House of the sea enthusiastic: over 1 million visitors and new groanes!

House of the sea enthusiastic: over 1 million visitors and new groanes!

In the renowned house of the sea in Vienna, the number of visitors in 2024 increased to over one million, which is a new record. This impressive number reflects the persistently great interest of the public in marine habitats and biodiversity. Zoo Director Jeff Schreiner emphasized the importance of the house as a non -subsidized educational institution that has committed to imparting knowledge about animals and their environment.

A special attraction of the house are the recently recorded eight Mediterranean murans ( Muraena Helena ), which were relocated in a friend of a friend. These fascinating fish live in the newly designed Atlantic tunnel, a sea water habitat with an impressive volume of around 500,000 liters.

Mediterranean murans - fascination of the sea

Mediterranean murlines are nocturnal robbers and belong to the family of the Muränen ( Muraenidae ). You have a snake -like body that is up to 1.5 meters long and equipped with a wide mouth with pointed teeth. These species are considered shy and only attack if they feel threatened, which means that they are classified as non -toxic.

Your habitat is located in the rocky coasts of the Mediterranean and the eastern Atlantic, where you are looking for refuge in caves and columns during the day. Your diet mainly consists of benthic fish, cephalopods and crustaceans. Although they are considered top predators, they are considered to be relatively true to the location and use several shelves.

scientific importance and protection

The Mediterranean Muzzle was first described in 1758 by the Swedish scientist Carl von Linné. Its reproduction takes place in summer, with the females laying 5 to 5.5 mm eggs. The larvae of the Muränen, in the Leptocephalus phase, can spend up to two years in plankton before reaching their sexual maturity between 3 and 10 years.

Although the IUCN classifies the Mediterranean murans as "Least Concern", there are naturally conditional dangers through larger predatory fish and human activities. The high health risk factor of your meat, which can contain organochloric pesticides, demands additional caution. It is important to heat the meat to at least 75 ° C to be safe.

Jeff Schreiner will continue to plan new attractions and projects in the future to further improve the educational offer. One of the extensions already realized is a modern poisonous system.

The house of the sea thus remains a central point of contact for those interested who want to learn more about the marine dwellers and their ecosystem. The combination of research, education and consciousness formation offers a valuable platform for the future of marine ecology.