Shedd Aquarium

Shedd Aquarium is an indoor public aquarium located in Chicago. Opened in 1930, the aquarium holds about 32,000 animals, and was the first inland aquarium with a permanent saltwater fish collection. It holds 5 million gallons of water and has about 2 million visitors to the aquarium each year. The architecture of the aquarium is built similarly to the Field Museum, with Greek inspiration, it has a similar facade as a temple would. The aquarium itself holds many exhibits, such as the Abbott Oceanarium, Wild Reef, Polar Play Zone, Waters of the World, Amazon Rising, Stingray Touch, and more. They also hold a great variety of animals, from saltwater to tropical, they have about 1,500 species. Without people, how long can the animals survive, and for how long will the structure of the aquarium stand in a life after people?

## Timeline

### 1 Day After People

In the many exhibits, the ecosystems of the aquarium seem to go along in perfect harmony. In the Wild Reef, sharks, moon jellies, corals, and reef fishes go along their business as usual and swim their way around. The same can be said for the rest. However, this day is different from any other. As the power grid shuts down, the lights in the Shedd Aquarium turn off, leaving the animals in the darkness. The fishes and marine life aren't used to this and soon, this will grow into a large problem that requires either escaping or dying.

### 3 Days After People

   Without natural currents set by humans, moon jellies start to die off, the first victims in the aquarium. Many more will soon follow, as the lack of human help and food from them leads to them eating each other to survive. Outside the aquarium, the gardens still continue to grow and make the land look pretty. However, something has gone wrong. Far away, the lack of human maintenance has caused the waters of the Chicago River to break through the canals and water locks. As they are free from their restraints, they soon start to flood nearby cities. The Shedd Aquarium is one of those structures to be affected, as well as the other structures nearby, like the Field Museum and Adler Planetarium. Being so close to Lake Michigan also causes a problem. As the water level rises, the gardens are snuffed away, the beautiful colors and fragrance gone for good.

### 2 Weeks After People

With the water levels causing a minor flooding in some areas, there could be a chance for some animals to escape. For the saltwater fish and specimens, they won't be able to. Since the water is mainly freshwater, being from a lake, they aren't adapted to the flooded water and have to stay. In the Stingray Touch exhibit, the stingrays have ran out of meals and starved to death. In the time of humans, people could pay to feed these stingrays, but two weeks without any meal given to them by man, they stood no chance. Although most fish would have ran out of food and died of starvation by now, many mammals and other creatures still live. The pale color of the beluga whale still strikes the empty aquarium, although with no humans to take care of it, it swims a lonely life. A few predatory fish, like the Giant Pacific Octopus were still able to survive from eating the other fish in its ocean exhibit as well. As a matter of fact, an octopus like this might be able to escape its exhibit and find food elsewhere. The only problem is, it is a saltwater individual, and it can't survive in freshwater for too long. It's fate might be restrained to its deactivated exhibit. However, in the Rivers exhibit, there is some animals that could survive. Some of these animals can breathe air for a bit, like the archerfish and lungfish, but the exhibit best suited for a change like this would be the At Home on the Great Lakes exhibit. Some animals easily escape and find new homes, such as the Wood Duck and American Bullfrog. Out of these animals now, what will survive after a year?

### 1 Year After People

At the Shedd Aquarium, many of its 1,500 species of animals have died off, especially the saltwater species. The aquarium's reputation for being the first one with saltwater fish is gone. However, there are survivors. Ducks, frogs, and a few other species of the river have surprisingly made it out of the exhibits and swam out of the aquarium. Now, they live in their new homes, although for some, they might not find any other potential mate. For the few stuck in their exhibits, all that's left is the American Alligator, who, after feeding on the last of its meal, hibernated for a long time to keep itself alive. Now, without any food or way to get out, the alligator dies. Although the animals have either left or died, the structure itself still holds a reminder of what it once held. How long can that last, though?

### 15 Years After People

The color of the exterior of the aquarium has faded, for the banners have been torn apart by the winds. During a heavy thunderstorm ravaging Chicago, the tip of the dome is shattered off during a lightning strike. The dome has been hurt, but most likely won't get hit again for a very long time. The Greek inspiration of the structure is what keeps the aquarium standing, but being partly submerged, it won't last as long as the original temples. The pillars are slowly being eaten away from the water, adding to the problems the Shedd Aquarium is facing. Inside, although the animals have died or escaped, the exhibits are still partly recognizable. The glass encasings have started to crack a while ago, are now threatening to break free. Although that won't be the case for now, without human maintenance, it will prove to be a problem later.

### 65 Years After People

In the aquarium, the glass encasings can no longer hold themselves and break free. The water sliding out cause others to break, except for water held by other materials. As it is done, the Shedd Aquarium floods even more, causing a severe damaging of the interior and part of the exterior as well. As for the structure itself, being battered and hurt more than the Field Museum nearby, it might collapse at an earlier time.

### 150 Years After People

The dome of the aquarium, weakening after over a century, now collapses, causing part of the structure around it to break as well. All it does inside is cause a wave to occur. Inside, the words and other informative signs have faded from the time and water, some having broke as well. Other freshwater animals surprisingly move in towards the empty aquarium, having a temporary home for the time being. The pillars of the facade are slowly wearing away, now ready to break through any day. As for the walls, they will continue to stand. Parts of the ceiling and roof of the back portion of the aquarium, however, aren't going to last anymore. They also collapse and cause big waves inside.

### 300 Years After People

As the pillars now break off from the constant battering, the walls that hold the facade are also starting to crack. Partly submerged, the aquarium is running out of time. Soon, the rest of the facade collapses, sinking to the ground and causing more to break around. Although the aquarium might try to survive underwater as ruins, Mother Nature has other plans.

### 475 Years After People

The walls of the aquarium can no longer hold its own water and finally crumble. As they do, the roof of the Shedd Aquarium caves in, the remaining exhibits inside finally destroyed with them. Although the aquarium is gone, the Field Museum and Adler Planetarium still stand for a while longer. However, the aquarium now might be able to stay preserved beneath the waves.

### 2,000 Years After People

What remains of the Shedd Aquarium after 2,000 years? The pieces of marble and other materials that made the structure in the first place, buried under the Earth now, but something else as well. The surviving animals that have escaped the aquarium long ago have continued their generations, their descendants the final reminders of an aquarium that took care of their distant ancestors.