Aquarium
The aquarium is located on the ground floor of the Exotarium, initially opened in 1989. In 2016, the enclosure was fully restructured and redesigned as part of a renovation and modernisation project, and placed under the guiding theme «Food, Glorius Food». The number of basins was reduced from 22 to 8. The new basins are larger and form individual habitats, such as a coral reef or a tide pool. The penguins' indoor enclosure, housing king penguins in summer and Humboldt penguins in winter, is part of the aquarium as well as are various exhibition elements, an interactive aqualab and a cinema.
Around 60 species of fish live in the aquarium. There are also various invertebrates such as shrimps, crabs, snails and starfish.
The tanks represent the following habitats:
- Rivers in Madagascar
- Riverbanks of the Western Ghats (India)
- Reefs and rocky coasts in the Indo-Pacific
- Coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific
- Seagrass meadows in the Indo-Pacific
- Lakes in Madagascar
- Rivers and lakes in South-East Asia
Information on all animal species in the aquarium can be found in our animal encyclopaedia:
The penguin's indoor enclosure is also located in the aquarium. It houses king penguins in summer, and Humboldt penguins in winter. Zoo Zurich keeps both species as part of international breeding programmes.
Here you can listen to the voice of the king penguin:
Conservation Project ART
Protecting penguins in the wild is one of Zoo Zurich's eight priority conservation projects. The zoo is the Swiss headquarters of the Antarctic Research Trust ART. This organisation carries out research to ensure the long-term protection of penguins, albatrosses and their habitats in the Antarctic and Subantarctic.
Videos out of the Aquarium of Zoo Zurich (Youtube-Playlist).