Marine Aquarium, Trieste, Italy
Thirty small tanks hold fish and crustaceans typical of the Adriatic, while a large octagonal tank holds larger fish including rays and small sharks.
In the past, the aquarium was famous for a particular resident, a penguin named Marco. Picked up by a motor vessel owned by Lloyd Triestino in South Africa in 1953, the penguin was brought to the aquarium. For 31 long years, he was adored and petted by all, becoming the city's mascot. Customers going to the adjacent fish market could see him happily pattering in front of the aquarium, ready to be petted and fed small fish by children and posing for photos with tourists.
On the upper floor, a somewhat unusual feature in an aquarium, there is a vivarium. The various terrariums hold reptiles and amphibians typical of the fauna in Friuli Venezia Giulia and the surrounding regions, including vipers, toads and green frogs. The biggest attraction, however, is undoubtedly the large reptile terrarium, where visitors can see boas, pythons (one measuring 4 metres) and iguanas in all of their splendour.