When it comes to zoos and aquariums, it’s one thing to make an animal’s home look natural, but getting it to actually behave like a wild ecosystem? That’s a higher hurdle to clear.
“Sometimes, exhibits are designed to meet the needs of each species, and that’s it,” says Tennessee Aquarium Senior Aquarist Ben Stenger. “The fish are happy, and people come to see them, and that’s OK.”
When planning began in 2020 for the Aquarium’s Ridges to Rivers gallery, however, Mr. Stenger and other Aquarium veterans had loftier goals for how to exhibit Southern Appalachian aquatic life.
The centerpiece of the gallery, a 22-foot-long recreation of a bustling stream in the Upper Tennessee ... (click for more)