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| Aqua Terra Zoo Vienna - "Haus
des Meeres" |
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More than 3.500 animals are shown on an area of
2.500 m2.
In the section for terrarium animals you see crocodiles, poisonous
snakes, constrictor and saurians.
The main attactions of the tropical seawater section are the huge fish
tanks, the sharks, sea turtles, many different corals, as well as
gorgeous fish. The center of the tropical freshwater is the aquarium
containing piranhas.
A sensation is the new tropical house with free-flying birds and
free-running monkeys.
The mediterranean sea section gives an overview over different
life-forms of this ocean, starting with anemones to snakes, shells,
crabs, sea urchins, starfishs and fish.
You can visit the "Haus des Meeres - Aqua Terra Zoo Wien" daily between
9 am to 6 pm; thursday 9 am to 9 pm in Esterhazypark in the 6th Viennese
district. |
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| "Haus des Meeres" - A Brief
History |
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Austria's first saltwater aquarium |
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In 1957, scientists and members of the business
community founded the "Gesellschaft für Meeresbiologie" (Society for
Marine Biology) under the presidency of Dr. Hartel and vice-presidency
of Ing. Otte. The stated goal was to create a "Haus des Meeres" (House
of the Sea) in the flak tower located in the Esterhazypark: it was to
house Austria's first saltwater aquarium and at the same to function as
a center for European marine research. Professor Dr. Rupert Riedl,
widely renowned beyond Austria's borders, took charge of the scientific
work, supported by Dr. Ferdinand Starmühlner, who at that time was a
university assistant.
A wide range of activities were undertaken, including organizing the
diving group ADRIA and the publication of the monthly magazine OCEAN. By
1965, one-and-a-half stories of the building had already been adapted as
exhibition rooms and equipped with 40 display aquariums. |
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Modernization and expansion under Dir. Erich
Brenner |
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While the Schlosser era had been characterized by an
ongoing battle for the institution's survival, under Mr. Brenner the
house experienced a major modernization and expansion phase.
In 1994, Director Erich Brenner - already gravely ill with cancer -
along with his team presented the new Mediterranean division on the
second floor to the public. He was thus able to see the last of his
three major projects come to fruition. He was no longer able to witness
the inauguration of the 120,000 liter shark and sea turtle aquarium on
the ground floor or the installation of the elevator. On 19 February
1995, Erich Brenner lost his valiant battle against cancer. A period of
astounding progress came to a close. |
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New management structure in the Haus des
Meeres |
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In the last meeting of the Haus des Meeres executive
committee a new management structure has been agreed.
Dr. Michael Mitic, scientific manager, was given the title director, Mr.
Werner Binder, mercantile manager, and Dr. Mag. Abed Navandi, marine
biologist, are both vice-directors.
From now on Dr. Mag. Abed is also curator for marine species and Mag.
Michael Köck is the curator for freshwater species, birds and mammals. |
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Exhibition |
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Tropical Marine Fauna |
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The colorful world of coral reef fishes is certainly
one of the highlights of our zoo. This group is characterized by bizarre
shapes and loud colors, the occasional poisonous spines, and a variety
of unusual swimming techniques. They all share one common feature,
namely their coral reef habitat.
Reef-building corals are restricted to warm seas. The distribution of
corals therefore follows a clearly delimited zone on both sides of the
equator. The water temperature here never drops below 20°C.
These reefs are largely built by tiny animals, the coral polyps. They
are members of the anthozoans, a group which includes the sea anemones,
and have a rather simple anatomy: a sac-shaped body topped by a crown of
tentacles. Each individual polyp secretes a limestone skeleton. A coral
colony consists of hundreds or thousands of such polyps and may grow
only a few centimeters per year. Many centuries and countless colonies
are necessary to construct a reef. We also have so-called zoanthids on
display. They are also members of the anthozoans, and close inspection
reveals the individual polyps. Each one resembles a flower due to its
ring of short tentacles. |
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The Hans & Lotte Hass Shark Tank |
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Austrias largest tank was opened on the 7th of May
2007. It is dedicated to Dr. Hans and Lotte Hass, the world famous
divers, who have been the first diving with sharks in the 1940th.
It is their honour that today sharks are no more regarded as maneating
killers, but are are a substantial part of the oceans with an important
ecological duty. |
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Tropical House |
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| Most of the animals in our Tropical House are free to
move about at will: there are virtually no barriers between you and the
animals. This was a conscious decision on our part in order to allow you
to experience the fauna up close. Please note, however, that it is
STRICTLY FORBIDDEN to TOUCH or FEED the animals. Don't chase the animals
or climb into their enclosures. Our Tropical House pursues two aims.
First we would like to offer our animals optimum keeping conditions. For
example, large sections of the glass panes consist of special glass that
permits ultraviolet light to pass through. This means that the sunlight
in the facility has the very same quality as it would outdoors. The
necessary tropical temperatures |
and the humid climate in the newly built
glass addition are fully automated. All these measures are a
prerequisite for successfully breeding a variety of highly
endangered species. Second, we want to offer our visitors an
"energizing" experience. We want you, as our guest, to actually
feel the tropical climate on your skin and to breath in the
heavy, moist, warm tropical air. Hike through our rainforest
along the trail that leads from the water's edge up the steps
and across the suspension bridge. Walk past our waterfall and up
into the tree crown zone. Enjoy the typical fauna of each of
these habitats. This includes the fishes in the mangrove region,
the pond terrapins and tortoises, along with the free-flying
birds and the cavorting monkeys. |
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Mediterranean Animals |
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The Mediterranean is no doubt one of Europe's
favorite vacation destinations. The major attractions for tourists
include warm water (29°C surface temperature), stable and sunny weather,
and scenic coastlines. Unfortunately, the tourists themselves contribute
significantly to destroying the very habitats they so enjoy: in the
summer months, the population along the coast soars. Human wastes often
enter the sea untreated. This not only introduces disease-causing
microorganisms (pathogens) that can directly harm tourists, but also
increases the phosphate load due to the enormous amounts of laundry that
needs cleaning. The detergent components, combined with nitrate (excess
commercial fertilizer that bypasses the crops and enters the sea via
rivers and groundwater), result in excessive algal growth.
The visible symptoms are algal blooms such as those that repeatedly
afflict the North Adriatic Sea. These algal masses must be decomposed by
bacteria, producing so-called "marine snow", masses of mucus material
that blanket the organisms on the sea floor.
The result: All the animals buried under these masses suffocate and die.
The impact on the ecosystem is devastating because these bottom-dwellers
normally function as a giant filter that helps clean the water. Not only
do the decaying organic remains severely burden the system, but the role
the freshly killed organisms normally play in purifying the water is
lost - a vicious circle.
New waste treatment plants and a more environmentally conscious
application of fertilizers are among the effective measures that could
help improve this situation. But time is running out.
Take a close look at the animals we have on display - we hope it gives
you an impression of the high diversity of this valuable but threatened
ecosystem. |
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Native Freshwater Fishes |
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| This section of the Haus des Meeres is devoted to the
fishes, molluscs and crustaceans that inhabit our waters. The focus is
on species from the Danube and its tributaries in the region around
Vienna. Based on its special geographic location, the Danube is one of
the most species-rich rivers in Europe. The National Park Donau-Auen,
which also encompasses part of the Viennese Danube, contains over 60
species of fish. |
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Terrarium Animals |
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| Our terrarium section boasts various tarantulas,
scorpions and frogs, but specializes in reptiles, which include the
turtles, snakes, lizards and crocodiles. |
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Piranhas |
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| Piranhas feed mostly on other fishes. They are
predators that live in schools, and the threat they pose to humans has
often been highly exaggerated. Their role can be likened more with that
of a sanitation brigade because they tend to remove wounded and sick
animals. They are therefore actually helpful in preventing disease. Even
the indigenous people formerly took advantage of this role. In some
regions of the rainforest, extensive flooding prevents the bodies of
deceased tribe members from being buried on land during certain seasons
of the year. The problem was solved quite elegantly - the bodies were
suspended in the water. Within a few hours, the piranhas had removed all
the flesh from the bones and the fresh skeletons were dried, decorated
and buried in high-lying burial grounds in the pile villages. The wild
and fabulous stories about killer piranhas are probably based on the
records of such rituals by Mr. Paez. In reality, humans can bath with
impunity in several areas known to be inhabited by piranhas. Deadly
encounters have virtually never been authenticated, although smaller
bite wounds have been reported. The strong and sharp jaws are used by
the Indians as scissors and shaving razors. The flesh is eaten. |
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| Aqua Terra Zoo Vienna -
"Haus des Meeres" |
| A 1060 Vienna, Im
Esterhazypark, Fritz-Grünbaumplatz 1 |
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+43-(0)1- 587 14 17 |
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Haus_des_Meeres@gmx.net |
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Opening hours: Daily 9:00 -
18:00
Thursday 9:00 - 21:00 |
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Internet Portal
Betriebsges.m.b.H.
Praterstrasse 33/20
A-1020 Vienna
Tel: +43/01/9580808
Fax: +43/01/9580909
E-Mail: office@citype.com
www.citype.com
FN 200659 m
ATU 50515900 |
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