The Aquarium and Museum of Natural History opened in 1964and is the oldest museum of its kind in the country. The natural habitat of the island is unique as can be seen at the aquarium with its wonderful collections of various life forms living the surrounding oceans.
The aquarium is divided into three separate exhibits: the fish tanks, the bird exhibit, and the mineral exhibit. The fish tanks exhibition contains twelve large sea tanks with a variety of fish and other sea creatures. There is also a small touching tank which is always a children’s favourite, where they can view and touch crabs, starfish, urchins, and small fish.
The bird exhibit contains a large number of mounted birds, nearly a full display of all the birds commonly found in Iceland, and also a display of their eggs. You will also find mounted crabs and fish, a display of insects, and a shell collection.
Because of the volcanic geology of the country, Iceland contains a magnificent array of crystals and other minerals. The mineral display at the aquarium is one of the best in the country. It was donated to the aquarium in 1976 and holds samples of almost every type of mineral found in the country.
The Aquarium & Natural History Museum has an interesting collection of stuffed birds and animals, videos on puffins and catfish, and fish tanks of Icelandic fish. It’s great fun for the family, and there’s often a puffin wobbling about. The museum is an informal bird hospital as well.
