Stingray Cove at Denver Zoo

Hands-On Interactive Experience with Stingrays and Sharks Now Open!

Hands can now meet fins at Stingray Cove™ at Denver Zoo! This new interactive exhibit will give you a chance to touch and feed an array of stingrays and sharks, at their discretion, while they swim carefree in a state-of-the-art habitat. Stingray Cove™ is home to safe-to-touch species, including cownose and southern stingrays, and bonnethead, white-spotted bamboo and brown-banded bamboo sharks, and feature a 15,000-gallon saltwater pool that will be low enough for young children to peer and reach into the water, yet provide “rest zones” and “hides” for the animals when they need a break.

Animal and veterinary care for the stingrays and sharks in Stingray Cove™ will be supervised by Living Exhibits, a company that specializes in interactive exhibits for zoos and aquariums, including St. Louis Zoo, Memphis Zoo, Fort Worth Zoo and many others. Living Exhibits recently earned the Humane Certified™ seal of approval from American Humane for demonstrating good welfare and treatment to the animals in Stingray Cove™ exhibits across the country. The animals in Stingray Cove™ will be fed human-quality peeled shrimp, krill, squid and mackerel, and receive many forms of enrichment, including various toys and interactions with staff in the water. Living Exhibits does not collect animals from the wild—all animals are either rescued or born and raised in managed care.

If you currently hold Zoo admission tickets and would like to add this experience to your visit, you can still purchase your $5 Stingray Cove™ tickets at the Zoo the day of your visit. 

Watch Denver Zoo’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels for regular updates about Stingray Cove and other exciting announcements around the Zoo!

Updated 6/23/20; originally published 9/20/19