[quote]This $735,000 project is the first of many planned Aquarium exhibits which will take our visitors on a fully immersive journey into diverse habitats” — Jesse Gilbert, Texas State Aquarium Vice President & Chief Operating Officer.[/quote]
Corpus Christi, TX, USA — The Texas State Aquarium announces that the public grand opening of its newest exhibit, Nearshore, took place on Wednesday, April 9. Construction of the new $735,000 exhibit began in November 2013.
The new exhibit is the first area visitor’s encounter as they enter the Aquarium – creating an introduction to the Gulf of Mexico and the gradual deepening of waters as guests tour the facility. The Nearshore exhibit portrays life at the shoreline, where sand dunes and mangroves meet shallow saltwater habitats. The new space houses species both beneath and above the water – from Atlantic stingrays, American alligators, flounder and spotted sea trout, to avian species like the roseate spoonbill, green heron, and white ibis.
Many of the animals in the new Nearshore exhibit were brought to the Aquarium’s Second Chances Wildlife Rehabilitation Program injured or ill, were rehabilitated and deemed not releasable, and now serve as ambassadors to their wild counterparts.