Marine Biology Museum opened in Antalya

Marine Biology Museum of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality where approximately 500 species of marine animals will be exhibited opened in Antalya on 16 January. Antalya Marine Biology Museum is Turkey’s first sea creatures museum.

After the openings of Toy Museum, Stove Museum and Behlül Dal Cinema Museum, Antalya Metropolitan Municipality now opened Marine Biology Museum. The museum is located at Old Town Marina and opened on January 16.

The Mayor of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality Prof. Dr. Mustafa Akaydın said “The museum is very important as the people will have the chance to recognize the sea creations and generations of protected species closely. On the other hand, it will draw the attention of domestic and foreign tourist. The museum will be the new attraction center of Old Town Marina after Toy Museum. We are working to make Antalya the city of culture especially the city of museums. In this museum samples of sea creatures that are dried and kept in fixative solutions and the skeletons of marine mammals will be exhibited. 

The museum aims to create social awareness on protection of seas by introducing natural and cultural values. Therefore educational programs and seminars will be held about the protected marine species, statues of protection, exotic and endemic Red Sea-origin species.”

Approximately 500 species of marine animals will be exhibited in Antalya Metropolitan Municipality’s Marine Biology Museum such as sea turtles (caretta caretta), 9 species of sharks, 10 species of flat sharks, approximately 150 species of bony fishes, sponges, corals, shrimps, lobsters and crabs, shellfishes, octopus, squids and cuttlefishes, starfishes and sea urchins that the majority of them caught from the Gulf of Antalya and from different seas of Turkey.