Cool picture of the day: Erin putting Chewie the lobster back into the exhibit with Chacoda and Amelia checking things out. I wonder what they're thinking...

Labels: Amelia, Chaconda, Chewie, Harbor Seals, Justin

Summer Camp Aquarium Style

When I was younger I went to summer camp. From what I remember there were mosquitoes, a really cold lake and raccoons that broke into my tent. There are many more summer camp options these days. This summer we have hosted the Aquarium's Harbor Discoveries Camp for a sneak peek behind the scenes of our exhibits.


This isn't your typical summer camp. Along with the usual smores eatin' and kumbaya-in' that they do on their overnight trips, these kids are also serious thinkers! The groups we hosted focused on animal husbandry and aquarium exhibit design. Along with in-depth discussions about animal care, we also found some time to have a couple of intimate encounters with the seals and Myrtle the green sea turtle.

-Justin

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Labels: Harbor Discoveries Camp, Justin, Myrtle, Reggae, Trumpet

Feeding the Lobster and Cleaning the Seal Exhibit

One of the most important parts of a trainer's job is keeping the seals' environment clean and safe. However this doesn't just apply to the food prep areas or to the rocks that the seals haul out on. The trainers (and some of our SCUBA certified volunteers) dive in the front seal exhibit twice weekly to "clean house." First thing's first though.



We feed Chewie, our seventeen pound lobster. Though his diet varies, right now he's eating only shrimp. Next it's time to pick up the seal toys and take them topside where they'll be scrubbed and disinfected. In the warm, sunny weather algae grows very quickly in the exhibit. So our visitors can get a clear view of our harbor seals we take a soft, textured cloth and wipe off any algae that might be growing on the glass. Then it's time for the "dirty" work: vacuuming up all the loose algae, detritus (look it up!) and fecal matter that settles on the bottom of the tank. Even though it's a lot of work setting up and breaking down the vacuum and dive gear, the opportunity to spend a little time with the seals in their underwater home makes it all worth it.
Plus, you never know when you might find a little buried "treasure."
(In this I found a whisker!)

-Paul

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Labels: Chewie, cleaning, diving, Harbor Seals, Paul

Look Into My Eyes

In this picture you can see a great shot of Chainsaw's eyes. Most would think that the mottled look to the eye ball is a bit odd. For Chainsaw, this is a genetic disorder which causes her to lose the pigment, or the color, of her eye. Originally a dark brown, over the years the eye color is fading away to a purple-whitish hue with some brown spots.

This genetic issue does not effect her eyesight in any way; the cataracts do that. Chainsaw has developed cataracts in both of her eyes that prevent her from seeing much at all. This is not a problem for a seal due to their ultra-sensitive whiskers, or vibrissae, which you can also see pointing forward in the photo. Vibrissae are a much longer subject, so look forward to a blog on that topic in the near future. 'Til then enjoy looking at Chainsaw's sweet face.

-Rochelle

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Labels: cataract, Chainsaw, Rochelle, whiskers

The Harbor Seals are Molting

The molting season is in full swing for the harbor seals. Here are some photos from the past few days of Smoke, our oldest harbor seal.

The brown areas are patches of old hair, the silver is all new stuff.

-Justin

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Labels: hair, harbor seal, Justin, molting, Smoke