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NEW Exhibit!
Meerkats made possible by Bank of America & Fifth Street Capital
A family of meerkats, one of Africa’s most entertaining species, will burrow into visitors’ hearts in this new special exhibit.
First popularized by the comical sidekick Timon in Disney’s “The Lion King,” and then celebrated in the Animal Planet television series “Meerkat Manor” (2005-2009), meerkats are members of the mongoose family that live in social “mobs” or “gangs” in burrows in the Kalahari Desert, in the southern African nations of Botswana and South Africa.
No mere cats, meerkats (Suricata suricatta) are fascinating for living in structured but cooperative societies, including a foraging strategy where adults take turns standing guard upright on their hind feet, watching for predators, while the others eat. As the popular “Meerkat Manor” television series showed, the family-based “mobs” are not lacking in daily drama – from internal relationship issues to battles with other “mobs” encroaching on their territory to the ever-present fear of jackals and eagles.
“These are active animals with very charismatic faces and highly interesting social structures, so they’ll be a lot of fun for visitors to watch,” said Jack Schneider, the Aquarium’s curator of animals.
The exhibit will feature six sibling meerkats – three males, three females – born in the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, Utah. Their Maritime Aquarium habitat will offer windows into their underground burrows, so all meerkat activity will be within view. A viewing bubble will even let young visitors stand up right among the meerkats.
Almost like a good television sit-com generates new hit shows, the meerkat exhibit is the second big “spin-off” from The Maritime Aquarium’s major special exhibit, “Africa: From the Desert to the Sea.” The first – “African Penguins,” featuring a small colony of the comical birds native to South Africa – opened in February 2009 and helped the Aquarium to one of its biggest summers ever. “African Penguins” will be open through December 2010.
African Penguins
They waddle comically on land but swim gracefully in the water, all while dressed semi-formally in black-and-white attire.
They’re found in surprising places: not just Antarctica but in Africa and also at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, in “African Penguins,” a special exhibit featuring a small colony of African penguins. They’re stealing hearts daily in an outdoor display on the Aquarium’s riverfront courtyard, with plenty of viewing windows above and below the water line.
Helpful ID signs help you tell who is who. Other displays give info about all 17 species of penguins and their conservation status.
The stars of the “African Penguins” exhibit came to Norwalk from The Great Plains Zoo in Sioux City, S.D. They'll be at The Maritime Aquarium until December 2010.
Like the “Africa: From the Desert to the Sea” exhibit, “African Penguins” is included with admission to The Maritime Aquarium.
“Africa: From the Desert to the Sea” sponsored by Bank of America Explore aquatic wonders of Africa and be home by dinner. See amazing fish from the Nile River, Red Sea, and lakes of Africa’s Great Rift Valley in this exhibit featuring some of the lesser-known but equally fascinating aquatic animals from the African continent. Species highlighted include air-breathing lungfish, catfish that use bioelectricity to sense their surroundings, colorful cichlid fish, and dazzling coral reef fish. Plus, bonus species are giant day geckos, black mud turtles and enormous ground boa snakes. A hippo play space greets children as they enter.
Interspersed throughout are important messages about animal adaptation, the importance of habitat preservation and conservation, stories that show how fish from the other side of the world face challenges similar to those in Long Island Sound. A great way to “explore” Africa for less than the cost of a tank of gas!
NEW exhibit
GO FISH! Long Island Sound & Beyond sponsored by Aetna Founation
Explore our important relationship with fish – past, present and future – in “Go Fish! Long Island Sound & Beyond,” a permanent new exhibit featuring live local species and interactive displays, at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.
Centerpiece of the exhibit is a new 30,000-gallon tank stocked with cod, striped bass, Atlantic salmon, tautogs, wolffish and spiny dogfish sharks. Soon to be added to the tank is an enormous 7-foot Atlantic halibut, the largest species of flatfish on our coast.
“Go Fish!” will drive home the connection between the fish displayed in The Maritime Aquarium and the visitors who come to see them. The exhibit will urge visitors to “respect the fish” by understanding the cultural importance of fish and fishing – both recreational and commercial – and by realizing that our actions can overwhelm – or sustain – the oceans’ bounty.
Visitors will be encouraged to pledge to “Respect the Fish” after they go home, by always making informed seafood choices, getting a fishing license and obeying fishing rules, practicing catch-and-release fishing, and helping to clean and protect the environment.
“Happy Feet: The Ride” in 3-D SimulatedAdventure ride-film. Runs approximately every 15 minutes, daily. This motion-simulator ride film lets you experience "Happy Feet" as never before!
Located outside on the plaza. Ride-film tickets: $5.50 (Aquarium members save $1) in addition to Aquarium admission. Riders must be at least 36 inches tall to board and in good health.
a foraging strategy where adults take turns standing guard upright on their hind feet, watching for predators, while the others eat. As the popular “Meerkat Manor” television series showed, the family-based “mobs” are not lacking in daily drama – from internal relationship issues to battles with other “mobs” encroaching on their territory to the ever-present fear of jackals and eagles.
nd the visitors who come to see them. The exhibit will urge visitors to “respect the fish” by understanding the cultural importance of fish and fishing – both recreational and commercial – and by realizing that our actions can overwhelm – or sustain – the oceans’ bounty.
