Montreal's unique Biodome

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Four years ago Margo and I visited one of North America’s most unique institutions – Montreal’s Biodome: here are some photos from our visit.

In 1976 the Olympic Games were held in Montreal, in venues specially created for that purpose. One of them, the velodrome, was designed for cycling events , but interest in that sport didn’t carry over after the Games. In 1989 it was completely rebuilt inside to become the Biodome, which has self-contained replicas of four ecosystems found in the Americas: the Tropical Forest, the Laurentian (Canadian) forest, the Saint Lawrence (Eastern Canada) Marine Ecosystem, and the Polar areas. There are also several exhibition rooms, housing displays, nutrition and veterinary clinics, and information.

The hermetically-sealed “habitat” of each of the four eco-systems is temperature- and humidity-controlled to be exactly like the system it represents. There are 750 species of plants and nearly 5,000 animals altogether. Real animals including birds live in each habitat; they are all carefully monitored by veterinarians, and are fed the actual diet that they would have in that ecosystem.

The Biodome also hosts visiting ecological displays from other countries. It is open every day of the year, with different hours depending on the season. In addition to the habitats, there are also a bistro, a gift shop, and a cafeteria. For more information go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Biodome .

You can see the full sized original of any photo simply by clicking on it.

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