World's highest-altitude aquarium opens to public in Qinghai

XINING -- The world's highest-altitude aquarium opened to the public in Northwest China's Qinghai province on the weekend, attracting more than 8,000 visitors, according to the aquarium.

At an altitude of 2,261 meters above sea level, the new aquarium, covering about 28,000 square meters and taking nearly two years to build, is located in the city of Xining, the capital of Qinghai, representing the first aquarium on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Naked carps (Gymnocypris przewalskii), which are endemic to Qinghai Lake, will be exhibited among more than 400 aquatic species and over 100 terrestrial animals in the aquarium.

Animal stars, including two belugas from Russia and eight bottlenose dolphins from Japan, as well as dolphins, Arctic wolves and Arctic foxes, are expected to stage wonderful performances for visitors.

"We simulated their original living environment and optimized their living environment in the aquarium, including water temperature, water pressure, oxygen content and PH level, and even their food was shipped by air from other cities," said the aquarium curator Luo Ruibin.

The aquarium will not only enrich the plateau residents' lives, but also give full play to its function of science popularization education, Luo said.