Three zones in one aquarium , Kuwait .

Kuwait Upto Date • October 10, 2014 • 4 Comments

An entertaining journey into the aquarium takes you on a tour of 3 different environments.

Photographer : Usman Choudhry
Instagram : @usman_choudhry

The Scientific Center of Kuwait, located in Salmiya, Kuwait, serves as a center for environmental education of the gulf region. KSC spans over 80,000 square meters with the building covering over 18,000 square meters. The center also houses the largest aquarium in the Middle East, holding over 100 different species of animals. Along with the aquarium, it also contains an IMAX theatre, a harbor of historic dhows, and a gift shop among other contents.

The Scientific Center, as it is locally referred to, is home to one of the largest aquariums in the Gulf region with the capacity of one of the tanks at 1.5 million liters. It also has coffee shops and a food court along with a walkway that shows the more scenic views of the coastline of Kuwait. The center also attracts hundreds of students each year on field trips, organized by schools and the Scientific Center. The aim of the Scientific Center is to spread awareness to the people of Kuwait and visitors alike about the different ecosystems of the region as well as the history of the country, while also encouraging the preservation of said goals.

All three sections provide specimens of animal, plant, and marine life of that particular environment. The first walks you through the desert section which contains animals found in the desert such as the caracal, snake , and hedgehog. The next environment is the coastal edge, where you find animals such as penguins, otters and coastal fish.
This section offers visitors a unique opportunity transport themselves to the depths of the sea. Visitors can see ferocious marine animals and unique creatures. Some were collected from the Arabian Gulf, while others were imported from the Red Sea and South Africa. The aquarium houses around 100 different types of marine animals, such as sharks, sting rays, sea horses, sea turtles, and many others.

The animals living in this environment are tied to both the sea and the land. In this environment you are able to see animals that either live near rivers or mangroves, which is ideal for ecological diversity. In this environment, penguins, otters, pythons and birds are found.

The biological diversity of the desert animals are portrayed here with an interesting selection of local mammals, reptiles, and birds. The desert animals have a unique cooling ability to deal with the harsh desert climate. Some of the animals in the desert area are either endangered, or on the verge of extinction due to over hunting and illegal hunting.