Centre de la Mer et des Eaux
Encyclopedia
The Centre de la Mer et des Eaux is an aquarium
and museum of marine life located in the 5th arrondissement in the building of the Institut Océanographique at 195, rue Saint-Jacques, Paris
, France
. It is open daily except Monday; an admission fee is charged.
The Institut Océanographique was established in 1906 by Albert I, Prince of Monaco
, and inaugurated in 1911. In addition to research laboratories and amphitheaters, the institute contains the Centre de la Mer et des Eaux dedicated to educating the public about marine life and related environmental issues. Its displays present aspects of oceanography
and marine technology, as well as scale models, reconstructions of marine landscapes, and aquariums.
The center contains a set of 6 aquariums, each containing from 500 to 4,000 liters of seawater
for a total volume of 15,000 liters, as follows:
An additional terrarium contains turtle
s given to the museum when they have become too large and aggressive for home cultivation. Special displays explain and explain the richness of life in coastal and around hydrothermal vent
s, and illustrate the relationships between humans and four types of shellfish
(scallop
, oyster
, cowry
, and the nautilus
).
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
and museum of marine life located in the 5th arrondissement in the building of the Institut Océanographique at 195, rue Saint-Jacques, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is open daily except Monday; an admission fee is charged.
The Institut Océanographique was established in 1906 by Albert I, Prince of Monaco
Albert I, Prince of Monaco
Albert I was Prince of Monaco and Duke of Valentinois from 10 September 1889 until his death.-Early life:...
, and inaugurated in 1911. In addition to research laboratories and amphitheaters, the institute contains the Centre de la Mer et des Eaux dedicated to educating the public about marine life and related environmental issues. Its displays present aspects of oceanography
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
and marine technology, as well as scale models, reconstructions of marine landscapes, and aquariums.
The center contains a set of 6 aquariums, each containing from 500 to 4,000 liters of seawater
Seawater
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
for a total volume of 15,000 liters, as follows:
- Pool 1 - fish of the coral reefCoral reefCoral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
- Pool 2 - reef coral and fauna that live within it
- Pool 3 - Brightly colored fish
- Pool 4 - Small fish
- Pool 5 - Clown fish and sea anemoneSea anemoneSea anemones are a group of water-dwelling, predatory animals of the order Actiniaria; they are named after the anemone, a terrestrial flower. Sea anemones are classified in the phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa, subclass Zoantharia. Anthozoa often have large polyps that allow for digestion of larger...
- Pool 6 - The French AtlanticAtlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
coast (shellfishShellfishShellfish is a culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some kinds are found only in freshwater...
, sea urchinSea urchinSea urchins or urchins are small, spiny, globular animals which, with their close kin, such as sand dollars, constitute the class Echinoidea of the echinoderm phylum. They inhabit all oceans. Their shell, or "test", is round and spiny, typically from across. Common colors include black and dull...
s, sea anemoneSea anemoneSea anemones are a group of water-dwelling, predatory animals of the order Actiniaria; they are named after the anemone, a terrestrial flower. Sea anemones are classified in the phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa, subclass Zoantharia. Anthozoa often have large polyps that allow for digestion of larger...
s, and starfish, in water chilled to 12° C)
An additional terrarium contains turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
s given to the museum when they have become too large and aggressive for home cultivation. Special displays explain and explain the richness of life in coastal and around hydrothermal vent
Hydrothermal vent
A hydrothermal vent is a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water issues. Hydrothermal vents are commonly found near volcanically active places, areas where tectonic plates are moving apart, ocean basins, and hotspots. Hydrothermal vents exist because the earth is both...
s, and illustrate the relationships between humans and four types of shellfish
Shellfish
Shellfish is a culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some kinds are found only in freshwater...
(scallop
Scallop
A scallop is a marine bivalve mollusk of the family Pectinidae. Scallops are a cosmopolitan family, found in all of the world's oceans. Many scallops are highly prized as a food source...
, oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
, cowry
Cowry
Cowry, also sometimes spelled cowrie, plural cowries, is the common name for a group of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries...
, and the nautilus
Nautilus
Nautilus is the common name of marine creatures of cephalopod family Nautilidae, the sole extant family of the superfamily Nautilaceae and of its smaller but near equal suborder, Nautilina. It comprises six living species in two genera, the type of which is the genus Nautilus...
).