GATLINBURG, Tenn. - Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies has opened its newest, cutting¬edge exhibit - Living Babies in Incubators. This unique and unbelievable exhibit features more than 30 interactive and live exhibits. The $750,000 display was developed specifically for Ripley's and is located in a special area inside Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies and is free to see for all aquarium guests.
History has proven that people love babies, and that they will go absolutely wild about life-saving "gee-whiz" inventions. This display features plenty of both! Early in the 20th Century, a few scientists-turned-showmen capitalized on this combo by creating a series of exhibits and sideshows called Living Babies in Incubators!
As the name suggests, those shows featured tiny premature infants nurtured and displayed inside modem mechanical marvels. This meeting of medicine and machines drew adoring crowds and popularized the birth of the incubator, all while saving babies lives.
Now in 2008, Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies celebrates these famed incubators - but with a twist. Did you think that humans were the only creatures that built incubators? Think again!
From bubble nests to brood pouches, animals use a wide array of strategies to incubate their young. Here's a small sampling of what you'll see in this one-of-a-kind exposition:
•Witness living, embryonic sharks as they develop, grow, and hatch before your eyes!
•Gaze at seahorse dads, the only species on the planet where the male incubates and give birth to their young!
•See a baby jellyfish! Something you don't get a chance to see very often!
•Jump at the chance to see live frogs incubate their pollywogs!
•Marvel at real 65 million year old dinosaur eggs - then compare them to those of modem birds and crocodilians - live and on display!
•Come to realize that "Life is Truly an Astonishing Feat!" This is a limited engagement. See It Now!
Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies is the second most attended attraction in Tennessee and it often called America's Most Fun Attraction! More than 10,000 exotic sea creatures live in its 1.4 million gallons of water. The Aquarium is known for its amazing shark exhibit that features 11-foot sharks and has one of the longest underwater tunnels in the world.
The aquarium is located at traffic light #5 on the Parkway in Gatlinburg and is open 365 days a year. For information call 888-240-1358 or see us on the web at www.ripleysaguariumofthesmokies.com
