Aquario Vasco da Gama

City: Lisbon
Country: Portugal
Province: Lisbon

Opend 1898

 

Species 200

 

 The Invertebrate Gallery, which starts the living animal’s exhibition, is dedicated to the marine invertebrates from the Portuguese coast. The species are kept in 19 small tanks (100 l of capacity) arranged in sequence, displaying the increasing complexity that separates the most primitive forms (sponges) from the more evolved ones (echinoderms and chordates). Another exhibition area including 36 tanks with a capacity that varies between 600 and 25 000 litters is also dedicated to the Portuguese Marine Fauna .The freshwater fauna is another of the Aquarium attractions. The exhibition includes three areas, each of one corresponding to a different kind of fauna: one group includes 12 tanks, with 100l of capacity, exhibiting small fishes separated according to their geographic origin; the second group is composed of 16 tanks (with capacities varying between 140l and 4600 l) showing some fishes with interesting characteristics from the morphological, physiological or ethological point of view; the third group is composed by different species displayed in 2 aqua terrariums (2600l and 4800 l). The tropical marine fauna displayed in 5 aquariums with a capacity of 1150 l occupies another of the exhibition area. The marine mammals are also represented by a group of 2 South African Fur Seals - Arctocephalus pusillus (Schreber, 1776) living in a 45 000 l capacity tank.