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Oregon Coast Aquarium Readies New Exhibit of the Odd |
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Covering 180 miles of Oregon coast travel: Astoria, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Manzanita, Nehalem, Wheeler, Rockaway, Garibaldi, Tillamook, Oceanside, Pacific City, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, Newport, Waldport, Yachats & Florence.
05/01/08
Secrets of the Season |
Oregon Coast Aquarium Gets Ready for Exhibit of the Odd
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| A bridal burrfish will welcome visitors to Oddwater |
(Newport, Oregon) - It's called Oddwater, and it will soon be the next big thing at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
It’s taking some preparation, however, with a fair amount of construction still needed before this wild and wacky exhibit allows the gawkers in.
Oddwater will open Memorial Day weekend. As the name implies, Oddwater offers encounters with strange marine life. It will take a look at some of the most bizarre life forms in the ocean and show how their unusual adaptations help them survive. As opening day draws near, animals arrive, holding areas and habitats are prepared and the exhibit is taking shape.
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“Our goal with Oddwater was to create a fresh, illuminative, and somewhat odd look that we haven't seen before,” said Jim Burke, Aquarium Director of Animal Husbandry. “The concept originated well over a year ago from two members of the Animal Husbandry Team, Kevin Clifford and Warren Shead, and has now developed into an extraordinary mixed media exhibit.”
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| More wild sights inside the Oregon Coast Aquarium |
Colorful blown art glass, created by artists at The Edge Art Gallery, has been placed inside the tanks of the displays, complementing the strange creatures of Oddwater. “We have created a stunning and educational fusion of two very different things, art and aquaria,” said Burke. “The glass art was created specifically for each display based on the actual habitat structures and the requirements of the animals.”
The idea of Oddwater is to offer an experience that will educate, entertain and enlighten visitors about life forms and sub aquatic landscapes most people never see. The exhibit will demonstrate how extreme environments require specialized adaptations, resulting in strange appearances in some species. Among the species featured in Oddwater is the chambered nautilus, noticed for its unusual movement using jet propulsion. The lion fish, with its venomous spines is a fatal beauty to unsuspecting prey. Oddwater will take a look at these and many other ocean life forms, showing visitors how their unusual and sometimes bizarre adaptations help them survive.
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| A lionfish at Oregon Coast Aquarium |
As visitors enter Oddwater, they will see a giant screen showing video footage of the most peculiar marine life forms of all, which also happen to be the most inaccessible. Throughout the exhibit will be digital images and colorful murals painted by artist Michael Cole.
Oddwater’s
interactive components will include a stingray touch pool where visitors
will be encouraged to touch stingrays - which are harmless when their
barbs are trimmed. A crawl through tank will offer a close look at “lookdowns,”
a silvery, round fish with a blunt forehead. Interactive audio stations
throughout the exhibit will allow visitors to hear details about Oddwater
species.
The animals for this exhibit were chosen by the staff because of their interesting adaptations, their distinctness or their oddness, according to Burke. “It is great to be part of this innovative effort and we are very proud of what we will be sharing with our guests beginning Memorial Day Weekend!”
The Oregon Coast Aquarium is on Ferry Slip Road, in South Beach, across the bay from Newport. (541) 867-3474. www.aquarium.org.
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