Trieste's city aquarium is easy to find along the waterfront, as it's housed in one wing of the former fish mongers building, distinguished by a red brick façade and large bell tower - the latter actually constructed to obscure an unsightly water-pumping mechanism. Originally constructed in 1913, the aquarium was opened in 1933 and is now home to many species primarily from the Adriatic sea. In 1998, an exhibition of amphibians and reptiles was also added on the first floor, while the star attractions here are usually considered to be the pair of South African penguins, who unofficially double as the institutions mascots.