Thursday, April 9, 2009

#104: Flipper Licking Good!

As you can see, each seals' tongue is shaped a little bit differently. Here are a few of the seals that we have trained or are in the process of training the tongue behavior.

Lana, Cayenne and Trumpet

-Rochelle

Labels: Cayenne, Harbor Seals, Lana, Reggae, Rochelle, Trumpet

2 Comments:

Theodosia said...: Just wanted to ask -- why is it important to have them stick out their tongues? Is it so you can visually check some aspect of health?

(I'm intrigued that they have sort-of forked tongues -- is there a reason for that?)

Thanks!; April 14, 2009 6:51 AM
Rochelle said...: The importance of sticking out their tongues is that it's really cute! It also poses a challenge for the trainer to figure out the best way to train it. You'll be able to see the steps and progress of Lana's tongue behavior coming soon in a future post!
I'm not quite sure about the purpose of a forked tongue but I plan on looking it up soon.
-Rochelle; April 14, 2009 10:41 AM

About

Why do we train seals? There are lots of reasons. Training keeps these intelligent animals stimulated. They really seem to enjoy learning new behaviors. Training also helps develop a close, working relationship based on trust. It's this trusting relationship that allows Aquarium biologists to work in close proximity to the seals so they can get checkups. This blog provides a window into the life and work of the Aquarium's marine mammal trainers.