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Toba Aquarium

Coordinates: 34°28′54″N 136°50′45″E / 34.48167°N 136.84583°E / 34.48167; 136.84583
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Toba Aquarium
Toba Aquarium Front entrance Map
Map
34°28′54″N 136°50′45″E / 34.48167°N 136.84583°E / 34.48167; 136.84583
Date openedMay 1955
LocationToba, Mie, Japan
Floor space24,981 m2 (268,890 sq ft)[1]
No. of animals30,000[1]
No. of species1,200[1]
Total volume of tanks6,000,000 litres (1,585,000 US gal) [1]
Annual visitors947,000 (2013)
MembershipsJAZA[2]
Websitewww.aquarium.co.jp/index.php

Toba Aquarium (鳥羽水族館, Toba-suizokukan) is a public aquarium in Toba, Mie, Japan.

The aquarium is described as a "quality aquarium",[3] housing some 25,000 individuals representing 1,200 species in 12 distinct zones. It is accredited as a Registered Museum by the Museum Act from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.[4]

In 2015, the number of visitors to the aquarium exceeded 60 million.[5]

History

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Entire aquarium facility

Toba Aquarium opened May 1955. It was founded by Haruaki Nakamura, now the honorary president.

The first aquarium was a "handmade aquarium" with a 200 tsubo pond divided into four sections and stocked with penguins, sea lions, sea bream, and yellowtail, etc. The aquarium was marketed as having a guide.[6][7][8][9]

In 1956, the aquarium became the Toba Aquarium Corporation, and on January 31, 1958, it was designated as a private museum under the Museum Law.[10]

The aquarium was originally west of its current site, but when it became too cramped, the current site, the former Toba factory of Shinko Denki, was acquired and the first phase of construction was completed on July 2, 1990. On April 1, 1996, the official website was launched and online shopping began.[11][12]

On August 3, 2009, the number of visitors reached 55 million, a first in Japan. On March 8, 2010, the museum's 55th anniversary, the number of visitors reached 5,555,555, and on April 2, 2015, its 60th anniversary, the number reached 60 million.[13]

Research and conservation

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Serena the dugong was a gift from the Philippine government in 1987.

The museum also focuses on the protection and nurturing of rare marine life in danger of extinction, and holds the world records for the birth of a baby snapping turtle and Japan's first second-generation sea otter, the world record for dugong breeding at 11,475 days (31 years and 5 months), and the world record for nautilus breeding. The male dugong Junichi, who had broken the world record, died on February 10, 2011 at the estimated age of 33.[14][15]

Toba Aquarium has had 20 cases of Commerson's dolphin births in the past. Commerson's dolphin "Stella" has been in captivity for 22 years and gave birth on June 21, 2023 at 6:42 AM, her fifth case.[16]

Taxidermy of Megamouth shark

Toba Aquarium is dedicated to the study of megamouth shark. Megamouths have been captured four times in the past off the coast of Mie Prefecture, and a stuffed specimen, measuring 5.2 meters in length, was landed off the coast of Mie in 2005. This specimen was dissected and put in formalin to study its feeding habits.[17]

In 2011 and 2017, megamouth sharks were captured alive, and an official from the breeding and research department of the Toba Aquarium in Mie Prefecture said, "There are only 120 cases of discovery in the world and about 20 in Japan, so it is rare to see them alive." The shark was captured alive in 2017.The sharks were released because their large size made transportation to the aquarium difficult.[18][19]

Bathynomus giganteus

He is also working on research on Bathynomus giganteus. In the past, Bathynomus giganteus "No. 1" fasted for an extended period of time and has not responded to monthly feeding since January 2, 2009, reaching its sixth year of fasting in January 2014.[20] Although Bathynomus giganteus have always been resistant to starvation, there has never been a case of a Bathynomus giganteus fasting for such a long period of time, and a plan was made to broadcast niconico for a long time to show Bathynomus giganteuss in a fasting state. However, on February 14, 2014, at around 5:00 p.m., when the keepers came to feed the animals in time for Valentine's Day, "No. 1" was confirmed dead.[21]

On February 12, 2016, they were able to photograph and record the process of "No. 5" molting.[22][23][24][25][26] The shell had been whitening and showing signs since the beginning of the year, and we were able to confirm that the molt had begun early in the morning of the 12th, and were able to photograph and record the process. The molt ended around 14:00 on the 12th. This was the first video footage of the molting process that could be recorded, at least in Japan.[27]

In May 2020, an Bathynomus giganteus defecated for the first time in two years.[28]

On February 18, 2014, a memorial program for Bathynomus giganteus No. 1, who fasted for a long period of time, was broadcast live on niconico, temporarily taking down the Toba Aquarium's server.[29] A memorial program was also broadcast after the death of Bathynomus giganteus No. 9.[30]

Facilities

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Dugong dugon
Commerson's dolphin
Bester sturgeon
African manatee in Jungle World Tanks

The aquarium is divided into 12 main zones.[31]

Underwater Induction Ceremony

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Toba Aquarium holds an annual "Underwater Induction Ceremony" inside a large aquarium tank.[32]

Initiated by a senior staff member of the aquarium, the ceremony will be held for the 13th time in 2019; in 2020, viewing will be limited to approximately 30 relatives of new employees and general visitors to prevent the spread of the epidemic of new coronavirus infection.[33][34]

In the ceremony, the new employees (keepers), dressed in wet suits over their suits, enter the tank with cylinders on their backs, underwater glasses and fins on their feet, receive a waterproofed letter of appointment, and polish the glass of the tank underwater as their "first job". The ceremony is open to the public, and the new employees address the visitors underwater; one of the 2013 new employees commented after the ceremony, "I want to provide information that is not on Wikipedia."[34]

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d "Data". aquarium.co.jp. Toba Aquarium. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  2. ^ "Member's List/Aquarium". jazga.or.jp. JAZA. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  3. ^ "入場者数減に歯止めをかけた水族館再生の情報戦略". Bizコンパス. NTTコム オンライン・マーケティング・ソリューション. 2015-02-24. Archived from the original on 2015-03-11. Retrieved 2015-03-11.
  4. ^ "法律上の位置付けがある登録博物館・指定施設". 文化庁. 2024-02-27.
  5. ^ "祝！伊勢志摩サミット！〜鳥羽水族館は魚問屋だった！！の巻〜". OTONAMIE. 2015-10-31. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  6. ^ 伊勢志摩国立公園指定50周年記念事業実行委員会 編（1997）：65ページ
  7. ^ 『驕るなかれ: 鳥羽水族館・夢とロマンの半世紀』 中村幸昭、中部経済新聞社, 2005, p68
  8. ^ 鳥羽市史編さん室（1991）：1312ページ。
  9. ^ "おかげさまで50年・鳥羽水族館開館50周年記念式典". 鳥羽水族館. 2005-05-18. Retrieved 2015-03-11.
  10. ^ 1958年（昭和33年）1月31日文部省告示第17号「博物館に相当する施設を指定する件」
  11. ^ "大成建設 | 実績紹介 - 鳥羽水族館". 大成建設. Archived from the original on 2015-03-11.
  12. ^ "鳥羽市観光基本計画―資料編別冊－鳥羽の観光史略年表" (PDF). 鳥羽市. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-03-11.
  13. ^ "鳥羽水族館の累計入館数が6000万人達成 開館60年目で". 伊勢志摩経済新聞. 2015-04-02.
  14. ^ 林（2011）
  15. ^ 「オウムガイ 飼育世界一 鳥羽水族館、1690日」中日新聞2014年2月25日付朝刊、社会面33ページ
  16. ^ "イロワケイルカに赤ちゃんが誕生！".
  17. ^ "TOBA SUPER AQUARIUM" (PDF).
  18. ^ "熊野灘でもメガマウス 生きたまま捕獲し保護 三重".
  19. ^ メガマウス、また見つかる　三重沖で網に、漁港で保護
  20. ^ 謎の深海生物「ダイオウグソクムシ」丸5年絶食記録更新、ますます謎深まる 2014年1月2日
  21. ^ "ダイオウグソクムシ、絶食1869日で死す…鳥羽水族館". 読売新聞. Archived from the original on 2014-02-23.
  22. ^ "ダイオウグソクムシの脱皮を国内初確認・動画撮影に成功!!". 鳥羽水族館.
  23. ^ "鳥羽水族館「ダイオウグソクムシが脱皮」国内初、世界初の可能性も". 伊勢志摩経済新聞.
  24. ^ "世界初の可能性も ダイオウグソクムシが脱皮 鳥羽水族館で国内初確認". 産経新聞社.
  25. ^ "脱皮、国内で初確認 鳥羽水族館". 毎日新聞.
  26. ^ "ダイオウグソクムシの脱皮、鳥羽水族館が国内で初確認". ねとらぼ.
  27. ^ "ダイオウグソクムシ、半分脱皮で死ぬ 世界初確認ならず：朝日新聞デジタル". 朝日新聞デジタル (in Japanese). 10 December 2019.
  28. ^ "2年ぶりに排便確認 鳥羽のダイオウグソクムシ（写真＝共同）". 日本経済新聞 電子版language=ja. 27 May 2020.
  29. ^ 東京ウォーカー (2014-02-19). "グソク界のアイドル・1号たん追悼番組にネット回線がパンク状態！". Yahoo!ニュース. Archived from the original on 2014-02-23.
  30. ^ "鳥羽水族館のダイオウグソクムシ「9号たん」死ぬ―「ニコ動」で追悼番組". 伊勢志摩経済新聞. 2013-06-13. Archived from the original on 2015-03-11. Retrieved 2015-03-11.
  31. ^ "Introduction of exhibition". aquarium.co.jp. Toba Aquarium. Archived from the original on 22 August 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  32. ^ "魚やカメも門出お祝い 鳥羽水族館で水中入社式". 日本経済新聞. 2013-03-31.
  33. ^ 鳥羽水族館 (2013-03-31). "今年も開催 大水槽で水中入社式". 鳥羽水族館.
  34. ^ a b "鳥羽水族館で「水中入社式」-黒のスーツの上に空気ボンベ背負って". 伊勢志摩経済新聞. 2013-03-31. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
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