Tiergarten Nürnberg

The mascot of the Verein der Tiergartenfreunde Nürnberg e.V. (association of the friends of the zoo) found its new home in the new manatee house, the first real tropical gallery of the Tiergarten Nürnberg. With about 700 m3 of water, the manatees Mara, Herbert, Zorro and Luna now have about ten times the water volume as previously.

Visitors may watch the animals from above the surface as well as beneath through two panoramic windows of 5.5 m x 2.7 m each. Further animals, for example sloths or little monkey such as white-faced sakis and pygmy marmosets, nectar-feeding bats, jacanas, reptiles such as anolis or turtles and butterflies give the visitor the impression of being in a flooded Amazon region.

A specialty of the manatee house are the leafcutter ants. Housed in panels, the animals may be admired through windows made of plexiglass and watched while cultivating their fungus or transporting pieces of leaves.

A further focus of the manatee house is the botany. About 50 plant species will grow here. Well-known crop plants such as caoutchouc, cocoa, papaya and pineapple will not only show the visitors the origin of these plants but also their actual look. Other plants demonstrate with their particular growth and foliation the typical character of the rainforest.

Dates and facts:

• Width: 22,5 m - Length: 32,5 m
• Height: 8,2 m (highest spot), 4,5 m (deepest spot)
• Surface: 700 m2 (with about 350 m2 water surface)
• Fresh water volume in manatee basin: 700,000 liters
• Temperature: water 23-27°C, air 24° up to 32°C
• Air humidity: about 80%
• Plants and trees: about 100 species
• Animals: about 45 species
• Four-ply foil roof with 95% UV-permeability