Are you ready for some football?! A friendly rivalry is brewing with the National Aquarium in Baltimore ahead of the upcoming New England Patriots - Baltimore Ravens playoff showdown. Chacoda got into the spirit with some raucous cheering for the New England Patriots during today's training session.

Even though there is a blanket of snow in the exhibit, Ursula couldn't care less. She seems to really enjoy rolling in it! Watch how all that fur keeps her comfortable while she is frolicking in the snow during our training session.

What a year! When we look back through the blogs, a lot of exciting things happened. We trained different species of animals, opened the New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center, and welcomed a new colony of Northern Fur Seals. While the holidays can be a busy time, we wanted to take a minute and thank everyone who followed us this year. We really appreciated the interest, the questions and the support. Here's to another great year!

Happy Holidays,
-Erin

Snoring, bleating, purring? This sounds like my house after the Thanksgiving meal. Imagine my surprise when I heard the same sounds coming from the Northern fur seals. Last month I posted examples of Baranov's "whickering." Ursula makes some unique sounds of her own.



Ursula had been quiet as the proverbial church mouse during her first year and a half with us. Then, only occasionally, we would hear a sound similar to that of a bleating sheep. This sound is made by some female fur seals as they enter estrus (what we refer to as "in heat" for dogs). Recently some staff members described a new sound from Ursula as a clicking or rumbling in her throat. I was able to record the sound while waiting for work to be completed on an exhibit door. Unfortunately, the recording also picks up the door being rattled so some of Ursula's sounds are covered. Her clicking sound is made with her mouth closed and goes for the first two seconds, then right as it goes to three you hear the first of the door sounds.



I tried to catch the sound again in this video, but became captivated by Baranov's territorial display. You'll see Isaac head for the water, but Cordova seems less than concerned by Baranov roaring in her face.



-Jenny

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After a long hiatus, as we acclimated our fur seals to their new surroundings, we are back for seal of the week! This week we are going to highlight Cayenne.





-Patty

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It is high time we officially introduce you to our youngest male Northern fur seal, Isaac. Isaac is 9 years old and currently weighs in at just over 200 pounds, though we expect him to nearly double in size in the next few years.


During the last few months, we have been working with Isaac to fine-tune some of his behaviors, including his head shake (so you can see his handsome hair), vocal (it sounds like a purr), and open mouth. He is doing great!

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Trainer Lindsay and Ursula the Northern fur seal show kids how to stretch.

The marine mammal staff has paired with Abbie Davies, founder and owner of My First Yoga, to show that everyone does the same things to stay healthy. Just check out this story that recently aired on NECN to learn a little more, then come on in and join us during one of our Fitness Friday presentations.

-Erin

Baranov

Listen closely during the video and you can hear Baranov whickering. It seemed he was responding to a sound made by one of the other seals. He whickered on and off for several minutes this morning before falling back to sleep.

~ Jenny

This is JD shortly after waking up one morning. She rested most of the night on deck and you can see how dry and furry she really is.