Montreal Biodome
| Montreal Biodome | |
|---|---|
View from the tower of the Olympic Stadium | |
| 45°33′35″N 73°32′59″W / 45.55972°N 73.54972°W | |
| Date opened | April 1976 (Velodrome) 19 June 1992 (Biodome) |
| Location | 4777 Pierre-de Coubertin avenue Montreal, Quebec H1V 1B3 |
| No. of animals | 4802 (excluding invertebrates), 1500 Plants |
| No. of species | 229 (excluding invertebrates), 750 Plants |
| Annual visitors | 815,810 (2011) |
| Memberships | AZA, CAZA |
| Public transit access | Viau STM bus |
| Website | espacepourlavie |
The Montreal Biodome (French: Biodôme de Montréal) is a museum of enclosed ecosystems located at Olympic Park in the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, that allows visitors to walk through replicas of four ecosystems found in the Americas.
It is one of two large-scale enclosed ecosystem structures in the Western Hemisphere, the other being Biosphere 2 in Tucson, Arizona. However, unlike the latter, the Montreal Biodome was designed primarily as a museum, resembles but is fundamentally different from a closed ecological system such as Biosphere 2.
The building was originally constructed for the 1976 Olympic Games as a velodrome (cycling stadium) with 2,600 seats. It hosted both track cycling and judo events. Renovations on the building began in 1989 and in 1992 the indoor nature exhibit was opened.
The Montreal Biodome is one of four facilities that make part of the largest natural science museum complex in Canada, Space for Life, which also includes the Montreal Insectarium, Montreal Botanical Garden, and Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium. It is an accredited member of both the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and the Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums association (CAZA).