The Dallas Aquarium at Fair Park

Written by Jeff Heath

The Dallas Aquarium at Fair Park is a must for all visiting the Dallas area. The Art Deco building that houses the museum is a feature of fascinating architecture of its own. The Aquarium is located in the original Art Deco building that first opened to the public in 1936. Today the Aquarium offers more than 5,000 aquatic creatures. The Dallas Aquarium also participates in a number of national and international conservation and research projects and is a leader in the breeding of the endangered Texas blind

Lionfish in the Dallas Aquarium at Fair Park

Photo by Robert Cabello, Dallas Zoological Society

salamander and of several desert fishes that are already extinct in nature.

Key Exhibits at the Dallas Aquarium

The Amazon Flooded Forest exhibit showcases 25 species of fish from the Amazon River. The World of Aquatic Diversity features some 28 displays of unusual and bizarre varieties of salt-water and fresh-water species including nearly invisible glass catfish, upside down jellyfish and walking batfish. The Aquarium has daily fish feedings and live scuba demonstrations on the weekends. Some of the aquatic animals that are on display include a snapping turtle that weights 135 pounds, venomous lionfish, a 5-foot long electric eel, a 6-foot alligator, gar plus piranha, jellyfish and a giant Pacific octopus among others.

Scuba Diver Demonstration

Fish feedings and educational talks are scheduled for 2:30 p.m.every day except Monday at the Dallas Aquarium. A scuba diver gives a demonstration and talk each day. The clownfish is a featured specie. This extremely colorful fish lives safely among the poisonous tentacles of the anemone and even protects the plants from potential threats. The batfish is a bizarre creature with a nose like Pinocchio's which hovers over the sand. With its warty skin, it looks more like a shorn sheep than a fish. This is the shortnose

Children Interacting at the Dallas Aquarium

Photo by Robert Cabello, Dallas Zoological Society

batfish, Ogcocephalus nasutus, a shy creature found in shallow waters. There are about 60 batfish species, some living in diveable depths, others thriving on the edge of the ocean and usually half that size, leads a secretive life in sand and mud and has adapted itself to get the best from its environment. Its grotesque body is flat and broad, with a long, slender tail and a small mouth. Its gills with relatively small pores, located not behind the head but behind the arm-like pectoral fins. You may experience these fascinating creatures and their relationships when you visit the Dallas Aquarium.

Dallas Aquarium Schedules and Contacts

The Aquarium is located at First Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard. The Aquarium is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas days, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults (12+) and $1.50 for children (3-11). Members of the Dallas Zoological Society and children under 3 are free. For more information, call (214) 670-8443.