Oregon Coast Aquarium - Newport, Oregon - large aquarium with aviary in Oregon



The Oregon Coast Aquarium had been ranked one of the top ten aquariums in the United States and is home to thousands of sea creatures. It is most well known for being home to Keiko, the killer whale from the movie Free Willy until the creatures was transported to Iceland and was released back into the wild. The zoo has 500 species represented in a number of exhibits, both indoors and outdoors, and they attract thousands of visitors every year.

Passages of the Deep is one of the most popular exhibits at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. This is the where Keiko once lived, and today, visitors can still see several species of marine life while walking through acrylic tunnels surrounded by sea water. The exhibit is home to sharks, bat rays, rockfish, and a number of other sea creatures, and has a shipwreck in one area that serves as a home and hiding area to the fish.

Another popular exhibit at the Oregon Coast Aquarium is called Oddwater. This exhibit tells visitors "it's ok to be weird'' and is billed as an exhibit that "combines art and marine biology.'' Oddwater features a number of the more bizarre sea creatures in the ocean, and it teaches visitors about why these strange animals have adapted the way they have. Some of the species included in Oddwater are the pufferfsh, the chambered nautilus, the lion fish, the silvery fish, and the bridled burrfish. The exhibit also has a number of art pieces exploring many of the weird fish of the sea.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium also has a Sea Bird Aviary, which features marine birds like the tufted puffins, pigeon guillemots, black oyster catchers, and rhinoceros auklets. These birds eat sea life like clams and crabs, and this is one of the largest aviaries of this kind in North America.

There are other exhibits at the Oregon Coast Aquarium as well. In the jellies exhibits, guests can see moon jellies, lion's mane jellies, crystal jellies, egg yolk jellies, upside-down jellies, and sea gooseberries. In the sea otter exhibit, guests can watch species such as the northern sea otter and southern sea otter play and live with one another. This exhibit has a 65,000-gallon pool, beaches, rocks, and everything the otters need to be happy. Lastly, the sea lions and seals exhibit is home to animals ranging from 12 to 28 years old. Six sea lions enjoy living with five harbor seals at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in an enclosure with a 90,000-gallon tank, as well as rocks and beaches.

The aquarium offers special animal encounters that allow guests to get up close and personal with some of the species at the aquarium, including the sea lions and the sea otters. There are also special events at the aquarium, as well as educational opportunities for children of all ages. There are even outreach programs where keepers will bring animals to schools, camps for kids, and programs where guests can stay over night to "sleep with the sharks.'' The Oregon Coast Aquarium is open from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and during the winter, they are open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and guests can call or more information about any of their special programs.

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