The Living Planet Aquarium.

Sandy -- THE LIVING PLANET AQUARIUM has seen more than 1 million visitors since opening its doors in 2004. This marks the highest general admission attendance in The Living Planet's history.

More than 84,000 people visited The Living Planet during the first part of 2009 after it unveiled the Journey to South America Exhibit, bringing attendance up 72 percent from last year. "We broke our prior one-month summertime record of 31,085 last year with 46,292 visitors this April. On April 19th, we reached our one-millionth visitor since opening the preview exhibit at The Gateway in 2004," says Angie Hyde, director of public relations and marketing at the aquarium.

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The Living Planet Aquarium visitors this year enjoyed, among other offerings, the Utah Gallery featuring species native to Utah; the Marine Gallery featuring sharks, rays, jellies and seahorses; and the newest exhibit, Journey to South America, where visitors can learn about the biodiversity of rainforest animals and ecosystems.

The Living Planet also sold 22,314 memberships during the past 12 months. The Living Planet Aquarium memberships include sneak previews, discounts on party rentals and gift shop purchases and a subscription to The Living Planet Aquarium's electronic newsletter.

In the year ahead, The Living Planet Aquarium anticipates the addition of Gentoo and Macaroni penguins to the Journey to South America exhibit, depending on donations, sponsorships and in-kind contributions.