Jump to content

Miami Seaquarium

Coordinates: 25°43′59″N 80°09′56″W / 25.733°N 80.165525°W / 25.733; -80.165525
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by SimplyNYC (talk | contribs) at 17:30, 12 January 2011. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Miami Seaquarium
The killer whale show at the Seaquarium, starring Lolita.
Map
Date openedSeptember 24, 1955[1]
LocationVirginia Key, Miami, Florida USA
Land area38 acres (0.15 km²)
MembershipsAlliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums AMMPA

The Miami Seaquarium is a 38 acres (15 ha) oceanarium located on the island of Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States and is located near downtown Miami. It is the longest operating oceanarium in the United States.[1] In addition to the marine mammals, the Miami Seaquarium also houses various fish, sharks, sea turtles, birds, reptiles and manatees. The park offers eight different marine animal shows and presentations daily and attracts over 600,000 visitors per year.[1] The park employs over 225 full and part-time employees. It is the third largest contributor to Miami-Dade County’s revenue through land lease payments and taxes.[1]

History

In 1945, as construction of a causeway to Virginia Key was nearing completion, the county offered to give the University of Miami the land adjacent to the Miami Seaquarium for a marine lab in exchange for UM operating a proposed new aquarium.[2] However, the aquarium project was delayed when a municipal bond referendum failed, so UM leased the land instead in 1951, and was separated from the proposed aquarium. The park was founded by Fred D. Coppock and Captain W.B. Gray and was the second marine-life attraction in South Florida. Upon its grand opening in 1955, it was the largest marine-life attraction in the world.[citation needed] From 1963 through 1967, 88 television episodes and two movies starring Flipper were filmed at Miami Seaquarium.

Lolita (Tokitae) the Killer Whale

One of Miami Seaquarium's attractions is Lolita, also known as Tokitae, the park's female orca.

  • Lolita, the Killer Whale.
    Lolita, the Killer Whale.
  • The dolphin show at the Miami Seaquarium.
    The dolphin show at the Miami Seaquarium.


See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d "History of the Miami Seaquarium". Retrieved 2007-11-30.
  2. ^ "History". Retrieved 2009-11-21.


25°43′59″N 80°09′56″W / 25.733°N 80.165525°W / 25.733; -80.165525

Template:MiamiDadeFL-geo-stub

Stub icon

This article on a zoo, aquarium, safari park, dolphinarium, or aviary is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Miami_Seaquarium&oldid=407501322"