Vancouver Aquarium welcomes new exhibit ‘Survival of the Slowest’

A three-toed sloth is the star of the Vancouver Aquarium's Survival of the Slowest exhibition, on until September.

The Vancouver Aquarium is championing the underdog with a new exhibit dedicated to all creatures slow and small.

Running until Sept. 1, Survival of the Slowest offers visitors the opportunity to get up close and personal with all manner of mellow animals, from creatures of the exotic kind, like armadillos and sloths, to rescued backyard critters like tortoises and hedgehogs.

The live exhibit puts the spotlight on the animals who evolved to be slow as part of their survival strategy, harnessing their calm character and eating less, moving less or hiding more to make it in the wild.

“Usually, when we think of animals surviving, we think about fast and powerful, but sometimes small and slow also wins the race,” says Joaquin Marquez, exhibit lead at the aquarium.

One of the most powerful animals in the exhibit, and certainly the slowest, is the exhibit’s star, the Linnaeus, three-toed-sloth.

“A lot of people see sloths, and they see them as cute, little friendly guys, but they are really, really strong, surprisingly so. A lot of power comes with those really strong hands,” said Marquez.

With the exhibit focusing on “really remarkable creatures with strange adaptations,” Marquez says it pushes visitors to reconsider what creatures they believe to be important in the animal kingdom.

“One of the main messages that we’re looking (to get across) is just the appreciation of all different kinds of animals, especially some that maybe get looked over or don’t get thought of as being powerful animals,” he said.

Many visitors tend to be scared of some of the creatures, like the snakes and creepy crawlies, but Marquez recommends challenging those fears to ensure a “deeper appreciation for all kinds of wildlife.” Other creatures, like the average turtle, can often be dismissed as nothing more than a “nuisance animal” but they are “amazing and resilient in their own way,” says Marquez.

Live presentations and hands-on interactions led by wildlife experts will offer a close encounter with some of the featured animals, including Spud, the aquarium’s beloved box turtle.

Spud, like many of the animals featured, is from the Foundation for Animal Rescue and Education (F.A.R.E.), an organization that rescues abandoned or forgotten pets.