Commerce Department

If you miss the National Aquarium's Monday, Wednesday or Saturday 2 p.m. shark feedings, don't despair. Tuesday through Thursday or on Sunday at the same time is the

piranha-feeding hour. Lest you think the aquarium only puts its most carnivorous creatures on display, all sorts of aquatic creatures float around in 70 tanks depicting the various aquatic ecosystems of the world.

The newest residents at the aquarium are five American alligators. When he welcomed the gators to the department, former Commerce Secretary William M. Daley noted that as a youth he kept a pet alligator for a couple of weeks before it outgrew its tub, and his father, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, decided that it was better suited to the Lincoln Park Zoo. The aquarium store sells books, stuffed dolphins and whales, and glass aquariums.

National Aquarium
Open daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Admission: adults, $3; children under 10, 75 cents
14th & Constitution Ave. N.W.
Washington (Federal Triangle subway stop)
(202) 482-2825 or (202) 482-2826
www.actwin.com/fish/public.cgi