After almost 7 years of planning and construction, the only public aquarium located between Albuquerque and San Diego recently opened. Having been to Wildlife World Zoo many times before, my brother and I were anxious to visit and explore the new aquarium.

The first thing we explored were the outdoor animals, a visit with old friends. We started by feeding the llamas and giraffes. We then ventured to the kangaroos and rode a little boat through their exhibit, as a tour guide told us all we needed to know about them and the different species of birds scattered within. After a few more animals, such as the ostrich and the deer, we made our way to the much anticipated aquarium.

The all-new Wildlife World Aquarium's setup is unique with some 80 indoor exhibits featuring fish, mammals, birds, invertebrates, amphibians, and reptiles located in three buildings. Each building has a different title and theme: The Diversity of Life in Water; The Wild and The Wonderful; and Predators. Notable aquarium species include: black tip reef sharks, black-footed penguins, eels, stingrays, seahorses, barracuda, jellyfish, Nile and dwarf crocodiles -- nearly 150 new aquatic and semi-aquatic species in all.

There are also outdoor exhibits including the zoo's 5th ride attraction, a Log Flume Ride. For the record, my 9 year old brother absolutely loved this ride. Like its predecessors, the African Safari Train, the Australian Boat, and the Sky-ride, the flume ride is integrated into live animal exhibits. At 1500 feet long, the journey begins by giving riders a close up view of primate islands that feature spider monkeys and capuchin monkeys. Riders then enter a 20-foot long acrylic tunnel -- the largest section of acrylic ever installed in Arizona -- surrounded by South Pacific Reef fish. The trip closes by soaking riders as they plummet 3 stories into a splash pool.

Walking through the buildings, we saw so many types of fish that we had never seen before. There were tanks on both sides of us, each containing a plethora of exotic sea creatures. My personal favorite was the trumpetfish, a little skinny white-blue fish that used its whole body to swim. Jim liked that one too.

Next we came across the penguins. They were spectacular. The ones that were underwater swam so swiftly and quickly. The ones out of the water, on the rocks, were just as fun to watch, because they kept jumping off the rocks and into the water. Also nearby was an exhibit full of starfish that you could gently stick your hand in the water and touch. They were so pretty and fun to feel!

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, it did. We came up to the stingray exhibit. It was a large pool, a few feet high, where dozens of stingrays swam around. With two fingers, we were able to gently touch them, because they had no teeth and could not sting. We also got to feed them little shrimp! It was such an adventure.

For great family fun, be sure to check out the wonderful new aquarium at Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium... and feed some stingrays too! Located at 16501 W. Northern Ave. in Litchfield Park, you can get more information at www.wildlifeworld.com or call 623-935-WILD (9453).