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The Wonder of Water exhibit.

Wonder of Water

Water is the single source of life for all living things on Earth — and this astonishing resource is home to a dazzling array of biodiversity. Step in between two distinctly rich environments, freshwater and saltwater, and experience what life looks like beneath the water’s surface.

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Wonder of Water es una exposición bilingüe, con señalización totalmente traducida al español.

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  • A white fish with striking yellow and black stripes

    thriving

    Peek through periscopes at more than 6,500 diverse fresh and saltwater fishes living in vibrant and ever-growing ecosystems.

  • Looking through Wonder of Water's freshwater habitat, the different colors of the light in the freshwater and saltwater habitats is evident.

    awe-inspiring

    Revel in the sight of two dazzling yet contrasting habitats that inspire awe and wonder about the endless ways in which water nurtures our shared world.

  • Glass catfish are small, a little shorter than a pinkie finger, with almost completely transparent bodies through which you can see their thin, fine bones.

    growing

    Witness shimmering freshwater fishes build nests and raise young amid 50 species of lush, green plants stretching up to 7 feet tall.

Wonderous Worlds Collide

No two days in Wonder of Water are ever the same. Corals flourish, live plants grow and fishes thrive in ever-changing ecosystems. Two extraordinary and substantial habitats, each 28,110 gallons, offer an incredible view into the diversity, beauty and abundance of life underwater.

Freshwater ecosystems are often overlooked despite providing a home to 10% of all known species. Like the Great Lakes right outside our doorstep, freshwater environments are picturesque, dynamic and integral to our shared future.

Multiple fish species swim in a coral habitat.

In marine environments, corals are the building blocks of reefs that support 25% of ocean life and are critical to our collective role in combatting climate change. By better understanding and appreciating these spectacular animals, we can safeguard the wild spaces where they grow.

Fish swim among plants in a freshwater habitat.

The opportunity to walk between the fresh and saltwater worlds brings forth the unique differences and surprising similarities between them. Periscopes offer a fish-eye-view of hidden nooks within the habitats, while 43 new tactile models provide hands-on learning about the diversity of species within rivers and reefs.

Side by side, these impressive habitats highlight the wondrous resource that allows all beings great and small to thrive: water.

The Wonder of Water habitat.

At the Heart of the Aquarium

Wonder of Water adorns Shedd’s historic rotunda, blending a recognition of the past with an eye to the future. The ornate gold crown that connects these dazzling habitats draws your eye upward, encouraging you to take in details like intricate marble features, an aquatic-themed Sterling Bronze Company clock and other architectural marvels built nearly 100 years ago.

Serving as the beating heart of the aquarium, Wonder of Water’s two towering habitats set the tone for an awe-inspiring journey into the aquatic animal world. The size, scope and sensations of the two wondrous worlds will certainly spark deeper connections to life underwater and the astonishing resource that allows all beings great and small to thrive.

Clownfish

Toadstool leather coral

Moonlight gourami

Purple Tang

Royal empress angelfish

Gem surgeonfish

Redtail shark minnow

Scroll coral