Oklahoma Aquarium Expanding

[sgrizzle]

They are currently building a beach/boardwalk area for outdoor events and to tie into a future path connecting the aquarium to riverwalk crossing.

They have added several exhibits inside, including some interactive ones that are quite nice. A lot of overall finish work has been accomplished over the past two years and now they are looking at phase 2 projects. Many more small displays are planned once the walls are moved out. A tank for six foot sea turtles likely will not be complete for two years.

[MichaelC]

Mammals begin landing at the Ok Aquarium.

From Tulsa World

quote:
JENKS -- The Oklahoma Aquarium's first mammals -- two young beavers that have been in a behind-the-scenes holding area since October -- made their public debut Friday.

The rodents weren't shy about their first appearance. In fact, the sisters showed signs of basking in their new-found exposure.

"I saw one in the water," said 4-year-old Jacob Hopper. "It swam."

The beavers are in a temporary facility with wood chips and a swimming tank until the aquarium's new Hayes Family Ozark Stream exhibit is complete sometime in October.

The new exhibit was made possible through the efforts of the late Mark Hayes, who was passionate about preserving the state's scenic rivers.

The beavers will eventually join otters, raccoons, and fish native to the state, such as green sunfish, bluegill and smallmouth bass.

The beavers will be allowed to do as they please in the permanent exhibit but so far have shown no signs of damming other than piling sticks where they sleep, said Christa Clawson, biology supervisor.

"We'll have to wait and see if they try to block the water," Clawson said.

The beavers, about 11-months-old, have grown considerably since they were orphaned and rescued during last year's drought.

They weigh 20 to 25 pounds and may grow to be four-feet-long and
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60 pounds.

[TheArtist]

Bout time for bringing in the "cute and cuddly" element to the aquarium. I realized they weren't going to do the dolphin thing, so immediately thought of having a cute otter exhibit to bring some life and fun to the place.  The sharks have their entertainment value of course, but the rest of the exhibits full of eels, crabs, and catfish can be a bit one dimensional.   Yes I know they are educational, but your more likely to leave the aquarium with a smile thinking about how cute the otters or beavers were than you are to look fondly back on how entertaining the sea slugs were on your visit. []

[sgrizzle]

The exhibit sounds cool, I just hope this is one of very few exhibits where they put non-aquatic animals. The Zoo in dallas continued this theme too far and had more birds and monkeys than they had fish.

[DM]

quote:Originally posted by TheArtist

Bout time for bringing in the "cute and cuddly" element to the aquarium. I realized they weren't going to do the dolphin thing, so immediately thought of having a cute otter exhibit to bring some life and fun to the place.  The sharks have their entertainment value of course, but the rest of the exhibits full of eels, crabs, and catfish can be a bit one dimensional.   Yes I know they are educational, but your more likely to leave the aquarium with a smile thinking about how cute the otters or beavers were than you are to look fondly back on how entertaining the sea slugs were on your visit. []

My only problem with the sharks is that they feed them on Mondays at 1PM. Why not feed them during the weekend so that more people might gather to watch. I went over there once to see it and it was pretty interesting to see. Pretty small thing but I really like the aquarium. It really reminds me of the Monterey Bay Aquarium when it first opened. Just a little smaller. []

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by DM

quote:Originally posted by TheArtist

Bout time for bringing in the "cute and cuddly" element to the aquarium. I realized they weren't going to do the dolphin thing, so immediately thought of having a cute otter exhibit to bring some life and fun to the place.  The sharks have their entertainment value of course, but the rest of the exhibits full of eels, crabs, and catfish can be a bit one dimensional.   Yes I know they are educational, but your more likely to leave the aquarium with a smile thinking about how cute the otters or beavers were than you are to look fondly back on how entertaining the sea slugs were on your visit. []

My only problem with the sharks is that they feed them on Mondays at 1PM. Why not feed them during the weekend so that more people might gather to watch. I went over there once to see it and it was pretty interesting to see. Pretty small thing but I really like the aquarium. It really reminds me of the Monterey Bay Aquarium when it first opened. Just a little smaller. []

The sharks are fed twice a week, Monday and Thursday. It is done during weekdays as feeding during busier times would cause too many people trying to watch it. This is a problem not just because the sharks are sensitive to crowds and noise, but also because you would have to have crowd control and forcibly move people through the exhibit. They aquarium wants to maintain a "stay as long as you want" policy for all of it's exhibits.

[DM]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

quote:Originally posted by DM

quote:Originally posted by TheArtist

Bout time for bringing in the "cute and cuddly" element to the aquarium. I realized they weren't going to do the dolphin thing, so immediately thought of having a cute otter exhibit to bring some life and fun to the place.  The sharks have their entertainment value of course, but the rest of the exhibits full of eels, crabs, and catfish can be a bit one dimensional.   Yes I know they are educational, but your more likely to leave the aquarium with a smile thinking about how cute the otters or beavers were than you are to look fondly back on how entertaining the sea slugs were on your visit. []

My only problem with the sharks is that they feed them on Mondays at 1PM. Why not feed them during the weekend so that more people might gather to watch. I went over there once to see it and it was pretty interesting to see. Pretty small thing but I really like the aquarium. It really reminds me of the Monterey Bay Aquarium when it first opened. Just a little smaller. []

The sharks are fed twice a week, Monday and Thursday. It is done during weekdays as feeding during busier times would cause too many people trying to watch it. This is a problem not just because the sharks are sensitive to crowds and noise, but also because you would have to have crowd control and forcibly move people through the exhibit. They aquarium wants to maintain a "stay as long as you want" policy for all of it's exhibits.

Makes sense. I just found it really cool to see them be feed. After I posted, I thought about it and the kids that go there for a field trip would also benefit from them being fed during the week.

Does anyone know how much of the land they own? There is a lot of space to the west of the pond that runs along the Creek turnpike. I was just wondering if that might be for future development or something. If not, it would be cool to have some little shops or restaurants along there.

[RecycleMichael]

Originally posted by DM

After I posted, I thought about it and the kids that go there for a field trip would also benefit from them being fed during the week. /quote]

Are you saying the kids should be fed...or the kids should be fed to the sharks?

I am all for the kids being fed during the week, but I am against feeding the kids to the sharks.

[MichaelC]

quote:Originally posted by recyclemichael

but I am against feeding the kids to the sharks.

That's not what you said last week.  Flip-flopper.

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by DM


Does anyone know how much of the land they own? There is a lot of space to the west of the pond that runs along the Creek turnpike. I was just wondering if that might be for future development or something. If not, it would be cool to have some little shops or restaurants along there.

Between both overpasses, levy to the river. They plan on selling/leasing lands to complentary business as the aquarium grows (like the hotel or soon-to-be-built restaurant.)

[DM]

quote:Originally posted by recyclemichael

Originally posted by DM

After I posted, I thought about it and the kids that go there for a field trip would also benefit from them being fed during the week. /quote]

Are you saying the kids should be fed...or the kids should be fed to the sharks?

I am all for the kids being fed during the week, but I am against feeding the kids to the sharks.

Oh I dont know, I know of a few kids I would not mind being fed to the sharks. lol! Just kidding. [}:)]