Our fifteen exhibits showcase aquatic environments from around the globe, ranging from the British coastline to Fijian coral reefs. A huge variety of aquatic life can be seen, displaying the massive variation in the body shapes, colours and behaviors of animals in different habitats.

Watch topical butterflies fly around a living rainforest display with South American fish swimming around in the flooded waters bellow. Nearby see the poison dart frogs and tropical tree frogs.

Get close to a live coral display and see reef fish move between and interact with this complex and vibrant habitat. Observe the symbiotic relationship between a clown fish and its host anemone.

Wonder at the bizarre structure and movement of pelagic jellyfish, moving around their purpose built aquarium

During your visit, you'll will not only get to see amazing animals up close but also learn about their interesting lives and the places where they live in the wild.

Theme

The Museum's Aquarium has been designed from the ground up with children in mind. Low level viewing windows and engaging interpretation introduce them to aquatic environments around the world and inspiring a deeper understanding of the natural world.Theme

The 2006 redevelopment focused on the conservation work being carried out around the world to protect and preserve the types of habitats shown in the aquarium. The in house and collaborative research work that we do behind the scenes has also become an increasing feature in showing how we learn about the world around us.

From the theme work outside the exhibit to the animals and plants inside, we strive to accurately represent wild habitats as closely as possible. This leads to great differences in appearance between the exhibits and enables us to display a large variety of animals in a geographical correct manner.

With its unique engaging design and layout, the aquarium encourages close up exploration of the animals in a personal way.

 

Activity packs

Download these activity packs and trails to use during your visit to the Aquarium.

• Aquarium - Animal Observation
  (19kb)

• Aquarium - Sea Shapes
  (213kb)