The oceanarium in St. Petersburg operates on the basis of the Planet Neptune complex. It opened its doors to visitors in 2006. Since then, its popularity has only increased. It regularly updates the representatives of the underwater world of the seas and oceans. There are also various shows with sharks and seals.
Where is it and how to get there?
The official address of the Aquarium in St. Petersburg: st. Marat, 186. You can get here by metro - st. "Pushkin" and "Zvenigorod".
The complex operates daily from 10.00 to 20.00. Tickets for adults - 600-750 rubles., For children from 7 years old - 400-550 rubles., 5-6 years - 150 rubles. Children under 4 years old have free admission. Ticket price varies depending on the day of the week and season.
Description
The premises of the aquarium in St. Petersburg occupies 5000 m 2 . 48 aquariums are installed here. The largest of them has a volume of 750,000 liters of water. In all, over 190 species of various organisms, fish, and animals are represented in all expositions.
If you go through all the halls, you can get acquainted with many underwater residents from almost all over the world. There is a glass tunnel, once in which you can "face to face" to encounter sharks or colorful exotic fish.
Expositions
The first zone that occurs along the way is the freshwater inhabitants of the northwest. Here are the main representatives of the fish that are characteristic for this region. Despite the fact that these underwater inhabitants live in our rivers and lakes, many visitors to the oceanarium in St. Petersburg used to see only in pictures.
Here are presented:
- silver crucian;
- rudd;
- perch;
- Russian sturgeon;
- carp;
- sterlet;
- pike and others
The next zone is dedicated to the tropical climate. Because of the constant rains, constantly very high humidity is in it. Rivers are regularly filled with fresh water. They flood large forest areas. Therefore, the underwater inhabitants of this zone had to adapt to regular migration.
The most interesting representatives of these latitudes in the aquarium of St. Petersburg are sprayers. These are small fish that live in schools. They release a strong stream of water from the mouth with extreme accuracy and thus knock down insects that fly by.
Also in the aquariums of this zone are the famous piranhas, dragon fish, stingrays, etc.
Other areas
The rocky coast is represented by many unusual fish. For example, here you can see how angler fish hunt for their prey. It has a sharp process from the fin, which is deployed towards the head. At its end is a bait for the victim.
This area has an open aquarium. In it, you can observe the process of feeding stingrays or how starfish move. In this area, bamboo sharks lead their detached life , which are distinguished by their small size - 70 cm in length as an adult.
The main aquarium attracts most visitors. At a depth of 3 m, a tunnel is equipped in it. A moving track works here. Its total length is 31 meters. Spectators are protected from water and its inhabitants by eight-centimeter acrylic glass.
Here, large sharks can swim right above your head. And also almost at arm's length, terrifying moray eels peep out of the caves. Shark shows are held in this pool.
Experienced divers plunge into the water column and prove that not only dolphins can be trained, but also the most formidable inhabitants of the oceans.
The coral reef zone has the most numerous expositions of various organisms. Exotic fish live here, so other aquariums cannot compare with this in the diversity and brightness of colors.
History of Minds
Many visitors wonder why seals live in St. Petersburg’s aquarium. An interesting story is connected with this moment. In the spring of 2007, a call came to the institution in which a man said that he had found a small seal on the railway tracks.
He was taken to the aquarium, and the vets examined the baby. It was found that this is a female gray Baltic seal. Specialists long and painstakingly looked after her. The female was given the nickname Umka (from the word clever), because from the first days the baby showed her "intelligence".
So that the common pet would not be bored, two more seals were purchased - Gosha and Dasha. Now experienced instructors deal with animals, and they have good success. The aquarium hosts show programs with their participation. Seals already boldly carry out more than 20 teams.
Reviews about the aquarium in St. Petersburg
On various sites and forums you can find many different comments about the work of the complex. Guests note that, having been once in the tunnel, I want to come here again. Because it seems that you are a part of the underwater world in the ocean.
From the first steps in it, at first a little fear and misunderstanding envelops you, how a huge shark can fly over your head, but then your feelings change to delight and admiration.
Show programs involving animals and fish are in great demand. Both adults and children are interested to see how the feeding of predators proceeds. And also small seals amaze with their ingenuity and activity.
All guests are satisfied with the opening hours of the aquarium in St. Petersburg. They note that you can visit it at almost any time and a trip to the city does not need to be adjusted to the mode of operation of the center.
And also many are satisfied with the location of the Aquarium in St. Petersburg. It is easy to get to it by metro and you don’t need to “jump” on public transport and travel long distances with small children on foot.
Many parents are happy with the opportunity to attend classes at the oceanarium. A special class is equipped for them. Children learn the underwater world in the form of a game and visually near aquariums.