Kansas City Zoo's new aquarium is opening. Meet the aquatic friends who just moved in

The aquarium features thousands of animals, and takes visitors on a journey into the ocean and along the shore. It also adds to the zoo’s conservation efforts.
The Sobela Ocean Aquarium at The Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium opens Friday, after a decade of planning.

The 650,000-gallon attraction, named for the grandchildren of Shirley and Barnett Helzberg, houses 200 species of animals. That’s more than 8,000 animals in total, including sea otters, turtles, sharks and octopus.

Admission to the aquarium is included as part of a regular zoo ticket, thanks to the Zoological District sales tax. Residents of Jackson and Clay counties will continue to receive half off admission.

Sean Putney, executive director of the zoo, says he’s excited to open the aquarium for patrons to enjoy, after five years of architectural design and months of getting animals settled into the aquarium.

“Every aquarium tries to have a flow, and we chose to go from the beaches and the shorelines, down through the lagoons and the beaches and a little bit deeper,” Putney said. "We think it's unique, we think it's really cool, and we hope everybody that comes in feels the same,” he said.