Mandalay Bay Shark Reef
Location: Mandalay Bay hotel-casino, near the intersection of the Strip and Hacienda Av.
Hours of operation: Daily, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Tickets: $15.95 adults, $9.95 children (5-12 years, children under 4, free), including a self-guided audio tour. Nevada residents (with proper identification) get discounts and there are group rates available (20 persons or more).
Special events: Wild Wednesday (1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month), 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. You can take a guided tour and attend a classroom presentation for $24.95, including a souvenir photo (reservations required).
The Shark Reef is accredited by Aquarium Association and the American Zoo and comprises 2 million gallons of water. It is home to more than 1,200 different species, among them 15 species of sharks. You can also see reptiles, exotic fish, marine invertebrates, sea turtles and many more.
The Shark Reef is built like an ancient temple. The exhibit starts with a display of five golden crocodiles, very rare specie of crocodiles as there are only about a dozen left in the world. You can also a male water monitor (relative of the Komodo dragon).
Then there is the Amazon Predators exhibit where you can see the aquatic ecosystem of the rainforest. You can enjoy watching the “monkey fish” (The Silver Arrowana) capturing insects by leaping out of the water or the Red-Tail Catfish which eats almost anything, including entire ducks whole. The largest fish in the Amazon, Arapaima Gigas, is also present.
Then you move along to the piranha exhibit. The Black Piranha, the largest specie, can devour a 100 pound animal in less then 1 minute. At the Shark Reef, the piranhas are fed 3 times a day, as they will eat each other if hungry.
Then you will enter a tunnel surrounded by aquatic life. You can “pet” Port Jackson Sharks, Horseshoe Crabs or Southern Rays. Nearby you can see a tank filled with mesmerizing jellyfish, eels, among other marine creatures.
In a sunken treasure ship lays the heart of the Shark Reef. You are now on the bottom of the ocean and enjoy seeing sea turtles, sharks, fish and many others.
The reef is man-made, as well as the water. Everything is built with conservation in mind. There are 16 naturalists to answer your questions, while the local school groups can enjoy a nice lesson in the classroom with an aquarium wall as background.
by axxyutza