The Living Planet Aquarium — Zoo & Aquarium in Draper

The Living Planet Aquarium and its collection

The Living Planet Aquarium, opened in 2014, is an aquarium in Draper, United States.

The aquarium holds 4,500 animals of 550 species, arranged across five principal galleries.

History

Its founder, Brent Andersen, a native of Utah who studied marine biology at UC Santa Barbara, set it up in 1997. A refit on 24 October 2013 brought Discover Utah, holding cutthroat trout, desert tortoises and river otters, and Expedition: Asia began on 15 June 2016 as a touring display. In 2020 the Rio Tinto Kennecott Plaza was added.

Animals and collection

Animals on show include North American River Otter, Macaroni Penguins, Clouded Leopards, Gentoo Penguins and Komodo Dragon.

Exhibits

Ocean Explorer covers saltwater life worldwide and includes nine shark species, while Antarctic Adventure is staged as a Falkland Islands research base with gentoo penguins. The South America gallery is built as rainforest, holding a 14-foot yellow anaconda, caiman, electric eels and poison dart frogs.

Things to do

Things to do include Yoga with the Sharks, Penguin Encounters, Stingray Encounters, EECO Voyager and Tuki's Island Theatre.

What the venue says

• Yoga with the Sharks
• EECO Voyager
• Tuki's Island Theatre
• large parking lot
• fully wheelchair accessible, with smooth pathways, ramps, and elevators to navigate between exhibit levels
• Strollers are allowed throughout the aquarium, making it easy to navigate with young children