Henry Dorely Zoo Aquarium

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Henry Dorely Zoo Aquarium. This aquarium, located in Omaha, Nebraska, may be just about as far away from the ocean as it gets, but thanks to taxes and donations, everyone in this land-locked region can get a look at coasts around the world. And because this particular aquarium is the largest aquarium found in a zoo, there is a lot to see. Featured here are eleven exhibits, including the Open Oceans exhibit, and a Cold Pacific Oceans exhibit, as well as the Shark Reef, Ocean Drifters, and Coral Reef displays. The aquarium building, which is open year-round, doesn’t appear to be much from the outside. The only thing that distinguishes it from the café selling overpriced food and the gift shop selling …show more content…
They walls on all sides are lined floor to ceiling with small fish tanks, no larger than two square feet. In each of these tanks is a different species of fish. These are the fish that are so small they would be overlooked in a large display but are so unique and amazing that they couldn’t be left out of the displays. These tanks contain all kinds of fish, most of which are not well known. One tank contains a group of very small, and very colorful minnow-like fish, that dart back and forth in unison. Another contains a fish with ruffles around its entire body, which makes it look more like a clump of seaweed that a fish. Another tank contains long-pale fish that have made tunnels in the few inches of pebbles than line the bottom of their tank, and hide in them, sticking their heads out for a few seconds at a time, before slithering back down. There are so many tanks that something new is noticed every time someone walks through. And every time, they wonder how they could have missed …show more content…
This exhibit is an extremely large tank, with more than nine hundred thousand gallons of circulating seawater, filled with some of the most amazing animals the ocean has to offer. And thanks to the seventy-foot-long tunnel that runs through the tank, these creatures can be viewed from with sides, as well as overhead. This aspect of the exhibit separates it from the others. This display makes the tourist feel as if the ocean is watching them, instead of the opposite. Or perhaps, it’s the sharks to blame. Yes, in this display swims some of the most deadly creatures in the ocean. At first, the sharks seem menacing, with dark, black eyes and formidable teeth. However, the longer one observes these so-called killers, the more another, more peaceful, lazy side of these animals can be seen. It becomes apparent that the beady black eyes are not looking at the crown with hunger, but disinterest. This laziness, however, is no match for that of the giant sea turtles that meander about the water and prefer the solitude found in the nooks and crannies of this piece of the