Mundo Marino () is the largest

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

in Argentina. It is located in San Clemente del Tuyú,

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

History

Juan David Méndez sold his properties in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

in the 1960s, and moved to San Clemente del Tuyú. He visited the United States in 1962, and was impressed by the quality of their oceanariums. Back in San Clemente, he bought 18 hectares of land, to work with the sick animals that got stranded in the beaches. Those animals were healed, and then returned to the sea when regained their full health. The aquarium was built next to a

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura (meaning "short tailed" in Greek language, Greek), which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen#Arthropoda, abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the Thorax (arthropo ...

land, at the San Clemente stream. Mundo Marino had its first dolphin in 1977, and was first open for the public in the 1977/78 summer season. Nowadays, Mundo Marino has 20 pools, more than 50 sea mammals, more than 80 birds, and several fishes and other coastal animals.

Attractions

* ''Show de Orca:'' The trainers o
Kshamenk
the

killer whale The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopolit ...

demonstrate how he can understand and communicate with games, rewards and mimicry. He is kept in a tiny tank which has been his home for years. * ''Bahía de Lobos:'' Buy fish and feed the

sea lions Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. ...

and learn about their lives and habitats. * ''Show de Lobos Marinos:'' Enjoy the “Hotel Cinco Estrellas” comedy show where sea lions, elephant seals and other marine life attend to the guests at this imaginary hotel. * ''Anfiteatro del Lago:'' Pirate Island is a new show in which news of a shipwreck with a hidden treasure excites the residents of Puerto Cayman who embark on a treasure hunt competing against the pirate ship led by Captain Barracuda. * ''Imagen Show:'' Enjoy the multi vision Legacy of Nature on the 18 meter screen and learn about the scientific research, care and feeding of the marine wildlife at Mundo Marino. * ''Estadio del Mar:''

Dolphins A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...

compete among themselves to amuse and thrill the spectators. * ''Teatro Sorpresa:'' "Los Canta cuentos de Pinguy y Orky," Pinguy and Orky and their friends Albatross, Medusa and a messenger dove present children's stories, songs and dances. * ''Encuentro Submarino:'' View the dolphins through a huge window port. * ''Tren de Paseo:'' Take the "La Tronchita" train through the park. * ''Lago Paraíso'': View numerous birds, fish and flowers in this natural lake and waterfall area. * ''Albergue de Pingüinos:'' This penguin shelter houses

Emperor penguin The emperor penguin (''Aptenodytes forsteri'') is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is Endemism in birds, endemic to Antarctica. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching in length and weighing fr ...

s who came ashore to die but were rescued, cleaned and rehabilitated. Guides explain the efforts of the Centro de Rescate y Rehabilitación Provincial.

Mundo Marino's orca

Kshamenk,Kshamenk
on Orcadome.de also known as Sharmenk or Shamenk, is a male orca, or

, held at Mundo Marino. Kshamenk is estimated to have been around 4 years old when captured in 1992. He has been without the company of other orcas since 2000, when Mundo Marino's female killer whale
Belén
(also known as Bethlehem), died. Mundo Marino claims to have rescued him after he stranded, and kept him for public display when its staff determined he could not be released. However, Kshamenk may have been force-stranded (driven ashore on purpose) and retained to circumvent Argentine laws against the commercial capture of wild marine mammals. Six Flags Marine World park in Vallejo, California, had been trying to acquire Kshamenk from Mundo Marino as a companion for their female orca, Shouka (she now lives at SeaWorld California). But Mundo Marino does not own Kshamenk; he is legally being held in trust by Mundo Marino for the people of Argentina. This means that Mundo Marino cannot sell Kshamenk because the orca isn't its property. Furthermore, Argentine Law forbids the export of live native wildlife, including orcas. On February 14, 2013, Kshamenk became a father for the very first time when Kasatka, a killer whale from

SeaWorld San Diego SeaWorld San Diego is a theme park in Mission Bay Park in San Diego, California. It is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, public aquarium, and marine animal rehabilitation center. SeaWorld, the theme park's proprietor, is owned and operated by Un ...

, gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Makani. On December 6, 2013, Kshamenk became a father again when Kasatka's daughter Takara, an orca from SeaWorld San Antonio gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Kamea. Both calves were conceived through

artificial insemination Artificial insemination is the deliberate introduction of sperm into a female's cervix or uterine cavity for the purpose of achieving a pregnancy through in vivo fertilization by means other than sexual intercourse. It is a fertility treatment ...

References

External links

*
Mundo Marino
on Portal de San Clemente {{Zoos of Argentina Tourist attractions in Buenos Aires Province Aquaria in Argentina Oceanaria 1979 establishments in Argentina Amusement parks in Argentina Buildings and structures in Buenos Aires Province Amusement parks opened in 1979 Zoos in Argentina