Behind the scenes look at feeding time at OdySea Aquarium

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - OdySea Aquarium in Scottsdale features thousands of animals of all different kinds, and as you can imagine, preparing all the food to keep all the animals happy and healthy is a massive operation.

We're showing you a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes.

6,000 animals of more than 350 species call OdySea Aquarium home. 

These animals love to eat.

"We have a variety. Because, just like us, they don't want to eat the same thing. So we want to switch it up. They get shrimp, clams, other fish since that is the food cycle, so we give them a lot of variety in their diet," said senior animal care specialist Alyssa Daily.

She and her team make sure they get the food they need by spending hours every day prepping the food.

"We are constantly chopping. We take out some of the bones to help any of the digestive issues with the animals. We make sure it's in nice small pieces that they can eat, so there is no competition. They are super spoiled, and we like to keep it that way," Daily said.

The sharks require about 60 pounds of food per day. As for the entire aquarium, it takes about 75,000 pounds per year to keep the animals fed.

"They're getting salmon, mackerel, and again, a lot of variety, and we take their preferences into consideration. Some sharks don't like certain things, so we give them what they want," Daily said.

Some of the animals eat up to three times a day, so if you're coming to the aquarium, there's a good chance you'll catch breakfast, lunch, or dinner.