- Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay
The Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay is a
public aquarium located at and owned by theMandalay Bay Resort and Casino inLas Vegas, Nevada . Its main tank is 1.3 million gallons (4.9 million liters), the third largest inNorth America . [ [http://wap.usatoday.com/detail.jsp?key=514866&rc=at_lv_cg_tr Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay] -USA Today Travel] The facility is 95,000 square feet (8,800 square meters), and displays numerous different species ofshark s, rays,fish ,reptile s, and marineinvertebrate s. It also features ashark tunnel .The Shark Reef Aquarium is the only Nevada institution accredited by the
American Zoo and Aquarium Association . While most aquariums are located close to theocean , the Shark Reef is exceptional in that it is located in adesert , far from any natural water source. The reef was developed in consultation with theVancouver Aquarium .History
The exhibits opened in 2000. In 2007, it underwent a re-branding campaign adding "Aquarium" to the official name. Shark Reef Aquarium officials stated that the re-branding is intended to present the actual nature of the habitat, as members of the public sometimes confused Shark Reef as a name for a bar, lounge, restaurant, etc.Fact|date=November 2007
Shark Reef Aquarium was the first closed-system aquarium in North America to exhibit a
great hammerhead shark. The female juvenile was less than four feet long when she was accidentally caught off the coast of Florida. The shark was successfully flown into Mandalay Bay in August 2001 on a record 16-hour flight in a special transportation tank designed specifically for it. It remained in a private quarantine tank for 2.5 years until the in-house aquarium husbandry team decided it had grown large enough where it would not fall prey to the other sharks in the exhibit tank. It measured six feet long when it was finally introduced among big public fanfare into the 1.3 million gallon tank on November 3, 2003 for public exhibition. After more than a year on exhibit, the specimen died suddenly and unexpectedly on December 16, 2004. A necropsy later attributed an intestinal infection as the cause of death. The specimen had grown to convert|6.5|ft|m and weighed in at 95 pounds at time of death. [ [http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Dec-18-Sat-2004/news/25505175.html Mandalay Bay's hammerhead dies] -Las Vegas Review-Journal ]References
External links
* [http://www.mandalaybay.com/entertainment/shark_reef.aspx Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay]
* [http://www.inetours.com/Las_Vegas/pages/Animal_exhibits.html Las Vegas Animal Exhibits]
* [http://wap.usatoday.com/detail.jsp?key=514866&rc=at_lv_cg_tr USAToday Travel page on the Shark Reef]
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