Toronto’s new aquarium will be North America’s largest, featuring a whopping 135,000 sq. ft. space. The aquarium, which will sit near the base of the CN Tower, will feature 45 exhibits with 450+ species (including 6 different large sharks), totalling over 15,000 animals in all. 

Perhaps the most exciting feature is the large acrylic tunnel, which gets onlookers up-close and personal with the aquarium’s sharks. It will be filled with nearly 3 million litres of water – the same water that comes out from your tap – before it is treated to become suitable for the fish. 

The aquarium will take in a number of animals displaced from the NY Aquarium by Hurricane Sandy, and will house a number of endangered animals including the sand tiger shark. In addition, the aquarium will educate its guests on the Canadian fishing economy, and sustainable fishing. 

The aquarium will open September 2013, and projections estimate an average 2 million visitors per year. 

Check out CBC’s new video as they peek under the surface of the project here, and you can visit the aquarium’s official website here.

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Jeremy Schipper is an intern at Toronto Standard. You can follow him on Twitter at @jeromeoschipps.

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