Oklahoma Aquarium Extends Turtle Special
The Oklahoma Aquarium is in the giving spirit and has extended the 2-For-1 Tuesdays and Turtle Tours through December.
Every Tuesday through December, the Oklahoma Aquarium is offering one free admission with each paid admission. The two majestic Loggerhead Sea Turtles, not yet on display, can be seen every half hour for just a $2 suggested donation. The Oklahoma Aquarium is also open late, till 9 p.m. on Tuesdays, to make this experience more convenient.
The two Loggerhead Sea Turtles were donated to the Oklahoma Aquarium in 2004 by the Virginia Marine Science Center. They are in a holding facility while funds are being raised to construct a permanent home for the gentle giants. Once completed, the addition to the Oklahoma Aquarium will allow guests to see and appreciate the once endangered species every visit. These two male turtles could not be released into the wild because they’ve been in captivity since hatching. They’re 11 years old now, but sea turtles can live to 75 or even longer.
The behind-the-scenes turtle tours also give patrons a sneak preview of other exhibits in the Oklahoma Aquarium’s future. Two orphaned and rescued baby beavers are housed just a few feet away from the sea turtles. They will become part of the Hayes Family Ozark Stream Exhibit set to open in 2007. The baby beavers, or kits, are victims of Oklahoma’s drought. Dried up ponds left many beaver dams exposed and vulnerable to predators. The landowners found the kits after the parents were killed by dogs. Caretakers hand-raised and bottle-fed the babies, now 8 months old, until the recent transfer to the Oklahoma Aquarium. The kits are the aquarium’s very first mammal residents.
Since opening in 2003, the Oklahoma Aquarium has continued to expand and update exhibits with one million gallons of water and hundreds of aquatic species including stingrays, seahorses, octopuses, giant catfish and alligator gar. The Oklahoma Aquarium is also home to the largest and most bull sharks in captivity. Guests can view these fascinating creatures swimming all around and even overhead through a unique walk through glass tunnel. Touch tanks provide visitors a one-of-a-kind hands-on experience with stingrays and small sharks. The Karl and Beverly White National Fishing Tackle Museum, located in the Oklahoma Aquarium, features a more than 20,000 piece collection valued at more than $4 million. For more information call (918) 296-FISH or visit www.okaquarium.org.
Updated 12-19-2006
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