video footage of the wreckages, curated artifacts, and the aquatic life surrounding them, visitors explore several wrecks, including the famous Edmund Fitzgerald, the HMS Erebus, and the HMS Terror.
The Discovery Centre provides a gallery full of interactive exhibits for all ages. Kids will love a ride on the clownfish slide and play at the water table representing the Great Lakes lock system. Visitors can get a little wet while engaging with many different animals and learning more about the marine environment.
Ripley’s Aquarium is an enormous Toronto attraction that provides a day of enormous learning and fun for all. For visitors who want to stay longer than a day, they offer a sleepover at the Aquarium. Ripley recommends at least 2-3 hours for a visit. Ripley’s is a unique attraction great for visitors of all ages.
Check out the Toronto Distillery District which is in Toronto ON too.
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