Vancouver Aquarium launches new exhibit, Survival of the Slowest

A new exhibit at the Vancouver Aquarium invites families to step into a world where being slow, small, or even weak can be a powerful survival strategy.

Survival of the Slowest gives visitors the chance to interact with animals and uncover the survival secrets of nature’s slowest creatures.

“Our exhibit talks about how that animal is able to survive all the way to the present day, with some different adaptations that we normally don’t see,” said exhibit lead Joaquin Marquez.

Sloths, bearded dragons, and turtles are a few of the animals featured.

“We even allow people to come up, get close and hands-on with a lot of our species,” Marquez said.

Each habitat includes a 3D sensory model for anyone who may be visually impaired.

The aquarium says it hopes the exhibit teaches people to slow down and discover that, in nature, sometimes taking it easy is the ultimate advantage.

“You often think of your average turtle as just something that’s a nuisance animal,” Marquez said.

“But they’re amazing and resilient in their own way.”

The exhibit opens to the public on Friday and runs until September.