One of Toronto\u2019s newest big attractions is Ripley\u2019s Aquarium of Canada<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, with underwater creatures and habitats from across the globe.   It’s in a fabulous location, on the harborfront adjoining the CN Tower, Rogers Center and the Convention Center.  The aquarium is said to be the largest in North America (with more tank capacity than even the Monterey Bay aquarium, making it one of the top five by size in the world).  It has a great architectural design reminding me of a massive whale with it’s mouth open ready to gobble up the tourist throngs and their cash.  The complex is massive and sprawling, at 12,500 sq m (135,000 sq ft) and with 5.7 million liters (1.5 million) gallons of tank capacity.  Over 16,000 animals are on display, including jellyfish, tropical fish, seahorses, stingrays and many more.  Of course, you can’t have an aquarium without a shark display, and Ripley\u2019s has a magnificent predatory shark exhibit including long sand tiger sharks and largetooth sawfish sharks, some reaching up to 3 meters in length (about 10 feet).<\/p>\n

There’s a well-defined path that takes you through the aquarium and this blog more or less follows the path the aquarium has designed to take you through its exhibits.  There’s a lot of photos in the slideshow below, and I’ve inserted several YouTube clips to give you a good feel for what these exhibits are like.<\/p>\n

CANADIAN WATERS Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n

A highlight of the aquarium is its displays of Canadian aquatic life, including fresh and salt water exhibits.  The first major tanks you encounter show the large freshwater fish of the Great Lakes, and another a Pacific Kelp Forest.   There are many other smaller exhibits include octopus, eel, anenomes, lobster, and many more.<\/p>\n