The Kagoshima Aquarium ( ja:いおワールドかごしま水族館, ''Io World Kagoshima suizokukan'') is a

Public Aquarium A public aquarium () or public water zoo is the aquatic counterpart of a zoo, which houses living aquatic animal and aquatic plant, plant specimens for public viewing. Most public aquariums feature tanks larger than those kept by home aquarists, ...

of Kagoshima City located in

Kagoshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,527,019 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 9,187 Square kilometre, km2 (3,547 Square m ...

Kagoshima City , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 583,966 in 285,992 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Etymology While the kanji used to sp ...

Honkoshinmachi. It is a member of the

Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums The Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA, in Japanese: , ''Nihon Dōbutsu-en Suizokukan Kyōkai'') is an organisation for the zoo and aquarium community in Japan. As of April 30, 2021, JAZA has 90 member zoos and 50 member aquariums. J ...

(JAZA).

History

Opened on May 30, 1997.「イルカの水しぶきに歓声かごしま水族館、花火でオープン」『

朝日新聞 is a Japanese daily newspaper founded in 1879. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. The ''Asahi Shimbun'' is one of the five largest newspapers in Japan along with the ''Yom ...

』1997年5月31日、鹿児島版。 The Kagoshima coast, which is washed by

Kuroshio The , also known as the Black Current or is a north-flowing, warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin. It was named for the deep blue appearance of its waters. Similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic, the Ku ...

, and

Kagoshima Bay also known as Kinkō Bay, is a deep inlet of the East China Sea on the coast of Japan.''Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Third Edition'', p. 562. Kagoshima Bay is on the south coast of the island of Kyūshū. The port city of Kagoshi ...

marine life are mainly exhibited, but

brackish water Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuary ...

and river life are also handled. The specialties are

whale shark The whale shark (''Rhincodon typus'') is a slow-moving, filter feeder, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known Extant taxon, extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of . The whale shark holds many records for ...

(Yuyu) and Satsumahaorimushi. The Japanese name "Io" is Kagoshima dialect and means fish.「かごしま水族館の愛称「いおワールドに」恒吉さんが命名」『朝日新聞』1997年2月26日、鹿児島版。 Total project cost is about 12.7 billion yen. The appearance is an image of

Stingray Stingrays are a group of sea Batoidea, rays, a type of cartilaginous fish. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae (deepwate ...

. Kagoshima Aquarium is the first aquarium in Japan to successfully feed Chinese sturgeon and display under salt water. In October 2011, the number of visitors reached 10 million. At the end of the route, the "Sea of Silence", which was conceived by the first director, Hiromasa Yoshida, is displayed along with the text. The creatures are not exhibited inside and are filled only with water, but it is said that this is to make people think about the marine environment.

Exhibits

The hall is from the 5th floor to the 2nd basement floor, and you can walk along the route to see it. * Kuroshio Sea "Kuroshio Large Aquarium" -

Whale Shark The whale shark (''Rhincodon typus'') is a slow-moving, filter feeder, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known Extant taxon, extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of . The whale shark holds many records for ...

, Rhina ancylostoma,

Spotted Eagle Ray The spotted eagle ray (''Aetobatus narinari'') is a cartilaginous fish of the eagle ray family, Aetobatidae. As traditionally recognized, it is found globally in tropical regions, including the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Recent author ...

, Chinese Sturgeon,

Bluefin Tuna Bluefin tuna is a common name used to refer to several species of tuna of the genus ''Thunnus''. {{Animal common name Commercial fish Thunnus Fish common names ...

Katsuo Katsuo (written: , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese basketball player *, Japanese boxer *, Japanese boxer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese sumo wrestler *, Japanese actor *, Japanese l ...

Milkfish The milkfish (''Chanos chanos'') is a widespread species of ray-finned fish found throughout the Indo-Pacific. It is the sole living species in the family Chanidae, and the only living member of the genus ''Chanos''. The repeating scientific na ...

, etc. * Nansei Islands Sea-

Giant Grouper The giant grouper (''Epinephelus lanceolatus''), also known as the Queensland groper (grouper), brindle grouper or mottled-brown sea bass, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the fa ...

Damselfish Damselfish are those fish within the subfamilies Abudefdufinae, Chrominae, Lepidozyginae, Pomacentrinae, and Stegastinae within the family Pomacentridae. Most species within this group are relatively small, although the four largest speci ...

Butterflyfish The butterflyfish are a group of conspicuous tropical ocean, marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae; the bannerfish and coralfish are also included in this group. The approximately 129 species in 12 genera are found mostly on the reefs of the ...

, Heteroconger hassi,

Coral Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...

Comatulida Comatulida is an order of crinoids Crinoids are marine invertebrates that make up the class Crinoidea. Crinoids that remain attached to the sea floor by a stalk in their adult form are commonly called sea lilies, while the unstalked forms, c ...

Kind etc. * Sea of Kagoshima-

Spider crab The Majoidea are a superfamily of crabs which includes the various spider crabs. Taxonomy In "''A classification of living and fossil genera of decapod crustaceans''" De Grave and colleagues divided Majoidea into six families. The classificati ...

Moray eel Moray eels, or Muraenidae (), are a family (biology), family of eels whose members are found worldwide. There are approximately 200 species in 15 genera which are almost exclusively Marine (ocean), marine, but several species are regu ...

, Spiny lobster,

Flounder Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuary, estuaries. Taxonomy The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related speci ...

, Banded coral shrimp,

Sardine Sardine and pilchard are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring suborder Clupeoidei. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century; a somewhat dubious etymology says it com ...

Bullhead shark The bullhead sharks are members of the genus ''Heterodontus'', the only members of the family Heterodontidae and only living members of the order Heterodontiformes. All are relatively small, with the largest species reaching just in maximum le ...

, etc. * Observation Hall-

Tropical Bottlenose Whale The tropical bottlenose whale (''Indopacetus pacificus''), also known as the Indo-Pacific beaked whale or Longman's beaked whale, was considered to be the world's rarest cetacean until recently, but the spade-toothed whale now holds that positio ...

Whole body skeleton specimen. You can see

Sakurajima Sakurajima (, ) is an active composite volcano, stratovolcano, formerly an island and now a peninsula, in Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan. The lava flows of the 1914 eruption connected it with the Ōsumi Peninsula. It is the most active vo ...

on the opposite bank in front of you. * Satsumahaorimushi corner * Seaweed and fish-Aquarium that reproduces the coastal

Kelp forest Kelp forests are underwater areas with a high density of kelp, which covers a large part of the world's coastlines. Smaller areas of anchored kelp are called kelp beds. They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on E ...

. Pandaka etc. * Freshwater aquarium-Vallisneria asiatica,

Oryzias ''Oryzias'' is a genus of ricefishes native to fresh and brackish water in east and south Asia. Some species are widespread and the Japanese rice fish (''O. latipes'') is commonly used in science as a model organism, while others have very small ...

Caridina multidentata ''Caridina multidentata'' is a species of shrimp in the family Atyidae. It is native to Japan and Taiwan.De Grave, S., Shy, J. & Cai, X. 2013''Caridina multidentata''. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013. Downloaded on 14 June 2016. Its ...

, Freshwater shrimp, etc. * Life of jellyfish- Moon jellyfish, Spotted jellyfish, etc. * Theater room * Giant mottled eel Aquarium-Giant mottled eel, Flagtail *cafeteria * Giant mottled eel Aquarium /

Arapaima The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche is any large species of bonytongue in the genus ''Arapaima'' native to the Amazon Basin, Amazon and Essequibo River, Essequibo basins of South America. ''Arapaima'' is the type genus of the subfamily Arapaiminae ...

Aquarium *

Mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

Aquarium-

Terapon jarbua ''Terapon jarbua'', the jarbua terapon, crescent grunter, crescent banded grunter, crescent perch, spiky trumpeter, thornfish or tiger perch, is a species of ray-finned fish, a grunter of the Family (biology), family Terapontidae. It occurs in ...

Mudskipper Mudskippers are any of the 23 extant species of amphibious fish from the subfamily Oxudercinae of the goby family (biology), family Oxudercidae. They are known for their unusual body shapes, preferences for semiaquatic habitats, limited terrestria ...

, etc. *

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, also called "true seal" ** Fur seal ** Eared seal * Seal ( ...

Aquarium-

Spotted Seal The spotted seal (''Phoca largha''), also known as the larga seal or largha seal, is a member of the family Phocidae, and is considered a "true seal". It inhabits ice floes and waters of the north Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas. It is primaril ...

* Dolphin pool-

Bottlenose dolphin The bottlenose dolphin is a toothed whale in the genus ''Tursiops''. They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus contains three species: the common bot ...

* Amusement shop *

Touch pool A touch pool or touch tank is a type of aquarium attraction in public aquariums where members of the public, especially young people, are allowed to touch the wildlife within the tanks. Tanks will be stocked with species which are not dangerous to ...

starfish Starfish or sea stars are Star polygon, star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class (biology), class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to brittle star, ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to ...

sea cucumber Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class (biology), class Holothuroidea ( ). They are benthic marine animals found on the sea floor worldwide, and the number of known holothuroid species worldwide is about 1,786, with the greatest number be ...

* Outdoor waterway -

Ocean Sunfish The ocean sunfish (''Mola mola''), also known as the common mola, is one of the largest bony fish in the world. It is the type species of the genus ''Mola'', and one of five extant species in the family Molidae. It was once misidentified as th ...

Mahi-mahi The mahi-mahi ( ) or common dolphinfish (''Coryphaena hippurus'') is a surface-dwelling ray-finned fish found in off-shore temperate, tropical, and subtropical waters worldwide. It is also widely called dorado (not to be confused with '' Salmin ...

etc.

Whale shark "Yuyu"

The Kagoshima Aquarium has a large Kuroshio tank with a water volume of , but it is not large enough to captivity

whale sharks Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully Aquatic animal, aquatic placental mammal, placental marine mammals. As an informal and Colloquialism, colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea ...

that easily exceed when grown. Therefore, the Kagoshima Aquarium is exhibited and captivity by the "Kagoshima method", in which training is conducted to return to the wild before the body length reaches , and then returned to the wild. A transmitter is attached to the whale shark that returns to the sea, and it has been successful in grasping the migration route of the whale shark.。 The whale sharks raised in the Kuroshio Tank have been called "Yuyu" for generations and are gaining popularity among visitors. * First generation (male) *: October 20, 2000

Takayama Town (currently Kimotsuki Town) Set Net. Body length . *: November 22, 2000: Exhibition captivity started in the Kuroshio tank. *: July 24, 2002 Moved from the Kuroshio Tank to a marine cage in Kagoshima Prefecture Kasasa Town (currently Minamisatsuma City). A little over in length. *: Released on August 1, 2002. * Second generation (male) *: June 17, 2002 Captured with a fixed net in Kagoshima Prefecture Kasasa Town (currently Minamisatsuma City). Body length . *: July 24, 2002 Started captivity on display at the Kuroshio Tank. *: July 28, 2005 Moved from the Kuroshio Tank to the marine cage in Kasasa Town, Kagoshima Prefecture. Body length over . *: Released off the coast of Cape Noma, Kasasa-cho on August 8, 2005. * Third generation (female) *: June 25, 2005 Kagoshima Prefecture Bonotsucho Akime Captured with a set net off the coast. Body length . *: July 28, 2005 Started exhibiting and captivity in the Kuroshio Tank. *: July 21, 2007 Moved from the Large Kuroshio Tank to a marine cage in Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture. Body length less than . *: Released off the coast of Kasasa, Minamisatsuma City on July 31, 2007. * 4th generation (male) *: July 20, 2005 Captured with a set net in Kasasa Town, Kagoshima Prefecture. Body length , weight 15.2 kg. *: July 21, 2005 Delivered to Kagoshima Aquarium. *: October 27, 2005 Exhibited and captivity under the nickname "Yuta" in the underwater tunnel part of the Kuroshio Tank, separated from other exhibited creatures. *: July 21, 2007 Started exhibiting as the 4th generation Yuyu. Body length . *: August 4, 2009 Moved from the Kuroshio Tank to the marine cage in Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture. Body length . *: August 5, 2009 Found dead in a marine cage in Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture. * Fifth generation (male) *: June 25, 2009 Captured with a fixed net in Kasasa-cho, Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture. Body length . *: August 4, 2009: Exhibition breeding started in the Kuroshio tank. *: August 23, 2011 Moved from the Kuroshio Tank to the marine cage in Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture. Body length . *: Released off the coast of Noma Cape, Minamisatsuma City on September 7, 2011. (Equipped with satellite transmitter) * 6th generation (male) *: July 15, 2011 Captured with a set net of the Kaiei Fisheries Cooperative in Ibusuki City. Body length . *: August 23, 2011: Exhibition captivity started in the Kuroshio tank. *: November 4, 2014 Moved from the Kuroshio Tank to a marine cage off the coast of Kataura Port, Kasasa-cho, Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture. *: November 9, 2014: Physical condition suddenly changed and death was confirmed. * 7th generation (male) *: August 3, 2015 Captured with a set net of the Takayama Fisheries Cooperative in Kimotsuki Town. Body length . *: August 23, 2015: Exhibition captivity started in the Kuroshio tank. It was planned to be exhibited as a highlight from the beginning of the museum in 1997, but it died in March and May of the same year, and it has a history of opening without a whale shark.

Tropical Bottlenose Whale

A whole-body skeleton specimen of the tropical bottlenose whale ''Indopacetus pacificus'' is displayed in the observation hall on the 5th floor. Tropical bottlenose whales are extremely rare

whales Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully Aquatic animal, aquatic placental mammal, placental marine mammals. As an informal and Colloquialism, colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea ...

, and it is rare to observe whole-body skeleton specimens. This skeleton specimen is a specimen of an individualNational Museum of Nature and Science, Kagoshima Aquarium, and University of Auckland that was washed ashore in Kagoshima Prefecture Satsumasendai City on July 26, 2002.

''Sanderia malayensis''

The jellyfish corridor opened in March 2017, and is exhibiting the world's first deep-sea inhabited '' Sanderia malayensis''.

''Rhynchobatus mononoke''

In 2020, research by research groups such as Kuroshio Biological Research Institute revealed that the ray that had been bred for 23 years as ''

Rhynchobatus djiddensis The giant guitarfish (''Rhynchobatus djiddensis''), also known as the whitespotted wedgefish, is a large species of guitarfish in the family Rhinidae. It is restricted to the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and western Indian Ocean, but was formerly cons ...

'' since its opening was a new species called '' Rhynchobatus mononoke''. The discovery of a new species of ray in the waters near Japan is said to be the first in about 10 years.

Gallery

Exterior File:Kagoshima Aquarium 2013-08A.JPG File:View of Kagoshima Aquarium.jpg File:Kagoshima Aquarium and Pier of Kagoshima Port Sakurajima Ferry Terminal.jpg File:いおワールド鹿児島DSC01772.JPG File:かごしま水族館 (37958670115).jpg Aquarium File:Kagoshima Aquarium (4509030922).jpg File:Kagoshima Aquarium 2013-08B.JPG File:Kagoshima Aquarium (4508391155).jpg File:Honkoshinmachi, Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture 892-0814, Japan - panoramio (1).jpg File:Kagoshima Aquarium (4509031600).jpg File:Kagoshima Aquarium -July 2009 a.jpg File:Kagoshima Aquarium 2013-08D.JPG Dolphin pool File:Kagoshima Aquarium -July 2009 b.jpg File:Kagoshima Aquarium Dolphin Performance 01.JPG File:Kagoshima Aquarium Dolphin Performance 19.JPG File:Kagoshima Aquarium Dolphin Performance 10.JPG File:Kagoshima Aquarium Dolphin Performance 04.JPG

References

External links

Official Site

Official Site
{{Authority control Aquaria in Japan Buildings and structures in Kagoshima Museums in Kagoshima Prefecture Zoos established in 1997 1997 establishments in Japan